Box Truck to Tiny Home - Timelapse - Start to Finished

We're turning this plain white box truck into the ultimate expedition truck. Hey we're Abe and Mel. Watch along as we share from start to finish our entire build that we're going to be living in and traveling in full-time. Let's get started. After weeks of looking for a truck we found a Ford F-550 and added a box for our living space. Once the box was installed we worked with Mako and Layton to get it painted. They had a big enough booth to fit our truck. It was cost-effective to get it painted prior to cutting the holes and getting started on the build. A total of six layers went on between the primer, the paint, and the clear coat. The color inspiration is from one of our favorite places to travel, Washington. We decided to go with a Subaru autumn green to blend in with the forest. This was such an exciting part of the process to see the truck's look start to completely change. Once the paint was finished we headed to Kansas to start the build out. Even though we did a lot of prior planning on the layout, we did have to make some adjustments because of where the wall studs were and how it affected our build. Specifically the doors, window, and the desk. In the truck we wanted to add as much natural light as possible, which means adding in as many windows that fit in our budget. We're installing a small window over the cab, a large window on the driver's side which is the kitchen, and a large window on the passenger side which will be where the couch is. Turnoverland's windows were easy to install and having their extra features are a bonus. One thing that was very challenging to figure out, that ended up being pretty easy, was a way to get from the box to the cab. While this pass-through is primarily for emergencies, it was a must-have for us in our truck build. Aluminum extrusions are something we have used a lot in the past. The best thing about these are how modular they are, being very easy to make them any size you need and also add any accessories you would like now and later on down the road. We utilized this roof rack as much as we could to minimize the amount of holes going into the roof. We attached five signature solar panels to it along with exterior lights and an awning. So after being inspired by some other Expedition trucks, we decided to add a small roof rack on the cab as well. This also allowed us to add a large cargo case along with some traction boards. While we want to minimize the holes in the roof, not all holes in the roof are avoidable. We added in a max air fan for ventilation and also a nomadic cooling 12 volt air conditioner. Installation was smooth with our DIY kit. Since this truck is very high off the ground, we wanted an easy functional way to get in. Torque lift steps collapse down very small and work on a variety of terrain, allowing us easy access into our rig anywhere we are. I think we all can agree those stock tires and rims needed a major upgrade. DDC has some custom wheels for Ford F550s that really changed the look of our truck and also allowed us to add some all-terrain tires. So 3M Thinsulate is our choice of insulation for a variety of reasons. Easy to measure, to cut, spray some adhesive, and install. Boom, check that off the list. Our windows, doors, and insulation is in, it's time to close up the walls and ceiling. Don't worry, it's not time to run our wires or plumbing, stay tuned for that. To keep our weight down as much as we can, we went with half inch framing and fourth inch walls throughout. For our ceiling, we chose interlocking shiplap that we painted black for a clean sleek look. It's cabinet building time. We continued to watch how much our build would weigh by using three-fourths plywood for the lower cabinets and then half inch plywood for the upper cabinets and all the doors. To keep a simple and modern look, edge banding was added to all the doors and faces of the cabinets. Since this will be our full-time home, we wanted to make sure to have a robust electrical system. Signature Solar partnered with us and provided all the power we needed for our home. Earlier, 1,000 watts of solar went on the roof, now the MPPT charge controller along with the inverter and batteries are going in. To complement the black exterior on our cabinets, we kept the inside of the cabinet a nice beautiful lighter stain and for our walls we painted them a light gray that is on the cooler side of the color wheel. Once the cabinets were all in, we finished up with painting. When it comes to countertops, they were very tough to figure out. You can see the build series episode more on that story, but what we went with is a edge-glued pine plumbing system lives in our kitchen cabinet. The main reason we did this was for weight distribution and simplicity right by the sink. This includes our 42 gallon water tank, our water pump, and a water filter on our entire system along with a hydronic water heater. Typically, we don't like to put full floor-to-ceiling walls in the middle of a build, but since this box is so wide, we're able to have a fully dedicated space for a bathroom. This includes a shower and our composting toilet. For waterproofing, we used red guard membrane on the walls and a fabric tape on the corners. After that, we added vinyl flooring and caulked the corners to finish it up. The additional light in the top creates a luxury feeling bathroom. During our travels, we were in the northeast and saw a beautiful door. Abe shared the photo and his inspiration for the door and Kevin brought it to life. The stain he used matched our wall shingles, which you will see soon. Thereafter, he added Abe's chosen iron hardware and decor. The design inspiration of our build is based off of a Norwegian historical church. These shingles made from barnwood planks resemble what is used on the exterior of those. When we drive our home on wheels, things shift and move. You're probably surprised to see now that the build is nearly finished, we are running our wires. The benefit to this method is if you need to do maintenance, it's very easy as everything is accessible and hiding in the cabinets. This includes our plumbing system as well. Having it in the back of the cabinets and in the garage area allows easy access for maintaining and also creates less chance of pipes freezing. It's time to put together a spot to sleep. We created a very unique bed system. In our van, we did the same exact thing. The goal was to maximize the space in our garage along with the space from the bed to the ceiling to be able to sit in bed. Using a sheet of three quarter inch plywood and some square tubing, we were able to create a bed system that is less than two inches thick and also removable. Next, you'll see our flooring has scratched stone look to mimic the tombstones and thereafter we're going to be adding touches of green to the build to bring to mind the greenery surrounding these churches. All that's left to do is get build series for a more in-depth look on our build.