Inspiration for our VW bus makeover...

Now that we have our vw bus, the husband and I have been slowly scheming, on a nightly basis, our plans for turning our panel van into our ultimate dream bus! I started a board on pinterest to gather ideas and some practical strides have already been made. Above is a little round up of our inspiration. Fabric for the curtains, seat colors, built-in ideas, wood paneling, jump seat, fridge, etc etc. Hear more about our ideas and see my "before" photo series after the jump. 

Our bus...

So here are all the before pictures, to show you want we're working with. 

I removed all of the stickers from the inside, which took me no time at all. The exterior stickers took slightly more time (which means they took 10 secs instead of 5) As you can see, since it's a panel van it's a bit dark on the inside, so we will most likely add a window on that side.

There is plain gray carpeting on the floor, which will eventually be replaced with wood paneling and then a removable all weather mat for those super messy camping trips or days and months of inclement weather. Here's the little one on the back bench, which is actually a first row bench seat... scroll down to see what we have planned for seating.

Our current bench seat came with a racing harness installed, and we recently purchased more seat belts to allow for the carseat to be safely installed. 

This past Sunday the husband scored this vw bench/bed for free. They usually sell for $150- $250. It needs a major overhaul so we are essentially going to save the hardware and then build the rest from scratch. Super easy, just two slabs of plywood, foam and fabric. As for fabric, we love the look of the yellow and white leather seats... and maybe one day we will feel gutsy enough and have the funds to go for something so daring. For now with a toddler in tow, we are leaning towards more dirt friendly options. I like the idea of waxed canvas, so we are going to explore that option! 

The ceiling is simple white peg board loosely screwed in and taped up, with a gray felt over the driver's seat. This will be replaced with wood paneling and maybe, just maybe a sun roof! (in about 5 years from now!)

Detail shot of where the peg board meets the felt.

Our daughter loves playing in the bus!

The front seats have these bag slip covers over them so they will need to be re covered. (Might outsources this upholstery job.) We will build a seat on the left side, with storage beneath. On the right side, closest to the door, we are thinking about having a jump seat (as seen in the first inspiration board pic) that can be removed for camping trips in order to put a fridge in its place. 

The sides of the bus are simple plywood, that will be replaced with the wood paneling.

The back trunk with the carpet and felt... will have built ins and a cushion (see inspiration board for details.)

Then there are the important details that take priority, like replacing the seals on the windows. Which is important since it will allow us to actually open this side window. ; )

So to break it down here is our prioritized list:

#1
Seat belts
Car seat insert hooks!

replace window seals
Jump seats (or fridge and a bench behind the two front seats)
Curtain

Redo bench/bed and instal 

(Maybe recover front seats?)

#2

ac/heat
Engine overhaul
Install Windows (one opposite the door and maybe a sunroof? This has to happen before paneling.)
Paneling for floor (with a large weather mat for dirtier situations)
Wood interior paneling- ceiling etc

Built ins

#3

Chrome headlights
Mirrors
Fridge

#4 the 15 year plan
Body Work: Rust and paint

Ultimate Upholstery dream of white and yellow

So as you can see, it's a nice blank canvas that doesn't require much maintenance up front, which is perfect... just a few projects to slowly chip away at over the years!