When it came to building our couch we really wanted a place that we could sit back and enjoy the view of the area our adventure had taken us to. But we also wanted a place that would provide comfort and a place to eat, while still offering us the storage and electrical area we needed to make this van functional.
Our floorplan includes a couch on the driver side which will allow us to look out the window we had installed in the sliding door. We want this area to be a place of relaxation and enjoyment.
We started off with the couch. The first thing we needed to do was to create the base for the couch. To keep weight down we had the couch base custom built out of T-slot aluminum extrusion. The couch base was measured to allow us to install a power generator, the GOAL ZERO YETI 3000 LITHIUM PORTABLE POWER STATION WITH WIFI. We will have all of our electrical routed through this area with a battery shut off and 12-volt fuse box to run off of our dual AMG batteries.
Once the base was installed we used 1/4” melamine to surround the area. This allowed us to cover the aluminum base and build a removable lid for the cushion that we planned on using for the couch. We looked at having custom cushions made but that was quite expensive and the material was hard to come by. But good ole Amazon came though as we stumbled on some Sumbrella cushions in a grey that matched the van’s interior. Once we had purchased them and put them in the van we realized they were about four inches too deep for our couch design. We contacted Fox Upholstery, a local business, and had them cut the cushions down, replace the zipper, and resew it; they were able to do all that at a better price than the custom-built cushions were going to cost us. They also look as good as new and as if nothing has been altered. To keep the cushions from sliding around on the melamine, we placed some drawer liner on top of the melamine which keeps the cushions from moving and sliding about.
To enhance our couch area, we installed the Lagun table base. This was accomplished by cutting a 2 x 6 with a 20-degrees angle on both sides. After cutting the sides the 2 x 6 base was attached to the Lagun stand and 2 x 6 base to the outside of the couch. The 2 x 6 allows the Lagun table to set out a couple of inches so it rises up without interfering with the lid to the storage area. In the future, we plan on getting a base that will allow us to turn the passenger seat into a swivel chair. This will allow us a little more eating room as someone can sit there, turn the chair, and use the Lagun table to enjoy a meal.
We are pleased with the way the couch came out. We will be building a tabletop to match our other counters and doors. Once we are done we will have a place to sit and look out at some incredible views while enjoying a delicious meal or relaxing and reading a good book.
