Van Life (or Tiny House) Model: Cardboard-Aided Design

What would an L-shaped kitchen look like? Where will the fridge go? Can I add in a propane stove? Would I need to shorted the lounge space? Where would I work?

These were all questions I was facing last weekend as I continued to examine my floorplans for converting an ambulance into a home. I struggled to visualize how tight the space would (or wouldn't) be with the different features I wanted to add. Being on a relatively tight budget, I wanted to be sure of exactly what I could fit.

As I was scrolling through a recent email from Instructables, the cardboard speed challenge caught my eye. That sounds fun. What could I make?

Then I had it. Two birds, one stone.

I'd build a 3d model of the van from cardboard.

I'd considered making a 3d model before out of Lego, but with Lego there's a lot of hunting for the right sized piece and then the need for to make sure the whole thing doesn't fall apart.

Not so with cardboard.

A simple cut from a knife or scissors and resizing is finished. Add a healthy (or even conservative) glob of hot glue, and voila: that cardboard will survive a hurricane... well maybe not quite.

So my adventure began.

The whole endeavor took me about 12 hours and 87 craft sticks. I spent a few hours throughout the week planning and prepping measurements. My entire Saturday was then spent building and prettifying the model.

• Cardboard
  • Corrugated
  • Non-corrugated
• Knife and/or scissors
• Hot glue gun with glue
• PVA glue (optional)
• Pencil
• Decorations (optional)
  • Craft sticks
  • Paint
  • Stain
  • etc.

I decided early on that I would like to build out an ambulance. The box-shaped structure would make the interior build simpler when compared to the popular Sprinter vans that have plenty of curved walls. Ambulances also have very solid structures, which would mean less concerns in an accident (especially compared to campers) and would allow for a deck on the roof. Older ambulances are also very affordable and well maintained.

For the model, I decided on using a scale of 1' to 0.75 in. since this would allow the thickness of the corrugated cardboard (approx. 0.125") to account for the thickness of the insulation (approx. 2"). This conveniently aligned with an ambulance floorplan drawing I had copied a few months back (see attached pdf), which made sizing the doors simpler since I could just measure the doorways on the drawing.

The box of a typical ambulance is 60" H x 90" W x 144" L, so my model will be 4.3125" x 5.625" x 9". I cut the long sides and the top/bottom as one strip of cardboard to keep things simpler. To allow the cardboard to bend 90 degrees, I cut a slit through one layer of the cardboard and then ran my finger down the cut to push the cardboard out of the bend. For the back doors, I left a part of the cardboard attached to act as a hinge.

Then I glued the front and back pieces on. I did not glue the top or right side of the box so that it would be easy to open for viewing or rearranging.

There were several appliances/features I wanted to fit in the conversion (I'm going to refer to all of these things as "appliances" throughout the Instructable):

• Dual-zone fridge — I want to be able to freeze homemade potpies, cookies, etc.
• Stove/oven — to bake those delicious frozen goodies
• Sink
• Batteries
• Solar panels
• Vent fan
• Couch
• Water tanks
• Propane tank

I looked up the dimensions for these appliances, and converted them to the model's scale. Then I drew the nets (unfolded cubes) of the model appliances onto some thin cardboard. I left lots of tabs on the nets, but I ended up cutting off the tabs that overlapped so that the nets would fold into nice looking boxes. The pdfs attached show my original nets (before I trimmed the extra tabs).

Before gluing, I pre-bent the nets. I found it easiest to line up my ruler with the fold line, and then bend the cardboard with the ruler pressed against it. Just add a small dab of hot glue and it's good to go.

I left some of the cubes with large storage spaces (like the couches) open since I might put some of the other items (like the batteries) inside them.

Play around with where you want things to be. Be aware that the weight should be divided somewhat equally between the two halves of the vehicle (my practical understanding of this is basically don't put all 3 of the major weight systems on one side - water, propane, and batteries).

I knew I wanted to have a raised floor in the lounge area, so I cut up some cardboard to simulate that. I also added some armrest storage areas on the sides of the couches to divide the areas slightly while keeping the space open.

In the kitchen, I cut and bent a U-shaped piece of cardboard for a counter. There wasn't enough room between the through-cab door and the wall for an L-shaped kitchen, which made fitting a sink, refrigerator, and oven trickier than I was hoping for, but I made it work.

With all those appliances, though, there wasn't room for the 20 lb propane tank I initially planned on having, but I found a 11 lb tank online that would fit better in the space, so I whipped up a model for that. To make a work place, I cut another cardboard U for a desk.

Laying out the roof is significantly simpler than the interior, but it's just as important as any other feature if you plan on using solar. Here's a few things to consider (based on my zero experience but hours of research):

• Partial shade can drastically reduce the effectiveness of solar panels, so be careful of where roof racks, vent fans, etc. are casting shadows
• Moisture can be problematic inside, so having a vent fan above the kitchen is recommended.

For me, the ambulance roof is very flat, keeping plenty of roof space usable. The kitchen is toward the front of the ambulance (right in the picture), so that's where I put the vent fan. I don't plan on having any roof racks or ladders stored on the roof, so by keeping my solar to the back, shadow problems are taken care of.

If you want to keep your model completely modular for future redesigns, you're done! Yay!

If you're just getting started looking at floorplans and such things, you may carry on, but I wouldn't recommend it. As you research more, you may want to move things around some more.

If you want to seal in the design, like I did, carry on. I would recommend doing things in the following order:

*Note: the pictures don't exactly match this order since I just did things as I thought of them. This list is made in hindsight.

1. Do the walls - If you want them painted, paint them. If you want wood like me, glue craft sticks to the walls. I used PVA glue since that allowed me to wiggle the planks around as I glued them down.
2. Paint the things that aren't attached — your appliances, cabinets, or whatever else you want painted. I painted everything except the sink. Yeah, there's no good reason not to do the sink, I just forgot...
3. Cut any holes you want (ex: the sink).
   1. I cut out the bottom of one of the couches since I plan on sleeping under it. I also cut an escape hatch through one of the armrest storage areas so that in case of an emergency I'd have 2 exits from the sleeping quarters.
   2. I also cut a hole in part of the other couch so that the end portion can fold up, giving a full ceiling-height area where I can stand for a shower.
4. Hot glue everything down.
5. Add stained wood to cabinets - I wanted some contrasting wood for the cabinets, so I pulled out some ancient stain from the garage and dipped the craft sticks in it. I think a darker stain would look even better. I cut these sticks to fit the cabinets and counter top and glued them on. I also added some of this wood to the front of the fridge since I would like the fridge to be hidden.

Keep in mind this thing doesn't need to be Instagram worthy. The purpose of the model is to visualize your plan and maybe determine if the colors you're thinking about play nice. If there's a bit of paint in the wrong spot or some cardboard is peaking through, that's no big deal.

I know, I know. I just said it doesn't need to be Instagram worthy... but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be proud of it. This is your dream. It's okay to be excited. You've earned it.

Go out, visit some epic places (or pictures). Capture your excitement. Save it for when you're three weeks into building the real deal, and use it to fuel up when things aren't going according to plan. After all, this plan isn't set in stone; it's cardboard. Things will change.