Nicola thought it would be nice to have an evening picnic.
So we picked Tyler up from cubs then off to watch the sun go down. Drinking tea and eating toast, cheap and easy, perfect.
The boys ran themselves ragged and we relaxed, wonderful evening and no TV.
Tonight was a great idea and a lot of fun, boys are fast asleep. I won’t see them before work, but that’s fine, they are cutest when they’re quiet (sorry I should have said asleep)
Now, I started thinking about doing a van conversion a few years ago (5 or 6 to be exact) and as with many of my hair-brained schemes it never got off the ground. Strangely this one returned and is a goer.
I firstly searched ebay.co.uk and autotrader.co.uk for a van, the initial idea was to get a VW transporter, obviously the icon of vans to do, but with 2 growing lads and the two of us, far too small (other may disagree). So, change of plans… next Merc Sprinter, tough as old boots and really reliable. Their only down side is they are quite expensive for a good one, everyone wants one, although this could be worked around, it’s a bit of a pain. But then the big one… unless you have a crew cab van you have the pain and headache of getting additional seats fitted, a couple of points to consider…
1) Getting the seats with seat belts integrated is difficult and quite expensive (a 3 seater is approx £250-300)
2) These have to be fitted to a specific standard to ensure 100% safety
3) After the installation you have to get them certified to ensure they are professionally installed and safety checked
I was warned that the total cost for a Ford Transit Jumbo was approx £1200, even if this is a little high, it’s still a huge amount to add to the cost of the base van, especially before you start of the niceties of creature comforts.
OH, and I haven’t added the cost of windows £80 approx for each side window and £90 for the back doors, that’s supply only for self installation.
Total bill approx £1500 and a load of hard work.
My preferred option was to buy a minibus, chairs and windows already installed and certified to the required standard, plus I have 6 seats available to sell as not required. Bonus! – That’s hopefully £400 towards the fit out (subject to ebay coming through)
Next step – Find a desirable van and purchase it…. that’s for the next blog