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Now that we've gone over the Water System, the only thing left is the bathroom. We saved the best for last, eh?
I showed my toddler nephews my van hoping that I would think I was "the cool aunt" but the only thing they talked about was the toilet, so now I'm just known as the aunt who pees in her van.
Most traditional RVs have toilets which connect to a blackwater tank and a sewer line (blackwater is sewage; greywater is the less disgusting discharge such as the runoff from your sink or shower). My understanding is that dealing with blackwater tanks and sewage discharge has always been a pretty unpleasant, gross task for RV folks, understandably so. Camper van builders of the younger generation who are looking for a better way and a more convenient solution have been leaning towards compost toilets. Some people also use cassette toilets, although I've heard mixed reviews.
The Nature's Head seems to be the unanimous favorite among compost toilet aficionados. They aren't cheap - it'll run you about $1000 - but I ordered one.
I'll be honest, thus far in my travels I have only used the Nature's Head for #1, not #2. Pretty soon I am going to break down and actually try it for #2, but I can't comment yet on the compost function.
When the day comes that I finally get up the nerve to take a dump in my van, I do not plan to write about it at all. However, I'll be prepared, because there is plenty of information available on Google from other vanlifers about the Nature's Head toilet. What I've gathered from others' posts is that you mix a compressed brick of coco coir with about 3/4 gallon of water and this will last you about 3-4 weeks of full time use. I've also read that there are concerns about getting bugs in your compost - not often, but it happens - so you should sprinkle your compost with a tablespoon of Gnatrol. I ordered a small $20 bag just in case.
Bathroom parts & tools:
Shower mat
Nature's Head toilet - $1,000
Nature's Head air vents (2)
Flex seal - $35
Two vent hoses
Installation of two vent hoses
Titebond wood glue - $0 - leftover from previous parts of the build
Tons of wood screws
Tiny d-rings - $4
shower curtain magnets - $17 for a pack of four pairs
Flex seal liquid rubber - $30
Carabiners - $6 for a pack of 12
Teak shower mat - $56
Rubber divider
Evershower - This was one of my first purchases that turned out basically being a waste because I scrapped the recirculating shower pan, but, looking on the bright side, at least I supported a creative entrepreneur?
Metal snap button kit - $16
Thompson's WaterSeal - $20
Ambassador hot/cold mixer for shower - $60
Low-flow showerhead - $40
Two custom foam bench cushions and seat covers - $184 - mine were 24.5" x 33" x 3" for the shower loveseat and 19.5 x 19.5" on top of the Drawers
Circular saw
Sander
Gnatrol - $20 for a 2 ounce bag
Coco coir - $25 for 5 bricks
Bondo
Thin wood strips from Lowes
Other tools I've already covered that were used for this portion of the build: spade drill bit set, hole saw, circular saw, jig saw, Makita drill, Titebond wood glue
Total cost = $Still Counting
Pretty early in the build I had decided to have a box which doubled as a loveseat/ottoman and would also contain the toilet and showerpan.
Mapping out the location of the toiletry box
Drilling the pilot holes
Showing my Instagram friends my progress
Testing out the placement
Experimenting here with the shower pan.
I was initially going to use something like this recessed shower shelf but I couldn't find anything that was the exact size I needed, so I ended up cutting the toiletry box out of some leftover plywood.
Here's a closeup after the toiletry box was painted. It worked out just about perfectly and fits everything I need.
This is roughly the placement of the toilet, so there's enough room to reach in there and grab whatever you need.
A look at an early version
I hung my "Bicycle Parking Only" sign on the back of the toiletry cabinet.
It's a perfect fit just behind the Bike Rack.
When I was shopping for the "Bicycle Parking Only" sign for my Bike Rack I happened across some "social distancing" signage (we were still pretty heavy in the pandemic phase at that point). To Maintain Social Distancing: One Person In Bathroom At A Time. I thought this was hilarious because my bathroom is so tiny it would be physically impossible for more than one person to be in it at one time. So I bought it and stuck it on my toilet. No one else has laughed but I still think it's funny. You have to keep a sense of humor about your bodily functions, I think.
It took me a long, long, long time to decide how I was going to design my shower. It was the biggest question mark of my build. I read a ton of other people's ideas on their build sites and watched DIY YouTube videos. I really wanted to do a recirculating shower (reusing your water for maximum water usage). I have seen a few people experimenting with creative recirculating showers (the Evershower was one of the first products I came across) but in the end I decided I was just making it too complicated for my first try. It's an idea I might revisit later (I was going to have a switch, with the option to switch between fresh water and recirculated water), but for now my sudsy water just drains into my greywater tank.
This was my second try at building a frame for the shower pan.
As part of my trial-and-error process I've learned that the 2"x4" studs at Lowes and Home Depot are rarely actually straight and you have to inspect them selectively. Also, I didn't have these woodworking corner clamps the first time around. These helped me hold a 90 degree angle.
After indecisively scrolling through a thousand options I went with this 24"x32" shower pan that I saw on another build site. Its size was ideal for my application.
Building the shower frame
Testing the shower pan fit
I have no idea why I put a door on the shower/toilet box thing. It's easier to just step over it, so I hardly ever use the door. That was stupid.
Anyway, the door is there. So I waterproofed it as best as I could. I also waterproofed all the wood with Thompson's WaterSeal. It probably would've been smarter to use RedGard (used for home shower waterproofing) but I used that stuff once and it smells awful.
I should have done more research on how to cut the vinyl FRP panel before I sliced it with my circular saw. Talk about microplastics, sheesh. Even with a mask and goggles on, tiny plastics fly everywhere. I don't recommend doing this.
Once the large FRP panel was cut down into individually sized pieces I attached them to the walls with the same vinyl adhesive I had used on the Flooring.
I also attached the top door on the shower/bathroom box. It needed some kind of latch to stay open when its in use.
This barn door hook and eye latch worked perfectly. I had to play around with some spare pieces of wood to get it in the right place. I sanded and painted the lock mount later so it doesn't look as rough.
I painted the interior of the top door with FlexSeal liquid rubber for waterproofing. I wish I hadn't because it's starting to flake off in some places. I don't think this is quite its intended application. But it's shiny, at least.
At some point I will probably scrape it off and put some regular waterproofing or just paint it. It's covered by the shower curtain when in use, anyway.
I added a mesh pocket; the shower curtain fits in there perfectly folded up. I added hooks to hang a laundry bag with carabiners. Since the bottom of the laundry bag may drag on the bottom of the shower, I sprayed it with a few layers of waterproofing spray that I had left over from treating my hiking boots. There's also a small garbage can mounted inside there which comes out when the shower is in use.
The shower/water system is the part of the build where I needed the most help, and I'm fortunate that I have some people on deck who are willing to assist, discussed briefly in the previous section on the Water System. Harrell the diesel mechanic from Instagram connected my Isotemp water heater to my engine, my crew of plumbers finished hooking it up on the water-line side and also hung the greywater tank using the frame I had custom-welded by a welder I found on Craiglist. Miguel at High Volume moved my shower drain (more on that below). So I had a lot of help. And honestly it's very hard to find good help for custom projects like this. Initially everyone I called asking for help on the Isotemp installation had never even heard of it. It took a lot of dedication finding people who were willing to work on it, and these guys have worked with me on other projects so they're willing to entertain my crazy concepts. (For a small fee.)
Working on my showerhead while the plumbers mount the greywater tank
Small dilemma: after all that work installing the shower/bathroom box, the drain is right smack on top of the vehicle frame. I knew this, kinda, but I thought I would come across a workaround so I put it there anyway. Eventually, we did. Miguel at High Volume used some Bondo and Gorilla Glue patch & seal spray to fill in the old drain hole and moved it to a location where the floor could be drilled through.
Parts for hanging the shower curtain: tiny d-rings, carabiners, magnets
A look at the hanging shower curtain. A friendly lady in the neighborhood who does alterations only charged me $10 to take 14" off and hem the bottom of the curtain, and sew in the magnets in small "pockets." I gave her $20 and it was still money well spent.
The inside of the shower: it's actually pretty roomy, at the top, at least. The magnets on the bottom of the shower curtain snap onto the FRP panels inside the shower box. The ceiling fabric is Sunbrella, which is supposed to be water-resistant anyway, but I sprayed it with some extra waterproofing too.
Here's a closer look at the faucet and showerhead.
Attaching the showerhead was somewhat troublesome. At the plumber's suggestion I used WaterWeld epoxy putty and it has held up so far.
They're both attached to one gang round wall plates and screwed into a wooden box I made and painted. The wooden box is screwed into the ceiling and I left the back side open for the incoming water lines. The plumbers added a shower shut-off valve, too, in case I ever need to move it or service it.
Here's one of the finishing touches that I was kind of proud of. This teak shower mat came as 26" x 17", just wide enough for my purposes. I cut it down to 17" x 12".
With some sanding around the edges it fits perfectly next to the toilet. It is possible to shower in there with the toilet in place, although it's a tight fit. I also have the option to remove the toilet if I want to take a roomier shower.
I think that's almost it! Wow! Just a few more Miscellaneous items and then we're ready to hit the road!
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