Renovating an Old Caravan

[BornInvestor]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to the forum. I've been given an old caravan. It's a Chateau 320 ELITE. Age is 1983. It's 11ft long. Right now it looks horrendous on the outside. The inside isn't actually too bad overall but there have been some leaks. From my first investigation the leaks seem to have come from loose external handles on each corner of the caravan. Regardless my plan is to totall strip out the inside. We're looking to make a cool vintage looking caravan that we will use for short 2 to 3 day trips to fully serviced sites. We're a family of 3 so I'm thinking one large permanent bed replacing the existing seating and convertible bed. and on the other side a single bed/day bed type setup. I'm going to remove the hob and sink and replace with a fridge only and small countertop with coffee maker.

I'm hoping I can make the whole thing more comfortable with a nice awning outside that we can use during the day.

The frame of the caravan looks perfect to me. The underneath is very clean and good condition. There are some damp corners that I've already exposed. If the caravan was bigger I probably wouldn't do this project but I feel like considering it's quite small and doesn't have any of the complications of toilets, showers etc. in it then it could be a worthwhile project and manageable. I also think with a new paint job on the outside it would look really well.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. I'm pretty good with woodworking and have all the tools and machines needed to easily cut out new Ply etc.

I am considering going full on and replacing the entire floor with EKOPly and possibly the walls also rather than using traditional ply? Anyone have experience with this or is there a reason not to. It seems like a perfect material for a caravan?

Regarding sealing the caravan I see a lot of mentions of SikaFlex is this superior to something like Tec7?

Comments and laughter welcome. Hoping I can post my progress here. Seems like a great forum.

 

[Jcloughie]

Welcome to the forum. Best of luck to you. It’s a lot of work but I feel you know that. I look forward to following the progress. Please post update with pictures.

I suggest you keep a portfolio of the ongoing work which would be of interest in the future and will help should you decide to sell.

Whereabouts in the world are you located?

John

 

[BornInvestor]

Welcome to the forum. Best of luck to you. It’s a lot of work but I feel you know that. I look forward to following the progress. Please post update with pictures.

I suggest you keep a portfolio of the ongoing work which would be of interest in the future and will help should you decide to sell.

Whereabouts in the world are you located?

John

Good idea to keep a portfolio of the work. I'll do that. Will certainly post photos here as I go.

I'm based in Ireland. Ignore the Registration

 

[audiorob]

There are several recent posts on the forum regarding eradicating damp so worth a search. Be worth getting a damp meter so you can check the spread of any patches. Ideally remove ands replace any affected timbers with treated so you know the structural integrity is maintained. Also if you intend to tow the completed caravan be aware of the weight allowances of the caravan in its current format.

 

[otherclive]

Welcome to the Forum you certainly have an interesting project. Wrt sealant adhesives both Sika and Soudal are well regarded by the community. There’s a very recent thread on sealants, worth a read.

 

[Dustydog]

Welcome to the Forum.
Well you have chosen a big task but anything is possible. Your ideas for the three of you is a good start. There are no boundaries on a restoration of this nature. Obviously the first thing to address is making the whole structure dry, water proof and rot free.
Whilst you can use any materials you want bear in mind the caravan probab'y has a weight plate already. You need to be careful your changes don’t overload the chassis and axle. Otherwise good luck and please keep,us posted on your progress.
There has been a recent thread on here about sealants. For me go for Soudal (Soudalseal)RV61 or Sikaflex 522. They were both specifically designed for their adhesive and sealing properties for caravan joints etc

 

[ProfJohnL]

Whilst I echo the previous replies regarding the scale of the work, I advise you to be very careful about removing internal furniture, becasue most caravans rely on some internal structures to help maintain the caravans structural integrity, removing critical items will weaken the structure.

It's important to understand how the static weight of any parts of a caravan will be multiplied typically by 3 to 5 times due to the accelerations caused by vibrations induced when towing.

 

[Dustydog]

It's important to understand how the static weight of any parts of a caravan will be multiplied typically by 3 to 5 times due to the accelerations caused by vibrations induced when towing.

Forgive me going off Topic but the Prof’s above sentence covers a holocaust of potential issues. We discussed recently dampers. They must help.
Unusual for Graduates some are still investigating the science involved in towing. For the Scientists and those taken in awe of some phraseology this paper is an eye opener👏👏
https://www.researchgate.net/profil...-trailer-system.pdf?origin=publication_detail

 

[BornInvestor]

Whilst I echo the previous replies regarding the scale of the work, I advise you to be very careful about removing internal furniture, becasue most caravans rely on some internal structures to help maintain the caravans structural integrity, removing critical items will weaken the structure.

It's important to understand how the static weight of any parts of a caravan will be multiplied typically by 3 to 5 times due to the accelerations caused by vibrations induced when towing.

Yeah I’m very conscious of this. For that reason I am essentially keeping the same except for making the bed bigger and storage smaller, but will keep the same structural features. In an ideal world I hope to not have to touch any of the shelving around the ceiling at all. I think if I can manage to leave that as is or directly replace it if required and replace and upgrade the corner structures (which were the bed and seating) I should be okay.

Weight is something I’ve only just began to read about here and see it popping up in all the renovation threads. This is something I’ll have to be very conscious of.

 

[BornInvestor]

Posting some images here for reference after giving the caravan an initial wash and exposing some of the corners.

 

[BornInvestor]

Caravan was on standstill for quite a while but back at it today! Looking to getting into the positive construction phase in the next two weeks rather than just tearing it apart….

Did a lot of stripping. Exposed remainder of the leak areas in the caravan. The pull handles being loose is what has caused leaks in 3/4 corners and a loose light fitting above the door has caused another. I’m going to bring it back to the frame but am almost ready to take up the floor. The lino was/is a nightmare to get up.

The pull handles don’t seem worth refitting as they’ll absolutely become loose again with a few rough pulls. So I’m going to blank them off, fill the holes and seal permanently.

Some ceiling joists will have to be replaced. Originally I hoped to not have to go at the ceiling but now that there’s damp above I’m just going to strip it all back to the frame and rebuild. The joists will be easy to replace and I can re panel from there. It also allows me to SikaFlex the life out of the vents etc.

I’ve had the caravan covered the last few months so at least there isn’t continuous damp and it’s actually dried for the most part..

 

[toad a caravan]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to the forum. I've been given an old caravan. It's a Chateau 320 ELITE. Age is 1983. It's 11ft long. Right now it looks horrendous on the outside. The inside isn't actually too bad overall but there have been some leaks. From my first investigation the leaks seem to have come from loose external handles on each corner of the caravan. Regardless my plan is to totall strip out the inside. We're looking to make a cool vintage looking caravan that we will use for short 2 to 3 day trips to fully serviced sites. We're a family of 3 so I'm thinking one large permanent bed replacing the existing seating and convertible bed. and on the other side a single bed/day bed type setup. I'm going to remove the hob and sink and replace with a fridge only and small countertop with coffee maker.

I'm hoping I can make the whole thing more comfortable with a nice awning outside that we can use during the day.

The frame of the caravan looks perfect to me. The underneath is very clean and good condition. There are some damp corners that I've already exposed. If the caravan was bigger I probably wouldn't do this project but I feel like considering it's quite small and doesn't have any of the complications of toilets, showers etc. in it then it could be a worthwhile project and manageable. I also think with a new paint job on the outside it would look really well.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. I'm pretty good with woodworking and have all the tools and machines needed to easily cut out new Ply etc.

I am considering going full on and replacing the entire floor with EKOPly and possibly the walls also rather than using traditional ply? Anyone have experience with this or is there a reason not to. It seems like a perfect material for a caravan?

Regarding sealing the caravan I see a lot of mentions of SikaFlex is this superior to something like Tec7?

Comments and laughter welcome. Hoping I can post my progress here. Seems like a great forum.

 

[toad a caravan]

I have posted several photos of a project of mine on the vintage section.I personally used caraflex sealant.It is made in Hull and classed as a bitumastic.As such, due to it's properties it remains flexible ideal for aluminium i.e expansion ,vibrations and sealing against water ingress . Gary

 

[Buckman]

Lot of work, but at least you are making some progress.

 

[Dustydog]

I have posted several photos of a project of mine on the vintage section.I personally used caraflex sealant.It is made in Hull and classed as a bitumastic.As such, due to it's properties it remains flexible ideal for aluminium i.e expansion ,vibrations and sealing against water ingress . Gary

Is that their own formula or one they supply rebadged eg Soudal RV61 etc? I hadn’t heard of it before ?

 

[toad a caravan]

Is that their own formula or one they supply rebadged eg Soudal RV61 etc? I hadn’t heard of it before ?

No it's there own brand..it's a feels a cross between putty and chewing gum..it cleans of with turps ..I assume it flexibility will come into its own in warm weather and the expansion of the aluminium especially IF the sun came out...I have many images of the removal of the aluminium extrusion on my 1992 Abbey..some of which are on this forum .Gary ,.ps I can post them to you if needed

 

[toad a caravan]

No it's there own brand..it's a feels a cross between putty and chewing gum..it cleans of with turps ..I assume it flexibility will come into its own in warm weather and the expansion of the aluminium especially IF the sun came out...I have many images of the removal of the aluminium extrusion on my 1992 Abbey..some of which are on this forum .Gary ,.ps I can post them to you if needed

Another make is hodginson s available in cream white or green

 

[toad a caravan]

No it's there own brand..it's a feels a cross between putty and chewing gum..it cleans of with turps ..I assume it flexibility will come into its own in warm weather and the expansion of the aluminium especially IF the sun came out...I have many images of the removal of the aluminium extrusion on my 1992 Abbey..some of which are on this forum .Gary ,.ps I can post them to you if needed

 

[toad a caravan]

Hope these are use full

 

[toad a caravan]

This is it

 

[toad a caravan]

Otherd

 

[toad a caravan]

Buffer trim

 

[Beachball]

Looks like a lot of work but you are making fantastic progress on the job

 

[toad a caravan]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to the forum. I've been given an old caravan. It's a Chateau 320 ELITE. Age is 1983. It's 11ft long. Right now it looks horrendous on the outside. The inside isn't actually too bad overall but there have been some leaks. From my first investigation the leaks seem to have come from loose external handles on each corner of the caravan. Regardless my plan is to totall strip out the inside. We're looking to make a cool vintage looking caravan that we will use for short 2 to 3 day trips to fully serviced sites. We're a family of 3 so I'm thinking one large permanent bed replacing the existing seating and convertible bed. and on the other side a single bed/day bed type setup. I'm going to remove the hob and sink and replace with a fridge only and small countertop with coffee maker.

I'm hoping I can make the whole thing more comfortable with a nice awning outside that we can use during the day.

The frame of the caravan looks perfect to me. The underneath is very clean and good condition. There are some damp corners that I've already exposed. If the caravan was bigger I probably wouldn't do this project but I feel like considering it's quite small and doesn't have any of the complications of toilets, showers etc. in it then it could be a worthwhile project and manageable. I also think with a new paint job on the outside it would look really well.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. I'm pretty good with woodworking and have all the tools and machines needed to easily cut out new Ply etc.

I am considering going full on and replacing the entire floor with EKOPly and possibly the walls also rather than using traditional ply? Anyone have experience with this or is there a reason not to. It seems like a perfect material for a caravan?

Regarding sealing the caravan I see a lot of mentions of SikaFlex is this superior to something like Tec7?

Comments and laughter welcome. Hoping I can post my progress here. Seems like a great forum.

Photo of another brand of seam sealer that can be used.

 

[EmeryFigueroa]

Welcome to the Forum