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Custom Environmentally Friendly RV Conversion 2005 MB Sprinter 3500 Dually

2.7 liter, 5 cylinder MB turbo diesel, 158 WB, Super high ceiling, Towing Capacity: 5000 LBS

The vehicle manages 19-23 mpg and handles like a car yet has many of the comforts of a large motor home. The ride is smooth and best of all you can park it almost anywhere and be in the complete luxury of your own home on wheels, wherever you go!  The perfect adventure vehicle.

Many folks consider this year model to be one of the most reliable of the Sprinter models, including the newest versions. These T1N engines are well known for going for 500,000 miles or more. They also get better gas mileage than the newer ones.

This RV Conversion/Tiny home on wheels was the culmination of a very long search for an existing RV that would readily fit most of our needs that we could purchase ready to use. We never found anything that was close enough, so we decided to do our own conversion.

Since we knew we'd be spending extended time in our RV as a temporary home while extensively renovating a new home, we felt it was important that our conversion felt spacious & not claustrophobic. This is in contrast to the RV industry standards for the size and class RV's we were looking at. We also used non toxic materials, finishes, and recycled materials throughout, wherever possible. This includes top of the line materials, fixtures, electronics, & electricals, that didn't have heavy out gassing of plastics & vinyl materials, all of which are common place even in the most expensive of conversions.

We surveyed a lot of full-time & part time RV'ers & found that most never used their bathrooms or showers in their RV's, preferring to instead use restrooms/showers on the road or at campgrounds/truckstops, rather than using the standard way too small, marginally functional RV bathrooms, and they also wanted to avoid having to deal with dumping their grey & black water tanks constantly. So instead of the traditional bathroom, we opted for a simple composting toilet, a much larger kitchen sink, and only a fresh water tank. This allowed for a much bigger kitchen, an always ready queen sized bed area, plus lots of extra storage areas.

We store a lot of high quality food & prepare gourmet meals when traveling, so we maximized kitchen functionality with plenty of extra countertop and storage space, installed the largest marine two door upright frig available, installed a deep, heavy duty dual basin Stainless Steel residential sink. Two people can comfortably work side by side in the kitchen. We also designed a unique two-tiered overhead cabinet system which maximizes headroom and sense of spaciousness while at the same time providing ton's of usable cabinet storage space.

We wanted to be able to go to sleep or take a nap without having to convert a couch or chairs into a bed every time we wanted to use it, which is especially convenient during long travels. So we raised the bed platform just enough to create ton's of storage underneath that is both accessible from the back doors and inside the coach, and still have plenty of room above to sit up in bed. We installed two large windows that run almost the length of the bed platform for panoramic views while resting. It is essentially glass all around the bed and with thick insulated top down bottom up shades, you can easily block out light for both maximum privacy and ventilation. It feels very private & secure with all the blinds up. We have never slept anywhere in a more comfortable, cozy & inspiring bed/bedroom setup. It can easily spoil you. It is designed to accommodate a queen size mattress/padding. There are Pullman style curtains that can be pulled across to separate the bed from the rest of the RV. This has a nice romantic feel and provides additional light & sound buffer if one person wants to go to bed before the other.

There is also a curtain to buffer between the cabin & the kitchen/closet zone and is a quick & easy method for privacy in parking lot's, etc.

The lighting was designed to enhance the individual aesthetics of each of the 3 different zones in the RV. . .the Bed, kitchen/closet, and the cabin/seating areas. The fixtures are marine grade Halogen incandescents (most are Stainless Steel) which are still very energy efficient and so much easier on the eyes than LED's and of course their color renditions are more true to life. They are also on dimmers. There are indirect LED baseboard lights that are multicolored & programmable for mood/ambiance.

Custom fabricated no-see-um screens with magnetic closures for side door, back doors, and all vents & skylights.

We used 1/4" birch, formaldehyde free, plywood for the cabinet doors to save weight to help keep the center of gravity lower than traditional RV cabinets which helps give the vehicle better stability in all conditions.
 

Perfect for weekend trips, full or part time van or motor home camping/living, ideal tiny home on wheels, very comfortable for living in while building or renovating a new home (which was our primary use for this vehicle). Designed to be easily adapted for indefinite off grid living, with the addition of a solar panel and controller or generator.

INTERIOR:
Thoughtfully designed for maximum storage space and a feeling of grand spaciousness. Yacht like design and finish quality with lot's of functional & aesthetic details. Two people can comfortably work in the kitchen space side by side. Formaldehyde free plywood cabinets, solid woods, and non toxic finishes including Safecoat and/or low to zero VOC paints, as well as recycled materials wherever possible. This custom converted RV features a "three Zone" floor plan. Fully insulated with spray polyurethane foam by the previous owner makes the van more energy efficient in all types of weather, which we then sealed after it had out gassed for 3 years.

Cabin Area Highlights (Zone 1)
1. Audiophile quality stereo system. . .Kenwood AM/FM/CD player with USB connect, Focal K2 6-3/4" 2-way speakers in a beautifully integrated custom a-pillar mounted speaker surrounds for optimized imaging & sound quality, Alpine PDX 4x100 watt digital amp, and 10" Subwoofer
2. Revolving captain seats that rotate for interior seating while parked.
3. Map reading light above passenger seat to read the maps during night time travel that does not create glare for the driver
4. Marine grade adjustable lighting on both sides of the cabin for reading and/or ambience when parked.

Kitchen area Custom design and build Highlights (Zone 2)
5. Specially designed Large Solid Cherry counter tops, including an additional pop up extension
6. 10" deep, double residential heavy gauge Stainless Steel sink, SS faucet
7. Large Novakool 9.1cu ft marine grade refrigerator with freezer. Super energy efficient AC/DC
8. Dometic Euro style LP two burner stove with glass cover
9. Marine grade gyroscopic fan behind the cockpit area to use either in the kitchen section or towards the cockpit area
10. Unique style of two-tiered Cabinets all along the overhead ceiling line, Spice racks with clear lexan fronts
11. Convection toaster oven that we have used to even bake breads.
12. Custom designed overhead open Map pockets to store maps and other items.
13. All Shark bite & pex plumbing & fittings
14. Enclosed composting toilet storage area
15.Coat/Jacket closet under the book shelf
16. Book shelf cabinets to store books, manuals etc
17. Fantastic fan vent/skylight for kitchen exhaust and natural light.
18. Large window behind the Stove for a view while cooking with top down bottom up style custom Bali Duette blinds for privacy anytime.
19. Dometic Penguin II low profile 13,500 btu Air Conditioner with thermostat
20. 16 Gallon Fresh Water Tank
21. Electric Hot Water Heater : 2.5 Gallons
22. Portable Ragasco Marine grade composite Propane Tank 11lb

Bedroom Highlights (Zone 3)
23. Bed area is separated from the kitchen/Main space area by Pullman style curtains
24. Bed area is always available without having to fold down anything and ready to jump in for rest or sleep time.
25. Queen size bed platform with headboards that also provide additional privacy whenever back doors are opened. There is a custom removable tabletop available for sitting at the foot of the bed which stretches across the two kitchen countertops for reading/working/eating/etc. There are also two through panels near the headboard, with access to Main electrical box & disconnects from the bed platform.
26. Large windows in the bedroom area provide beautiful panoramic views whenever camped in your favorite campground or remote site and top down bottom up style custom Bali Duette blinds completely or partially cover any light for privacy and a good night's rest.
27. Two marine grade gyroscopic fans over bed, designed for individual use.
28. Marine grade adjustable lighting on both sides of the bed area with dimmers designed to use for night time reading & are energy efficient, warm and inviting.
29. Double closet over head cabinets on both sides of the bedroom.
30. Maxxair with remote ceiling exhaust vent skylight that can stay open in almost all types of weather, if desired.
31. Huge storage area under the bed 76" x 68"x 25", accessible from kitchen & from rear of vehicle. Also houses the RV electronic/electrical control system.

HOUSE/COACH MECHANICAL SYSTEM
32. Blue Sea Systems Combiner allows house charging system to charge starting battery or allows vehicle alternator to charge house batteries when driving
33. 300 amp hour House Battery bank (AGM Lifeline sealed batteries)
34. Xantrex 2000 watt pure sine wave Inverter with remote switch in kitchen
35. Custom built tin plated copper bus bars with additional lug space for easy upgrades such as solar
36. Trimetric Battery monitor
37. Powermax 60amp Converter charger
38. Logically laid out Electrical & Electronic Control center that is solar panel/s ready
39. Oversized Marine grade Tin plated copper wiring & Blue Sea Systems Marine battery switches & fuses.
40. 30 Amp-12 volt Main power selector disconnect switch
41. Easily expandable...already set up for adding solar panel/s & controller

EXTERIOR:
42. Patio lights on either side with a motion sensor on the passenger side.
43. Six sections of black Anodized Aluminum roof racks take advantage of entire roof area. Great for Kayaks, Canoes, & SUP's, or could be used as a viewing/seating platform, and/or place for a Solar panel for indefinite off grid use.
44. Rear ladder for easy roof access.
45. Class IV Trailer hitch rated for up to 10,000lb towing capacity 1,000lb tongue weight