College Student & Full Time"RV" Living

Steve S wrote:
Thank the good lord you have guns! I don't think I could park and live in lots without guns as there's so many bad people out there!
Are you going to have any surveillance cameras set up when you're in class?

Actually, I'm thinking about getting a car alarm, one with the ability to send you a text message or whatever to your phone.

Also, with any luck, I will actually be starting classes as of winter quarter but those classes will hopefully be the online type at the college. Will save me from having to really get this whole thing started till spring quarter. Will also give me a chance to save up some more money to put into this project.

As far as the project is concerned, I'm putting alot of thought into it. I've already drawn up a floor plan of sorts for a ford econoline van which should easily work for most any other cargo van style. I had originally decided on going with a box van style but a cargo van would have been a bit less expensive to get started for spring quarter because of the better weather not requiring much modification to the vehicle to start. Come april here in washington, the weather is fairly nice.

But if I can take online classes for winter quarter and then not have to actually be on campus till spring, I can get ahold of a box van and then do the work at a more casual pace and not feel rushed. I've already taken some college classes and gotten credits but unfortunately, the credits I have earned thus far do not meet the course requirements for the new college.

To give a little background, I'm seriously thinking about restarting my education and pursuing a career in the legal field. I'm wanting to study constitutional and civil rights law so that I can provide services to people that need help specifically in those areas. People that have been wronged by people in positions of authority regarding their constitutionally protected rights as I have been in the past. People that have a hard time finding legal representation.

Anyway, back on topic...

I'll restate... My goal is to design and build a vehicle that by itself can be used to transport "cargo" but with the simple swapping of items inside, can be used to live in. I have usable practical skills in being a general contractor so this will be fairly simple work if not a bit tedious. When I was in my early 20s, I use to do remodeling work as a plumber so I know carpentry and plumbing and some basics regarding electrical work. But I don't have a whole lot of experience regarding vehicle mechanics or electrical systems. I'm fairly good at figuring something out that I want to do and finding a way to make it work.

The nice thing about this project is that I don't have to worry about any building codes that I need to follow. I just want to make it safe and road worthy. Making this vehicle super comfortable is not a high priority, I just want it to be functional. I'm a person that values functionality and practicality over luxury. So if it gets the job done for a low enough cost, then I'll be satisfied.