I'd come up with a fair few ideas for layouts (see the ideas page) and I'd chosen layout 3, as it offered the most living space and there seemed to be no insurmountable problems. I was a little concerned about the split L-shaped layout, it had been done in (wider) coachbuilt layouts but not in a Eurovan (the Bilbo? Nektar had a similar layout but with a side-facing seat). (Eventually I decided that it would work and in use has proven to be okay). Once I got the van I made detailed measurements of the load area. My initial sketch is shown below:
Note the very irregular shape. The side-loading door is on the left, as its a right hand drive van (in the UK). The rear lights and bodywork above, the wheelarches, the short rear overhang and the large 'tumblehome' (curve or slope of the rear screen and narrowing of the rear both sideways and in height) means that the interior poses many more design challenges than a 'square' coachbuilt body.
As an interesting sideline, Swift launched a model based on the SWB, but with an extended body AFTER the rear wheels. This incorporates a shower room. Now if only you could obtain the moulding and combine it with a LWB model! That would make a nice motorhome.
Since an open sliding door would potentially block fridge and other vents, I decided to locate the fridge and other gas equipment on the offside. The kitchen is minimal so only one side of the van is used; the unit opposite the kitchen was dedicated to storage and the electrics control panel. A more detailed layout plan is shown below:
Note that originally I'd planned to use a small elevating roof at the rear (from AER Developments) but later I changed my mind and fitted a full-length Reimo elevating roof, hinged at the front to allow standing room in the kitchen.
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