Horsebox build.....our story!

You forget that I am totally irrational at the moment...

In all seriousness this was one of the reasons I chose a 12 tonner in the first place...we can load it up with water, fuel, feed , horses, my wife's handbag, 1 tonne of horse cleaning and fettling stuff....etc etc and not be worried too much about weight...

It's not going to be the super thick stuff but a nice finish for the work surfaces....( I hope! )

:):):)
 
Red-1 said:
Another tip - OH fitted some child locks on our cupboard doors for the same reason. He fitted them so they would be at their maximun strength if stuff was thrown against them... except... often in a box you are doing 2 things at once, and are opening cupboards one handed, and the catches were not right level with the handles, so needed 2 hands to flip the catch.
A small thing, but enough to drive you mad if you are rushing. If they were level with the handles it can all be done in one smooth action, even with one hand!
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Red 1 you are a true Veteran (in the nicest possible way) ...thanks for that.. Need to consider those really carefully!
 
I'm leaning towards those myself...that supplier Timage specialises in supplying boat builders and the top horsebox firms and the quality is lovely...so much choice but also very expensive...
But sorely sorely tempted .....

Has anyone used a tv wall mounting that can be locked in place...just bought a small tv to mount on one of the walls and could ideally do with using one of those pull out mounts so you can change the angle of the tv...I'm concerned that it will bang around once on the move however.....
Thus looking for a lockable mount...any helpers on this one?
Cheers everyone!
 
For the exterior colour, I can highly recommend Range Rover Nara Bronze which my 3.85 is sprayed with (roof kept white to help keep the horse area cooler). It's very good at not showing mud or minor scratches and looks really smart.

You can also get touch up pens very cheaply from Range Rover - but from from bitter experience I'd recommend only using them immediately after opening then throwing them away as within a couple of weeks the remaining paint goes very dark and doesn't lighten when it dries :-(
 
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Latest update!

Finishing bathroom, shower base and frame has been installed, wet room drain drilled through floor so I can wash out the mud from the floor area!
Toilet installed with cassette type which is accessible from outside...

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The interior fittings are all being made to measure, and then taken apart again so the wood can be sent to the paintshop for lacquer img...

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This picture you can see the start of the kitchen units...the far right is going to be the bins, the hole in the middle is where the cooker will fit and obviously the granite worksuface has yet to be fitted...
 
It's coming together so well! I know you want it to look like one of those really expensive £100k plus horseboxes, but I reckon your box will knock spots off those. Though I'm not convinced about the work surface.
 
Farmer Chalk said:
Has anyone used a tv wall mounting that can be locked in place...just bought a small tv to mount on one of the walls and could ideally do with using one of those pull out mounts so you can change the angle of the tv...I'm concerned that it will bang around once on the move however.....
Thus looking for a lockable mount...any helpers on this one?
Cheers everyone!
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We looked at a s/h Swift motorhome which had a small flat screen tv which you could pull down vertically out of a wall cupboard. It was fully stowable for transit and to hide from prying eyes when parked up. It was mounted on some special brackets with runners.
 
Thanks for your lovely comments ....and 9 tails keep the faith.... It will be alright on the night.... ,!
I have found a brilliant company near Meopham called Wright Stone who are a local stone and granite dealer.... For those thinking about replacing kitchen work surfaces at home I would give them a try for price as they were considerably cheaper (1/3 of the price) than some other rip off merchants nearby!

We are only having it done in 20 mm thick so weight won't be the issue that we all think it is.... Cleverly they can put a lip on it with a 45degree angle at the front and join another piece of 20mm thick ( think L shaped ) pointing down....they then chamfer (what a great word) both pieces with a round profile which then gives the effect that the granite is actually 40 mm thick! Perfect hopefully .....

Again all of this has been done on a budget with us sourcing most of the components as to be able to get the best quality box we can afford for considerably less than buying one of the peg....

I think the guys at Courcheval are actually quite enjoying the challenge as I walk in again with my arms full of tatt that I need to try and fit.
Their patience has been outstanding and the quality of their joinery skills is epic....

I don't know what the end result will finally look like but I'm hoping it will be ok!

Thanks to all for all of your suggestions.... They have all been brilliant and every one has been thought provoking as to what we can design, engineer and put into practice on what is really quite a small box....
They have been fantastic re the plus' sand minus's of what does and doesn't work...
Please keep coming with your thoughts...they are super helpful....
 
Busy weekend with the next part of the build....so much done but still so so much still to do!

The main cupboards and workbenches have all been made and now de constructed...they have now been sent off for painting and lacquering to give the high gloss finish..

So the interior is now looking quite empty again ...

So it was time to crack on with the bathroom again.....this is going to be a self contained toilet and shower...rather than squash an additional sink into the area which can sometimes look awkward we have decided to use the sink in the kitchen area which frees up a larger area in the bathroom...

You may remember it looked like this.....
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A few of you have questioned the mentality of tiled floors saying they are likely to crack with the movement of the lorry ... Hence I have used really large tiles....the walls of the bathroom are actually located on and around the tiles effectively locking them in place so any movement will be restricted and they are all located with flexible cement on 18mm board...so any movement will be minimal but time will tell....
Will keep you posted for those with builds following on....:o

Anyway the bathroom now looks like this....

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Have sealed the floor and lower sides to create a wetroom effect using a small number of mosaic tiles again using a flexible cement and grout which also helps break up the slab sides of the bathroom area...

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Need to clean it all up and then seal it and then replace and finally secure the toilet....

The dividing wall will then be fitted finishing the bathroom ...

Lights have been fitted in the false ceiling and then the White silicon sealant will be used for a final sealing of all the fittings and trims...
 
Been busy this week and have been trying to work around the brilliant guys at Courcheval to get into the lorry when they are not doing the joinery work and get in their way...I've tried to get in at the end of the day and weekends but you can see from the photos the workshops are incredibly busy with other builds...
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Ours is the lorry in the far corner tucked out of the way... Interesting also to see other lorries in build for other customers which are now overtaking ours as they don't have interfering customers wanting to keep changing the specs...

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Now the fittings are being painted it was time for the seating area to be constructed and the pod sleeping area to be furnished...

We wanted the pod to be airy and light and not to claustrophobic and asked if the pod ceiling could be shaped with a constant radius rather than square sided... The ceiling will now be fitted with the foam and Alcantara but to the shape of the photo...

Side panels will be fitted also to help retain the shape which will also house the pod Windows...

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We have also been trying to determine the seating area and shape...being a nuisance I wanted a softer and more easily accessible seating area and was looking for a rounded seat access...

Very pleased when Courcheval have managed to engineer this...
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Well pleased with the result and the panel behind the cab which is shaped and will be covered with a mixture of the matching leather and Alcantara trim ...
 
Also starting to place the more essential pieces of kit around the chassis....

The generator has now fitted in the front under locker area...this will provide direct power to the living area and also provide the power to recharge the leisure batteries when no plug in sites are available. It is a remote start type which is controlled from a control module in the living area...

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You can get these to run on diesel or lpg but they are stupidly expensive so we opted for the petrol version...only downside is that then needs its own fuel tank as well....

Was well pleased when I saw the lengths that Courcheval went just to create a mounting plate for the fuel tank...

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This has now been mounted underneath and will have its own filler cap to refuel flush mounted on the side of the lorry...


The generator also has its own exhaust and silencer so hopefully will be relatively quiet running when we are parked beside you!

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So altogether coming along nicely now and the next instalments we should see it really coming together fast now!
Thanks again for everyone's input...it has been so so helpful and really encouraging!
Hopefully it is also interesting just how much work goes into building a lorry!
 
Wow, this build really is an art form. It's also a very entertaining lesson in how to get a quart into a pint pot. Please keep the updates coming.
 
I have loved watching this progress, I really enjoy each update, and I know you`ve inspired so many others ... I`m looking forwards toseeing the finished article :)
 
Thanks Pen and DJ... Really lovely to hear your comments...thanks must go to all of those who have taken time out to participate and give their inspiration... The ideas have been so helpful...

I'm sad enough to be excited this evening as I pick up the granite surfaces tomorrow morning ready for installation....
Time will tell whether it was a crazy idea or not...:rolleyes:

Struggling also with such things as door handles... The advice from people was try to find interior handles that we don't snag on coats or horse tack as we carry it through... But I'm losing the will to live with the hours spent searching such things on the Internet...

Any brilliant ideas gratefully recieved.....:):)
 
Can you not have those cupboard doors that close themselves and open with just a push so no actual handles ? No idea what they're called though.
 
Yes..I'm okay with the cupboards as we're going to use the push button type on the gas struts...the door handles relate to the divide between the horse/ living area which needs to be lockable... At events the back of the lorry is left down and I'm trying to stop the intrusion through when the lorry is left whilst they are in the arena or on the course....
Plus the loo door but that's not so important...
Following advice we are likely to be passing through from living to horse area and am trying not to snare ourselves....however all the safety handles are positively hideous....
 
Which way will the door open?

Assuming it opens into the living, could you put a keypad on the horse side (as it'll push open once unlocked) but the handle on the living side? If the door is fully opened into the living, the handle will be tucked away so no chance of catching on it.

Even something like this you'd be unlikely to get caught on I think:

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Oooh...like the thought of the combination lock! Thanks ...good idea.......They look good and also saves the lost key syndrome which we amazingly suffer seemingly every competition we go to!
 
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Thanks Tallyho....
Picked up the granite work surfaces today....oh yes...... Well pleased and thanks to Wright Stone in Meopham for doing such a fantastic job at a brilliant price! Definately recommend them if anyone thinking of having any type of stoneware in their kitchens or the like....... John Lewis quality at Less than Primark prices!

Going to keep you all waiting for the full effect reveal..... Designed it in three sections to allow for movement, and with the way that they have mitred the edges it will lock on nicely to the carcasses of the under cupboards....only 20mm thick but again they have joined the edges to make it look proper thickness...

Really pleased!
 
Farmer Chalk said:
Thanks Tallyho....
Picked up the granite work surfaces today....oh yes...... Well pleased and thanks to Wright Stone in Meopham for doing such a fantastic job at a brilliant price! Definately recommend them if anyone thinking of having any type of stoneware in their kitchens or the like....... John Lewis quality at Less than Primark prices!

Going to keep you all waiting for the full effect reveal..... Designed it in three sections to allow for movement, and with the way that they have mitred the edges it will lock on nicely to the carcasses of the under cupboards....only 20mm thick but again they have joined the edges to make it look proper thickness...

Really pleased!
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Crikey! It's going to look better than my house!!
 
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