Homemade Roof Cover

muttley · Oct 21, 2012

Having been fleeced for an ISOTOP (fine for 3 months of the year, but obviously not up to the job for winter), we decided to make our own exterior winter cover (see attached).

It is made out of foil insulation (basically foil covered bubble wrap) from B&Q, which my wife cut to shape and taped with exterior webbed tape. It fixes at the back with a small bungee cord.

It took about 3-4 hours to cut out and tape up, and cost a total of 18.95.

I admit it isn't a thing of great beauty, but we were as warm as toast last weekend when it was cold enough for a bit of ground frost on the coast. It certainly makes a huge difference when compared to the standard roof (even with the ISOTOP in), and we are quite proud of it.

It does seem daft to be a skinflint after spending more than 40K on the van, but we spotted the roll of insulation and started wondering ...

Simon

John · Oct 21, 2012

Great to see someone taking the initiative and approaching a problem with their own idea and solution.

It looks great Simon and great that it worked to keep you warm. :thumb

John

MichaelB · Oct 21, 2012

Good work Simon

Any chance of some close up photos?

I really like this idea. Have you tried it in the rain yet. Do you think it will keep you dry as well as warm?

I am now wondering if I can persaud Mrs B to do the same thing and the possiblity of adding a window at the front.

Linda · Oct 21, 2012

That looks fab, really neat solution with the added satisfaction of DIY

beardie · Oct 21, 2012

I vote for some close up photo's too ! Particularly where the bungee cord attaches
I have a roll of duct tape in the garage looking for a project ....

beardie · Oct 21, 2012

MichaelB said:
and the possiblity of adding a window at the front.

I think this over complicates the simple concept and probably compromises the water proofness.

I am off to B&Q ......

Assume this is the stuff

http://www.diy.com/nav/build/insula...th-7-5m-x-Width-600mm-10617653?skuId=11108363

MichaelB · Oct 21, 2012

beardie said:
MichaelB said:

and the possiblity of adding a window at the front.

Click to expand...

I think this over complicates the simple concept and probably compromises the water proofness.

I am off to B&Q ......

I agree over the water proofness and this may be an issue but I just really love the light the front window lets in when you first wake up.

Blocking the window is what made me pick the vanorak over the purcer but the vanorak can be a bit of a pain to deal with. So a realtively cheap way of trying a window out appeals to me.

muttley · Oct 22, 2012

beardie said:
I am off to B&Q ......

Assume this is the stuff

http://www.diy.com/nav/build/insula...th-7-5m-x-Width-600mm-10617653?skuId=11108363

Yes, this is the roll we used. It was on a 2for1 offer, but I am not sure if that is still available. You will need 2 rolls (to get sufficient height at the front) - or it may be possible to buy a roll which is twice the width. That would save you having to tape it together.

I will post some close-up photos and more detail later today, as requested.

muttley · Oct 22, 2012

A few close-up photos, as requested.

Side detail

muttley · Oct 22, 2012

close-up of join, with bungee open. We used a scaffolding bungee (used to hold plastic rain covers onto scaffolding - our builder left them all over the place) but any small bungee would do.

muttley · Oct 22, 2012

close-up with bungee holding cover together.

To answer the question about rain - it will definitely make a big difference, simply as a physical barrier. If it is very windy then I would imagine that it might flap around a little, and reduce the effectiveness though. I did notice a couple of small clips on the underside of the roof, so it might be possible to add fixing bungess to these for the mk II version!

muttley · Oct 22, 2012

last close-up of side & rear. I don't want to monopolise this forum with too many pictures, so please feel free to send me a private message if you would like any more details. I would imagine you could do a much better job if you took a bit more time, but it will do for our 'light-use' winter camping. We did use exterior reinforced tape though, as i think that could be a weak point.

Simon

beardie · Oct 22, 2012

Excellent, thanks

Did Mrs Muttley keep a note of the dimensions by any chance ? I cant measure my roof at the moment.

I have done a bit of online research and found out the bubble foil is available in single or double variants and some is purposefully waterproof (counters possible condensation) and corrosion proof for building purposes. Its more expensive though ..... £40 for 15 sq m

Thanks

choplee · Oct 22, 2012

Anyone have a pucer cover ..??
Maybe a bribe of cake would allow us to template it

muttley · Oct 22, 2012

Donna didn't make a template, she just cut & fitted it on the fly. It is quite an irregular shape, so I don't think a set of measurements would be very useful. If you buy two rolls, as we did, then you can run the first one right around the roof (with a small overlap at a low point round the back or the side). You only need to cut it to follow the taper of the roof as it nears the rear.

Once you have that cut to length, you can offer up the second roll (starting from the front) and tape it in place to fill the gap between the first roll and the roof. Donna is pretty good at that sort of thing (being much more careful & patient than I am) but I don't think it is too tricky. Just make sure it is wide enough to cover the bellows and tuck in under the roof.

If anyone would like to use ours as a template, and is local enough to Aylesbury / Thame to justify the cost / time, then you'd be very welcome.

Simon