Corflute cosiness!

We were hoping not to weather another Victorian winter - particularly when living in a caravan - but good things come to those who wait, so we remain hopeful and are doing our best to wait patiently. 

While we're waiting we are keeping busy, better preparing our van for much colder temperatures.  It was 5 degrees the other day when Nick was heading to work early in the morning - and at that stage, it was only April!

Nick and I have discussed several ideas for window insulation.  After talking with another caravanner, I had suggested exterior canvas covers but sourcing cheap canvas proved difficult (and Nick wasn't sure our efforts would yield positive results).

We headed to Bunnings this morning, researching materials.  Corflute seemed the best option, given we wanted something waterproof and able to withstand strong winds.  At that stage, the idea was to screw the panels directly to the outside window frames - however once home again, it was obvious that plan wouldn't work and would need a fair bit of modification (ie. extra effort and expense).  After further pondering we decided to buy the panels and fix them to the inside of the windows.

Double-sided tape was our first choice as an adhesive but it was considerably cheaper to use gaffer tape, so we bought that instead.  The van is old, so we aren't concerned about keeping the walls in pristine condition. Once the curtains are back in place, the panels are not visible and only a little of the tape shows.  (From the outside, the panels look very similar to the white thermal backing of the curtains).

The materials cost a little under $75.00 and will cover all the windows.  Nick has installed five panels so far, four around our princess bed and one on the side window adjacent the door.  (I like to look out my window before getting up in the morning, so have requested a peep-hole slide when the major work is done)!  There already seems to be an improvement and we are looking forward to a cosier caravan when the other windows are finished.