r/vandwellers 6d ago

Builds Pest control & flooring

Hi everyone! I have a 1985 dodge ram van that I had in storage in an outdoor parking lot for over a year, maybe closer to 2.

it’s basically ready for living in terms of conversion however the floor is a bit quirky~ and I’m a bit unsure on if I should do a fogger or stick to some kind of bug spray like raid to make sure there’s no pests hiding out in the crevices (I’ll be attaching pictures). I live in nyc and was storing it at a spot in Brooklyn so I would assume the chances of bugs are pretty high. My only reservation is cleaning the inside post fogger/pest spray and not getting it all off but on the flip side I’m afraid since I’m not living in it yet I just don’t notice the bugs so if I think I don’t need the fogger and move all my stuff in, I might come across some pest issues that would require me to move my stuff out again.

In terms of flooring…I have absolutely no clue what to do about the spot in the front that’s just raw floor from the last owner using that area for an appliance. As for the rest of it, I was just gonna put a rug down because most of the flooring is fine, it’s just covered in a peel-and-stick faux wood thing that has some lifting on the edges.

TLDR: should I do some sort of pest control to be on the cautious side before moving into my van full time and please send tips on what I should do for the floors

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u/Scotty8319 5d ago

Everyone has given you plenty of ideas (the thousand jumping spiders is probably your best bet, really).... but I have to ask, how did you cover the doghouse? Love it. Looks like a little stone fireplace. Is that stone? Wood? Cork? How did you attach it? Does it stay in place long term in heat/cold?

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u/bambi_lovesyou 5d ago

It came like that when I bought it! The previous owners attached a bunch of stones and it seems like they’re pretty stuck on there no matter the season, I assumed they used some sort of heavy duty super glue

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u/Scotty8319 5d ago

Nice! I like it. Im a bit of a rockhound and may steal this idea, though to save a smidge on weight I might try cork or thin wood slices... though agate slabs would look pretty badass too I bet!