Suggestions for Floor and Ceiling to Maximize Height

[Busasaurus]

Hey y'all,
I know there are a lot of threads about floors and ceilings, but if you're after maximizing height without entirely giving up on insulation (without doing a roof raise), what ideas have filtered through the skoolieverse?

[musigenesis]

There's really no magic bullet (other than the magic bullet of a roof raise) - you just have to trade headroom for insulation value in whatever quantities work for you. My ceiling is 6'7" down the center and I'm 6'1" in shoes, so I'm putting 2" of XPS foam on the floor and 3/4" plywood; on the ceiling I'm putting 1.5" XPS foam between the ribs and then 3/4" XPS over everything and 1/4" plywood. So I'll lose 3" off the floor and 1" off the ceiling, leaving the bus 6'3" down the center, just enough to keep from hitting my head.

My kitchen has a dropped floor 3" below the rest of the floor (and the bottom of my shower will be another 6" below that) but this was only really practical because I had to rebuild that section of floor due to rust anyway. I don't think it's something you'd want to do to a healthy bus floor, but some people have.

A number have folks have done either a dropped shower pan or a little raised box on the roof above the shower to give some extra headroom in the shower stall, at least. I guess I could see making do with a living space that was slightly too short for me, but having to shower while bending over would completely suck.

[Busasaurus]

Thanks, Musigenesis! I don't have my floor or ceiling out yet, but I've seen people, like you, lose a lot of height putting things in.

[DrDanger]

Originally Posted by Busasaurus

Thanks, Musigenesis! I don't have my floor or ceiling out yet, but I've seen people, like you, lose a lot of height putting things in.

I just got my ceiling and walls spray foamed and they guys at Louisville Spray Foam said that they could spray the floor from underneath (they had done it to their own trucks to keep the product warm). I had already put in my subfloor with 2in of XPS because I decided to do radiant floor heat, but that would save you you 2in of height on the floor.

[N5tavniec]

Has anyone tried to insulate from underneath using XPS rigid foam and spray foam for sides, corners or hard to reach places? Also what would you cover it with to prevent damage from road debris or water/snow/elements?