Here is a before picture of their van.
(Today we are going to have a guest post from Gennifer about the wonderful job that she and her husband did on converting their van. Enjoy!)
My husband and I had a lot of discussions late last year about moving into a van so that we could travel more and spend more time enjoying life and each others’ company. I’m a photographer and he’s a painter, so we both wanted to explore the world for more artistic inspiration. We finally set a goal to leave our home in South Carolina by the end of March 2013.
We bought a 2001 Ford E-350 in February. It had been used as a Sherwin Williams paint delivery van in its previous life, so it needed some work to take it from work van to a livable space. Neither of us had any experience with remodeling or building anything, but we were willing to do the research and reach out to people (like Bob, who answered a lot of questions both via email and on his blog) for help. Even with all that help we made a lot of mistakes, but nothing was irreparable and it was a great learning experience.
The first thing we did was take out the metal bars along the walls and the metal divider between the cab and the cargo area. It was fairly easy, although there were a few bolts in awkward places.
Once that was done, we stuffed fiberglass insulation into all of the gaps between the inner and outer van walls. It was by no means airtight, but we thought it might help at least a little. We also put up some 1×3 boards to serve as studs for the walls.
Our next step was to install a roof vent. We saw this as a necessity to help keep the van cool during the summer months. We may upgrade and add a fan to the vent in the future, but for now it’s just a way to allow hot air to escape and help with ventilation. We didn’t have the tools to cut the hole in the roof, so we had a friend help with that part. The roof vent kit we ordered from Amazon had everything needed to make it watertight and our friend made a wood frame to make it extra sturdy.
Cutting the hole for the vent.
Next, we bought some sheets of styrofoam insulation and cut them to fit the walls, doors, ceiling and floor. One problem with our van was that the floor had a lot of big dents from having 5-gallon buckets of paint dropped on it. We were worried that laying styrofoam and plywood over all those dents would cause issues with cracking or warping. Since we were on a tight budget, we had to figure out a way to use what we already had to fix it. Another friend had gotten us a bunch of free carpet samples from her old job at an architecture firm, so we layered them over the floor to even it out. We then laid the styrofoam insulation over the carpet, with the plywood on top of that, and vinyl flooring over that to protect against spills and make it easier to sweep. It’s still not perfectly even, but it’s a lot better than it was.
Styrofoam and insulation going in. You can see the 1×3 “studs”.
Once the floor was down, we put sheets of wood paneling up over the styrofoam insulation on the ceiling, walls and doors. Fitting it to the curved walls and ceiling was really hard, especially since we had never done anything like that before, but we managed to do a decent job.
With the shell of the van finished, we could start putting in the things that would make it more like a home. We cut a wooden bed frame in half and then reattached the halves with hinges to make a couch that folded out into a bed. We attached the bed to the wall studs and floor of the van with L-brackets, and we used the cushions from our couch and loveseat to make two small mattresses.
We added two interior plywood walls to create a small closet and a bathroom area. We trimmed cardboard to fit the curve of the walls and ceiling and used that as a template for cutting the plywood. The plywood walls were then attached with L-brackets, just like the bed. We also attached a couple of small bookshelves and cabinets that we already had to the wall opposite the bed for storage.
The flooring almost done.
We bought a solar panel kit, battery and inverter for our electrical needs. And we bought a small hand pump and a couple of 7-gallon water containers so we could have fresh water. We planned to mostly use public restrooms, but we bought a camp toilet for emergencies and those times when we might be camped far away from public facilities. We also got a 5-day cooler and a one-burner propane camp stove. We cut Reflectix to fit all of the windows for shade and privacy. We also hung light-blocking curtains between the cab and the rear of the van for an extra layer of privacy. For storage, we used a combination of wooden boxes we already had and plastic and fabric storage bins as well as a couple of hanging organizers to keep things handy.
We’ve been on the road for about a week now, and we’re really happy with the way everything works. The best part is that we didn’t have to pay rent when the first of the month came! We can now use all of the money we would normally spend on rent and utilities for traveling and exploring new places.
The one piece of advice I have for anyone considering this lifestyle is this: Tell everyone you know. We had so many people who gave us supplies, offered to help or let us stay with them and even people who sent us cash! People were excited to see us following our dreams and they wanted to support us in any way that they could. So tell the world what you’re doing and see what gifts you receive.
The cat approve, and that’s all that matters!
This is the two parts of the bed. See the diagram below to help you visualize how it works.
The vent installed.
Very nice!
Rob, I agree!
Bob
Great job! Do you have a blog? I’d love to see some of your work as you travel around exploring.
karen, I hope so too!
Bob
Yes! Thanks for asking! You can find my blog at http://www.gennifercarragher.com.
Outstanding job! Thanks for sharing, Bob. Gennifer – may you and your husband (and cats) enjoy your new road to freedom.
Hope all is going well for you Kim!
Bob
Very inspiring, thanks! Love the bed diagram – I just might try that. 🙂
LaVonne, give it a shot.
Bob
Your conversion with the many simple yet functional design ideas makes me want to start over with an empty cargo van. Thank you for sharing your project and lives with us. Happy Trails as you hunt for those perfect artistic subjects.
That hinged couch/bed is great, and the diagram makes it plain as day. Thanks for taking the time to write your article. Enjoy your lifestyle transition!
right you are Doug!
Thanks, DougB! Bob was kind enough to make the diagram. 🙂
I hope Bob doesn’t mind (and I won’t take offense if he deletes this post) but I just made a video tour of my camper van with several cheap DIY mods that may be helpful. My channel is stanw909. In particular is my sink setup with dirty water and fresh tanks. I think anyone can build it if I could do it. Also my cheapo awning using tarp,C clamps on the rain gutters expandable tent poles ,rope and pegs or weights.Warning video is long.
No problem at all Stan, the more good information that gets out the better!
Bob
Here’s the direct link.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycO5IgWJEBs&list=UUpBD6amShJyfXuD2Vlotqzw&index=14 Bob please delete if I’m breaking any rules.Have a good trip.
Gennifer,
I like the way your floor looks. What is it?
And really like your hinged bed idea.
Thanks for sharing your build.
Happy travels,
Richard
Thanks, Laughing Richard! It’s the cheapest vinyl “wood” flooring we could find at Lowe’s. You just peel the backing off, then stick it down to the floor. I can’t seem to find a link to it, but it was roughly $30 per box. We bought two boxes, which covered everything except a couple of small spots under the cabinets.
Thank you for that wonderful rendition of Gennifer’s conversion. Having just done my three year financial plan until I cut the strings with mediocrity and fly free in my own converted van, it has wet my appetite even more. I really love your bed/couch idea – I’ve seen a few now but this is the simplest and most practical. Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Congrats on your great conversion, and living your dream!
Great job!
Where did you get and who makes the small hand pump?
Thanks, Kandy
Kandy. Hand pump is a Valera $29 at camping world. Sink was $25 at a surplus rv place. Jugs are Walmart. Hose and plumbing local hardware store.
Opps. I mean Valtera
oops !!! I meant oops !!!
Here’s a link to the hand pump we used: http://www.amazon.com/Leisure-Components-131-5-2-Way-Water/dp/B000BGJX88/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1366685573&sr=8-2&keywords=hand+pump+rv
Wow! I am inpressed. Very inspiring.
Regards, Jon
Always love seeing van conversions & the simplicity of yours is great! Even if one didn’t find the same bed frame, it could easily be built. Your pictures are much appreciated & I hope you do keep a blog so we can follow your travels. I’m an artist to & the first thing going in the van are my art supplies! Happy journey to both of you!
Thanks, Suzann! We definitely had to plan space for all of our art supplies. 🙂 You can find my blog at http://www.gennifercarragher.com.
That looks great ~! Good job !! Very homey!!
Nice! Beautiful job, guys
I love the bed frame idea! Your van looks awesome.
Nice job on your van! I’m in the process of converting a Ford E-250 and am wondering how you fastened your roof panels to the van structure? Any info your care to pass my way is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Thanks, Dennis! We screwed the panels to the ribs in the roof. We just had to be careful to use screws that were short enough not to go through the roof! Make sure you cut your panels to start and end on a rib so they don’t end up hanging down between two ribs. That was one of the mistakes we made.
All the white makes it feel clean and spacious. Nice.
Where does the mattress go when the frame is folded up?
Thanks, Al! That’s why we went with white. 🙂 The cushions from our old couch and loveseat are zipped up into two separate sleeping bags, making two mattresses. When the frame is folded up, we just stack them one on top of the other on top of the frame. It’s too tall that way to sit on without your head hitting the roof, but it’s fine for laying down.
Hi Al, I wrote Gennifer to see if she could answer some questions, but I know they are out of cell range now. Hopefully they will get back and she can answer some of these questions. I asked her some follow up questions about the bed and this is her answer:
I probably should have included this in the original post. Hope it helps.
Bob
I need to redo my floor,what is the name of the flooring you used?
It looks like vinyl planks.
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbzjz/h_d2/Navigation?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051
That’s exactly what it is, Al! We bought ours at Lowe’s, but the Home Depot ones are the same.
Please, can you tell me how to make a word or sentance a click on link to go to a URL.
Thank You,
Walter
Wow!! SO beautiful!!!!
Thanks for all the wonderful comments and questions! And thanks, Bob, for sharing my post! I’ll check back in a day or two to answer any more questions that get posted.
Love this article:)
I would like to see more of how to find a van such as this and the renovations being done to make it stealth livable. Would like to downsize into van dwelling myself, but I’m currently in a 5’er and still paying the bank. I want to be financially free when I can start van dwelling.
Hi d.m. there are several other posts on the blog about conversions. To find them look at the side-bar on the right hand side of the page and scroll down till you see a section titled “Categories” Click on the section titled “Conversion Details” and it will take you to the posts on converting a van. I also have numerous stories on how to convert a van and other vehicle on my two websites: cheaprvliving.com and cheapgreenrvliving.com. Finally, if you join my forum there are many people detailing their conversions and very willing to answer any questions you may have: cheaprvlivingforum.com.
There are live links to all these sites on the side bar. Just scroll down to the very bottom of the sidebar on the right.
Bob
Very nice van conversion. Way nicer than MY E-350 conversion. Although my current e-150 conversion wasn’t done by me, so it’s way nicer!
Very nice job it looks like ya all know what you are doing to me !
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