New here!
I will start this with my question. Has anyone lived in their van while also renovating it at the same time? What are the Pros and Cons to this?
Backstory:
Currently I am homeless, I am about to sell my car and buy a van since the monthly cost will be much cheaper then my current loan and I will be able to start my build instead of buying an already built one that I can not afford.
I plan to leave my current location and make my way to CA to see family for the holidays. While there ill be able to start the basics like insolation and maybe a bit of the main set up.
In a way i just answered my own question with this post, but I would still love to hear from others experiences.
Thank you!
Greetings & Welcome!
My “Builds” only take a single afternoon, because they are no build builds…
I start with a passenger van. That way the floor, ceiling, & walls are already pre-finished, so all I need to do is remove the rear seats. The only thing I actually install is an isolator & house battery. Everything else is just moved in and secured. ez-pz, and cheap. No roof vents needed because you’ll have many opening windows. If the futon sofa/bed isn’t readily available, a cot will work. I frequently go with free, used, recycled, or repurposed items. My builds cost hundreds, not thousands of dollars, and are more complete & full featured than many more expensive ones.
I have a futon sofa/bed, toilet & shower, full kitchen, swivel rocker/recliner, plenty of storage, 4 season climate control, and more power than I need. All with absolutely no modifications to the van, not a single screw hole, nothing. Just move it in & secure it.
Since everything is portable, it can also be used outdoors if desired, without duplication. I’ll take my whole kitchen out into a park to cook for a large group. Sinks, stove, fridge, everything. At a campsite, I can take my toilet, shower, & enclosure outside if I want to. There’s a lot of advantages to keeping everything portable, which also makes it easy to move everything into a new van if needed.
If I’m going to be at a campsite for a prolonged time, sometimes I’ll set up a tent, and move all the comforts of home into it. Portable gives great versatility. I both live & work in my rigs, so I live in them, not out of them, and I wouldn’t changed thing. Comfort, convenience, & reliability mean everything to me.
Cheers!
"Be the reason someone smiles today!" ~ Van_Dweller