Homeless… So I Turned a Van Into a Home

I didn't think I'd actually ever own a transit van to be honest. I spent a long time working on them but I never thought I'd own one. It's cool. So I picked this up yesterday when I was on the way back from uh well I flew into Heathrow from Phoenix, got an Uber to the other side of London and I picked this up near the Olympic Park in London and then drove it back to uh my sister and brother-in-law's place which is actually my old house that I renovated a couple of years ago. But yeah this is the this is the transit, this is the van, this is what I'm going to be doing my first conversion on. This is literally just a stop gap because I do have a much bigger plan which I'm probably going to give context to later in this video or in another video. But this is just a real basic conversion that I'm going to be doing just to start van life. Very exciting, very exciting. Yeah we got ourselves a 2.4 rear wheel drive transit which used to be used as a van so it used to be used by Network Rail I think or a leasing company of some sorts. It's done like 250,000 miles so it's um yeah it's got a fair amount of wear and tear on it but I got it pretty cheap, I was pretty happy and uh yeah ideally I would have loved a van that was completely empty because it would have saved me like ripping everything out but I've got to take all these all these seats out, this uh this dividing wall here has got to come out, there's a load of stuff in the back, there's a load of cabinetry all here that's got to come out and I'm going to build basically like an L-shaped kitchen and then a fixed bed in the back and that will do. It's going to be real real basic, I'm going to do some um simple insulation, nothing special, like I say it's literally just a stop gap for me while I build my other van out. Yeah I plan to get this done in a week so there's a there's quite a tight time frame. I actually designed this entire van, bought the van and everything to do the conversion while I was in Phoenix over a period of about two weeks so yeah I'll probably go a little bit more into the actual design process that I did, how I came to all the decisions that I made, basically just how I designed it from 5,000 miles away without seeing a van so I'll I'll do that in another video because I used a CAD program called SketchUp which is uh which is awesome and you can basically create to scale drawings, CAD drawings in this program uh in a in a blah blah blah. Bro what are you talking about man? You can create scale drawings in this program which enabled, my god I can't say enabled, you can create scale drawings in this program which enables you to see the sizes of everything work out like a cut list for your timber and where things are going to go and move things around so it was very very handy. It's not a bad van, not a bad van at all. I'll show you what we're working with in here. So this is the cabinetry here which is going to come out which used to be like a little kitchen there used to be a microwave in there and then this was like the control panel uh for the heater and stuff as well microwave all the switches and stuff for the lights in there. That is the diesel heater which is down there which is uh it's either diesel or electric I think it's diesel but anyway that's uh that's all unplugged. I may or may not keep that I'm not too fussed about having a heater and we got all the electrics and stuff in there which all need to be ripped out. There's that cool little overhead locker up here which I'll do something with which will be handy to store my camera bags in and stuff. Sliding door and then yeah this uh this rear bulkhead it's going to be good to get this out and then we can actually see what we're working with and space-wise get these seats out as well and then all this can go down the tip. Some of this paneling actually this ply here is actually really good it's like five mil nine mil which uh yeah let's look on the other side and it's about five mil six mil ply which I might be able to reuse some of that. It's pretty decent so yeah anyway that's what we're working with so I'm going to finish my coffee and then uh and then start. It feels very weird to be uh doing something like this I've been traveling for quite a while now and working online for such a long time it feels weird to kind of get back on the tools and do a project like this so yeah I'm excited though. I think it's fair to say I underestimated how hard it would be to convert a van and film the entire process in just seven days. No matter how basic the build is that's a lot for anybody. Along with the fact that I'm still learning how to film, live life on the road and still run my business while ensuring I stay happy and healthy during the process. As I spoke about in my last video I've been in this monk mode headspace since the beginning of the year, coming off all social media platforms and limiting my contact with people. I desperately needed some solitude and that's exactly what I created for myself. You see I found it impossible to create anything from the heart in recent months and post it on my channel without being genuine about what I'm going through. You see creatively producing these videos this is how I process my emotions and my intention with this channel was to always have a creative outlet where I can share my journey and my adventures with you, with the moments I capture through my lens and the power of storytelling. What truly ignites my passion is sharing experiences and creating content that challenges social expectations, encouraging others to forge their own path in life. I want to be genuine and relatable crafting visuals and narratives that inspire you to believe in the boundless possibilities that exist in this amazing time in life we find ourselves in. I started filming this van conversion and then from nowhere this huge wave of doubt hit me, not doubting my decision around living the van life as that's something that's been on the cards for over six years now, but my decision to film it and put my life out there online for other people to see. Having the same thoughts that I've done for years now, what will people think of me and having that theory of embarrassment and not wanting to make a fool out of myself. So it was just easier not to press record anymore, I chose the easy wrong over the hard right. It's easy to say now as the moment has passed but I try to remind myself that it's okay to be in that space, it's okay to lean into all those thoughts and feelings. I know in the grand scheme of things my struggles are small and my worries are super minimal but the most rewarding growth always comes from choosing the hard right over the easy wrong, not the other way around. It's okay to make mistakes and feel embarrassed from time to time, things I don't know I just learn like I've always done. Getting lost and making mistakes are some of the most important parts of the journey. Challenges and hard times are there for us to grow from, improve our mindsets and make us stronger, ultimately enabling us to live more fulfilling and intentional lives. Personally I'm someone who always thrives off routine and finding a way to have balance when you're constantly traveling and moving from place to place looks different and that can be hard to maintain. I'm incredibly grateful to my friends Nick and Adam for their generous hospitality, allowing me to stay at their campsite along the beautiful coastline where my family resides. This base has provided me with the perfect starting point for my new adventure into van life, enabling me to establish a fresh daily routine seamlessly and it really has been a tremendous blessing. During those extended hikes through the stunning landscapes of Phoenix, Arizona I experienced a flood of emotions that reconnected me with the very essence of why I embarked on this journey. It's been a profound game changer for me and embracing van life stands out as one of the most rewarding decisions I've made in recent years. In July I had the chance to house sit in Somerset, a picturesque region in the south of England. This break from van life allowed me to recharge creatively and devise a plan for sharing the latest part of my journey using some of the footage that I've been gathering over the past year. I knew the time had come and it felt right to start sharing these stories with you on my channel again. I'll definitely be filming a van tour video for you guys very soon, then you can see the temporary space that I've created for myself while I finalize plans for the next big project. In the meantime I can genuinely say that although I may not have a traditional home, I found a profound sense of contentment in this nomadic lifestyle. I'm right where I need to be, homeless but happy.