Hi =]

I've gone and bought myself an LDV Convoy to live in fulltime

My main reason for this is a combination of a few things;
- Not the best paying job
- Family are scattered from North Wales to Yorkshire
- Kids have moved up to Newcastle
- I work in South Manchester and have friends in North Manchester
- My car has already done 20k in the last 6 months
- Fed up of house-shares!
- Some debt to clear

So once all added up , van life seemed the only option available.

I really wanted to do the full conversion on this but lack of time/place to work on it meant it needed to be already converted.
Managed to find one with everything, solar, inverter, shower, hot water heater, diesel heater, cooker/sink. The works!

My plan as soon as I get it, is to model the van i 3D, jot down where all the wiring/pipes etc go, model in the current layout, and work on alternate layouts/space saving ideas. Then over summer, spend a few days completely stripping/spraying/refitting it!

Anyone else on here living full time in a van in the UK/have a blog?

Cheers!

Dodge

Hello and welcome. gogglet72 lives full time in his converted ambulance, check out his youtube channel. one awesome inch lives in his van full time but he is in Canada. he is converting his while living in it, he also has a youtube channel.

I would be very wary of this strip it down and start over mentality.  I've seen  too many where people tore everything out then got overwhelmed and wind up selling for a loss.

Tearing stuff out is much easier than building it back, and even those who succeed frequently regret it.  It's very time consuming and can also get very expensive.  Another option to consider is live in it as-is and save up for something better.  Keep doing that until you have your dream vehicle. 

Quote from: kryten on March 18, 2017, 12:35:20 AM
Hello and welcome. gogglet72 lives full time in his converted ambulance, check out his youtube channel. one awesome inch lives in his van full time but he is in Canada. he is converting his while living in it, he also has a youtube channel.

Cheers will check them out!

Quote from: Camper_Dan on March 18, 2017, 08:07:49 AM
I would be very wary of this strip it down and start over mentality.  I've seen  too many where people tore everything out then got overwhelmed and wind up selling for a loss.

Tearing stuff out is much easier than building it back, and even those who succeed frequently regret it.  It's very time consuming and can also get very expensive.  Another option to consider is live in it as-is and save up for something better.  Keep doing that until you have your dream vehicle.

Yeh I can understand it being a bit overwhelming,
Maybe doing a section at a time, beds first, then cooker, then shower etc might help reduce the impact!

I believe I would at least try it out as it is first, what your current visions are might change dramatically once you 're out and actually using it.

Well, 2 weeks down in the new van.
It has everything I need, and seems to be doing well, needs a lot of work but its all manageable

Got a a million little jobs to make it more my own place, and its new adjusting to a smaller place and fitting everything in!

So far so good!

Sounds like you're making it work and you're happy.  That's all that counts.

Keep us posted!

End of the day i dont have much of a choice ha,
But yeah, there have been some great moments, like coming in from work, chilling on the bed whilst the kettle boils, surfing the net,
Nothing needs to be done, or needs work just yet, just have a brew haha

Will hopefully get a blog up soon

There's simply nothing better than the feeling of coming home to the most comfortable place on earth, no matter where you're at. 

I used to dread the thought of returning to a motel, now, returning to my van/home is always something to look forward too.  Head home, cook a great meal, kick back and enjoy the scenery in total warmth and comfort no matter where I am.  No need to leave home for any reason, until I'm good and ready. 

It's cold out, pouring down rain, with the wind is howling, and I'm enjoying it to the max, all warm and cozy inside my van.  I've never enjoyed foul weather as much as I do in my van.  A part of it, while being in my own protected bubble.  Such a different feeling from being in a building, and looking out at it.