Well I guess if it was easy, everyone would be doing it.
It’s been 3 years now since I started my van conversion and it’s still not finished. Well… not YET. That will change shortly as I inch ever closer to completion and ticking off the jobs one by one.
I won’t lie. I MASSIVELY underestimated how easy doing a van conversion would be. I thought I’d only be 4 months tops. Well that was a complete fail. Don’t get me wrong though… Lockdown 2 happened since I started not to mention a passing in the family which took over life for about 4 moths. But still - I would never have expected it to take 3 years. But it is what it is, and here I am with an unfinished van inching closer and closer to my end goal of having a mobile production base on wheels.
No one said it would be easy.
Part of the reason it’s taken such a long time is that I can become a bit of a perfectionist. This has always been a trait of mine, which has its pros and cons. But the thing I’ve realised it that as long as I’m happy with something and I know I’ve tried my best, I can live with imperfections. There are some things that I have made 3 or 4 times until I got it to a state that I’m happy with or can live with. Because at the end of the day, I want to be sitting or laying in my van knowing I’ve tried my absolute best instead of thinking ‘I wish I had done this or that again’. And believe me - there are already imperfections in it, but I’m happy with the ones I can live with, and that’s all that matters.
On the flip side however, is my confidence in my own abilities in using tools and making things by hand. I remember first starting off the project and being very hesitant in where to cut, which blade to use in the jigsaw, or how to contour round corners, not to mention a whole heap of other things I’ve learnt on the go. The thing is though, that it’s the same with anything you do - the more you do the more confidence you have. A bit like riding a bike. First you’re wobbly and hesitant, until you understand and know what you’re doing, and then things begin to make sense. And this is a very satisfying feeling I must admit. Yes some jobs take days instead of hours to complete to begin with, but you soon start to learn little tricks that can help speed up processes. There are however, so many jobs to do. It’s like creating a mini house on wheels - having to learn and understand various principles from insulation, to plumbing to electrics. I’d like to think this however has made me more of handyman now though!
And of course even though the van isn’t finished, seeing things come to fruition is a very pleasing sight. Knowing I’ve finished a job and made something with my own 2 hands, it’s VERY rewarding. I remember making my first bed frame for my smaller adventure van - a VW Caddy Maxi… It was by no means a well made frame, but it worked and I made it with my own hands, and I can remember the massive grin on may face thinking to myself ‘I made that!’.
But when it comes to abilities, it’s also a case of knowing your own limitations. I’m currently at a stage whereby I’m outsourcing my cabinetry to a local professional cabinet maker. Because although I can knock up a frame and screw some faces to it, cabinetry it seems is a bit more precise. Don’t get me wrong, for sure I would love to learn more about cabinet making and to do some myself, but I figure for my van and the idea of wanting to be as happy as possible with it, I’d get someone else to make them for me. The flip side to this being that I have had to design all my own cabinets on to paper with clear instructions for someone to read and translate. Getting the measurements right is essential as getting them wrong can be a costly mistake (which believe me, they can rack up! Redesigning something here - or redoing something over there…). There’s a reason why I’ve constantly jumped in and out of the van to measure things up and write them down. And in terms of the actual design, it’s a toss of what’s in my mind and seeing what other people had done and trying to find some potential crossover that I feel would benefit me and the way I want my van. All of which takes time.
I’m sure if you’re reading this far, some of you may be thinking why on Earth I’m still continuing with it some 3 years later after I started. The reason - I still have the vision. I haven’t lost it. It’s still there enticing me to keep pursuing it when other may have given up. For sure there are times when the project has gotten me down, but there have also been some fun highs of completing jobd. But the vision is still there, and if you feel strongly and passionately enough about something, you’ll see it through to the end and so this is what I’m doing.
In the mean time, I’m continuing to plug away at my build and it won’t be long now until it’s fully finished - and I can’t wait!
If you’re interested in seeing more about my van, then please feel free to check out and follow my van gram where I upload the progress - www.instagram.com/veesventures
Also, feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or thoughts about converting a van. One thing’s for sure - I haven’t regretted it so far!
