Words by Brooke Weeber | Photos by Brooke Weeber & Zach Lewis
Last year I spent a couple of wonderful months living on the road in my Volkswagen Eurovan. During that time, I found a new way of living that I quickly grew to love and knew I wanted to pursue. The freedom, the incredible beauty and the challenge of the open road charmed me. I loved waking up somewhere new every day with the sun streaking through the curtains and the sound of birds singing in the desert morning. I loved meeting new people and gathering around campfires, cooking food for each other and sharing stories. I especially loved showering just once a week and letting the dirt accumulate beneath my feet. But ultimately I had one major issue — finding comfort in such an incredibly confined and cramped space.
After traveling with another van dweller for a couple of weeks and spending time in his tiny home, I allowed myself to consider another option: a bigger van like his — one I could stand up and walk around in. I decided I wanted a van with a table where I could actually work, a fixed bed that didn't require any set-up and that I could fall into after driving for hours, and more storage for outdoor gear which would allow me to go on more adventures.
I was a bit doubtful that I could take on a project of this caliber since I had zero experience with woodworking or electronics. Who was I to think I could build a small home with no proper skills? However, once I realized how expensive it would be to hire someone to build it, and how much I could ultimately learn from the process, I reconsidered. That (paired with some very convincing words from a trusted friend) led me to feel emboldened to take this leap and take on the project myself. Having someone else truly believe in my abilities was just the push I needed to start believing in myself and take on this challenge ... and I’ve never been the type to walk away from a challenge.
So, in December 2019, I moved into my parent's house after 21 years of living on my own. I purchased a 2019 Ford Transit 250 High Roof and got to work. I have to admit, researching every step of building a van is one of the most time-consuming parts of the process. But it's also the most crucial. I spent weeks glued to my computer screen, pouring over blogs, tutorials and YouTube videos. I contacted friends, asked questions, sought out expertise and relentlessly banged my head against the wall. I bought a notebook, wrote lists and scribbled electrical schematics onto its blank pages. I drew out design concepts and altered measurements nearly a dozen times before deciding on a final layout that I thought would best fit my needs.
Once it was finally time to get my hands dirty, I stumbled into a home improvement store and started collecting the ingredients I would need to install a floor. Foam board, plywood, adhesive and laminate flooring filled my oversized cart. I clumsily loaded large sheets of plywood into the back of my van — determined not to ask for any help. I grew comfortable using a Skilsaw to cut shapes out of plywood to fit around odd spaces. I learned how to use the tools in my dad’s woodshop, as well as all the safety precautions that went along with them. I wore goggles and earplugs as I hustled from table saw to circular saw in my dad's dusty garage. I installed laminate in the van, made mistakes, started over and wasted far more product than I’d care to admit. But eventually the floor was done and looked stunning. I finally felt a real sense of accomplishment ... but that was just the beginning.
After two months of working mostly alone on wiring and electrical projects, insulating walls and cutting holes for my window and fan, my dad stepped in to help me build cabinets and furniture. Even with his years of expertise and us working together, mistakes were made. The curvature of the van created an unprecedented challenge for the upper cabinetry. Without a single straight line to work with, we attempted to securely finagle those cabinets into place, shaving a little off here and wedging a couple shims in there, and eventually we got the cabinets to sit “mostly straight.”
The days and months swiftly passed by as we continued to wake up every single morning and attack the massive project. Rain or shine, my dad and I chipped away at the van build as the pandemic simultaneously swept the nation. Being committed to quarantine meant we could fully execute the build without worry of distraction, and in that sense timing could not have been better. And I was incredibly grateful to have that one-on-one time building with and learning from my skilled father.
This project definitely didn't come without complications and frustrations. Any lack of planning — down-to-minute details — would lead to inevitable mistakes resulting in tearing things out and occasionally starting over. It often meant multiple trips to the hardware store in a single day or rushing to find something obscure online only to realize it wouldn’t be delivered for weeks. It meant tearing out a ceiling that was shrinking and splitting because we’d mistakenly glued the cedar planks together. At one point, it meant my van wouldn’t run for days because I’d screwed up so badly while installing a battery to a battery charger. It meant a lot of “uh ohs,” “but waits” and sometimes just a loud shout of “WHYYY??” into the abyss. It meant sob-screaming into the near-empty interior of the van while helplessly crumpled on the floor. There were the occasional electrical sparks, blown fuses and loud, unexplained screeching noises. There was wiring and rewiring and then rewiring things again. There was the heater my brother and I installed that wouldn’t work for weeks on end. There were deep cuts, blood-filled bruises and to top it all off, a countertop that dropped on my head.
Despite the injuries, the disagreements and the disappointing setbacks, the van was actually coming together quite beautifully. And as each piece of my little puzzle was put into place, I saw my vision slowly come to life before my eyes. What didn’t seem possible to me six months ago had not only been designed but also skillfully executed. And I made that happen. With the invaluable help of my dad, my friends and countless online resources, I had acquired the skills to do something I’d previously considered unimaginable. And not only are those skills now in my toolbox for future use, I have this gorgeous new home to show for it —and an incredible reminder that I can do hard, seemingly impossible things. It just starts with believing.
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