Cosy, rustic retreat - your charming home-from-home awaits!

The time has come for us to sell our beloved van conversion as we embark on a new chapter in our lives.

We bought the van in October 2020, just before Covid-19 hit and the big campervan ‘boom’ erupted and staycations were at an all-time high.

Our intensions were to escape reality and live in the van for 6-12 months, whilst travelling the UK and beyond, however C-19 struck which ultimately changed everything from limited supply of materials to travel restrictions and consequently, our dream never became a reality and life circumstances began to change.

Designed between us and lovingly converted by my husband – a builder and roofer by trade – the layout was constructed with our plans in mind, which included prioritising a fixed bed, a confined area with a toilet facility and kitchen amenities.

The general vibe was to build a space which felt warm and inviting with a rustic charm – a home from home feeling. The colour theme is blend of earthy tones such as greens, browns and coppers which brings a wonderful sense of nature.

Kitchen: Complete with an LPG-fuelled, ‘Thetford’ oven (which has never been used) and 3-hob burner where you can comfortably cook a balanced meal anytime, anywhere!
The gas cylinder is housed externally in a gas locker, offering a safety and peace of mind.
We also chose an integrated, spacious ‘Isotherm’ fridge/freezer which stores approx. 4 days worth of food and keeps our fresh produce consistently cool.
Alongside these appliances, we fitted a good-sized sink and tap which is connected to a cold water pump and filter system.
Furthermore, we constructed a timber-framed kitchen unit with a pull-out drawer for cutlery, slide-out cupboard for tin-cans, spices etc (easily-accessible) a spacious larder, 2 good-sized cupboards for pots and pans and an overhead shelf-unit which we used for mugs and plates, etc.

Toilet: The toilet is an enclosed space, providing privacy and of course containing un-welcome smells! We purchased a Porta-Potti, which I have to say has served us brilliantly! It is well-designed, compact, sanitary and can be easy transported to waste points across the country, since this is has been used we will consider it an optional extra for the purchaser. We installed a small, circular window to ventilated the area for obvious reasons, as well as providing fresh air circulation for wet garments. On entering, you will see that the space is partially a ‘wet-room’, fitted with a rubber lining which extends from the left wall, down on to the floor where there is a drain valve installed – we use this to hang our damp wetsuits!

Seating area: Upon entering the van, there is a bench area which can comfortably seat 2-people and 3 very cosily! This is a ‘communal’ area which we often used to eat, chill or sit with the sliding door open admiring the views! The bench pairs as a storage unit of which we fitted 2 bins – general waste & recycling – and an additional space easily accessible for shoes, towels, blankets and such-like.

Bed: The bed was our top priority because if you’re anything like me, I simply can’t function without my 8-hours and my husband is 6ft 3 (and a half!) inches – need I say anymore! So in consideration of this we had a custom-made, ComfiCel® Gel Foam Mattress (med/firm) measuring Width (cm): 131 Length (cm): 184 Thickness (cm): 15 – marginally smaller than a standard double! This purchase was a no-brainer and provided us with hours of peaceful sleep!

Decking: Possibly my favourite feature of the van is the roof-top decking! Treated and painted timber stretching over half the length of the van and secured to a ‘Rhino’ roof rack, this soon became our favourite place to throw all the cushions and blankets, relax, sunbath, read, eat – sunset pizza on the roof-top being one of my most enjoyed memories! It provides privacy, cleanliness and of course the best viewpoint wherever you go!

Solar: On the roof-top you will also see housed 2x 160 watt / 12 Volt Monocrystalline solar panels – more than enough to generate a continuous power supply to the appliances and USB charging points, even on a cloudy day. The solar panels are fitted to a relay system of which the batteries were upgrade in April 2024 – (documentation provided).
Beneath the timber cladding, the van is fully-insulted with 25mm Celotex in the floor and ceiling, 50mm in the walls and recycled bottle caps within the ribs of the van. We also used ‘Dodo Mat’ sound-deadening material throughout.

‘Garage’: Accessible from the rear of the van is the ‘garage’ area which contains a large water tank, batteries and 3 storage compartments on runners. There is ample space for all those essentials; SUP, body boards, camping chairs, beach-games and such-like – something which can often be over-looked in campervans. Having this confined storage area allowed us to keep the living space clutter-free as well as the need to continuously move items around when moving from site-to-site.

Our van, named ‘Genie’ (making ours dreams come true) has been a well-loved, reliable addition to our family and will be sorely missed.