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Camper Renovation

Camper Renovation Update

March 24, 20193 min read7 comments

Our camper renovation takes a lot more time then we expected. So much has happened in our lives during the last 10 months! It’s about time to share some of it.

Camper renovation update

After 18 months of traveling, we came back to Holland in the middle of July 2018. We had just imported a new van out of Germany, which was planned to be our new future home. Since we had some experience renovating our first camper, we estimated it was about to take 3 months to get it ready. Boy, we were wrong!

camper renovation 1

Every tiny inch, every square centimeter needed a lot of love. This was going to take so much more time than we had planned beforehand. Since we had been living in our van for 2 years at that time, we knew actually what we missed and therefore we knew what we wanted instead.

We missed the comfort of a real couch, as well as running water. Along with warm water and a full-size length bed. Furthermore we missed more solar power and especially in the wintertime we felt the need to have a bit more space too, since we would spend more time indoors during that season.

A 60 year old camper van

As a result, we bought a 60 year old fire truck. A Mercedes Benz 311LP to be exact. It would be the perfect fit for us. Being 7 meters long and 2,5 meters wide, it would give us exactly enough space to make our dreams come true after all.

Camper renovation 2

But, although Martijn flew into Germany to have a look before we bought it, we noticed along the way that this wasn’t going to be an easy project for us. Even though the carpentry work wouldn’t be much of a problem, the renovation of the engine and the search for new tires and rims lead to a very time consuming project. In the same way, our request for “new” 60 year old parts, to properly make this camper renovation work, took again a lot of time.

It has been a bumpy ride

I can honestly say it has been a bumpy ride. After 10 months of almost working on this van full-time it has turned out be a stunner. But, together we faced the hardest time so far. We know that renovating and moving in general are two of the most stressful life-events.  For us this was no different.Camper renovation 3

Finally it is coming together. Our to-do list is getting shorter and shorter. And we hope to be ready to roll in about a month time. We installed a bright yellow couch, a shower, a hot water boiler and we experience so much more comfort already. We are kind of in a hurry because of a new “project” that we have planned, but more on that topic later!

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7 comments

It doesn’t matter where we are going, as long as he can be close to us. While we are (hopefully) finishing the last bits and pieces of the engine to work properly, he is always by our side. Most people assume that it should be quite hard to live in a van with such a big dog, but we haven’t felt like that at all in all those years. We will never consider leaving without him and we enjoy our growing family! Foofur really knows that i’m pregnant, he wouldn’t leave my side the last weeks. ❤️👶🏻
These days are all about waterproofing our long awaited, tiny bathroom. We are working with glass fabric and epoxy to make sure this room can easily get wet from top to bottom, without any leakage. On the right side, we will have a composting toilet with a bucket of sawdust next to it🤞🏻. Such a luxury!
Today was a fun day! 😍 We put our adjustable bed into place. Underneath, we put some sticky cork. It’s looks nice and is great for the acoustics as well. Eventually, the bed will lift up in the morning and come down at night. That way, we lose nearly no living space during the day ánd we don’t need to make the bed all nice and tidy. 😜
We are having a VANLIFE BABY! Because it was our wish to become parents in the future, we bought a new "old" campervan in the Spring of 2018. Little did we know that this baby would arrive so soon! In the early days of December, we found out that I was pregnant. And although we aren't in a rush, we do certainly feel the pressure of getting this new home ready. Especially before the end of July! http://www.lostdirection.com/blog/vanlife-baby-on-the-way/
What do you think, would there be enough space in our drawers? This camper conversion is really coming together! Props to my man, who turned out to be not only a carpenter, but an elektrician, a plumber and a mechanic as well. ❤️
What happens, when you sell everything and leave it all behind? Choosing to live in a van, comes with a lot of freedom. Also, it can lead to a lot of uncertainty. How do you know what’s best for you? How do you make this work as a couple? Where will you go next? What will you do when everything is possible. In the autumn of 2018, we came to a point where we needed to reconsider our lifestyle. Where do we want our lives to go from here? Read more on this topic http://www.lostdirection.com/blog/living-in-a-van-full-time/
After months and months of silence, the time has come to share an update of our camper renovation. So much has happened during the last few months and the best is yet to come. Take a look at our latest blog post on our improved website! Link in bio!
We are really lucky to have the opportunity to work on our bus indoors for a couple of weeks. Ever since july we spend our days renovating in steamy hot weather, but also in wet and muddy circumstances. For you this is also a sneak peak about this new green colour. It's only the first layer of paint, so everything can change. What do you think?
Last week we saw our friends @samsroadtrips again! We met them 1,5 year ago during a @workawayinfo project in Sweden. They fell in love with our bus and decided to buy one as well. Now the run their @elevenarvika guesthouse one half of the year and they travel around for the remaining 6 months. Thanks for visiting! ❤️