Super Tiny Houses: Living in a Van

Debra Redalia

I found a small series about van conversions for full-time living that has only two videos, but both are great.

I am inspired by these because they both have very clever ideas for storage. Seeing an older woman and a young couple living in this small space made our tiny house look huge to me.

64-Year-Old Woman Designs Incredible Camper Van for Full-Time Living

This van was created by a 64-year-old single woman, who lives there alone full time.

She spent about a year researching, making drawings in notebooks.

"I designed it down to the millimeter. Every millimeter is my design. I wrote down what I did each part of the day from when I woke up, to make sure that I had that. I just thought about what I did, what I really liked doing and what I would miss if I didn’t have."

“Something small and beautiful makes me feel better than a mortgage. I needed it to be beautiful, I needed it to be artful, I needed it to be every time I walked in I like it.”

She notes that knowing the amount of water and energy is available in the van storage results in living intentionally, rather than using what seems like “unlimited” water and energy from a utility that is actually limited by earth’s resources.

Be sure to see her bathroom that hides in a lower cabinet.

Couple Restores Old VW Van into a Stunning Campervan

I love the look and feel of this van. Even though it’s small in square footage, the number of windows and the white-and-neautral color palette makes it look large and airy and full of natural light.

This young couple gutted a 1989 VW camper and built the entire interior with their own hands (well, his own hands).

They run their online business from the van so there are technical installations.

Pop-up roof allows them to stand up and extra storage space.

Clever space-saving and multi-use designs

Other Van Conversion Resources

After seeing these videos I learned for the first time that tiny living in vans is a whole segment of the tiny house movement.

Here are some other links about living full time in a van that I like.

• What Is It Like Living In A Van Full Time?
• Class B Camper Van for Full Time RVing
• 7 Vans Converted into Tiny Homes on Wheels
• Van Life Guide: How To Build A DIY Camper Van Conversion