Converting a van into a motorhome – our family’s DYI project

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You might’ve already guessed that we love travelling with our kids. We have always enjoyed discovering new places, encountering new people, admiring new views and learning about other cultures.

We used to dream of going on a trip with a caravan, all the way to Japan. Yes, through all the Asia! Obviously, this was just a dream, but it was a nice thing to think about especially when we were tired and a holiday seemed too far away.

After moving to London and buying a car two years later, we started travelling throughout the south and east of the UK. We fell in love with the geography of this part of the country. And we also noticed and then learned that camping with kids is quite a very common thing to do around here. There are lots and lots of camping sites, all types and in all sorts of places. So we started to dream of travelling throughout UK in a motorhome.

And what’s the next thing you do when you want to travel with a motor home? You start to look for one. Therefore, that’s exactly what we did.

After looking and reading about this subject for a few weeks, my husband found some sites on the internet where people would tell all about how they converted a van into a motorhome. And that was that! We were done searching for a motorhome: we were going to build one!

This idea suited us best because this way we could choose what van we wanted (manufacturer, production year, color, mileage and so on), how we wanted it to look inside, what furniture and utilities and seats to have, and all this without paying exaggerated amounts of money or getting a very old motor home. We wanted to have it our way. In addition, a family project is always fun and full of adventure and a good way to have a great time together.

So now we have a van! It’s a white LDV (English manufacturer – these vans were used by companies such as Royal Mail and National Grid). Ours was formerly used as a school bus and looks like this:

Obviously, the kids can’t do too much as we want them to be safe around the area. Still, it’s fun for them to watch the process as they are fascinated by what the adults do and to talk about what we are doing and why. They are pretty excited about building and having a motorhome! And my son currently loves to measure the van and everything in it with a real measuring tool, Because yes, the work has already begun.

The first step was to remove the seats in order to take out the carpet. It’s a bit rusty under it (way less than expected though). We are in the process of getting rid of it all with a special brush and a rust converter (pretty cool stuff, does magic with the rust, we bought it online – aff link).

Then we’ll see what’s the next step (actually, I will see as my husband already has the plan written down).

Therefore, in case you are wondering what our plans for the summer are… Well, let’s just say that we are a bit too busy to go on a holiday just yet! But oh boy, when this motorhome is ready…!

PS. We will still go here and there on short trips from time to time and I will tell you all about them, and also about how our project is going, so stay close!

Photos: personal archive – this is how the van actually looks at the moment.

Raluca

Raluca Zagura is a mum of two, based in London, and she is also a Certified Hand in Hand Parenting Instructor.