Starting a Van Build
When I first started this journey into van life I wanted to be able to say I built a DIY van. I quickly realized that between my lack of any construction or even tool knowledge and the current circumstances of my life that this would indeed be very challenging. I was going to allow myself the time to build as I needed. Within my mind it made sense that to live in a van you should build it yourself.
During my search I looked at multiple vans, be it through Instagram and Pinterest, I had an idea of what I wanted my van to look like. I had this beautiful idea of what I wanted my van to look like. The most important aspect for me was that my van be very homey and airy.
I wanted to feel like I walked into my home every time I opened my door
I went to the women on the road gathering and met so many with all different sorts of vans and vehicles they were living in. This was so insightful for someone who was just starting out on this journey. I continued to say that I was going to build this beautiful home all on my own, when I didn’t even own a drill or know how to use tools.
There was a lot going on in my life at this time and I tried to figure out how to start building my van. It was a daily struggle of watching youtube videos and going to home depot. It may have been my 5th trip to home depot when I sat down and had a panic attack, I felt my eyes begin to water. I was having a complete and total breakdown.
Between everything going on in my life and trying to build my dream home I was completely overwhelmed. I was living with my parents at this time helping take care of my father who was dying. Being in that space was emotionally draining, and the small amount of patience I had left was not well spent on trying to learn how to build.
It took a bit of time talking with my best friend to accept that living in a van did NOT mean I HAD to build the van myself. When you want to buy a house do you decide that you’re going to build it? Why is a van any different. Obviously there is a difference between over extending yourself to build your dream house and living within your means. The reason behind van life is to live simply, but living simply does not mean you have to live uncomfortably. I wanted my home to be comfortable and a place that I loved to come home to everyday.
I accepted that it was okay to ask for help
Then after much deliberation I accepted that it was okay to not build my own van. That my time was better spent on other areas of my life. My passions didn’t fall in line with learning tools and building, my passion was getting on the road to take my story out and share with other, my passion was to help others get on with their life, to become unstuck in their current mindset.
With the decision to have my van built out I now had to find someone I trust to see my vision and with that I put it out into the universe. I scoured Instagram for builders to see who was near me what their work looked like and how expensive they would be. It was very important for me to be able to stay within my budget for the build.
There are so many builders out there and the options are somewhat overwhelming. To be completely honest I feel as though I got extremely fortunate in my journey into this world. I continued to put what I was searching for out into the universe and it would come right back to me. With that the quest to find the right builder for me started. I spoke it into the universe that I was looking for a builder and just as I spoke it the perfect builder appeared in my life.
The moment I met Ryan who owns Humble Handcraft I knew that his mellow vibe would be able to help tame some of my crazy antics. He listened so intently to everything I wanted in the van and allowed me to talk circles around what I needed and what I wanted. Ryan put me at ease and I knew his expertise from tiny homes would come in handy during a van build. We talked about budget and agreed that this project was something we could accomplish together.