If you want a tiny house on wheels, one option is to go the DIY route. DIY is difficult and time-consuming, but it's a fulfilling experience because you get to live and travel in a home you've built yourself. At the same time, it saves you a lot of money, but it takes a lot of time and effort. Today we're going to look at an amazing camper conversion that a couple made.
I've written a lot about couples who've built mobile homes, and many of them talk about how the process can be detrimental to their relationship. But they also say that their bond grew stronger after completing the project. Plus, doing a remodel with two people is definitely easier than doing it alone.
Meet Trey and Addy and their little home on wheels, a 2015 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 with a 170″ wheelbase. With both of them working at the same time, it took them a whopping two years to complete the conversion, but we think the results were worth the blood, sweat and tears. We hope you agree!
As always, let's start with the exterior. The car is painted all black and comes with BFGoodrich all-terrain tires on Black Rhino rims. This Sprinter is automaticHaving all-terrain tires makes a big difference when you want to do some light off-roading.
To get onto the roof, you use the side-mounted Aluminess ladder, which also has a tow board attached. On the roof, you'll find a 400W solar panel, a 50-inch (127-centimeter) Pathfinder light bar on the front, other lights, two ventilation fans, a hotspot antenna, a StarLink antenna, and a host of other accessories, allowing you to work remotely from anywhere.
Photo: YouTube Screenshot/Tiny Home Tours
StarLink is a real game-changer for remote working, plus it keeps the van's systems connected to the internet at all times, which is super handy if you have gadgets that can be controlled by a smartphone app.
To bring more natural light into the interior, Trey and Addy installed CR Lawrence T-Vent windows in the van's sliding doors, as well as bunk windows on the sides and two windows in the rear, with an Owl Vans spare tire carrier mounted beneath the latter window.
Open the doors and you'll find a stylish living space. Trey and Addie opted for an all-wood interior with tongue-and-groove cedar on the walls and ceiling. Plus, the camper has an open layout, so the driver's seat isn't separated from the rest of the cabin.
As you step inside there's a seating/office area at the front which consists of a sizeable swivel table, a bench and a large TV/monitor mounted on a swivel mount. In terms of storage you can use the huge drawer built into the bench, a small bookshelf, a fruit basket, two spacious overhead cabinets and a huge headliner shelf over the driver's seat which incorporates two dimmable puck lights.
Photo: YouTube Screenshot/Tiny Home Tours
As with many other motorhomes, the driver and passenger seats swivel and form an integral part of the seating area, plus there's an Espar diesel heater housed under the passenger seat.
Next, let's take a look at the kitchen, located on the passenger side of the cabin, which features a dual-burner induction stove, a magnetic knife rack, a deep sink with separate filtered water tap, a small Isotherm fridge/freezer, and plenty of counter space that can be expanded with the use of a flip-up table.
The kitchen offers a variety of storage options, including two huge overhead cabinets (one with a spice rack underneath), two drawers, and a cabinet under the sink, which also houses a six-stage water filtration system.
The couple devised a wet bathroom opposite the kitchen, complete with a waterproof wall made from FRP (fiberglass-reinforced plastic) board, a shower, three soap and shampoo dispensers, a clothesline, a small mirror, a Nature's Head composting toilet and a Nautilus shower door.
Photo: YouTube Screenshot/Tiny Home Tours
Another handy and practical feature is that the toilet vent is located through the floor of the van, so no smells escape. The most common complaint about composting toilets among van dwellers is the unpleasant smell. Of course, it depends on the model you have and how you use it. By the way, if you want to know more about the best toilets for your campervan, this article on campervan interior upgrades explains the five main types.
By the way, water in this rig comes from a 40-gallon (151-liter) freshwater tank connected to a 4-gallon (15-liter) heater and drains into an underside greywater tank mounted where the spare tire originally was.
The final part of the living space is the bedroom at the very back, which features a large bed somewhere between a queen and king size, a bookshelf, two reading lights, a Maxxair extractor fan and two overhead cabinets for extra storage.
One of the cabinets has a built-in battery monitor and water tank gauge, plus on the wall next to it is the rig's control panel, which includes the water pump, light switches, and two USB outlets.
Photo: YouTube Screenshot/Tiny Home Tours
You can never have too much storage space in a camper, so you can have plenty of storage in the living area and still make use of the under-bed garage that can be accessed from both inside and outside the vehicle.
Trey and Addie installed the electrical system on the left side of the garage, whose main features are a 400Ah battery, a 3,000W inverter/charger, and a charge controller connected to a 400W solar panel. On the opposite side is a large box that houses all of the components for the plumbing system.
To make the most of every inch of available space, the couple installed molding panels on both rear doors, where they mounted bags, shovels, hammocks and more.
I'm really glad Trey and Addy had safety and security in mind when designing their camper, something I think is often overlooked by van lifers. They have a dash cam that films both the front and rear, and a Blink system with multiple cameras (one for the doorbell, one on the side ladder, and an interior camera). Here are some of the best tips and tools to stay safe on your vanlife adventure.
Photo: YouTube Screenshot/Tiny Home Tours
In the end, it took the pair quite some time to put together this camper, but it has everything they need. The mobile home is cozy, boasts a well-thought-out layout, and, best of all, it looks great. What's even better is that the pair used only hand tools to complete the conversion.