The van and the plan

A 2022 Mercedes Sprinter L3H2, dark grey metallic, about 56,000 km on the clock. Its former life: a gardener’s van, according to the sales guy. Now it is being converted in a driveway, mostly on weekends.

The brief is simple: sober and dark on the outside, bright and open on the inside. From the street it should read as just another grey work van, almost stealth. Open the door and it should feel like a small, light apartment instead of a cave.

It is a two person build, made for living and working remotely. The bed runs lengthwise, 210cm long, and lifts up when we are not sleeping to make room for a large seating area underneath. Good seats for two, a proper place to work, and plenty of power to keep it all going: around 10kWh of battery, solar on the roof and a 5kW inverter.

We plan to stay mostly on campsites, so the van skips the shower and carries little fresh and grey water. That saves weight and space for things we will actually use. Insulation will be sprayed cork, and a diesel heater might join later for the colder months.

Questions and ideas are welcome in English, Dutch or French. Dutch is my native language, and I understand German too.