DIY

Jess & Shawn wanted to get into #vanlife to make it easier to chase their rock climbing dreams. It took a bit of convincing for Jess to see herself living in a van, but with the promise of a giant closet and lots of Pinterest inspiration, she got on board. Their bus features an awesome [...]

After a divorce, Bradley was looking for “Plan B” — how could he comfortably sustain himself for the next 20 years? He started looking for a Toyota Sun Raider and found a 1982 fiberglass shell that needed a total overhaul. Wanting to off-road, he needed to upgrade the tires, engine, and shocks to make it [...]

This couple jumped into skoolie life on a bit of a whim after “roughing it” in an Airbnb in the woods. Instead of DIY-ing the entire bus, they took on extra wedding videography gigs to pay professionals to do things like electrical work — which is pretty clever! They chose to do a huge roof [...]

Here’s an awesome 2018 Mercedes Sprinter that’s been home to the couple over @thedesertcruiser for the past couple years. They’re upgrading to a larger rig and hoping to find a new owner for this one. Birch plywood makes up most of the interior of the van, which features bench seating, a fixed bed, and a [...]

Mariryan and Heather are triathletes who live in Florida and transformed the Surf Shack in their backyard into a beautiful tiny guest cottage for family and friends. There’s even a cute mini porch off the front of the tiny home. The inside is pretty micro — with a main loft bed, a loveseat that becomes [...]

She rock climbs, she teaches yoga, she shoots photography — and she built out her own amazing DIY ProMaster van conversion in 9 months. Gaby doesn’t seem tied to any *one* thing — she’s lived in a number of vehicles, traveled the world, done the “city thing” and now she’s a solo traveler enjoying plenty [...]

Kandace grew up camping as a kid, and when she met Justin she was interested in hopping back into it. So the couple purchased a teardrop camper and enjoyed weekend trips, but wanted to do more! So Kandace sold her home, and they sold most of their belongings, quit their jobs, and decided to take [...]

Precious Price is an amazing woman who used the lockdown of 2020 to completely overhaul her life! She already managed a number of Airbnb rentals while juggling a 6-figure corporate job, but decided to take on a new project — transforming a shed kit into a tiny house! The tiny home sits behind her “normal” [...]

When their lease was close to expiring, Hannah and Danny knew they had no desire to renew it, but also weren’t sure about their next move. That’s when they landed on a bus conversion! Both of them quit their jobs, so they could work full-time on the bus conversion (they’ve since gotten travel/remote work). The [...]

There’s nothing better than a completely one-of-a-kind build, and that’s what KimAnna’s DIY Mermaid Cottage is! The cordwood-and-glass-bottle cabin is whimsical and eclectic — despite the seaside name, it’s sitting in the High Desert miles and miles from any ocean! That said, the bathroom and shower in the cabin will transport you to the beach [...]

Max and Tatiana had the dream to build a tree house on their property on Whidbey Island off the coast of Washington, and decided to get permits and permission for everything to save future headaches. Two flights of stairs take you up to the deck off the front door. There’s a living/kitchen/half bath on the [...]

You might remember Trevor and Rae’s first Overlander that they built on a budget. When we last talked to them, they were in the process of taking an old snowplow truck and making their second epic overland rig. Now it’s finished, and you’ll love the tour! The rig is beautiful and decked out with an [...]

Once they got free from student loans, this awesome couple felt ready to chase their dream of traveling the continent in a DIY van conversion. Their rig has a queen-sized bed on a lift system, an indoor bathroom, and even a convection oven/dehydrator. An awning helps keep the place cool, and they opted out of [...]

The Shiva Tiny House is a beautiful tiny house Airbnb built and operated by Simplify Further in Alachua, Florida. It features a loft bedroom, human-sized catwalk to a balcony, and a stunning outdoor waterfall shower that will make you feel like you’re staying in a rainforest. Unfortunately, the family-owned company is having legal issues with [...]

Carina (Dirtbag Minimal on YouTube) built this spacious and minimalist DIY tiny house on wheels with no previous building experience! It was a housing solution for her that fit into the gap between renting and buying a full-sized home, and another advantage of building a THOW was that she could move it wherever she wanted [...]

Jason is a former Starbucks and Google Executive who turned to vanlife to give him and his family a fun way to adventure. While his teenagers don’t often join the couple on their travels, they have bunks to put in the garage when their big kids want to tag along. This van has all the [...]

Tiny house living isn’t always forever, but it’s often a wonderful chapter for individuals, couples, and families looking to save money. That was the case with the Krebs, who transformed an old shed into a gorgeous farmhouse tiny home and lived in it for a year and a half while renovating their forever home. We [...]

When you’re doing a build on a budget, Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace are amazing resources, as Courtney and Sawyer will tell you. They relied heavily on deals for reclaimed materials that created their awesome box truck home. This adorable couple wanted to get into vanlife as soon as they were done with college and had [...]

Nick and Harri are a 23-year-old British couple who graduated from university in 2020, just in time for the world to close down. They decided vanlife would be the best way to make lemonade out of lemons. After traveling in Europe, they decided to come to the US and build out a bus in just [...]

The Briles family couldn’t have been more tied down to their standard suburban lifestyle in Texas. They had the job, the house, the cars — but something was missing in their pursuit of the American Dream. So they sold everything and purchased a Class A RV which they transformed into a home on wheels. The [...]

William is a professional photographer and has made his dreams come true by traveling in Ruby, his 1990 Volkswagen Vanagon that he added a roof raise to for extra comfort and space. His van life allows him to work and to see family and friends all over the country. When he gets together with them, [...]

This family of five (soon to be six!) has been living in their renovated toy hauler now for about two years. They got started on the tiny living journey when husband Troy became a travel nurse — an RV allowed his wife Elizabeth and their three girls to take home wherever he went for work! [...]

Andy had always been a fan of traveling and living tiny in a number of vehicles, so in 2018, he found a 4×4 ambulance that would make the perfect off-roading tiny house on wheels. He got to work converting it, keeping some original elements, and replacing anything that didn’t work for him. The result? A [...]