Renovating The Van

We just had a fantastic week with my sister, Cath, and her wife, Julie. It was unseasonably very warm for November, so much so that we even squeezed in a couple of beach days and a swim in the sea and the pool! We also found time to drive down to the new place to have some site meetings with the builder and a solar company and show Cath and Julie round the place. I now (thanks Julie) have hundreds of photos which I am slowly working through to share for before pictures. Today am concentrating on the static. I love a project and this is one I think I can manage as it is mostly decorative. 

First things first will be to empty it out, the fixtures and fittings are very dated and run down so it will be out with the old. My plan is to firstly install a deck so that we are not risking climbing tiled and potentially slippy steps to the two entrance doors. 

From a practical perspective one of the first jobs is to replace the broken roof panels, ensure they are all well secured and strengthen the existing wooden frame. I also think it would be good to install some guttering and downspouts so we can collect rainwater for watering. The other major transformation, as well as installing a deck, will be to paint the whole thing black and put white architrave around the windows. This will help it blend in with the landscape and look less like a caravan and more of a cabin. Been doing a lot of research on RV renovations so am confident I can pull it off! Pinterest has provided me with lots of inspiration.

Inside is really, really dated. Next up we will remove all the fitted furniture and units in the living and dining space, sofa and tables will go to junk heaven but will hang on to any cupboards and shelves because I am a whizz at repurposing, it is what I did with all the mdf furniture in the beach house, chopped it up and rebuilt into cube shelving and horizontal shelving then covered with peel and stick. I found a fab company called Spoonflower online they do bespoke printed peel and stick which is perfect for the job, you just choose your pattern order your role and Bob’s your uncle!

The kitchen I shall salvage and fix up the wonky drawers and cupboards, recover the walls maybe tile, maybe wallpaper, maybe paint the jury is out on that one. Curtains will go too we will be using roman blinds in natural linens and the floor coverings will all be replaced with easy clean wooden click flooring and durable coir mat rugs. The colour palette will be fresh creamy whites, greeny blues and natural wood. I may have feature walls with paper again from Spoonflower as they have such an eclectic and unusual selection. We won’t be going for built in furniture an easy pull out heavy duty bed settee to give us extra sleeping accommodation and a large comfy sofa is a must. Lots of throws and blankets, storage chests and a shelving unit to store games and tv.

At the moment there are three bedrooms, two twin rooms with narrow beds and a double. One will be made into narrow bunks to free up floor space and the other a larger single bed with a small child’s pull down bunk which is already installed at the end of the room. This will give us accommodation for four adults, two in the double room and two in the living room and four children (to include three teens). Plenty of space for my large extended family to come visit!

A few impressions from Pinterest to give you an idea of how the twin rooms might look, going for that light bright, ticking and blue palette with lots of natural and reclaimed wood, industrial lighting, book, baskets, suitcases for storage, bit of a vintage vibe.

The double room I plan to keep the built in furniture and give it a makeover, I particularly like the idea of adding mirror to the cupboards to make the space feel larger and lighter.

The great thing is the van is complete with electricity, gas (bottled) and wifi, It is also connected to the water and sewage and we have a shower room and separate loo, no pictures of those just yet as they are very awkward rooms to get a good shot of! Will bring my ideas for those at a later date.

I have it on good authority that the old fireplace in the house and the kitchen are being dismantled this weekend so watch this space for more updates!