The Transformation...

A month has passed since the last photos were taken. In that month, we started our journey from our home in Frisco, Colorado back to Texas to visit our families. Brady stayed in Graham, Texas while I traveled, to finish up construction of the van. He picked me up on June 25th, and the transformation was amazing! 

Brady met an older man named Gene while he was getting supplies who was an experienced carpenter and helped him get the cabinets going. In the picture above, he is installing the backsplash and kitchen area. Brady actually made quite a few friends in Graham along the way who either donated supplies to him, or showed him how to do the work. His two Granfather's gave him tremendous amounts of advice and help. This picture also shows the fan/vent Brady installed in the top that runs off two batteries he hooked up inside.

This is a picture from the back of the van looking to the front seats. Brady built the framing and finished the bones of our cabinetry. Gene showed him how to build cabinet doors too that will go on later.

This photo shows the box that Brady built to house the two batteries he wired together for our electricity. We have two outlets on an inverter to plug in phone chargers and small appliances. It also powers our fan. Brady set it up to re-charge when we turn the engine on, and to not suck power from the van when we don't want it. Our new home is coming along!!

Construction Begins!

Below are some pictures we took during construction of the van interior. Brady is the real brains behind the customization. 

 This is the locking gate between the cab and the back. 

 Brady started by patching the bolt holes in the floor, and laying firring strips for the insulation to fit in between. We insulated the floor and the walls with rolls of silver "mylar". He patched the holes and covered them with spray-in truck bed liner.

Once the floor was laid, Brady built the bed across the back and left the underneath open for storage. We are both fairly short, and felt that running the bed width-wise across the back gave us the most space.

This was Brady's secret stash spot. We will use this as a safe that screws closed for things like passports and important documents while we are on the road.

The bed opens to reveal the storage underneath from the inside.

This was the beginning of our cabinets. Trial and error got us through the hard parts of cabinet making. Brady has a knack for construction!

I made this velvet upholstered headboard for my bed in our house. We decided to repurpose it and cut it down to fit for the headboard in the van- added a little 70's chic for fun!

Choosing the perfect home

It was around February of 2012 that we first decided we were really going to do it. Brady and I always talked about some day quitting our jobs and living on the open road, but thought it would be farther in  the future. We started realizing that we had nothing really stopping us from just going for it. Brady and I had been married for just under a year, had jobs that weren't really holding us back, no children, no mortgage, and no real debt- besides my student loans. We knew that if we started saving, we could make our dream a reality. Once the decision was made, we needed a mode of transportation. After months of research and shopping, we came to the conclusion that we were going to convert a white cargo van in to our own customized RV. We didn't want to stand out, and didn't want it to be immediately obvious to outsiders that we were living in the van. The white cargo vans are stealthier than regular RV's, and the extended cab gave us a lot of space to use. We chose one that included a gate that locked between the cab and the cargo area, an alarm system, and bars across the back windows- all features to prevent anyone from breaking in. Above is the van we purchased for $4000 in Denver, CO. This one had cargo shelves and cabinets and a ladder rack which we later sold for $350. It is a 2002 Ford Econoline.