Already a strong alternative trend over the last decade, #VanLife exploded into the mainstream last year due to the duel catalysts of WFH and international flights being grounded.
With the office suddenly being ‘wherever there was wi-fi’, it was no longer just the trendy, minimalist, digital nomads who hit the road, but instead, it was anyone with a van.
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And with holiday destinations narrowed down to, well, Australia, there was the impetus to hit the road and combine business with travel.
Check out Facebook Marketplace on any given day and you’ll see the trade-in Toyota Hiaces and Volkswagen Transporters still running hot for the young couples and singles looking to create a home in the back of a tradie’s van.
But for couples with young families, the lure of a two-wheeled towable home has really taken off. Instagram is awash with pastel-painted Millards and Viscounts (popular 60s and 70s Australian caravan brands to the uninitiated). Great looking couples with great looking kids, taking to the road in great-looking vans.
Look familiar? Instagram is flooded with pics of #vanlife caravan conversions.
With their floating floors, neutral fabrics, beech worktops and wicker hanging lampshades, they do look really impressive. But surely, dreamily out of reach?
In fact, they’re cheaper and easier to put together than you might imagine.
To start with, you don’t need to be a mechanic to renovate a caravan, you just need some DIY and decorating skills. There’s no engine in a caravan, it’s just a box on wheels.
And part of the reason they look so great, is the overwhelming effect of seeing a redecorated kitchen, bedroom, lounge and dining room in the space of 10 square metres. A concentrated hit of reno.
For less than ten grand, you can buy and renovate a van to rival anything you can find on social media. Before you rush out to Bunnings for wood and paint though, there are a few tips you might want to follow when buying your van:
WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE BUYING A CARAVAN
1.Can it be towed straight away?
It might sound obvious, but you want to be able to tow your van home straight away. There are some vans up for sale, at low prices, with great interiors, but the advert says somewhere near the end ‘will need a tilt tray to remove’. While caravans don’t have an engine, they do have an axel and wheels and you don’t want to be fixing them. Check the van is towable before you drive 50km to view it.
2.It must be a solid frame
You can replace windows, you can mend holes, anything reasonably cosmetic can be patched up, but you don’t want to be welding big lumps of steel to make your van roadworthy. Check that none of the major steel girders underneath, or the drawbar at the front for towing, have any bad rust. A bit of surface rust can be sanded off, but anything that eats into the structure is to be avoided.
3.The floor needs to be strong
Again, you can mend and replace a bit of damp in the ceiling or walls, in fact more often than not, you’ll have to. Old caravans usually have a leak or two that needs sealing. But the floor needs to be strong and dry. Replacing that is a big job.
You want to be able to tow your van home straight away.
4.Check the lighting and electrics
Take a caravan extension lead with you – in case the seller hasn’t got one – and ask to plug the caravan in. Check that the inside lights and sockets work (take a spare bulb or two and a phone charger to plug in). It might look a fussy thing to do, but it will make things much easier if the electrics work. Likewise make sure the lights outside the van work – check the brake lights and indicators.
5.Check window frames and winders
Finally, play with the windows – open and close them and see if the catches work properly. Ironically, replacing a broken pane of glass is easy, but getting a broken winder mechanism to work can drive you insane.
Old caravans usually have a leak or two that needs sealing. But the floor needs to be strong and dry. Replacing that is a big job.
If you can tick those five things off, then just about anything else can be fixed.
As for the price, you shouldn’t really need to pay more than $5000 for a 4-bed van that satisfies those criteria, and you might pick one up for just under $3000. If the price starts creeping down further, then there’s probably a reason for that!
HOW TO RENOVATE YOUR CARAVAN
Now that you’ve purchased your second-hand caravan, here’s how to restore it:
1.Have a plan and a budget
Take inspiration from Instagram and Pinterest, decide on your look, draw a rudimentary floor plan and start making a list of everything you’ll need – paint, wood, flooring, furniture. The budget is likely to be between $3000 and $4500 depending on the state of the van and your end vision.
2.Clear out everything you don’t need
Get rid of anything broken or that you don’t want in the van – this includes replacing fridge, cooker or sink if they’re not to your taste.
3.Mend anything broken
Do the big DIY jobs first and create a strong base, no matter how tempted you are to jump straight to curtains and cushions. Mend the walls, ceiling and window frames.
4.Renovate the kitchen
Usually kitchens need the most work – a nice wood top and new round sink from Bunnings can also transform a van.
5.Paint almost everything white inside
Old caravans tend to be very dark and wood-panelled. If in doubt, paint everything white – it’ll breathe light and life into your van. An oil-based undercoat, followed by two coats of oil-based semi-gloss will do the trick.
You don’t need to be a mechanic to renovate a caravan. There’s no engine, it’s just a box on wheels.
6.Lay a new floor
Go for wood-effect vinyl tiles from Bunnings. Two or three packs will do a whole caravan floor – they look fantastic, are easy to cut to size, and are easy to keep clean.
7.Sort your fabrics
Roller blinds are easier to fit than curtains, but curtains do ad an extra homely feel – go for neutral colours to keep things classy. Colour match curtains with the sofa cushions, too, which are easy enough to cover.
8.Dress on a budget
With a budget of $250 in somewhere like Big W, K-Mart or Target you can kit out the whole van with bedding, kettle, knick-knacks and cushions etc. Do it all in one go to match – the effect will be amazing, and filling that trolley is the best hour of the whole renovation.
9.Paint the outside
Surprisingly one of the easiest thing to do. With the right paint (oil-based undercoat and enamels) you can get a great effect with a roller and brushes.
10.Add a name and stickers
For the finishing touches, jump online and there are websites that do vinyl decals to help you name your van, and sticker sites that sell the original 60s and 70s branded caravan stickers.
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