A campervan is the dream option for travelling. Having a DIY tiny home on wheels for long or short-term travels can bring the world to your backyard.
Here at TwowithaView, we have made that dream our reality. We are Bailey and Denise who have built two campervans over the past years, to be able to live on the road.
Why Did We Choose This Design For a DIY Tiny Home on Wheels?
Space and convenience are the priorities when designing our DIY tiny homes on wheels. With those two aspects, we’ve come to live in this tiny home on wheels. Let’s give you a tour of the key elements of our home-on-wheels.
Bedroom
The bed is where we spend one-third of our time. Though it can take up precious space in a campervan. We wanted to prioritise our sleeping place without wasting space throughout the day. Having a comfortable place to lay your head at night can be the difference between camping and glamping. A good night’s rest shouldn’t be sacrificed in a campervan. At least not for us!
Our bedroom is located in the rear portion of the interior of our van. By day it takes up around a third of our van’s length and fills the width of the van. This is a nice amount of space to take a nap or chill in the evening. While it is possible to sleep width-wise in our van, we’ve included a slide-out feature for the bed. By night, the bed slides out. We use the cushions from the seats to fill the foot of the bed, creating a luxurious king-size.
Converting the bed is super simple. First, we take the cushions from the seats. Unlatch the locking pins to allow the bed foot to slide. Add the seat cushions to fill the bed foot. Lastly, pull the fitted sheet over and rotate the blankets and pillows.
Bathroom
The bathroom is an important piece of a house. It is necessary to have a place to do your business throughout the day and take a shower occasionally. To reduce wasted space, we made a multi-functional space.
Our bathroom is located directly behind the driver’s seat, and at first sight from the side sliding door. The base is a small water-sealed room for showering. This room has a solid shower tray on the floor and marble-styled walls. A shower head is hung from the wall with a thermostatic shower mixer. Above is an exhaust fan with a built-in light.
When the shower is not in use, the room stores our portable toilet. This is where we do our business using the light and ventilation from the shower. To maximise the use of this room we’ve made a small shelf in the wall for our soaps and toiletries. Additionally, we’ve attached some hooks to the wall to hang towels.
Kitchen
For us, food is one of the highlights of our days. The kitchen is in a sense the ‘centrepiece’ of our van. We decided to utilise the space by creating a 2-piece kitchen.
As you open the side sliding door, you are presented with the first piece of the kitchen. This piece has a cut in the corner to open up the hall space as you walk into the van. Here we have a built-in gas oven which is a must-have for us. We have two drawers surrounding the oven. Below is a deep drawer for pots and pans and beside is a tall drawer for cooking utensils and cutlery. The countertop has a built-in gas stove with 2 pits. On the edge of the counter is a pop-up table for extra cutting space.
Directly opposite is the second piece of the kitchen. This is located between the shower wall and the dining area. This cabinet has an extra tall drawer on the side for our herbs, sauces and jars. Beside the cupboard is a 65L fridge which runs on 12v power. Above is the sink which has a constant flow and the possibility of warm water. Behind the sink is a marble-styled backsplash framed by bamboo wood.
Living area
For us, the living area is not a priority. We prefer to spend as much time outside as possible All that we want is a simple seating area and table to eat a meal or finish our work on the road.
The living area of our camper is tucked between the bed and kitchen pieces. Naturally, there are 2 couches on either side of the width of the van. Each has a slightly angled backrest and a cushion to sit on.
The base of the couches can be opened to find more storage. One seat contains cleaning products and extra miscellaneous storage, and the other is for dry food.
Beneath the bed is a two-compartment cabinet. One side holds a pair of bins which slide out for easy access. The other makes storage for spare sheets and all of our electronics. Above is a concealed table which can slide out between the two couches.
Garage
For us, having a garage in the van is necessary. A place to store things that are not used regularly and to house all of our services. This is a big factor in the design of our campervan.
The space below our bed is used as garage space. When opening the back doors of the van you will have an overview of our services and additional storage.
The left side houses our electrical system, with a large battery and all charging components. The right side holds our water supply and gas boiler for hot water. Each side has a shelf above these services which can be used for additional storage.
In the middle of the garage, we have a diesel tank and diesel heater to keep the van warm throughout the year. Beside the heater is a gas bottle and space for spare when we are travelling. A camp table sits above the middle section of the garage creating an extra shelf for our camp chairs.
Our Little Home on Wheels in a Nutshell
Our campervan is designed with an emphasis on space and convenience. We have taken all of the main points from a typical house to cram them into a van. With a bit of smart thinking, we’ve managed to make everything for multiple uses fit in this tiny home on wheels.
After more than 2 years of living on the road, we have decided to share our insights with you to help you on the road towards van life.
If you enjoyed reading this blog, then you may be interested in checking our blog pages. We have covered a range of topics about Van Build, Van Life and Van Travel, where we share our experiences from living in a campervan for the past two years. You can follow us on Instagram to stay up to date with our latest posts and to take a closer look into our daily lives.
