nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

Now ye're talking - to a man living in his van

Boards.ie: Niamh

Our next guest is a full-time professional who lives in a van in an Irish city.

He has chosen to live in a van to avoid paying high rents, avoid living with strangers in a house share situation and to save for a deposit for a more permanent home in the future.
He converted the commercial van to a home himself, learning how to do things by watching videos online.

He is here to answer your questions about his experience of living in a van.

Find more posts tagged with

Quick Links

Comments

Donald Trump

jasper100 wrote: »

Disposing of urine shouldn't be a problem, whenever its raining just let it flow out under the van, or drain it over grass on a dry day. Its not polluting or hazardous.

Well, if a bucket is good enough for Simey it's good enough for any man.

Especially when you consider that Simey started the internet.

pinkyeye

jasper100 wrote: »

Disposing of urine shouldn't be a problem, whenever its raining just let it flow out under the van, or drain it over grass on a dry day. Its not polluting or hazardous.

It's not just urine I'd be doing on a very regular basis.

cannotlogin

Fair play, always admire someone who is willing to sacrifice a lot in order to achieve their goals.

Just out of curiousity, how to you deal with:-

1. Breakdowns or when the van needs to go to the garage

2. The NCT?

3. The Snow last year

4. Missing a decent bed...does your back not kill you?

ectoraige

I'm living in my van, AMA wrote: »

yabadabado wrote: »

Lorry Laybys are great way to blend in, I've used them a bit, but they can be noisy obviously.

I know you mentioned you use earplugs for sleeping, thought I'd point you towards Plugfones, they are industrial earplugs with built-in earphones so you can listen to music or whatever. I've used them in an industrial environment and you really wouldn't hear a thing.

endacl

cannotlogin wrote: »

2. The NCT?

No NCT required in private vans

Ursus Horribilis

In the winter time when you're at work, does the van get cold? Have you ever had to go to work in clothes that were a bit damp? Especially in the early days before you got your insulation sorted?

Did you find last year's hot summer tough?

Like just about everyone else who's following this thread, I'm finding this utterly fascinating. I'd love to read a blog or YouTube videos about your experience when you're done. It'd be even better if you were doing it in real time but I understand your reasons for why that's not going to happen.

Nekarsulm

endacl wrote: »

No NCT required in private vans

Don't you need a CVRT instead?

[Deleted User]

Great thread - fair play OP. My current fantasy is Airstream+Montana but in your converted van in Ireland you're a lot closer to that that I'll get for a while

Few questions:

1. Do you have issues with damp/humidity from breathing/sleeping/making tea?

2. Security - do you keep any, oh I don't know, pieces of sports equipment such as baseball bats to hand? Unlikely scenario I know but unexpected visitors would be my biggest fear... Have you special locks or immobiliser fitted?

3. And oh this is really dumb but I'm prone to losing car keys... do you stash spares under the engine mount?

No good looking for spares if you're 100 miles from family...

4. Have you any good strategies for when you get cabin fever (or the reverse) or just fed up with driving?

I live in Dublin but spend a lot of time in the US. There are a few spots around Dublin where I always notice van/campers over weekend (mostly parking thats secure enough, council managed but free on weekends, and low profile). In the US - head to any Walmart or similar or city managed parking and you'll meet your people! Also all around Boston (the municipal parking around City Point/Pleasure Bay), San Francisco (Marina/Crissy Field and all the city beach parking) in particular - both campers and vans! It's awful if people feel the need to do this for economic reasons, but there is a cool pioneer spirit to it that I love.

Gangu

Interesting thread. Just posting to say hello and thanks. I’d be interested to hear what spooked you too.

Ethereal Cereal

Interesting Thread here. 2 questions

I was thinking of converting a van to a stealth for temp living away from the house, for a day or two here and there...

Q1. If you pay for 24 hour parking, i.e. QPark or APCOA car parks, do you feel safe enough to stay ther for the day? Without a security guard or similar knocking on your door.

Q2. You have said you dont drink. Is this because you cant technically be in a parked vehicle over the limit? i.e. if someone request you move the van you wouldnt be able to.

Q3. Did you think of registering it as a camper?

Q4. How did you get insurance on a van, I thought you needed to be a limited company for insurance?

thanks in advance...

gman2k

endacl wrote: »

No NCT required in private vans

That was ended years ago. As another poster mentioned you now have to have a CVRT for a commercial vehicle, regardless of its tax classification.
It's true that the NCT centres will not inspect a van, but CVRT centres do.
I learned that the hard way myself when the tax office refused to tax my van one year as it didn't have a cvrt.

[Deleted User]

Inspirational stuff. I just bought this lol. There's so much of Ireland I've yet to see and I've been constantly thinking about just driving to places and pitching a tent. I'll see how it goes over the summer.

Gimme A Pound

Have you watched The film The Lady In The Van for tips?

MrMusician18

1874 wrote: »

Supportive of the idea of tiny homes and even this, but Id notice and be concerned if I thought someone was living in a van and was just parking up in an estate. I think its a shame there arent places that people can park up and live like this without having to do it off the radar, maybe having access to hook up to water and electric..

There are places, they're called halting sites.

I've often wondered about the viability of such a plan with regards saving money. Surely you'd need to invest at least 10-15k up front for a liveable space, which is the guts of a years rent. How much in total have you invested in the van?

There's a reason almost everyone doesn't do what the OP is doing: the best way to save money is to move back in with parents or relatives. That's not an option for some granted but for those that end up on the road like the OP, I'm betting there's something in the itinerant lifestyle that appeals to them anyway.

.......

MrMusician18 wrote: »

There are places, they're called halting sites.

I doubt very much that a member of the settled community could just rock up and land in a halting site and be accepted.

Corkvanlife

MrMusician18 wrote: »

There are places, they're called halting sites.

I've often wondered about the viability of such a plan with regards saving money. Surely you'd need to invest at least 10-15k up front for a liveable space, which is the guts of a years rent. How much in total have you invested in the van?

There's a reason almost everyone doesn't do what the OP is doing: the best way to save money is to move back in with parents or relatives. That's not an option for some granted but for those that end up on the road like the OP, I'm betting there's something in the itinerant lifestyle that appeals to them anyway.

Yes there's an up front cost but rent is dead money. Building a van is an asset you own and can sell.

zell12

Jackass star Wee Man sells $2 million mansion and all his belongings to live in a van
[URL="'The more s**t you have the more issues': Jackass star Wee Man is now living in a van after swapping his farm and $2.37million beach home for the simple life"]'The more s**t you have the more issues':
Jackass star Wee Man is now living in a van after swapping his farm and $2.37million beach home for the simple life[/URL]

handlemaster

Corkvanlife wrote: »

Yes there's an up front cost but rent is dead money. Building a van is an asset you own and can sell.

I wouldnt call a diy commercial van conversion having been lived in permanently for a period of time an asset.

yabadabado

handlemaster wrote: »

I wouldnt call a diy commercial van conversion having been lived in permanently for a period of time an asset.

Why not?
The van could be sold on if OP wanted ,not something that you can do with rent paid .

iano.p

Great tread. Me and the girlfriend done this in oz for 21months. It ment we came home bought our first house a fixer up with our own money. When my work van a sprinter is due an upgrade we will be turning it I to our camper for us and the kids.

Odelay

handlemaster wrote: »

I wouldnt call a diy commercial van conversion having been lived in permanently for a period of time an asset.

First you had a go about him not contributing..,, to what I’m not sure. Now it’s about the value of the van.

From an outsiders point of view it could be taken that you’re a little bit jealous?

Could you summarize your issues with persons choice of not paying ridiculous rent?

John_Rambo

Congrats. Talk about taking the life van by the bull horns!!!

There's an app called motorhome parking Ireland, I've used it a few times with my van for surf spots or stopping on the way home from surf spots for the night. It's very handy, the campervan community are VERY helpful.

#vanlife !!!!

I'm living in my van, AMA

Corkvanlife wrote: »

I'm in the process of building my van at the moment. I have a similar plan. Live in the van to save up for a small plot or wreck of a house. Best thing I got was a wood stove with an oven built in. Like you I have a vsr and solar for the batteries.
I think this will become more common over the next few years. If there's another economic crash, you still have a home even if it is a van.
Best thing is to be able to wake up on a beach one day and in a woods another.
Good luck with your van ðŸ‘

Good Stuff Soul Brother/Sister, it all becomes very normal once you get used to it, this all sounds a bit mad to people who aint doing it, but feels pretty normal to m at this stage.
Yes, I think this will become more of a thing in future.
What bothers me is people who are forced into this kind of thing who fundamentally do not want to do it, that is totally different to what I am doing.
My heart goes out to people surviving in cars ,which I think is happening a lot on the QT, because this wagon is like a hotel compared to a car.

I'm living in my van, AMA

@ everyone

Thanks so much for all the support and encouragement here.
I was really curious as to how people would view this lifestyle. As I keep it low key, I never actually talk a lot about doing this thing.
Its been great to hear the positive reactions,it reassures me that I'm not completely bonkers, I do still get these odd wee doubts in the small hours , 'wft am I doing ' etc, lol. This AMA is reassuring for me.
Ill try get to all the questions anyway, maybe not in one go!

z0oT

Thanks for doing the AMA. I admire you for doing what you're doing, I've often thought of doing something similar. The idea of being so outside the box is interesting to me.

Anyway, a question I'm not sure has been asked before:

How old is the van? Do you service it often? Do you service it yourself? Any significant reliability issues you've encountered with it? Have you ever been left stranded?

Given it's effectively your home, I'm guessing you don't go even 1km over the service interval.

I'm living in my van, AMA

....... wrote: »

Great thread and very interesting subject matter. I work in a place that has paid for parking outside that is free from 8pm-8am and I do occasionally pass camper vans parked up when I arrive to work which I presume is someone sleeping there overnight. I havent paid attention to ordinary vans though - I must have a look!

I have some questions:

How do you have internet access?

Have you been sick since you began and what would you do if you were? (This question because I had a tummy bug 2 weeks ago and for about 2 days I could not be away from a loo and between loo sessions I was worn out and could only lie down and drink water).

I have an idea for you that could be useful - we use a pet sitter when we go away, and we usually ask them to do a combo of twice daily visits and 3 or 4 overnights in a week. If you advertised yourself as a pet sitter you could use their driveway while they were away and if asked to do overnights you could sleep indoors too. I mean, you could probably tell people that what you were doing - I know I would be delighted for our pet sitter to be parked in the driveway when we are away, make it look like we are there. It would only work if you were an animal lover yourself and 100% reliable.

How do you have internet access? -
Yes, just theater from my phone, if the signal is poor, I drive off somewhere else until I get a good connection. These days tho, I really have all the internet I need in my pocket.
Again, the tech makes this life smoother /easier

Have you been sick since you began and what would you do if you were?

I've been in pretty good health thankfully doing this, but got a large dose of stress/burnout from work last year and just spent a week parked up by a lake to chill out and put myself back together.
If I got a proper dose , I do have a little toilet here, and will be building a real toilet shower room inside here shortly.

If things got really ickky, I'd just bail out to my Brothers or Mothers for a few days, we get on well.

Interesting idea on the Pet Sitter, some good lateral thinking, cheers!

iamwhoiam

Good luck OP ! Well done for thinking outside the box . I hope we have a lovely summer and you get to bring your home to some great places

I'm living in my van, AMA

Bigus wrote: »

Well done , and continued success saving.

Is finding level ground a big prerequisite?, and if the ground isn't level which way do you prefer the bed to lean ?

Personally if I was ever fitting out a sleep van,the first luxury on my list would be some sort of air suspension that could be controlled to level the van , or if I bought a camper it's the first extra I'd fit , either that or maybe a bed leveller !

Very good question! I thought this would be a bigger deal than it actually is.

You always aim for the most level ground, but a slight incline either way is no problem. I can just put the pillow at the other end of the bed.

up/down on a hill is grand but what is crappy and can affect sleep is when the van is leaning to one side because of camber of the road you are on.
Ive woken up with a sore shoulder a few times from sleeping with the slope's direction in one position all night.

Generally, not being totally level is no big deal at all, or I just got used to it!

I'm living in my van, AMA

Muahahaha wrote: »

Fair play OP, you're making a great job of dealing with the whole rental sh1t show. It saddens me that people have to do what you're doing in the first place, it shows just how broken our housing market actually is. But Im also in huge admiration of you for getting on with it on your own terms instead of moaning about it.

I've an Australian mate in London who works as an overland tour bus driver. He is soon to begin a van conversion before driving it all the way back home to Sydney. His intention is to then sell it in Sydney where you get very good prices for van conversions compared to the UK. Hoping to join him for a few weeks along the way, it sounds like a great way to see lots of places for cheap.

Is the plan to live in the van for a total of four years before you buy a cottage? Or will it take longer? And what is your target savings amount before you can purchase the cottage?

Thank you, and you summed up the sad situation precisely.
It is not lost on me that I am one of the lucky ones in that I have a half decent job, but even with that, I have no chance of owning any form of home if I play the normal game.
Its crazy and I have to stop thinking about Irish Politicians or my blood pressure goes up, for a while there I was a bit angry and resentfully about being in this position, even tho Ive played the game and done all the things you are supposed to do.
I've embraced this life and made it mine and Im glad I did this , definitely

I hope to be on my land 18 - 24 months from now, but the best laid plans! one thing Ive really noticed with this lately is everything takes twice as long as I think when I dream up these schemes. The van is taking years of ongoing work. Ill bloody finish it finally the week I move into my gaff I reckon!

I dont want a mortgage, Id aim to save 25,000, take out a loan on the strength of that, Id like to have 40,000 - 50,000 cash to buy, with that I can buy an old farm in Letrim or somewhere. Im very open on where Im actually gonna buy, could be Cork, could be Donegal.
Im not close enough to buying to obsess over location yet, plenty of time.
If its the right property, I dont care where it is, Ireland is tiny and we can be anywhere in a few hours.

Then work for a few more years, pay the loan off, fix the house out to be off grid and low cost to run, and retire to the Good Life

I'm living in my van, AMA

1874 wrote: »

So the 3.5 tonne max is for the carrying weight of the vehicle, just looking that up. You wanted a 6 wheel, ie 4 wheel rear axis? I lost you, does the B licence still cover that?And the whole set up comes in under 3500kg?
Did you have to get a CVRT? are they difficult to get?

I wondered had I any additional benefits of getting my licence in 1996, I saw that UK B licence drivers can drive with 7500 from that year, but it changed in 1997, I still have my original licence so I'll have a look but I think it was 3500 back then too in ireland, I just know when renewing licences I had a category accidentally removed and it took a bit of effort to get them to admit the mistake and put it back.

I dont think I could do it continually temporary, but I wouldnt mind having a setup that I could sleep in a vehicle, bring camping gear and maybe have it so I could have a fold away bed space or a space to put bikes or even a motorbike.

Interesting, and all that said,
I still think the other poster is entitled to their view, Id have liked if they replied as to what they thought the state was losing out on or how that affects the rest of us day to day, I think that kind of debate can change peoples mind rather than the way it can go in boards, just shooing them off if we (posters all of us) dont agree.

4 wheel = 3.5 tn Max, class C, normal licence.
6 wheel = 3.5 tn+ , Class B (Registered Camper can be 3.5tn + and driven on class C I think)

I have a class C licence, my van currently weighs in at 2.3tn fully loaded I think, more weight = more fuel burn, this is important.

Yes, CVRT, and they are pretty hardcore to pass, I actually like this because the lads go over the van with a fine tooth comb, they do fail you on silly crap, but thanks to the CVRT, my van is functionally like new, although the old girl has a few year on her.
I want any mechanic looking at my van to tell me anything they find, pre emptive action is critical to preventing silly things leading to a ****ty breakdown on the side of the road some place.
I service every 7000 miles of so, especially oil change and fuel filter.
I never thrash the van and drive it real gentle. Although it can go like stick and I have no problem if I need to overtake, but I keep it at 95 km ph generally,that seems to be the sweet spot for my engine.

You can get a weekend /day van conversion classification, a lot easier than the full camper conversion afaik,