Happy Anniversary to Buttercup and me! Yes, it's been a year already that I have officially been living in Buttercup full time. I can't quite believe how fast the time has gone. A year ago, my Dad and I were manically struggling to get the stupid tongue and groove ceiling to stay up (looks great but gosh it was a struggle) and I was getting the van ready for my first properly furnished (and not just a mattress on the van floor) adventure to the Lake District.
So, a year on; what have I learnt, what do I love and hate about van life and what do I want to change in Buttercup?
I've been so very lucky the past 18 months having somewhere to park up and live, both in the caravan and then the van, and without the generosity of my farmer friend, the transition and work would have been far more stressful and complicated to achieve. So, a huge thank you goes out to Farmer Nick for putting up with me for so long, and he can sigh a breath of relief that my big yellow van, the noisy spaniels and I will be on the road later this year... it does mean he'll have to start cooking his own meals though; so I guess I better start batch cooking and freezing food so he doesn't have to live off beans on toast!
The view most mornings when my chums say 'hi'...
What have I learnt?
I think the biggest thing I learnt throughout the process of converting Buttercup, is that no matter how much you plan and research your dream build, things will not turn out as per your plans. You need to be flexible with your van build and be prepared for it to take so much longer than you expected it to. Plus stuff is expensive! I did my build relatively cheaply but it's still cost a lot of dosh and I've still things to finish off and tweak. I'm always adapting the van to suit my lifestyle and to make life living in a van with two messy dogs a little bit easier.
Another thing is the way people perceive your life choice... The majority are amazed, excited, supportive and inspired, but there are those who turn their noses up at the fact you live in a van and even some who make life a bit awkward when you're parked up somewhere for the night. I've had people look at me shocked and say, 'What? You live in your van?'. 'Yes', I said, 'I love it'. 'Oh' they say as they rush off!! I'm unsure what it is that disgusts people so much about my lifestyle; maybe people assume I'm homeless, a burden on society or just smelly and dangerous (only some days!); maybe they are jealous of my freedom. Who knows, but I just don't let it bother me as I know how awesome my lifestyle is...
Just enjoying the day by a gorgeous lake...
What do I love?
The ability to nap at lunchtimes when at work! No seriously, van life is amazing; it opens up so many opportunities. I can head off somewhere for the day and see a little spot I want to explore, so pull on in, I have everything I own with me, so if I want to ride, I ride, if I want to SUP, I SUP, if I want to make a cuppa and sit looking at an amazeballs view, than that is what I do.
I also love the fact that I have so much more time; I'm not constantly trying to keep a house clean (well clean-ish!), worry about bills, travel hours to work, have to load and unload stuff in to a car for a day out... the joy of time is one of the greatest gifts available and van life just allows me to benefit from this gift so much more.
What do I hate?
The mess...Living in a small space with two fluffy dogs creates a lot of dust and dirt! The good thing is that it's a small space and cleaning takes minutes but it's still frustrating and trying to dry wet dog towels and floor mats is challenging... Likewise laundry can be a bigger task than in a house; you need to find a launderette or friend/family member (thanks Mum!) who is happy to let you use their machine, launderettes are expensive and drying kit is a nightmare, unless it's a hot sunny day and you're parked up somewhere you can hang your washing out. People apparently don't appreciate you driving along with your pants hanging off your wing mirrors drying... no idea why!!
Reality of vanlife; cleaning day...
Finally, finding a suitable park up for the night that's not a paid for campsite. Like I said; I'm super lucky to have the farm, my Mum's drive and lots of great friends dotted around the country who I can park up at. But when out adventuring or living full time on the road it can be a bit trickier. Park4Night is fantastic and I've found some amazing places to stay overnight, but there are more and more 'no overnight camping' signs appearing and with the recent spate of 'fly campers' ruining it for everyone, the authorities are clearly keen to reduce people overnighting in their areas due to concerns over waste and overcrowding etc. I've found that the best thing to do is to research an area, check out forums and apps for a park-up and be prepared to have to shift if asked. We as van lifers are very aware of the environment and you'll see most people living in vans leaving a park-up cleaner than they found it... So, please always look after places you are camping or parked up at; do a litter pick and support the local economy where you can, to help us all to continue to enjoy our beautiful wild spaces.
What do I want to change?
I've made so many changes already; I changed my cute free standing sofa to a built in day bed, so my Mum could come away with me and now there's room for a mid day doze without climbing in to bed! I've added a small bulk head to stop the dog climbing in to the front seat when they're home alone, put a chest of drawers in which I now have all my clothes in and my maps (everyone needs a map drawer!) and created a little tray for my loo so it's easier to move it around the van; plus created lots of clever storage and whittled down my shoe collection (that was hard!).
One thing I've realised I can't live without is running water; something we totally take for granted living in bricks and sticks. For the past 15 months I've coped with two 20ltr water containers and an old 5ltr water bottle; not the most convenient things to fill your kettle up with! So, I'm going to install a sink and tap. It will only be cold water and I'll be using a foot pump instead of a 12v pump due to wanting to keep it simple. I did install the wiring for a 12v pump but it was getting fiddly and a foot pump is perfectly sufficient for my needs. I've got a groovy sink, an old metal jam pan, ordered a cheap tap and foot pump from Amazon, and have acquired some piping for the fresh and waste water. Next job is to install it; but I'm dithering over where to put the sink... on the same side as my cooker or above the fridge (more below on this). It's a big decision as I can't undo it once it's in!!
The other essential item I need is a proper fridge, the cool box is just not up to the job; plus it's blooming stressful having to take everything out every time you want the butter! So the next big investment will be a 12/240v compressor fridge which will be powered by my solar panels and leisure batteries. When on EHU it'll auto switch to use the on shore power instead of the leisure batteries. I've spent months researching fridges; there are a lot of options out there, but have decided to go for a WAECO Dometic CRX50 Compressor Fridge. It's not huge, similar to the ones found in a lot of factory built conversions, but it'll fit my butter, cheese, milk and wine in it...I mean, what else does a girl need?! Plus it has a removable ice box, so in the summer I can ensure there is ice for my G&Ts!
Finally, I'm in the process of adding a small wardrobe for the few clothes I want to hang up, as them being in the garage area was tricky to access. It's all about living with something and then adapting to suit the way you live. It won't be huge but big enough for a couple of dresses, a blazer, cosy cardi and a shirt or two.
Current layout; awaiting sink, fridge cabinet and wardrobe (and a paint job!)...
Looking at the build itself, if I was doing it again I would put in less 240v sockets and more 12v sockets. Plus I chose to put the EHU under the van to keep it stealth (I know it's a giant yellow van!!) but it's a real pain in the bum to get to; so I think I would definitely have put it in a more accessible place with a cover or something to keep it reasonably hidden.
Other than that, I love Buttercup and she's doing us super proud... yes an indoor shower would be nice and maybe a larger kitchen but it works and, hey, I can do those things in the next van (Don't worry Dad, it won't be for a very long time!!).
So for now, Buttercup, the smelly boys and I will carry on embracing all things #vanlife and hopefully get the rest of the jobs done before we hit the road on our adventures around the UK and Europe later this year.
Happy travels everyone...
The many stages (to date!) of my van...
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