Converted Sprinter DeeDee Is the Definition of DIY Vanlife

Courtney and James have recently celebrated one year of living in DeeDee, the name they’ve given their second-hand Mercedes-Benz Sprinter they converted into a mobile home for a total cost of just £21,000 ($27,900), of which £6,500 ($8,640) was the van itself. Their story is the ultimate example of DIY vanlife and how you can make a comfortable, mobile home of even the most cramped space.

The tiny home / tiny living movement has picked up pace in 2020, with adventurers able to choose from a variety of options in terms of downsizing. There’s the actual tiny house, the modified camper, the RV and plenty of options in between. The biggest advantage to them is that they come ready to move in and drive away, but the downside of the high price can act as a significant deterrent.

Not so in this case, assuming you have some cash, the motivation and the time to invest in the project.

For starters, both Courtney and James have the kind of jobs that allows them to work remotely from wherever they might be, so 2020 really didn’t change much in their life in this respect. A couple of years ago, unwilling to settle down in a proper house and be burdened with monthly payments on it for most of their life, they decided to build their own mobile home.

It would have to be small but comfortable, so it would allow them to indulge in their favorite hobby: traveling. They settled on a second-hand Sprinter they bought off eBay and then set out to do the conversion work themselves, they say in a new interview with Caters (via Metro).

The process took 18 months and it was challenging and obstacle-ridden, but only because they had no idea what they were getting into. Neither had ever done something like this, so they learned everything on the go, using tutorials from YouTube, and inspiration from Pinterest and Instagram.

“We were both working full time so we spent the weekends and evenings working on it,” Courtney says. “We did everything ourselves, and we are complete DIY novices. We did not even know how to put a shelf up before the van project.”

At the end of those 18 months, they felt proud of what they’d achieved – and with good reason. DeeDee, their van, has a wet room with shower and toilet, a fully-stocked kitchen (two countertops, a portable cooker, a generous refrigerator and an even more generous pantry), and a living area / work space that converts into their bedroom at night, with a comfy king-size bed. That’s a lot of stuff to pack into a relatively tiny Sprinter.

DeeDee has tinted windows for extra privacy (plenty of them, to make the 5x2 meter / 16.4x6.5 foot space seem larger), solar panels on the roof to power most appliances, instant hot water system and, of course, WiFi. DeeDee has been the couple’s home for one year, during which time they’ve traveled throughout Europe even with former and current restrictions.

“Moving into our van has been perfect for us,” Courtney explains. “We wanted to be able to travel more, so living in a van would give us the ability to explore more and also limited our impact on the environment.”

DeeDee’s adventures are well documented on Instagram, so she’s contributing to the family budget as well. Right now, DeeDee is back in the shop, as the video below shows: after one year of living out of the van, Courtney and James have decided to do a complete overhaul on it, to better suit their needs. This isn’t unusual with DIY projects, as travelers / owners upgrade the initial build after testing it out in real-life conditions. Like the first time around, the couple are doing all the work themselves, with the only difference being that, this time, they have way more experience.