I am so excited.
I’m taking the van to a mechanic tomorrow. He is the friend of a friend and can do all the jobs that need doing, big and small, so that I can start building. I feel like I am taking the first real step forward in months. I have found someone I can trust to help make sure everything is as it should be. I am putting the final touches to the foundation of my home, and once that’s done, I can finally start shaping it. Windows and solar panels and insulation can start going in. I can rebuild the floor and put in new walls. I can start doing all the things I have no idea how to do.
I am so beyond excited, and so incredibly nervous. But in that good way where my insides feel fizzy.
Knowing that things are once more moving forward has motivated me. I have begun reading about van conversions and watching YouTube videos again. I’ve started researching where to buy the floor I want. Every night I’m dreaming of sitting and cooking and showering and sleeping in my van.
I’ve also revisited the floor-plan. One of the great things about not being in a rush is that I’ve had time to sit with ideas and plans, time to check in with myself and make sure I get it right. When I first designed my floor-plan, I did so based on some of the best vans I’d seen online.
But I also based the design around an important idea, that when building a future it is important to do so with intention, to put out into the world what you hope to manifest. And though I am building this van for me, it is important that there is space for another person in my home. That I have enough plates and cutlery to share a meal with someone, and that there are enough seats around the table to do so.
The plates and cutlery are easy enough, despite the limited storage space. And I thought I had the seats figured out. But in revisiting the floor-plan I realised that, in focusing on the importance of shared space, I had designed something I wouldn’t feel comfortable in.
And so, last week I set about fixing it. I remeasured, and researched, and sketched until I worked it out. A table I want to sit at, alone or with another. A seat I will want to curl up in to read. A table I can be comfortable at while looking out over the view. A seat the long dreamed about dog can on. A home designed just for me, with room for another.
A home with room for everything I need. Plates and seating, a shower and enough kitchen side space, a bed and TV, cupboards and comfort, art and spice rack.
A home to share adventures in; with friends, with family, with a dog, maybe one day with a partner, and certainly with all of you.
I have it right this time. The design is ready. There are still questions but they are ones that can’t be answered on graph paper. I am nervous and scared and excited. I am taking the van to the mechanic tomorrow. I shall let you know how it goes.
i completely agree that it's SOOO important to spend time with and in a space before making decisions. No amount of research can replace that. Px
I love how you have been looking at this from so many angles Rosie .... and as you say, there are many great examples on You Tube .... very exciting and so looking forward to see your van .... moving on ... so to speak. Sending much love from Mexico ... xxx