From Band Van to Mobile Porn Studio!

It’s Spring of 2020. Our lease ends in June. It’s our first move without a big ol’ dog to consider in 13 years… We have decided to take advantage of all this freedom and move into our camper van!

With our deliciously comfy bed, extensive library, and chic design… we will be traveling in style and comfort. And it didn’t cost us an arm and a leg either.

To be fair. We got a great deal on the van. It was actually our old band’s tour van. When the band broke up we decided to buy everyone out and and remodel it. Yeah, it has some miles… but it also has some great memories.

Let me preface the remodel details by saying: If you are doing a budget remodel on ANYTHING with your significant other you best make damn sure you are in a good place in that relationship first… this project was a pain in the ass!

Tripp and I both have decent carpentry skills… but there is no “Guide to remodeling you Ford E350 ” available and I’m not going to lie, it was not easy! Envisioning things in your mind, agreeing on design, and executing those ideas is. hard. We were also using a lot of salvaged materials which added a bit of work- but saved us a lot of money.

After a ton of going back in forth we decided we wanted to do a kind of elaborate wine barrel style ceiling, wood walls, vinyl plank flooring, a large bookcase, cubbies for storage, a bed frame with under bed storage, and a kitchen area with a fridge and plenty of prep space!

We started by pulling and selling the seats and gutting the paneling on the walls and ceiling. We cleaned everything super well and started with the ceiling.

Sitting on top of the van together we committed to the project (and our marriage) as we used a sawzall to cut a square shaped hole for the vent/ ceiling fan. Shit just got real.

Tripp and I used to run a yoga studio and had a ton of extra yoga mats, so we actually used those for insulation in the ceiling and floor, to keep us warm and keep things snug and quiet.

We screwed support beams into the van above the windows and bent large pieces of plywood from one side to the other. We measured and made about 100 tiny adjustments here before screwing everything into place, installing the ceiling fan, and reinforcing the seams with strips of steel and screws.

That was by far the hardest part! The walls were just lot of measuring and making tiny adjustments till everything fit together. The bookcase, bedframe, and kitchen area all came together easily. And by that I mean Tripp did those by himself lol. Tripp is a great carpenter and I love how all of those pieces came out. After all the carpentry was done we caulked all the seams and filled any big holes with bondo. We let that dry and smoothed everything out with the orbital sander.

I pulled out the shop vac and some rags and got the whole van spotless before staining the ceiling and painting the walls and furniture with three coats of high gloss white. Once that was dry we popped in the vinyl flooring, our cooler, the bed frame, and a super comfortable Zinus Ultima Comfort Memory Foam 6 Inch Mattress …. and Voila! Sanctuary!

We worked on the van on and off for a few months over the summer, and probably put a couple hundred dollars into it including the mattress. As I said, at times this remodel drove me crazy, but if it’s something you have considered doing I say go for it! It’s totally doable. I will update this post soon with a fully outfitted van tour to show off the simplicity and functionality of our design.

I can’t wait for a summer full of van adventures. We plan to visit a bunch of industry friends, traveling around the country making content, streaming group shows, and sharing meals and good times! And we will be sharing our experiences with you all the whole way ❤

Next Blog Post: Practicing Safe Travel!