The VW crafter was the first van I ever called home. Previously, it had been our weekend camper. Our escape pod from day to day life, and it would take us to the Lakes, Northumberland, and up to Scotland whenever we had any time off work. It was an empty panel van, and Steven and I spent hours and hours over several months, building it bit by bit. We sanded and cut every bit of wood, cut a hole in the roof for a roof vent, installed a double swivel seat.
The bed was a pull out sofa, slightly smaller than a double. I had the genius (if I do say so myself) idea of storing the duvet inside a giant cushion cover during the day, so it was useful but kept clean and tidy. The ‘curtain’ was just a throw, with the fringes tied to tacks and held back during the day. This was the first time I had to solve tiny living problems, and I enjoyed every second of it.
It was a simple set up…. just a power bank, a hand pump tap, tiny sink, no bathroom, but my first taste of using so much wood in an interior. I loved it. The only thing this van didn’t have… heating. That was the downfall of the handcrafted crafter. We lived in it for a few months at the tail end of a summer, but being up in the Highlands during October and November, feeling the cold kick in… we knew we had to go for something bigger so we could fit a log burner.
