Emily Lives Full-time In Her 72 sqft Van Conversion!

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Over the last 10 years, Emily has lived in 300 sq ft or less.  It was never intentional, it was always based on either inventory availability or financial reasons.  But she fell in love with living in smaller spaces. As a result, Emily lives full-time in her 72 sq ft van conversion. It is self-designed but built by a professional builder. She bought it as a cargo van in May 2020 and officially moved in November 2020.  Currently, she bases herself on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. 

Meanwhile, she originally had the van built in order to travel across Canada. “I felt that by having my own campervan, I would have the freedom to go at my own pace, without having to book accommodation along the way”, she said. Unfortunately, by the time the van was ready, travel had been restricted and winter was about to set in, so the van became her full-time home instead. 

“I still plan on travelling across Canada one day when it’s safe, but for now I am happy to just live in my van and have my own little space”

– Emily

Before Going Tiny

Emily only really kept things that were important to her or useful.  She always liked the efficiency of living simply. “My last “large” apartment was about 500 sq ft that I lived in about 12 years ago. Although it was large by comparison, I still lived quite minimally”, She said.

However, Emily moved back to Canada from Australia in 2020 due to the pandemic and hasn’t worked since coming back. After that, she creates a lifestyle blog called ‘Simple Small Space Living’ which is all about compact and sustainable living. Due to the travel restrictions, she works full-time on the blog and her Instagram profile @emsvanlife.

About The Van

It is a 2014 Ram Pro master Eco Diesel van measures 19’ 8” in length. The size of the main living space, bedroom, and basement are 44 sq ft, 27.5 sq ft, and 14 sq ft respectively. The ‘sunroom’ or the driver’s cab area adds additional 14 sq ft. Surprisingly, she even has a closet for hanging storage that is 10″x55″ (3.8 sq ft).

She has an under-mount 9.9-gallon propane tank which services her 2 burners Suburban stovetop, a Suburban heater, and a Suburban on the demand water heater. In addition, there is a 70L fresh water tank for the kitchen and outdoor shower, both of which are connected to the water heater. In the bathroom, there is a Nature’s Head Composting toilet which is hidden in her bench seat.

Above all, there is a 75L 12V Fridge Freezer. The van is powered by a 300 W solar panel on the roof, which supplies my 4 x 110Amph AGM batteries.  They can also be charged by Shore Power or an alternator when driving. Further, Emily has a Fiamma Roof System and Fiamma F65S 12’ 2” x 8’ 2” awning sit on.  Also, she has a Maxx Air Fan on the roof to provide circulation and ventilation within the house.

The Most Challenging Part About Her Tiny House Life

Meanwhile, a lot went wrong in the first few months of van life.  Emily had quite a few mechanical issues that she spent the first 3 months having to fix. “It felt like a test at times and was very challenging”, She said. Her solar panel also was not attached to the roof properly, so within the first 2 weeks of having the van, the solar panel flew off the roof rack. Luckily it didn’t fly off the van and she pulled over before it caused any issues on the highway luckily.

“The first 4 months were a struggle, as it just felt like everything was constantly going wrong.  But once it all got fixed, it started to get easier and feel like she could handle it”

– Emily

An Advice From Emily

Here is what Emily learned from her experience. “If you’re building out a van, plan your layout on your lifestyle and your priorities.  Make a list of non-negotiables and build them into your design from the start.  Don’t make your lifestyle revolve around your van layout, make the van layout revolve around your lifestyle.  Also, what I’ve found by living simply and through winter is that you don’t need all the bells and whistles. 

There are a lot of upgraded features that I felt like I needed that now I wish I had saved on.  Rent a van or multiple vans and try different styles out to know what you like and don’t like.  I rented a van and knew right away that the convertible dinette to bed would not work for me on a daily basis, and so built a permanent platform bed”, said Emily.

Further, one of her favorite parts of the van is the bedroom.  Because she added the peel and stick wallpaper from RoomMates Décor and it instantly elevated the space from a bed to a bedroom. Also, Emily had the bench seat cushions and throw pillows custom made locally by The Foam Guy and she absolutely loves the quality and how they turned out. Her van also equipped with the insulated window coverings from Van Gear Made which fits perfectly on the windows. “they are an integral part of my van life.  They have helped not only with privacy but with insulating my van throughout the Canadian winter” said Emily.

Did you get inspired by Emily’s story? Then join her van life journey by following her on Instagram and blog here!

Watch Emily’s Story In Video Format