When Jona, a Dutch filmmaker, and Nicole, a marketeer from Germany, set out to turn a truck into a full-time home, they weren’t just building a vehicle, they were crafting a lifestyle.
For this couple, van life isn't about the truck. It's about everything outside it and everything it enables them to see and do. That being said, it's a truly impressive tiny home on wheels.
Click or scroll on to find out why fans are calling it "the best van on YouTube"...
After building two smaller vans for part-time travel, Nico and Jona dreamed of full-time van life, kite-surfing, snowboarding, avoiding tourist traps, and growing their careers on the move. The solution? Build a van big enough to support their lifestyle year-round.
Using online tutorials, they created their dream home on wheels. Inspired to help others do the same, they began documenting their journey on their popular YouTube channel, sharing tips, stories, and the realities of life on the move.
Naturally, it all began with finding the perfect van…
Understanding van life was key to choosing the right vehicle, and their experience led them to this DAF LF55 box truck, costing just over €18,000 ($20.8).
It was fairly new, an automatic with cruise control for long journeys and sturdy enough to build a house in. It was perfect. And at 25 feet long, eight feet wide and eight feet tall, it had more than enough room to hold their mini dream home.
It's so big, Jona needs a special license to drive it.
Where some might see an empty box, Jona and Nicole saw a blank slate.
They researched and planned the build using a free 3D programme called SketchUp. Once they'd dreamt up a design they loved, Jona's brother-in-law, a tiny house architect, made some tweaks.
He explained: "Your space is already small, so you don't want to make it smaller by boxing yourself in with cabinets. Make it feel spacious by creating long lines of sight". And that's exactly what they did.
To kick off the build, the pair rented space in a workshop and began crafting a wooden frame inside the van, laying the foundation for its future walls and floor.
They used rigid foam insulation on the base, cleverly leaving a gap for airflow, then topped it with epoxy-finished plywood panels to create a durable, stylish floor.
After they'd made the frame, they cut the holes for the windows, skylights, doors, and exterior storage drawers. Thanks to their SketchUp design, they knew exactly where to place the holes and the beams.
At the rear end of the truck, they added a sliding patio door, which they bought secondhand for €400 ($464).
Critics were convinced the doors would smash on their first drive due to torsional forces. Luckily, they were wrong.
Four months into the build, as the pair paused for lunch in their half-finished van, it was hard to picture the day they'd be dining at a proper table in a fully furnished tiny home.
But with their dream of a life filled with adventure and travel always in sight, they stayed focused and kept pushing forward.
Before she met Jona, Nico had already spent an entire winter season living in a converted Fiat Ducato. She found the living conditions so cramped and uncomfortable that she never wanted to spend a full day inside it.
"It's hard to imagine how harsh winter can be if you're just living in a house", she says.
As a result, they insulated the van with 2-inch thick slabs of rockwool with climate foil over the top.
Jona admits he had "little to no experience at all" when it came to certain areas of the build, such as installing the diesel heater, which he initially "failed miserably" to do.
He bought the wrong diesel tank, the wrong fuel lines, and two incorrect interfaces. However, refusing to give up, he turned to YouTube, found answers and eventually found his way.
"It's not easy," Jona says of the process. "It's frustrating as hell, but when you persevere, it's extremely satisfying."
The next step was installing the cladding to the walls and ceiling. Nicole and Jona used Okoume plywood, which is traditionally used in boatbuilding thanks to its durability and the fact that it's not prone to warping or shrinking.
The light colour instantly made the relatively small space feel bright and airy.
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The pair agreed on an Ikea kitchen, as they both had experience of building cabinetry and knew how tricky it could be. It cost €1,029 ($1,177), delivery included.
Extras, including the dishwasher, 24-fold compressor fridge, and chic matte black sink and tap, were all bought second-hand.
In total, the couple spent €2,272 ($2,600) on creating this sleek, stylish kitchen, which looks about as far from a van interior as you could imagine.
They wanted a full-size kitchen, which is one of the reasons they chose such a large vehicle and their big dream certainly paid off.
The high-quality finish and clever layout have earned Nico and Jona high praise from their online fans.
"By far still the best of the 1000s of conversations I’ve seen", commented one, beneath a six-minute video detailing the van build.
Others describe it as "stunning" and as looking like a "tiny home not on wheels". Several credit the build for inspiring their own van life journey, while others admit they'll be copying certain design elements.
While the world is Nicola and Jona's oyster, they often have to park in less-than-picturesque parking lots due to the large size of their van.
Luckily, they'd had the foresight to turn their tailgate into a wooden deck, so they always have a secluded seating area, wherever they are.
While driving, the deck folds up to protect the patio doors, but when they stop, it flips down to create a space for yoga or alfresco dining.
To maximise kitchen space and maintain an open, airy feel, the pair installed underfloor storage to stash bulkier nonperishable items like rice, pasta, and wraps.
There are additional drawers beneath the sofa to stow away sports equipment and work gadgets.
This kitchen table was free, and the chairs were just €30 ($35), all second-hand. The table folds away while they're on the move, and unfolds into a space to eat, host friends, and work.
While Nicole is often at her desk by 8am, Jona is "definitely not a morning person" and is often just waking up while Nicole takes work calls.
"If only my colleagues knew what is going on in the background", she jokes.
Like the van itself, the table is wonderfully versatile and it can be easily moved outside to make the most of stunning views on balmy summer evenings.
It's in moments like these that all their hard work feels truly worthwhile.
After years of folding away beds each day, Jona and Nicole wanted a fixed bed in their new home, while still saving space.
They placed the bed behind the kitchen, above a void housing technical gear, and a reinforced kitchen drawer acts as a step.
The mattress, an old Ikea one they cut to size, sits atop a simple ventilation system that adds airflow and bounce. This smart setup saves space while offering comfort, making their van feel more like a permanent home.
While the bathroom is the smallest area in the van, it has the fanciest kit, including this shower, which Jona likens to a spaceship.
While a regular shower uses 10 litres per minute, this Nebia shower uses just 0.7 gallons per minute. By spraying millions of water particles, it leaves the user feeling like they've had a shower, unlike many van options.
As they currently cost around €890 ($1,023), the couple bought theirs secondhand.
While this lavatory may not look like anything special, it's actually pretty ingenious.
The Cinderella incineration toilet can run off electricity, diesel or gas, like this one, making it perfect for off-grid and eco-friendly living.
It incinerates waste, leaving very small amounts of sterile, inert ash and, most importantly, no odour. Perfect for life in a small space!
Water was always the first resource to run out in previous vans, and often the reason they had to move on. So, they fitted a 187-gallon water tank to postpone refills.
However, they had countless issues after choosing a complicated hose setup that leaked. Thankfully, it's now watertight, but it was a "huge pain" to fix.
"When I learned about a system where you simply plug the water pipes in the connections, I cried a little bit on the inside," Jona recalls.
"We put as many solar panels on the roof as possible", says Jona. All in all, they can generate up to 2,000 watts of power.
A solar charge controller smooths out all the "irregular bumps" of electricity to generate a constant voltage. The resulting energy is stored in four large lithium batteries, which provide enough power to charge a laptop for 200 hours or run a vacuum cleaner for 16 hours straight.
However, as their first winter drew nearer, they quickly noticed their solar charge drop...
Keen snowboarders, they knew winter van life in 1.4F ski resorts would be tough. With limited solar power and freezing nights ahead, they prepped thoroughly, insulating the van well and installing double-glazed windows, a diesel heater to blow in hot air, and a mini wood-burner.
They also stored the water tank and batteries inside to prevent freezing and installed a Nest thermostat to control the temperature from anywhere. They were ready to enjoy warm, cosy nights on the mountain.
Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other ideas...
Despite their careful planning, a bitterly cold night in Austria froze the water tank and pipes and knocked out the diesel heater.
With no other option, they had to move down the mountain. Unfortunately, their journey down the steep road wasn't trouble-free either. Their brakes caught fire.
Few people overwinter in a van, and when the pair do meet fellow intrepid souls, "it's not like he's sitting in the door of his van ready for a chat," so winter can be "pretty lonely".
Thankfully, when the heating went down, they had this mini wood-burning stove to keep them warm.
However, it isn't without its drawbacks. They had to import this specific model from Canada and build a specially retracting flue pipe, so it doesn't get damaged while driving. It can also be temperamental, requires a lot of cleaning, and finding ready-cut dry wood small enough to fit inside is a challenge.
But, as they're fond of saying, curling up in front of a blazing fire is "sooo nice".
Their plan had been to travel from one ski resort to another, but Jona missed having people around and his romanticised idea of snowboarding day in, day out wasn't as fulfilling as he'd expected.
After some "painful conversations", they changed their plans. During the week, they parked near Innsbruck, a large Austrian city, where Jona could work with other filmmakers and Nicole could attend fitness classes.
"We still shred on the weekends, though", Jona says, "and we're still very much van-living".
Before embarking on their adventure, the pair worried about finding parking. Luckily, it's been easier than expected.
They use an app called Park4night or simply turn to Google Maps, zooming in on different areas to find a good spot.
In the winter, larger ski resorts have ample parking, while campsites can also be a great option during the off-season. Nightly rates are often discounted, and deals can even be done for the whole season.
As a large truck like this isn't as mobile as the smaller vans Nico and Jona owned previously, navigating through towns and cities to find a laundrette isn't as easy. So, the couple splashed out on a mini washing machine.
"Although it was costly at around €800 ($910), in a matter of time it will pay itself back because now we're saving on laundrette costs," says Jona.
In summer, they dry their clothes outside and, in winter, in their sitting room.
The first van life video Jona ever saw was made by a photographer who pulled an old Honda dirt bike behind a VW van.
"That video left such a vibrant image in my brain from that moment on, I knew that's what I wanted," he says.
While their set-up is a little different from that initial dream, the couple get about on Jona's Kawasaki 300cc bike. However, the journey didn't start well...
According to Nico, Jona, a complete beginner, took a test drive, fell and damaged the bike. He was left with the option to repair the damaged bike or buy it. So he took it home.
Luckily, he quickly got the knack, turning once again to YouTube for driving instructions and tips.
In 2005, Jona bought an Iveco Daily van for €7,000 ($8k) and spent around the same converting it. He sold it for €16,000 ($18.5k), making an unexpected profit.
Nicole bought and converted her van for €18,000 ($20.8k), selling it for €23,000 ($26.6k), giving the couple a €39,000 ($45k) "jump start".
After buying this van for just over €18,000 ($20.8k), they spent €45,500 ($52k) converting it and on extras like a special driving license, adding up to a total spend of just over €63,500 ($73.4k).
"We set out to build the ultimate van, and I think we came pretty close," Jona reflects. "But no van build is perfect, and maybe that's the beauty of it. In the end, it shouldn't be about the van at all; it's a means to create a lifestyle we're excited about.
Can it be done more easily? Yes. Can it be done way cheaper? A hundred per cent, yes. Is it at least a good investment? Probably not. But for us, it's everything we want a house to be, and we like it." We couldn't agree more.
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