Some vans feel like Ikea on the inside. This one feels like a thoughtfully designed home—it is. I up-milled old cherry, maple, walnut, and oak floorboards for parts of the build and up-cycled antique drawer pulls and hinges to give it character. But behind the rustic look, there’s a fully electric system capable of sustaining you off-grid for [depending on your electricity and water usage] anywhere from 4-15 days.
In a previous life, this was a DHL delivery van. I left the bulkhead intact for security and privacy, plus I like the look of the aluminum door against the cedar walls.
If you like to cook, the kitchen is fully functional. There’s a 2-burner induction cooktop under the hinged main chopping block and a slide out convection oven. Plenty of 110v outlets connect to a 2kW inverter.
Despite the miles, you shouldn’t have any mechanical issues.
• I replaced the engine at 180k miles (the new engine has 40k miles).
• I replaced the transmission at 211k miles (the new one has 10k miles).
• I put four new all-terrain tires on in 2024 (they’ve seen 9k miles).
• I just replaced the brakes (February 2025).
The interior has a lot of character and a ton of stories.
• The hardwood was re-milled from floorboards from 100+ year old homes in St. Louis.
• The hardware was found in ghost towns throughout the western U.S.
• The kitchen cabinetry is made from walnut, mahogany, padauk, and purple heart—rescued from the scrap pile of a high school woodshop teacher in southern Illinois.
• The chopping blocks have birds-eye maple from Wash U’s stadium flooring.
• The kitchen penny tiles are surplus from an old factory in St. Louis. (I used swimming pool grout on the tiles, so they flex when the van does.)
• The old farmhouse sink may seem impractical, but wait until you use it.
• There are overhead puck lights, three reading lights, and if you want, I’ll throw in some USB-rechargeable strips.
• The rear windows have sliders.
There’s a ton of storage, including:
• A shelved cabinet under the sofa, to the right of the fridge.
• A closet and a large drawer.
• An oak and cherry cabinet that runs the length of the bed, taking up the 10″ of dead space and providing storage for blankets, etc.
• Plenty of storage beneath the bed, accessible from the house.
• Two slide-out trays in the garage, plus d-bolts for hanging things from.
It comes with lots of extras, including:
• A Starlink dish and router
• Convertible indoor shower setup
• Screens for all windows and doors
• A hidden combination safe
• An extra 20L jerry can
• A Big Berkey water filter
• 4-season insulated black-out panels for all windows, plus the fan.
• Traction mats (just in case)
Some things you might care about
• It comes with a 30A shore charger, and also has an alternator charger built in to augment the 300W solar panels. If you want, I can throw in an extension cord for shore charging.
• I love this van. I built it in 2019 and have lived in it since. That said, there are little things that are no longer perfect. Things like a sticky drawer slide or a squeaky section of floorboard. I’m happy to make you a list of all the things I’d fix if I were going to keep it. (Or I can not taint your first impression—up to you.)
• The van was never fully converted from its DHL origins. This means that, aside from the bulkhead door, there is also still a jump seat instead of a comfy standard passenger seat. I never cared enough to replace it.
• Whenever you buy something that someone else built, you should get as much documentation as you can and ask lots of questions. I’ve got a diagram of the electrical system for you. I’ll also hop on up to 3 video calls with you once you’ve gotten the van if you feel like you need additional support navigating any of the systems.
• The van is currently located in Salt Lake City, where I’m building my second van. It will be available in about 3-4 weeks (early March) after I move into the new one.
