This Couple's First Camper Van Is an Affordable Tiny Home on Wheels With a Lovely Interior

Meet Will and Meera, a couple who travels and lives full-time in their self-converted tiny home on wheels together with their cat, Lola. Part of the reason why their mobile home turned out so well is that Will is an engineer, so he was quite well-prepared to start a complex project like this one. Still, nothing prepares you as well as actually working on a camper van, and Will and Meera shared that they managed to do everything, taking inspiration from blog posts and YouTube videos.

Their base vehicle of choice for the conversions is a 2014 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter with a 170" wheelbase – the main reason they went for the longer wheelbase version is that they wanted enough space to fit a bathroom inside.

As usual, I'll start the tour with the vehicle's exterior. The rig is finished in white paint and boasts a black trim on the lower side of the body. Will and Meera didn't make any significant modifications, like adding accessories.

In fact, it could almost pass as a standard cargo van were it not for the two windows, one on each side. What's more, on top of the vehicle, you'll find a skylight, a 320 W solar panel, and two Maxxair fans for ventilation.

Before we head inside, let me tell you more about the financial side of this camper van project. Will and Meera saved up around £15,000 ($18,793 or 17,431), and this was their initial budget, which should have included the base vehicle and the conversions. In case you're unfamiliar with the costs involved with camper van conversions, £15K is pretty little if you include the base vehicle. So, like many people do, this couple ended up surpassing the budget, but not by much.

The Sprinter set them back £7,000 ($8,770 or €8,135). They invested about £9,800 ($12,278 or €11,388) into its conversion, bringing the total price of this project to £16,800 ($21,050 or €19,523) - that's an excellent deal considering how comfortable and well-equipped the interior is. For instance, a professional van conversion would've cost at least two to three times as much, and that doesn't include the price of the van.

The interior is where the radical changes of this van happened. Slide the main door open and you'll discover a beautifully designed space with a slatted ceiling made from reclaimed pallet wood, as well as mint greenish cabinetry.

You'll also notice a closed layout, meaning the driver's cabin is separated from the living space by a wall. Will and Meera chose this setup to have more privacy and security inside the living space.

This front wall integrates hooks for hanging clothes, an overhead headliner shelf, two sizeable drawers at the bottom, and a small door that can serve as a pass-through for Lola, the cat.

Like in many other camper van conversions, a kitchen counter with eight tiny drawers is blocking part of the entrance. This counter also holds a sink with a swivel faucet, which can be also be used outside.

One thing many van dwellers overlook is security. Sure, you don't need to go all-out and install a ton of security features, but at least some extra locks and a camera system. Will and Meera installed sensors on all of their van's doors, a motion sensor, and a security camera inside, which also allows them to monitor Lola whenever they're away from their tiny home on wheels.

You'll discover the bathroom dead ahead of the entrance. It boasts a shower, a litter box for Lola, and a slide-out composting toilet. By attaching the toilet to heavy-duty drawer slides, Will and Meera can use the entire bathroom while also keeping the smells away.

Next to the bathroom, the couple fitted a control panel for their mobile home. It consists of a smoke and carbon monoxide detector, light switches, switches for the two ceiling fans, and an inverter switch.

The kitchen on the passenger side of the vehicle (which is the left side since this is a UK van) continues deeper into the interior. It features a small Dometic fridge/freezer, a small oven/two-burner stove combo, and a wall-mounted chalkboard. Furthermore, there are plenty of storage spaces in the form of three overhead cabinets and many drawers.

Opposite the kitchen, you'll find the van's seating/working area. It comprises two benches with a table in between and a slide-screen window on the wall behind. Moreover, the space can be turned into a long couch that can accommodate three people by lowering the table to connect the two benches and rearranging the cushions.

Finally, the interior's rear is taken up by the bedroom. Will and Meera wanted the space to feel separate from the rest of the living space, so they added a solid wall on one side and a wood frame holding plants on the other. Some notable bedroom features are a double bed, a skylight with a black-out shade, and a projector projecting on a roll-down screen on the opposite side.

Will and Meera specifically chose to position the bed higher up to make room for a garage underneath. It's a straightforward spot, with storage space in the middle, where the couple holds two bikes, tools, and more. What's more, the sides of the garage hold the utility systems.

The power system is on the right. Its highlights are a 300 Ah battery bank, a 2,000 W inverter/charger, and a charge controller connected to the 320 W solar panel on the roof. Next, you'll find the water system on the left, consisting of a 100-liter (26-gallon) freshwater tank connected to a heater.

All in all, Will and Meera managed to build a fantastic tiny home on wheels equipped with all they needed to enjoy life on the road. What makes this project even more impressive is the meager budget it was built with.