It looks fabulous, love the cabinets. Please remember though that all loose items, although kind of fixed, will become missiles in an accident, especially those knives! It’s the same in a car, the impact sends everything flying and the most innocuous item can end up killing you. My son in law is a fireman that has seen many horrendous deaths in RTAs
that is a great minimalist DYI. Clean lines, modern and functional. Only thing you missing is a puppy LOL. I like the fact that you can literally stay in any parking lot and no one would suspect that is #VanLife... great job.
Nice colors and clean look. I saw others mentioned the cabinets may not last more than a year, shift out of plumb, etc. You're happy, so go with it. Please give update and mileage driven, highway vs BLM roads 12-18 months. Metal bracket you mentioned may help with some longevity. Other vans say prefab cabinet does not hold up, over longer term. Food for thought. And if you found a winner, that will last, we all want to know!! For safety, Objects can become projectiles in the car, even at 30 mph. Consider boxing some items for driving days. Great work!
Thank you so much. This was so encouraging. Thank you!!! I’ve been having such a hard time finding contractors. You’ve really encouraged me that I can do this without them. Thank you!!!!
The build came out amazing just like your floating shelves. And the clever way to put spice jars. White makes a beautiful finish. You should be proud of what you have done. Again great job enjoy it.
This is beautiful!! What I love also are the two dometic PBL40 batteries. Out of hundreds of conversion builds I’ve seen I have NEVER seen those. I’ll definitely look into those batteries but I know ANYTHING dometic is expensive. Say safe!!
You did an awesome job on your build out, Dakota. Wow! I am blown away you had no prior van conversion experience. I am also impressed with your design skills. I hope to join Nomadland one day. Thanks for the van life encouragement & inspiration.
Do it! I haven’t regretted getting mine professionally wired! Nothing has gone wrong with my conversion and if it does I know exactly where everything is and I haven’t overcomplicated things outside of my expertise!
Those are cool. I don’t think I would have been brave enough to install those as a first time. Was easier to pack the insulation behind a wall the length of the vehicle 😅
Great job on your van. Congratulations. I absolutely love your grassy step. It's a wonderful greeting into the van. I'm about a year out from buying/converting a van but am already looking at cabinetry. Your idea of using Ikea kitchen cabinets and a thin quartz countertop is just what I've been researching. Thanks so much for showing how well and how beautiful these items look in a van!
I love the clean lines and simple build. Now it’s been a few years since the conversion. How are the cabinets holding up? Would you still recommend an IKEA build?
Dakota - great job!! My husband and I just bought our own Ford transit (He is 6' 2" too). It isn't built out yet, but I hope to see you on the road someday. :)
This inspires me- thank you. Enjoyed the video too! Batteries a great idea! With the solar panel. You can get some pretty small windmill options too. Makes me wonder of those would work
I want a van to work from, maybe also start a small business on wheels and to do some small trips in with my daughter. But to also have for just in case purposes in the future! I don’t have any building experience so I definitely will be hitting up IKEA!
This really is a stunning build. My only issue is the ikea cabinets. They’re all particle board and will start to break down due to shaking. Or if they get damp. Now I’m looking forward to you next build. Cheers from Canader eh!
Your van conversion is amazing. It looks so professionally done, no one would believe it's your first time! Well done! Having your conversion for this long now, is there any problem with your ikea kitchen cabinet? There are some youtube videos of people saying it's not stable after nearing 1 year. I wonder if it's the choice of the cabinet? Do you notice anything of that sort? I would be grateful for your comments. Thanks in advance!
No my cabinets are great! I would recommend them to someone with similar experience as me. Or I suppose…if I did this again I would do the same thing! Maybe it’s how they installed them? I insured they were really secure. They come with plastic legs that I didn’t use and cut 2x4 the exact height of them and they haven’t budged or shown wear and tear.
Cool van, did you know you can get the Ikea bed rails to span your van thus you could eliminate the two legs at the back door. I found this to be the lightest and most cost effective way to make a bed platform (SKORVA and brackets are free from parts area).
Didn’t know that existed! Very cool! The legs I have kinda jammed in there but then I can move out or to a new spot if I need to use my storage different! I was scared of falling through my bed as a new builder but it’s worked out fine!
oooo true!!! i didnt show! I have an induction cooktop i whip out and then in the back i have a camping stove ran on gas! I didnt want anything permanently out as I wanted more counter space
Absolutely gorgeous! I love this. Am searching for a Ford Transit van! I'm still looking and haven't decided on one yet, but yours is making me get all the warm & fuzzies due to its minimalistic clean design! Shiny slick cabinets are so appealing!
I was working and not traveling so I listed it to see what would happen. Now I’m happily traveling and working so I’m not sure I’d be up for selling it as much now that I’ve found my mojo! I love it and I’m loving these experiences!
what I do if that is needed is put pillows on top of my counter tops and it extends the bed about another two feet - making it fairly normal queen/full square footage! ...prior to setting sail, I was going to have something that would bridge the two cabinets and then put pillows, a foam piece, or a baby mattress over it to make the bed normal but after testing it out the temporary things have worked out!
