A woman sick of living with her family has transformed a van into a tiny home-on-wheels – despite having no DIY experience and nothing but YouTube videos and her uncle for help.

Mackenzie Klimek, 27, from Minnesota, US, was living in a shared apartment with friends but when the lease ended moved in with her sister and brother-in-law.

Although the actuarial analyst enjoyed spending time with her family, the space didn't feel like home and she was eager to get out on her own.

That's when Mackenzie stumbled on the van life community and instantly became hooked on the idea.

In July 2020, she bought a 2017 Ford Transit van for $21,900 (£15,900) and set herself the task of renovating the vehicle from scratch.

“Around this time last year, I was living with three of my best friends," she said.

“One was getting married and one was moving to Florida, so it was time to end the lease. I moved in with my sister and her new husband.

“Although it was so nice to spend more time with them, I ultimately couldn't shake the constant feeling that I was living in someone else's home.

“To decide what was next, I physically made a list of things I love doing which included hanging out with family and friends, going to the cabin, problem-solving, making things with my hands, travelling, drinking, dancing, hiking.

“I started looking for ways to incorporate as much of those things as possible, and I found van life.

“I can't describe my pull toward van life as anything less than an obsession.

“For weeks, I stayed up late watching hours of videos, listening to podcasts, and scrolling through Instagram.”

Mackenzie spent an additional $16,000 (£11,700) transforming her new home, with the aim of being on the road full time.

She watched tutorial videos online to get inspiration for the layout of the van and then roped in her uncle, Gary, to assist with some of the trickier parts – but had no professional help in building her new home.

First, the pair stripped the van bare to install new electrics, insulation and plumping.

Opting for a nautical colour scheme, Mackenzie painted the walls white and the ceiling navy blue, as well as installed new flooring.

She also purchased a new fridge and installed a brand-new kitchenette and a roof rack at the top of the van for secure storage.

Finally, adding some homely touches, Mackenzie invested in a mattress, new bedding and cushions.

The 27-year-old also forked out $390 for added security measures, including a motion-activated video doorbell that senses any movement, so she can see what’s going on outside her door at all times.

It took around five months to complete the work, with Mackenzie and Gary working up to eight hours a day – but she couldn’t be happier with the final results.

She said: “I'm so incredibly proud of what we built.

“Every single time I open the door, I can't help but smile a little bit.

“One thing I am really grateful for is that I have yet to find anything major that makes me question how I built my van.”

Mackenzie has so far travelled to South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California while living and working in the van full time.

She uses a hotspot to access the internet for work and cooks food using a small burner camping stove that runs on butane.

As Mackenzie doesn’t have a built-in bath and toilet in her van, she showers at the gym and uses public restrooms whenever she can, but she does have a portable camping toilet for emergencies.

She said: “My favourite thing about van life is spending so much more time outside.

“What makes van life hard is that the ordinarily easy things, such as going to the bathroom, showering, washing dishes, sleeping which becomes the difficult things.

“But what makes it magical is that the ordinarily difficult things like doing chores, paying bills, managing time, making friends that are now much easier than before.”

However, travelling along as a woman means Mackenzie does occasionally get scared and feels “on edge” when she has to pop outside her van at night – but adds that she would feel this walking outside anywhere after dark.

She said: “I don’t think that's a van life feeling, I think that's a woman feeling.

“It's definitely more common to be stopping at a rest area at 10 pm while living the van life, but I've stopped at gas stations late at night or early in the morning hundreds of times before van life and felt that same ‘get in, get out, be aware’ feeling every time.

“I'm not living in a constant state of fear.

“When the van is locked up for the night and my key is hung on its easily accessible hook, the van is my safe space.

“It is the cosy little home that I never knew I needed.”

In a few words of advice for others who wish to renovate a vehicle, Mackenzie added: “When designing your space, physically sit down, close your eyes, and imagine yourself living in the space.

“Walk through your entire daily routine as it exists today and think through how you can make life easier for your future self with each of your daily tasks, then add any expected changes to that routine.

“The barely visible corner that you convinced yourself you would paint once you hit the warmer weather will never get touched up.

“Even if it's getting cold, even if you want to hit the road, take a few hours, days or weeks to fix anything that will keep you up at night.”

BUDGET BREAKDOWN

Electrics $5,750 (£4,170)
Insulation $960 (£700)
Plumbing $620 (£450)
Flooring $950 (£690)
Fridge $1,900 (£1,400)
Kitchenette $250 (£180)
Bedding $570 (£415)
Roof rack $1650 (£1,200)
Hardware $1,200 (£880)
Wood materials $1,160 (£840)
Adhesives $710 (£520)
Tools $210 (£150)
Miscellaneous items $240 (£170)
Security measures $390

TOTAL: $16,000

A woman sick of living with her family has transformed a van into a tiny home-on-wheels – despite having no DIY experience and nothing but YouTube videos and her uncle for help.

Mackenzie Klimek, 27, from Minnesota, US, was living in a shared apartment with friends but when the lease ended moved in with her sister and brother-in-law.

Although the actuarial analyst enjoyed spending time with her family, the space didn't feel like home and she was eager to get out on her own.

That's when Mackenzie stumbled on the van life community and instantly became hooked on the idea.

In July 2020, she bought a 2017 Ford Transit van for $21,900 (£15,900) and set herself the task of renovating the vehicle from scratch.

“Around this time last year, I was living with three of my best friends," she told Jam Press.

“One was getting married and one was moving to Florida, so it was time to end the lease. I moved in with my sister and her new husband.

“Although it was so nice to spend more time with them, I ultimately couldn't shake the constant feeling that I was living in someone else's home.

“To decide what was next, I physically made a list of things I love doing which included hanging out with family and friends, going to the cabin, problem-solving, making things with my hands, travelling, drinking, dancing, hiking.

“I started looking for ways to incorporate as much of those things as possible, and I found van life.

“I can't describe my pull toward van life as anything less than an obsession.

“For weeks, I stayed up late watching hours of videos, listening to podcasts, and scrolling through Instagram.”

Mackenzie spent an additional $16,000 (£11,700) transforming her new home, with the aim of being on the road full time.

She watched tutorial videos online to get inspiration for the layout of the van and then roped in her uncle, Gary, to assist with some of the tricker parts – but had no professional help in building her new home.

First, the pair stripped the van bare to install new electrics, insulation and plumping.

Opting for a nautical colour scheme, Mackenzie painted the walls white and the ceiling navy blue, as well as installed new flooring.

She also purchased a new fridge and installed a brand-new kitchenette, and a roof rack at the top of the van for secure storage.

Finally, adding some homely touches, Mackenzie invested in a mattress, new bedding and cushions.

The 27-year-old also forked out $390 for added security measures, including a motion-activated video doorbell that senses any movement, so she can see what’s going on outside her door at all times.

It took around five months to complete the work, with Mackenzie and Gary working up to eight hours a day – but she couldn’t be happier with the final results.

She said: “I'm so incredibly proud of what we built.

“Every single time I open the door, I can't help but smile a little bit.

“One thing I am really grateful for is that I have yet to find anything major that makes me question how I built my van.”

Mackenzie has so far travelled to South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California while living and working in the van full time.

She uses a hotspot to access the internet for work and cooks food using a small burner camping stove that runs on butane.

As Mackenzie doesn’t have a built-in bath and toilet in her van, she showers at the gym and uses public restrooms whenever she can, but she does have a portable camping toilet for emergencies.

She said: “My favourite thing about van life is spending so much more time outside.

“What makes van life hard is that the ordinarily easy things, such as going to the bathroom, showering, washing dishes, sleeping which becomes the difficult things.

“But what makes it magical is that the ordinarily difficult things like doing chores, paying bills, managing time, making friends that are now much easier than before.”

However, travelling along as a woman means Mackenzie does occasionally get scared and feels “on edge” when she has to pop outside her van at night – but adds that she would feel this walking outside anywhere after dark.

She said: “I don’t think that's a van life feeling, I think that's a woman feeling.

“It's definitely more common to be stopping at a rest area at 10pm while living the van life, but I've stopped at gas stations late at night or early in the morning hundreds of times before van life and felt that same ‘get in, get out, be aware’ feeling every time.

“I'm not living in a constant state of fear.

“When the van is locked up for the night and my key is hung on its easily accessible hook, the van is my safe space.

“It is the cosy little home that I never knew I needed.”

In a few words of advice for others who wish to renovate a vehicle, Mackenzie added: “When designing your space, physically sit down, close your eyes, and imagine yourself living in the space.

“Walk through your entire daily routine as it exists today and think through how you can make life easier for your future self with each of your daily tasks, then add any expected changes to that routine.

“The barely visible corner that you convinced yourself you would paint once you hit the warmer weather will never get touched up.

“Even if it's getting cold, even if you want to hit the road, take a few hours, days or weeks to fix anything that will keep you up at night.”

BUDGET BREAKDOWN

Electrics $5,750 (£4,170)
Insulation $960 (£700)
Plumbing $620 (£450)
Flooring $950 (£690)
Fridge $1,900 (£1,400)
Kitchenette $250 (£180)
Bedding $570 (£415)
Roof rack $1650 (£1,200)
Hardware $1,200 (£880)
Wood materials $1,160 (£840)
Adhesives $710 (£520)
Tools $210 (£150)
Miscellaneous items $240 (£170)
Security measures $390

TOTAL: $16,000

www.instagram.com/kenzklem