I quit work and now live in an old British Gas van – I used bargains from Dunelm to kit it out and it fits everything

 A DIY pro has revealed how she transformed an old British Gas van into a mobile home using bargains from Facebook Marketplace and Dunelm. 

Alice Sutton shared a glimpse at her seven-month van conversion on TikTok, explaining that she renovated the vehicle so she could live in it while traveling solo around Europe. 

But people have been left stunned at the cosy home she’s created, fitted with a double bed, fully-functioning kitchen and a tonne of storage. 

Known online as @spindriftvan, the content creator regularly shares updates on her travels and the process of kitting out her van, now named Remi. 

In a recent reel, she said: “Here’s how I converted this tiny van into my home. 

“So it took me seven months, and I did the work with my dad whilst working a full-time job, so that’s why it took quite a while.

“And I started by taking off the vinyl on the back, cleaning the upholstery and luckily because it was an ex-British Gas van, it had been fully kitted out with all of their interior. 

“The inside bodywork was perfect and a really great canvas to work from, so I took down all the racking, all the cabling that they had inside because I wanted to do my own electrics, and I used cardboard boxes to mock up the interior, and what I wanted it to look like and where I wanted units to be and to see whether I would fit. 

“And this is how it ended up. So I think it ended up being pretty close to the original design.”

During the two-minute reel, Alice shares a glimpse inside the van now, fitted with a double bed, as well as various units and drawers to hold her belongings. 

Sharing more of the building process, she added: “This was the building off the floor which was the thing I did first. 

“I did wooden cladding, and I really like the look of the wood everywhere. It feels a bit like you’re in a sauna or a cabin, I really like it. 

“And we did most of the work in the winter, so even though it look sunny here, it was really cold. 

“But we had lots of lights so that we could work at night. 

“And then this is one of my dad’s friends who has loads of leather and allowed us to do these ring pulls which lets you get in and out of the van from inside. 

“And the next thing I fitted was the lights, which are all individually operated and dimmable by touch which is great so you can have kind of a reading light or light over the kitchen where you’re cooking. And I really wanted warm yellow lights as well. 

“This was a £20 memory foam mattress that I got from Facebook Marketplace, and that was me unwrapping the carpeting which I used.” 

Sharing more of the unique features fitted in her van, she added: “This was an oak panel which I got for £10 which was great. It was my dream worktop. 

“And then this was how I made the curtains for the van. Here’s some material from Dunelm and then I just used my sewing machine to make a seam that I put a wooden rod in and I tied it up with curtain ties.”

Fans loved her crafty transformation, with the video gaining more than 43,400 likes and 336,800 views. 

In the comments, TikTokkers shared their thoughts, with one writing: “Wonderful Daughter / Father project > memories for a lifetime. You two should be very proud…so professional.”

“One of the nicest conversions I’ve seen,” commented another. 

A third joked: “British GGas finally useful for something!”

Someone else put: “I’m hoping to renovate a van on my own while working full time, so this is so inspirational!”