We ditched rip-off rents to live off-grid in £9k van – giving your soul away to work dull 9-5 jobs is a failure
THE trend of people ditching traditional homes for van life is skyrocketing.
With freedom, minimalism, and serious cash savings on offer, it’s no wonder more are hitting the road.
One savvy couple, Kai Kinsey, 30, and Heidi Elliott, 25, have sidestepped the housing crisis by converting a £9,000 Peugeot Boxer into a cosy home on wheels.
After spending a year and £4,000 on the transformation, the duo are now living their “best life” on the move, proving you don’t need a mortgage to have a place to call home.
Kai, a carpenter from Brighton, says: “We don’t want to pay rent. We want to chill out.
“We don’t want to be full speed and if we are, we want it to be doing what we want to do like hiking and travelling – not earning money for somebody else.”
Heidi – who is also in the process of converting her own van – added: “I wouldn’t struggle if I was working five days a week 9-5 but the thought of doing that terrifies me.
“I would much rather be able to enjoy my quality of life and not have that. Rather than give my soul away for a house or a room.”
Using offcuts and doing all the labour themselves, the pair have managed to only spend £4,000 doing everything from the electrics and plumbing to installing a kitchen and bedroom.
They are now living on a farm near Horsham in West Sussex where a pitch that can accommodate four vehicles costs £500-a-month.
The price of the conversion equates to more than 100 times less than the area’s average property price of £432,428 over the last year, according to Rightmove.
Kai, and Heidi, a photographer, said that the cost-of-living and the freedom to go wherever they want attracted them to van life.
“I just think it’s disgusting that you have to earn good money to live on your own and that’s not even living, that’s just existing,” he said.
“I know people earning normal money and they wouldn’t even be able to afford a room in a house share.
“I earn good money and can afford my own flat but I’d have to work five to six days a week 8-10 hours a day just to get by.
“I think it’s not a way to live and I think it’s a failure. I think if you work full-time and give your body and mental health to someone – self-employed or whatever – you should be able to have a flat on your own.
“If you put that in, you should be able to live and have your own space. If you can’t, I don’t think it’s your fault – it’s the government’s.”
Washington Carrato, owner of house removal specialists themanvan, said the number of people turning vans into homes has soared since the cost of living crisis.
“I have people ringing me every week who are fed up with extortionate rents or can’t get a mortgage and are looking to convert a van into a home,” he explains.
“In days gone by vans were mainly used by tradesman for work but now people are turning them into their forever homes.”
The van – which is Kai’s third conversion – initially cost him £9,500 and now has a shower, composting toilet, kitchen, double bed and a seating area with a fridge.
There are also solar panels on the roof so they can go fully off grid should they wish.
Tricks of the trade
Kai caught the van life bug when he went to see his best friend in Wales and took his work van so he could sleep in the back of it.
He later bought a Citroen Relay and used off-cuts from work to build a bed frame, kitchen and install cladding.
This only cost him £800 in materials and he happily spent many weekends going hiking across the UK before it was written off in an accident in 2023.
Kai later brought his current van and stayed in a house share in Brighton where he paid £850-a-month for a room while the conversion took place.
Before this he rented a one-bedroom flat near Brighton, which cost him around £1,100-a-month once all his bills and rent were paid.
Having a trade allowed him to afford this, but he said it would have meant he wouldn’t have been able to travel as freely as he can now.
“If you’re not a tradesman you’ve got no chance,” he said.
“I could afford it but what sort of quality of life do I have after that? What if I take a week off work or go on holiday? What if I’m ill?
“I could live but I’d have to work five six days a week, eight to 10 hours a day just to get by. I think it’s not a way of living.
“That’s the reason we’re doing what we’re doing.”
Touring the world
Now the conversion is complete, the pair plan on spending six months of the year working in England and the other half travelling.
Their first planned road trip will see them spend the winter in Spain, Portugal and Morocco before returning to the UK next spring.
Heidi said: “I’ve lived in vans and a narrow boat on and off since 2019.
“We’ve both wanted to travel throughout the winter for some time and when we go off grid we don’t want anything to pay.
“Now it’s done, we just want to get out in the van and live in it.”
The pair’s next goal is to convert Heidi Ford Transit van which she’s called Hilda so they can have a vehicle each at the farm.