Episode 10: How to do a Budget Campervan Conversion with Hilary Bird

If you want to live the van life, you don’t have to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a brand new van. You can do with Hilary Bird did – and buy an old $6,000 van and fix it up yourself.

Doing a budget van conversion is a great way to test out van life. You’ll figure out if you really like living on the road, and what you might add or change to a campervan in the future.

Hilary of Green Van Go worked with her dad to build a $2,000 van conversion, with a few fun “splurge” items to make it more comfortable for full-time van life and remote work.

In this episode, Hilary gives us a tour of her van, tells us all about her budget campervan conversion, and what she’d do differently in the future.

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Who is Hilary Bird?

Hilary was 7 years into a corporate marketing career when she started experiencing panic attacks. She knew something in her life had to change. So, she decided to try out van life, which let her travel, live life on her own terms, and work remotely.

At first, she didn’t intend to build a budget campervan. She bought a 1999 Ford Econoline from a van lifer that was already built out, but when she brought it home, she decided she wanted a different layout.

So, Hilary and her dad gutted the van and built it to have what she needed: a bed that converted into a workspace, a little kitchen with plenty of cabinetry, and a sink with running water.

They rummaged around the house and property for items to use in the van build, and Hilary also chose to buy the cheapest materials.

Here are the splurge items that Hilary mentions in Episode 10 of The Wayward Home Podcast:

The wool van insulation I used in my Sprinter van: