DIY Luxury Tiny Home on Wheels Part 1: Demo

As if one home wasn’t enough, I’ve decided to renovate a tiny home– on wheels! Yes you read that right, I’m turning a cargo van into a luxury apartment; complete with a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, garage, and a kitchen/hangout spot. This is no small task and although it is a small space…only 64 square feet, I’ve only got 5 months to get it all done. Why such a rush? My other half is competing in the National Championships for cycling and this will be our ride and our home while he competes. This race is halfway across the country so we’re prioritizing comfort and of course bike storage. Here’s the plan and the demo process, there’s a ton to do so let’s get started friends!

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Want to see this build in action? You can watch my build video here (+ make sure to subscribe to my channel)!

Tools

The Van

Here’s what we’re working with, this is a 2020 Ford F350 Transit Cargo Van with a high roof and extended back.

The Plan

This is the general vibe we’re going for with the interior. Everything has to double as functional but that doesn’t mean it can’t match my aesthetic too.

So here’s what I’m thinking. The bedroom will be supported above the garage so we have plenty of bike storage and the bathroom and kitchen will be next to each other to ensure that the plumbing we run will be as simple as possible. I’ll work out the eating space once I get further into the build, I might think about something that opens to the outside but I’ll decide exactly what to do later.

Here is a quick look at the interior before I had started any demo. Fun fact, I actually bought this van a year ago and I’ve been using it as a work van for my projects while doing research on exactly how I want to build it out. Yes, I’ve been planning this build for a year, I really want to do it right so I’ve taken my time up to this point.

Demo

Now it’s really time to get things going. The first part of demo was taking out the runners with by the sliding door and the back of the van. I got this panel popping tool to help make this much easier than using a bunch of tools that might damage the panels.

I’m going to use this mat that lines the bed of the van as a template for my flooring. But there are a couple of spots that don’t sit exactly flush.

So I took a blade to those spots where there was extra and trimmed it up. When I’m ready for flooring later I’ll be able to get a more accurate cut from the mat.

Then it was time for the floor mat and the wheel well covers to come off.

I also took out the conduit on the electrical and prepped for more custom electrical. Even though the van was basically empty it took me about 2 days to demo the inside.

After the rug came out there was definitely a smell, and I had to tackle some rust spots to prevent them from getting worse.

At this point I was seriously considering starting a CleanTok account for the van. But it was really important to have a clean slate before starting the build, so I took the time to do it right.

The last step was taking care of any rust spots. Any spot that had even a little rust got rust primer and paint. I wanted to make sure there wasn’t any hidden dirt or rust under the luxury tiny home, and I wasn’t going to let that creep up on us down the line.

What’s Next?

Starting this van build was so exciting, I know taking a cargo van down to bear bones by cleaning and prepping it doesn’t seem like the most thrilling DIY project you’ve ever seen, but it’s just the beginning of making this a luxury tiny home on wheels. That my friends is the exciting part. I know this build is different from my usual content but I hope you’ll come along for the ride. Next week I’ll break down the exterior upgrades and go into the details on what we’re using and why, but until then, Happy DIYing Friends!