This Chef's Impressive DIY Van Conversion is All About Cooking Space
Jeff has left his corporate life behind and is now working as a traveling personal chef in his van conversion, “Betty White”.
Because Jeff is a professional chef, he has his van home kitchen fully laid out: He has a propane Dometic two-burner cooktop and a Dometic fridge that can store up to two weeks of groceries, with a large pull-out pantry and more kitchen storage up top.
There's a fruit and vegetable hammock for produce, though the produce has to be moved when he’s driving the vehicle, as he learned the first time he drove and had tomato splat all over the floor! The kitchen sink is framed by a beautiful ceramic tiled backsplash.
The van is equipped with 14 gallons of fresh water, and Jeff has easy access to the tanks if he needs to fix or replace them. The van also has an external hookup if Jeff wants to hook up to water at a campsite, and an extendable faucet that can be used outdoors if he wants to rinse off before he sets foot in the van after coming back from the beach.
The lounge area has a U-shape setup, with a blue couch that becomes a dining space with a mount table when Jeff wants to host friends, but turns into a bed at night, with six feet of clearance for under-bed storage.
The build took nine months of working on it on and off with a friend, though even before the build started, Jeff spent hundreds of hours doing research on materials and design, so he wasn’t starting from scratch.
Jeff hopes to create unique dining experiences in his van that will give guests a taste of the van life and do van dinner popups. He doesn’t live in the van full-time, but it is his travel and transportation vehicle, where he spends a large chunk of his time. He even drives it when it’s time to pick up his daughter from school!
DIY ProMaster van conversion
Jeff loves being in his van because it allows him to focus on doing things in life that bring him joy. His advice to others considering van life is not to focus on the what-ifs, but to just do it.
For more van life stories, discover this artistic van home with a piano or this romantic van dwelling that looks like a log cabin inside.
To see more videos, Tiny Home Tours YouTube channel.
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