Uploaded November 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
My wife Kristi is a professional painter and overall incredible artist. See her new YouTube channel:
youtube.com/@kristirauckis
Or find her on instagram instagram.com/fineartnomad
Who hasn't dreamed of living the van life on a beautiful secluded beach? My wife, a professional artist, and I decided we wanted to buy a cargo van and convert it into our cozy dream home on wheels. This video documents the full van build, from brand new Ram Promaster 2500 cargo van to a beautiful place we can live and work in no matter where we are. This process took a year to complete, mostly due to manufacturing delays during the Covid era. But in the end, we love our van and it truly feels like home.
We didn't have experience with doing a build like this. But we're both interested in learning and trying new things. So we bought a bunch of cheap tools and made the best with our limited knowledge. We did all the work ourselves, except we hired our neighbor who's a welder to custom build us a roof rack frame and ladder. The most difficult part by far was figuring out the electrical. I took several months of YouTube electrician school to navigate the intricacies, but in the end I figured it out.
Since building the van, we've lived in it semi-full time, spending about 14 months in it over the last two years. We've driven it down to Baja, Mexico where the opening scene was shot and had many more adventures based out of the van.
00:00 Intro on a Magical Beach
01:17 Beginning the Conversion - Floors
04:10 Installing the Fan and Panel Window
06:55 Building the Window Frames and Wood Paneling
08:05 Bunk Windows and Studs
11:00 Beginning Electrical, Insulation, and Roof Rack
15:30 Wood Panels, Cedar Ceiling, Painting, Carpentry
19:55 Face Frames for Drawers and Countertops
23:45 Countertop install and Upper Cabinet Build
29:05 Secret Drawer for Kristi
31:32 Final Results Van Reveal
#vanlife #vanconversion #promaster #campervan #diy
My wife Kristi is a professional painter and overall incredible artist. See her new YouTube channel:
youtube.com/@kristirauckis
Or find her on instagram instagram.com/fineartnomad
Who hasn't dreamed of living the van life on a beautiful secluded beach? My wife, a professional artist, and I decided we wanted to buy a cargo van and convert it into our cozy dream home on wheels. This video documents the full van build, from brand new Ram Promaster 2500 cargo van to a beautiful place we can live and work in no matter where we are. This process took a year to complete, mostly due to manufacturing delays during the Covid era. But in the end, we love our van and it truly feels like home.
We didn't have experience with doing a build like this. But we're both interested in learning and trying new things. So we bought a bunch of cheap tools and made the best with our limited knowledge. We did all the work ourselves, except we hired our neighbor who's a welder to custom build us a roof rack frame and ladder. The most difficult part by far was figuring out the electrical. I took several months of YouTube electrician school to navigate the intricacies, but in the end I figured it out.
Since building the van, we've lived in it semi-full time, spending about 14 months in it over the last two years. We've driven it down to Baja, Mexico where the opening scene was shot and had many more adventures based out of the van.
00:00 Intro on a Magical Beach
01:17 Beginning the Conversion - Floors
04:10 Installing the Fan and Panel Window
06:55 Building the Window Frames and Wood Paneling
08:05 Bunk Windows and Studs
11:00 Beginning Electrical, Insulation, and Roof Rack
15:30 Wood Panels, Cedar Ceiling, Painting, Carpentry
19:55 Face Frames for Drawers and Countertops
23:45 Countertop install and Upper Cabinet Build
29:05 Secret Drawer for Kristi
31:32 Final Results Van Reveal
#vanlife #vanconversion #promaster #campervan #diy
