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Before & After: This Guy Converted an Old Cargo Van into a Tiny Mobile Apartment

Dabney Frake
Dabney Frake
Dabney is a Southern-born, New England-raised, current Midwesterner. Her dog Grim is part terrier, part basset hound, part dust mop.
published Jul 1, 2016
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(Image credit: Zach Both)

Zach is an all-around creative sort of guy —photographer, filmmaker, art director. Wanting to travel in search of stories to tell, he brought his considerable talent to bear on an old cargo van, making it into a super stylish mobile apartment and studio. He’s now driving around the country, doing freelance work and following his dreams.

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(Image credit: Zach Both)

Zach stripped the van and built it back up with solar panels, working electric, and even a fridge. The ceilings and cabinets are finished off with stained plywood panels. The windows are blackened with chalkboard paint which gives him privacy (and a writing surface!).

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(Image credit: Zach Both)

Zach also documented his experience in great detail, creating a website called The Vanual that shares the step-by-step process and includes costs. It’s part technical manual, part informational website that answers such burning questions as, “Just how and where do you go #2?”

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To see more of the van in all its glory, head over to Reddit for more detail and lots more photos.

Re-edited from a post originally published 7.1.16

Filed in:
Before & After
hacks
Renovating
Small Spaces
Travel