This Couple Built Their Tiny Home on Wheels Using Non-Toxic and Eco-Friendly Materials

Name: Daniela Testa and Ales Pokora
Current location: Kangaroo Island, Australia
Built: Started in January and finished in December of 2019
Lived in: 4.5 months, owned

The creative couple behind FRAME CHASERS, a photography and fine art company, didn’t just take on the challenge of turning this former delivery van into a comfortable home on wheels. Daniela and Ales say they’ve always been environmentally and health conscious, so when it came to designing their van conversion, which they named “Gigi Gerardo,” their goal was to use as many non-toxic and sustainable materials to build it as possible. “Living in such a small space, we went to great lengths to build everything with non-toxic and sustainable materials as we didn’t want to have nasty chemicals off-gassing for years to come,” explained the couple.

Plywood is often the base of many building projects—vans included—but because conventional plywood can have formaldehyde in the glue, (and which can off-gas), the couple instead found plywood sourced from “local plantations and certified with zero formaldehyde emission” for the cabinetry. When it came to the other wood elements in the small home, “untreated sustainable FSC certified pine and Tasmanian oak” were installed and painted with non-toxic paint. They even stained the ceiling’s wood using natural oil. Their non-toxic material efforts didn’t stop at wood, though: the couple opted for natural materials that can also act as insulation, like sheep’s wool and cork.

Being able to take a nice hot shower was important for the couple, but they didn’t want to sacrifice their non-toxic material goals. “After quite a [lot of] research we found environmentally friendly waterproof boards that are EXTREMELY light which is a big plus as well. It’s tiled with natural adhesive and 3mm glass tiles to save weight as well.”

They didn’t go to all of that build work to lose steam when it came to picking out textiles, either: They have a custom organic latex mattress, organic cushion fabrics, and yes, even organic bedding and blankets.

They were able to do all of this non-toxic material work—as well as build an entire van conversion with zero previous experience—thanks to lots of research and YouTube. And while it took the couple of years of weekends and evenings after work to finish their home build (and going over their initial budget when they began sourcing non-toxic products), they say it was well worth it. “It’s been a HUGE challenge and learning curve for us building everything from scratch. Lots of sweat, blood, and tears went into this build but we’re very proud we made it!”

Great kitchen — “With 3-gas burner stove and also a good-sized oven, we can cook, roast and bake pretty much anything. Combined with an awesome 90l fridge/freezer combo, we don’t have to hold back.”

Shower and water system — “110l fresh water tank mounted under the car supplies our sink, shower, hot water system, as well as a five-stage reverse osmosis filter for our drinking water. We’ve even put a chlorine and particle filter into our tank filler to make sure we have a good water even for showers and cooking.”

Electrical system – “270w solar panel combined with a 200Ah lithium battery is just perfect for us! On top of that the battery is charging from the alternator while driving, plus we can plug in to the mains in case we’re running low (three months in, we didn’t need to use this yet). Our lights, fan, and fridge are super efficient and we can go for three to four days without a need for charging if needed.”

Thanks, Daniela and Ales!

*This submission has been edited for length and clarity.