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WHEN Caroline Gale potters about town in her small red delivery van, you’d be forgiven for thinking she was the local mailwoman dropping off parcels.
But in actual fact the ex-Royal Mail vehicle hides a much more exciting interior – as it’s been completely transformed into a fully functioning tiny micro-home.
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Despite being barely as wide as two coffins, retired Caroline, 59, and her Sainsbury’s delivery driver husband Neil, 60, refer to the van as their “little haven on wheels” – even though Neil has to sleep outside because it’s so small.
The ex-post van, which was once used to deliver the couple’s letters to them, now provides 100 per cent off-grid living, and is fitted with a working kitchen, ‘library’ and three-quarter sofa bed.
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Their ‘biggest’ challenge yet
The couple, who have four children and live just outside Leeds, West Yorkshire, first got the bug for caravan life just before lockdown.
They have owned three caravans in total since, renovating each to varying degrees including one they found on Facebook for just £300, and one large camper van.
Then, in January this year, they then moved on to their biggest project yet – the delivery van they found on Ebay and purchased for £3,000.
In a bizarre coincidence, they later discovered from their postman who recognised the registration plate that it was even used to deliver their post previously.
Caroline says: “We sold my car to buy it so it’s my main runaround now too. It’s really tiny, but we love a challenge!
“Some people may have looked at it and seen it as a daunting task, but we knew it was perfect.
“I knew exactly what I wanted to do to the interior, and it was ideal as we wanted a van small enough to be able to access places we couldn’t in a bigger caravan.
“We were quite limited where we could go before, and could only really go to campsites and country lanes were a nightmare, whereas now the world is our oyster.”
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All the mod cons
The pair spent four months transforming the vehicle, adding solar panel charging and all the mod cons, including LED lighting, 12v sockets and USB charging points.
There’s a pull-out table built in for cooking or alfresco dining, as well as spice rack storage, running water and an additional hanging outdoor shelf for drinks and cocktails.
Incredibly, the crafty couple have managed to fit everything they need within a van that is just 1.4 m (4ft 6in) wide and 1.7m – about 5ft 7in – long, although the front seat can be pushed forward to add extra room.
To put this into context, the average standard coffin in the UK is generally approximately 2.1m long, and 0.7m wide – meaning it’s shorter than a coffin length and two coffins wide.
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Every millimetre counts
But Caroline insists the lack of room isn’t an issue, saying: “The roof is quite high, and because it’s bright and light it creates a sense of space, and we’ve been clever with lighting.”
Neil adds: “When you’re renovating a micro-home everything is on a super-small scale so every mm counts, so we’ve had to be really precise.
“We removed the wall panels and the rubber floor, and I installed the kitchen and built the custom furniture made to measure.
“We opted for thinner wood, and we’ve put in a portable powered cool box instead of a fridge for example, to save on space and weight.”
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Attention to detail
While Neil did most of the DIY – including making a fully-functioning kitchen sink out of a cooking bowl from Amazon – Caroline spent around £150 on interiors from high street stores, including IKEA, B&M and TK Maxx.
She says: “I’ve got a good eye for interior design, and love trying to transform a space on a tight budget.
“I love neutral colours, but obviously with the van being bright red, I needed to add a pop of colour too.
“Overall, I stuck to natural tones and a subtle blue, but added a red kettle from Ebay, costing £10, and a pair of strawberry patterned mugs from Matalan, £3.50 each.”
Caroline’s high street bargain finds
Here’s where Caroline sourced all the decor for their delivery van, using high street stores, affordable online retailers and getting crafty with a few DIY projects…
- White curtain, recycled from another caravan – free
- Tie backs, jute rope, Lidl – £1.99
- Fake plants, IKEA and Primark – £1 each
- Macrame plant hanger, made by Neil – free
- Baskets used as drawers (set of four), Home Bargains – £14.99
- Enamel cooking bowl made into a sink, Amazon – £11
- Storage basket (set of two), B&M – £10
- Blue stretch covers, Shein – £27
- White fluffy rug, JYSK – £5
- Wind chime, Home Sense – £6
- Books in mini library, £2.99- £3.99 – TK Maxx
- Strawberry mugs, Matalan – £3.50 each
- Soft storage box, Matalan – £8
- Red polka dot kettle, Ebay – £10
- Gas stove, Outwell – £20
‘My hubby will have to sleep outside’
The pair have just finished the renovations, and are looking forward to a summer of travel.
However there are of course both negatives and positives that come with tiny living.
Caroline says: “There are so many advantages to having a micro-camper – it’s easy to drive, easy to park, doesn’t use a lot of fuel and you can go anywhere.
“However, there are some downsides too of course – if it rains it will be tricky as you can feel a bit cooped up as all the doors would be shut, and Neil has banged his head a couple of times.
“Also the bed is quite small, it’s three-quarter, so while it’s spacious for one person, when it’s summer and we start to stay places overnight Neil will have to sleep outside, in the awning!”
A game changer
Thankfully, the awning that can attach to the back is a game changer, and creates a lot more living space outside, with room for an outside solar-powered shower and portable toilet.
Caroline says: “We can throw the doors open and spend sunny evenings watching the sunset.
“It’s perfect for a camping weekend away, and we can go to beautiful places that aren’t accessible by caravans so we can visit even more scenic spots.
“It’s not for everyone, but we love it.”
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