How would you transform your van into a home on wheels on a budget?
Spencer Wakeling, 44, is a businessman, entrepreneur and vanner based in Dorset. He used to work at an IT banking job in London, but decided to pack it in and spend the summer in a van snowboarding, mountain biking and surfing. Oh yeah, and he built the van using IKEA flatpack furniture! Now he is his own boss helping to refit other peoples vans, and enjoys spending time with his wife and two kids.
Vanalogue caught up with Spencer to hear more of his story…
Why did you choose to pack in your IT job to travel around in a van?
It was the middle of the banking crisis and I was working for RBS at the time as a project manager. I was commuting to London from Bournemouth every day (a round trip of 5 hours on a good day!). I had enough! My then girlfriend (now wife!) and I agreed to pack in work and travel around Europe for the summer doing the things we loved. So we bought a T5 from a plasterer and set about converting it.
What are the benefits of using IKEA flatpack furniture to kit out your van?
I set about getting quotes for a camper conversion. I was shocked! The average quote was around £7,000. We had done our own kitchen refit in both houses we had owned, so I figured it’s just a smaller kitchen, I can do this! The IKEA conversion is nothing new. It was well known on some of the forums. I pulled together ideas and set to work building it.
Can you tell me more about your conversion guide ebooks?
After coming back from travelling, I was looking at ways of making an income from E-Books. It made sense to write a small book on the experience and expertise I had gained. The first conversion cost me around £1500. The second one I did in a yellow AA Van cost £400 using second hand IKEA furniture picked up from Ebay. The cupboards were 99p! And the rock n roll IKEA futon was £35 secondhand.
What’s the best thing about living in a van?
What would make me chuckle was parking next to a £75,000 camper and we were sharing the same view! We came across guys with old estate cars with a mattress in the back travelling around Europe. The view is the same for all of us!
What’s the best way for people to contact you?
Through the Flatpack Camper Page.
