Thinking ‘F**k it’, the couple convert a £7,000 construction site trailer into a cozy home and head to Switzerland

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David Montgomery, 30, and Abbie Murray, 27, have spent the last few years building their dream home in the back of a Ford Transit – and now they’re ready to move into it full-time

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Couple share their van life adventures in Europe

A couple bought a £7,000 construction site trailer and converted it into a chic home which they are now touring Europe in – although they have no DIY experience.

David Montgomery, 30, and Abbie Murray, 27, bought their high-top Ford Transit at a bargain price, but inside it was a bit bare with panel walls, a metal floor and no windows.

Though the couple didn’t have the skills to do so, the couple set out to rebuild the van themselves to get it exactly how they wanted it – and now they’re finally done.

The Scottish couple said it was important to have the “f**k it” approach and now uses their custom van to tour and live in Europe part-time.

What do you think of living in a van? Let us know in the comments…

Abbie said: “We bought the van for £7,000 and spent a further £7,000 on the build. We had absolutely no DIY experience prior to the build, and a lot of that involved the cost of tools as well.

“Although it led to more errors, we were determined to complete the build ourselves.

“We wanted to convert a van because it seemed like the ideal way to travel. Flying is great, but usually you only see what’s within a few miles of your hotel

“Being able to travel at your own pace, with your own little home and all your belongings with you has allowed us to see literally thousands of amazing places that we would never have seen any other way.

“And at the end of the day, you can jump back into your own bed and have your own space.”

The couple recently completed the van conversion and took it on a few trips to test it on the road, but now they’ll be living in it full-time.

They said remodeling the van is a challenge, but anyone can do it and it just takes the right attitude.

Abbie continued: “As with many things, the biggest hurdle is just taking the plunge and committing.

“Taking on a project like this and knowing it’s going to take a lot of work takes a bit of the old ‘f**k it’ approach.

“It wouldn’t be vanlife without challenges! Our first big challenge was building the van. As I mentioned, neither of us had any DIY experience. I think David had used a drill before, but that was about it.

“Building a van is like building a small house. You have to wire electrical circuits through inverters, install diesel heaters, build and insulate walls, install pipes and floors… Not to mention custom-craft all of your furniture to actually fit and function properly in a constantly moving vehicle.

“It was a great learning experience! I will never forget the day we cut a big hole in the van’s roof to install our electric fan… It looked longer than expected and a two day storm hit before we could finish.

“We couldn’t work in the rain and the van was flooded! Of course we still have challenges on the road, typically when David is happy to push our 4×4 van a little further off-road than it should in order to find the best wild camping spot… But nothing quite compares to the original build.

“At the moment we spend one or two weekends in the van as well as one or two major trips a year. In total we spent over 500 nights in the van and at one point lived in it for over 18 months.

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“We’ve explored our back garden quite thoroughly now, having explored most of Wales, England and Scotland (Ireland is yet to come!).

“We have just returned from a road trip to the Barcelona Grand Prix, where we also spent some time in the Pyrenees, the Catalan coast and the south of France.

“We hope to go to the Amalfi Coast later in the year. However, so far we have spent some time in most European countries – France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Belgium, Spain etc.”

Abbie and David document their travels on YouTube and you can see them in action by visiting their channel here.

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