Living in a Van. Am I mad?

LiamoSail

iwillhtfu wrote: »

Where do the ethnic minority discharge their tanks?

It's not an issue I've ever considered. Presumably there's laws against discharging it on a public street, though presumably that's not much of an issue for certain sections of society

marielovesstea

kona wrote: »

Jaysus this country is miserable.

ha ha. yeah delighted I opened up here! lots of support!

Pelvis

If this was a good idea, we'd all be doing it. It's not a good idea, it's idiotic.

marielovesstea

for anyone that is interested, I cant seem to post links.look up 'vandogtraveller' and 'deepredmotorhome'.. this is what I'm aiming to achieve.

iwillhtfu

LiamoSail wrote: »

It's not an issue I've ever considered. Presumably there's laws against discharging it on a public street, though presumably that's not much of an issue for certain sections of society

You better believe there are laws but as you correctly assume plenty of waste and not just by pikeys think farmers and large processing facilities plenty of people flouting the law.

OP as much research as you do where do you honestly see yourself parking up? Keep in mind you will have to remain inside the van with doors etc closed. Don't be thinking you'll be able to swing open the doors and kick back while you have the dinner on.

Regardless of whether it's achievable or not it sounds like a dismal existence.

DoozerT6

Why not buy an actual camper van or motorhome??

iwillhtfu

http://vandogtraveller.com/living-travelling-in-a-van/

http://deepredmotorhome.com/

You're dreaming OP your van wont be able to have vents,camper style windows etc if your plan is to stealth camp. You'll stand out a mile in Dublin and living in constant fear of a knock on the door with at best someone asking you to move on.

shaunr68

LiamoSail wrote: »

Where would you discharge the the tank?

Stay on a campsite every so often and use the facilities. Some even allow you to pay a service charge say 5 Euros to empty the cassette and fill with water, without staying at the site. Much easier on the continent, in France they have the Aires de Service network and through Norway most picnic areas and laybys have a water tap and many have a chemical toilet disposal point as well. All for free - they want to encourage tourism.

wordofwarning

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Don't want to share.
Don't want to pay rent and let someone else own.
Don't want to own in case you decide to run away. (But owning a fitted out van would be ok).

Think you can just magically park in places overnight and no one will notice. (Yeah right: sure they won't. It's not like shopping centres and industrial estates have security guards who monitor vehicles).

Don't want to consider where exactly you'll toilet yourself.

Think you can safely cook inside a van.

In short, yes you are crazy. Bat-**** crazy, in fact. Possibly selfish too - in that you don't want to cover the your own living costs.

Take a look at this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKPa3uVddbU

This guy is a millionaire and still chooses to live in a van. It is not all about money and I think OP makes that clear. It is about freedom and choice. The freedom of moving somewhere else without having to worry about a mortgage etc.

A lot of people live in vans in SF. They earn hundreds of thousands of dollars per year and choose to live in vans. I suppose what makes Ireland and US different, is that an American makes a decision based on what makes them happy. In Ireland, people regularly make decisions on what makes them happy but rather what will others think.

iwillhtfu

wordofwarning wrote: »

Take a look at this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKPa3uVddbU

This guy is a millionaire and still chooses to live in a van. It is not all about money and I think OP makes that clear. It is about freedom and choice. The freedom of moving somewhere else without having to worry about a mortgage etc.

A lot of people live in vans in SF. They earn hundreds of thousands of dollars per year and choose to live in vans. I suppose what makes Ireland and US different, is that an American makes a decision based on what makes them happy. In Ireland, people regularly make decisions on what makes them happy but rather what will others think.

He spends his off season in the van probably 3 months of the year and the climate is night and day to ours.

As you quite rightly point out he's a millionaire so can choose to do as he pleases which includes staying in hotels whenever he wants.

Gatling

Plenty of vans and motorhomes for sale on adverts they could easily be converted into a home ,
Easy enough to find parking aswell depending on where you are planning to stay ,
As long as you're not making a nuisance you should be relatively left alone

myshirt

You could get a hearse, plenty of room in the back. Wouldn't attract attention the way a van would.

Arcade_Tryer

SteM wrote: »

Do you only want people to post if they're going to encourage you?

Behave. A post joking about a person potentially being raped is not criticism; it's f**king pathetic.

Del2005

marielovesstea wrote: »

Thanks for your post. Yes I am looking into this thoroughly. Researching everything from paying VRT, reregistration of the vehicle, insurance, installing windows, vents, insulation, security, electrics water tanks, shower/toliet options, bed, hobs, gas etc etc. I've a refill pad full of research. Ive watched hours and hours of online tutorials, read books on it. I know I'm not an expert, but the more i look into it the more it can be done

This is your stumbling block. To get camper insurance you need to have a regular car insured and you can't get private insurance on a commercial vehicle. The VRT on campers is ????, commercial VRT is fixed camper is based on a figure revenue pluck from the air.

If you are going to stealth camp you can't have windows, the only vans with rear windows are crew cab and you won't qualify for one of them. If going for a stealth van it might not even pass the VRT inspection.

Ask in motorhomes/campers/caravan forum for advice on converting to a camper and insurance issues.

As for security/safety don't think you won't be noticed. There a section of our society who spend all day driving around looking for stuff and they'll notice a van parked up regularly.

Juwwi

myshirt wrote: »

You could get a hearse, plenty of room in the back. Wouldn't attract attention the way a van would.

Snoring coming from the back of a hearse would attract attention

Nash Bridges

Are there any suitable camper van sites in Dublin? A long term off season rental may not be too expensive.

I like the idea but would see winter weather as the biggest obstacle, going beyond being uncomfortable I would see it being bad for your health living in a van in winter in Dublin.

4068ac1elhodqr

myshirt wrote: »

You could get a hearse, plenty of room in the back. Wouldn't attract attention the way a van would.

Or a magnetic side sign saying 'asbestos removal services', on a boring grey low-profile van - folks would know keep well away from that haz-mat.

Windowless unfortunately would be the best (or maybe just one sprayed over using half-tone stencil). Vents or sunroofs could be put on the roof, along with magnetic solar panels.

DoozerT6

^^the guy in that video seems like a chilled out, happy dude, but his VW van is cramped and squalid. And he was washing his dishes in a locker room bathroom. And as someone else mentioned, he's in Florida where it is warm pretty much year round. I wouldn't be basing any life decisions on his example tbh.

Incidentally, someone in Wexford is giving away an actual mobile home for free at the moment....https://www.donedeal.ie/mobilehomes-for-sale/mobile-home-for-free/16535638

Many others for sale for just a few grand.

K.Flyer

marielovesstea wrote: »

[...]
I'm in my late 20's ...

Before you spend another red cent on any part of your plan, you need to do one very important thing.
And that is to see if you can get insurance cover at a reasonable price, if at all.
If you only have a provisional licence, you may have to bin the idea as you most likely will not be quoted on a commercial vehicle or a camper.
If you do have a full licence, getting a quote still may be difficult if you do not have any no -claims-discount to prove driving experience within the last two years or a business that requires a van. Most insurers will not insure a commercial van for private use, which is another hurdle.
If you tell them you are converting it for sleeping in, if they entertain you, you may need an engineers report on the conversion stating it is all done to spec etc.
If you don't tell them and you are involved in an accident you may find your insurance nullified for non-disclosure.
As said above, look into buying a purpose made camper van, an older and cheaper one.
This way you may have better luck getting insurance, but still do your homework on insurance before investing any money into the project as insurance costs in Ireland have gone ridiculously expensive, especially for younger drivers.
Otherwise, best of luck, I imagine more people will start looking into the idea as rents keep escalating.

greenfield21

Yeah just ditch it along the road, no one will notice.

SteM

Arcade_Tryer wrote: »

Behave. A post joking about a person potentially being raped is not criticism; it's f**king pathetic.

It was a simple question. 'Behave', what a London gangster phrase ffs.

Arcade_Tryer

SteM wrote: »

It was a simple question. 'Behave', what a London gangster phrase ffs.

It was a patronising post in response to the Op's civil reply to a post which joked about the Op being potentially raped. Pathetic.

Greybottle

I've done something similar for work, Monday to Friday of following week in the van or camper, then a weekend at home. Did it for one year in a lightly converted van and one year in a camper.

It's probably cheaper to buy a pre converted van here than try a refit. If it's a refit you decide on then consider buying an old caravan or camper to strip for parts.

Biggest issues living in one is hygiene. Chemical toilets are fine and should last a week if you're in college all day. Building a shower in is expensive, but you can join a gym for your morning shower.

Gas two ring Camping Gaz cooker will work fine. No grill, no oven. Buy a fire blanket and extinguisher.

Buy sheepskins for use under the bedsheets and consider using a sleeping bag under the duvet. I've slept in -17 with no heater with excellent duvets.

Buy a CO and smoke detectors. If using gas then you should cut a hole in the floor for escaping gas.

Heat is gas or diesel. Diesel ones smell. Ebersbacher are the best, but expensive.

You'll need a second battery with a shut off to prevent the van battery running out.

You'll attract attention eventually and you won't know if you can hack it till you try it. You may be very lonely at times but you can always knock it on the head with the knowledge that you tried it.

It's more expensive than you think. You can't store food well and you've other costs you don't have in a house.

Tax. Insurance, depreciation, fuel, NCT, parts, tyres, gym membership, more money on food than normal, laundrys, Campsite fees once in a while to dump the toilet, gas bottles. Etc, but you seem to have your homework done on that.

Look on donedeal.ie, camper prices are dropping as the holiday season ends. Plenty of van based campers there that will be cheaper than going to the UK and converting.

Best of luck with it and your studies.

Subcomandante Marcos

Know a lad who did a masters a few years back and he built a stealth camper from a sprinter for a few grand to live in Monday - Friday because it was a lot cheaper than renting in Dublin, on weekends he went back to his parents house down the country and did laundry there.

His setup had a single bed/couch, stove top, sink, small fridge, a few small solar panels hidden by a roof rack, some storage space and a small composting toilet he only used for "emergencies" and lined with disposable composting t bags for easy clean out. The solar panels charged a small battery and he used them to power a few led lights, boil the kettle, a small extractor fan and charge his phone/laptop when needed. He'd also charge his phone/laptop from sockets in classrooms/common areas around campus during the day as needed.

He showered in the mornings in the gym after a workout and he'd use the toilets on campus during the day/evening. After that if he needed a piss he'd pop into a local pub or behind a tree or something, and if he needed to poop in a pinch he'd use the composting toilet but according to him he used it about 4 times in the 8 months he was there.

He either parked on campus, moving it from time to time, or in local super market carparks.

Worked grand for him. One of the campus security guards twigged what was going on but just said keep a low a profile and don't park in busier areas and then started to check up on him and call over for tea on night shifts.

He swears it was worth doing, he was able to use the van as his transport too so no need for a separate car and he's since driven around Europe a few times in it, so still going strong.

Wesser

In theory it sounds like a good idea but in reality you have the inconvenience of obtaining water, energy and heat and of waste disposal.

A mortgage in Dublin does not tie you down . If you get a tenant it can reduce your mortgage by up to 14000 a year. You can rent it out .

I think you are quite ideaslistic in you approach. However i do think it sounds as though you are prepared to graft hard. I think in today's property market you need to be prepared to face making sacrifices and work hard if you want your own place.

.......

This post has been deleted.

bren2002

Spring to autumn might be ok. But the depths of winter? Not so sure.

SeamusG97

Have a look over in the Motorhomes and Campervans form as mentioned earlier. You'll get lots of good advice there.
Look at the posts from Sir Liamalot who is a fulltime liveaboard in a converted van.
Personally I'd buy a good van conversion that would have a resale value when no longer needed, plus it could be used right away. So the actual cost of ownership would be the depreciation plus the running costs. A proper conversion should deal with any issues with insurance as well. You won't freeze in a properly insulated van.
A minibus based van would have windows and still look like a normal vehicle - see this thread http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057770094
If you were to touch base at home at the weekend for fill/emptying tanks then I think it would be easily sustainable.

moonlighting

do what the travelers do. car and caravan.
caravans can be lived in but you need a place for it.
pay for a holiday home type place Monday to Friday. Then head home for the weekends.
Well worth having electricity and water hook up, if it costs a few euros per day extra so be it.

shaunr68

moonlighting wrote: »

do what the travelers do. car and caravan.
caravans can be lived in but you need a place for it.
pay for a holiday home type place Monday to Friday. Then head home for the weekends.
Well worth having electricity and water hook up, if it costs a few euros per day extra so be it.

You can't very well stealth camp with a caravan, and with commercial sites upwards of €25 per night plus storage fees if you leave it there for the weekend, it could work out very expensive.

Here's a site close to Dublin:
http://www.camping-ireland.ie/parks/dublin/camac-valley-tourist-caravan-camping-park

€22 - €26 per night depending on season, plus €5 for leccy PLUS €2 for a shower. :eek:

No thanks, it's a nice, quiet industrial estate for me, arrive late and move on first thing in the morning.