apartment or van living?

[riggerrob 643]

Hi folks,

The lease on my apartment expires in January, so I have to find a new place to live. The scary part is that rents have risen dramaticly near Vancouver. Single bed-room apartments now start at $1200. per month! That equals half my take-home pay!

Yikes!

The next alternative is living in a van. Van living is becoming increasingly popular in Vancouver.

I did live in a VW Westfalia camper van for a couple of years while I was in Southern California. Back then I worked 8 days a week at Elsinore, Perris and Hemet with the occasional trip up to Cal. City. Now that I am older, I need more room than just a bed and a hot-plate.

I cannot afford $189,000 for a new, fully pimped-out, Winnebago, bordello-on-wheels. The low end of the scale starts with a boring shop van and installing the basics for solo living. I already have the hammock, camping stove and bucket to P%$#@! in. How much fancier than that depends upon how much I can afford for upgrades. One limit is that my bank will only grant me a loan for a vehicle less than 3 years old. Three year old vans start at $24,000.

Any suggestions?

 

[billvon 3,071]

  On 10/21/2020 at 8:53 PM, riggerrob said:

Any suggestions?

 

I lived in a van for almost a year due to ridiculous San Diego rents.  Big issue is a place to park.  I'd park at the DZ on the weekends and near where I worked during the week - but the cops did occasionally hassle me.  They'd let me go once they saw I wasn't Hispanic, but it still made it hard to sleep.

If you have a friend whose driveway you can park in (and plug in) that's pretty ideal.  If not expect parking hassles and some more $$ to outfit the van for "dry" living.

[wmw999 2,537]

Another possibility is renting a room from someone, rather than a whole apartment. Less privacy, but better insulation. Good luck -- this is a problem in a lot of places.

Wendy P.

[sfzombie13 324]

camper trailer and a camping spot.  probably a little harder in the winter that far north though.  best part about that is you can still drive around without having to pack up every time you want to leave.

[Westerly 61]

Living in a van gets very old after awhile. But it does save on money. It's a trade-off. I would not spend $24k on a van. Go to a different bank that will offer a loan on an older model.

Edited November 1, 2020 by Westerly

[riggerrob 643]

"Nomadland"

I am currently reading Jessica Bruder's book "Nomadland." I also saw the documentary by the same name a few months back.

They detail the lives of a new class of Americans who live in tents, vans, truck campers, converted buses and even Winnebagos as they move from one seasonal job to the next. Many were middle-class until they were bankrupted by divorce, closing factories, etc.

How many dz.commers have lived and worked out of a van parked beside a DZ?

[Nataly 38]

  On 9/19/2021 at 3:18 AM, riggerrob said:

"Nomadland"

I am currently reading Jessica Bruder's book "Nomadland." I also saw the documentary by the same name a few months back.

They detail the lives of a new class of Americans who live in tents, vans, truck campers, converted buses and even Winnebagos as they move from one seasonal job to the next. Many were middle-class until they were bankrupted by divorce, closing factories, etc.

How many dz.commers have lived and worked out of a van parked beside a DZ?

Yep.  I have lived out of my car, at friends' couches, on a small boat, in a tent...  Amazing what you can accomplish when you lose everything and have to start from scratch.  You realise that at least you keep your skills, your friends (not all of them), your resilience...  You try things you wouldn't normally try.  And if/when the same thing happens again you fight HARDER to hang on so you DON'T lose everything all over again.  You learn, you grow.

Yeah, it gets old fast but if it's what you gotta do, it's what you gotta do.

[riggerrob 643]

Hello Natalie,

What have you learned from living and working on yachts?

Only soft-sided luggage .....

[riggerrob 643]

I have been doing my research on van conversions and reminiscing on the days when I lived in a VW van.

Space is important for your psychological health. So I need a full-height cargo van or RV.

Horizontal space is also important, so a reasonably long chassis. But length is a compromise between internal space and ease of parking, so I do not want the longest vans with too much kick-out behind the read wheels.

Buy quality.

A minimum of 1 inch of insulation on all floors, walls and ceilings. Install noise-damping insulation on flat panels.

Light colored ceiling to reflect and increase feeling-of-space.

Curtains for all windows to provide insulation and privacy.

Curtain across the back of the drivers' compartment for insulation, privacy and stealth. Perhaps a shower curtain that tucks into the over-cab storage space. Definitely need storage over the cab.

One piece flooring is easy to clean.

Airplane cargo rails (aka. L-Tracks) to allow a variety of anchors when you change configuration.

Travel locks on all cabinets.

Fold away extra passenger seats ... with seat-belts.

Soft hanging cabinets at eye level. Net hammocks for fresh fruit.

Ventilation is important. Max Air roof fan.

Also install an air inlet in the bottom of your van, perhaps floor level if you live in the desert, because it sucks in cooler air.

Dual use where ever possible.

Fireproof and water-proof splash guards behind stove and sink.

In-counter stove ... electric? ... induction? ... micro-wave? ... propane? ... Jet-Boil? 

Electric kettle? ... definitely a whistling kettle.

In-counter sink with folding faucet and hinged glass cover (RV-style). Ideally it drains into a grey water tank.

Minimum of a foot-powered pump.

Hang drying cabinet over sink ... or on wall over-looking sink.

Temporary shower in hall way or doorway, because you only spend a few minutes per day in the shower. Quick-drain floor under shower. Drains into grey water tank.

Grey water tank is easy to dump.

Fresh water tank is easy to re-fill ... not too heavy for an old man.

Compact toilet that can slide under-a-cabinet.

Trays in lower cabinets to ease finding stuff.

Slide out pantry shelves, Again to make it easier to find stuff and rotate food cans.

Label all drawers cabinets, storage pillows, etc.

Enough windows that you can see outside your kitchen and working space.

Ceiling windows import more light ... good for morale and seeing what you are working on.

Use pillows to store spare clothing ... sew a zipper across the open end of a pillow case.

Pockets on inside of door panels ... MOLLE on walls? MOLLE on ceiling?

20 second rule means that if it takes longer than 20 seconds to set up a tool, bed, etc. you will get lazy. This means a Murphy bed at the most, but I am seriously considering sleeping in a hammock because it dominates less space and is easier on my old bones.

Magnets on wall to hold cutlery. If your worry about cutlery falling, install a pair of magnetic strips parallel and horizontal.

An electric refrigerator with top access. Install so that it slides out from under a counter into a entry space (doorway or hallway).

Plenty of electrical outlets to re-charge electronics. Install charger outlets in the shelves and cupboards where you normally store electronics.

Plenty of ceiling lights.

Separate vehicle and living electrical systems. Ability to recharge service-battery from engine, shore or solar panels. Need to conceal solar panels to maintain "stealth" exterior.

"Gearage" that is direct-accessible from the rear door. 

Bike rack.

Install a lockable metal safe for valuables and expensive electronics. At minimum a Faraday Cage, but ideally a fire-proof metal safe.