Anyone can buy

"Start free, a truck is needed!"

We had a motorhome – a great one. It was chic, modern, spacious, and reliably showed us the most beautiful corners of Europe. It was our rolling home.

But there was this feeling, first subconscious, then increasingly pushing to the forefront. The feeling of wanting to own a completely individually designed "mobile home." It wouldn’t be the first crazy adventure we would take on, but it was already unusually demanding for us. No matter, it was born: "The One-Room Apartment Project."

But who are we really? We are four northerners: Wiebke, Knut, and our children Hannes and Rike. All of us are crazy about camping, infected by the travel bug, and sometimes a little quirky.

Start clear, we need a truck!

We reluctantly gave up our motorhome to a loving family just before the summer holidays of 2015. Immediately, we started looking for a suitable truck. Yes – we are older now, at least old enough that with our Class 3 driving license, we are allowed to drive up to 7.49 tons. The target size was set and also had to meet the following requirements: "it" should not be too old, preferably well insulated, not necessarily smell like a dead animal, and ideally already have a side door.

Planning means replacing chance with error.

Everything happened incredibly fast—after just two weeks, the woman, who loves driving vehicles of this size, held the keys to a red-and-white MAN TGL 8.180 in her hands. This former flower delivery truck, in impeccable condition, was destined to become our rolling vacation home. As this massive vehicle suddenly blocked our driveway, we couldn’t help but ask ourselves: What have we gotten ourselves into? Our adventure in "self-conversion" was about to begin. Begin? Well, first, we had to plan. And there was a lot to plan: layout, flooring structure, technology, heating, water supply, solar system, modifications, wall construction, plumbing, TÜV certification, and much more—the list was long. Since we had no prior expertise, we had to quickly familiarize ourselves with various trades and techniques. It was a busy time, where we collapsed into bed exhausted every evening, yet our minds kept racing. After nearly two endless months of planning, there was no turning back—we were completely consumed by our ideas and visions! Anyone who has ever realized a project knows that this long planning phase is a worthwhile investment. With all our ideas on paper and in mind, we set off well-prepared for the Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf—the world's largest camping exhibition. Everyone was there! And if crucial decisions were to be made, this was the place: our ideas took real shape through the exhibits, orders were placed, and valuable connections were made.

With butterflies in our stomachs and bumblebees in our backsides, we drove back home. Summer was over, the days were getting shorter, and the next planning phase, which we inserted due to many trade fair insights, fit well with the season. Dozens of ideas were discarded, reconsidered, new ideas were thought up or deemed unusable. Almost three months had passed, and still no "real" work had been done on the truck. We received the first skeptical head shakes: "Surely another whim of Wiebke and Knut... this will never work!"

Even the biggest skeptics could not ignore the increasing delivery frequency per week. Several shipping companies delivered almost everything within three weeks that turns a motorhome into a rolling home. Interior, building materials, tools, electronic components, and more.

„Good tools, half the work (Hungarian proverb)“

At some point, the moment arrives when you take a tool in your hand for the first time. First, the 400 kg air conditioning unit was professionally dismantled and disposed of. An aluminum platform, clad with poplar multiplex panels for the sleeping area, was installed. The spacious storage area was later intended to provide space for 300 liters of fresh water, pump technology, and bicycles. This was no longer a truck! After sanding the interior walls and subsequent painting, we rebuilt the floor, essentially similar to the construction in a normal house: Styrodur, OSB flooring panels, underfloor heating, and a covering of choice. Using aluminum profiles and integral foam panels, we separated the bathroom area. Yes, it now felt like an apartment that still needed furnishing! Then came the complex installation of around 13 meters of aluminum convectors for the water heating system, which should ensure that it remains cozy and warm inside, even in stormy weather conditions in Scotland. The heating is powered by an LPG gas tank, which we were able to permanently attach to the truck’s auxiliary frame. Speaking of installing the gas tank. Such things cannot be done alone, and we are grateful for every helping hand, especially when the weight is too much for a duo to handle or when expert jobs like electricity or gas are required.

Let’s take stock as of March 2016: Interior walls refurbished, partitions and bed platform installed, heating 80% complete. The first furniture was needed. We had two go-to places that we visited frequently: One was a Swedish furniture store that sells furniture in a disassembled state. This was a big advantage for us due to necessary modifications. The other was our nearest hardware store, where we found laminated wood profiles and thin multiplex boards, providing a delicate, relatively lightweight yet stable construction base for the seating furniture.

Over 150 meters of cable have already been laid and are waiting for professional connection to batteries and control devices. The first windows have been installed, two seats placed inside, and the kitchen gives the impression that we will soon be able to heat up some ravioli.

„No project without obstacles“

Actually, everything had gone pretty smoothly so far. But there were also moments when things really caught up with us in a bad way. The worst experience so far was discovering that the GFK interior walls had osmotic damage in several places. This is a scenario more commonly known in boat building and required seven days of sanding, plus a week of filling, priming, and painting. Another shock was waking up the morning after professionally laying designer flooring, only to find the entire floor had detached.

„60% is done“

The project is far from complete! Water pipes, bathroom installations, solar technology, upholstery, side windows, overhead cabinets, table, media technology, rearview camera, wastewater system, and many other items are still on the packed agenda. But the end is in sight, meaning that soon the four campers from the north will be back on the roads of Europe. More information about the RV builders from Oldenburg can be found on their blog.

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