Frequently Asked Questions

We occasionally do house-sits for friends and family, but mostly we house-sit for people (and dogs) we’ve never met!

If you’re a responsible, trustworthy, animal lover you can sign up on any number of dedicated house-sitting websites or groups to offer your house and pet sitting services to home owners.

Read our blog post on how to get started as a house and pet sitter (including a unique discount code for membership of Trusted Housesitters who operate in over 130 countries).

We get paid in free accommodation!

The answer is two-fold:

1. We looked around at new and second-hand factory built campervans, as well as a few converted vans, but none of them were built for our specific needs so it made sense to design and build to our own specifications.
2. We had time on our hands!  Our bed and breakfast business had ground to a halt in 2020 because of Covid restrictions.  We needed a project to give us a focus and a reason to get up each day.

We’ve written a blog post on the pros and cons of building your own campervan versus buying a campervan.

That’s the never ending question!

The van itself cost us £20,059 (inc VAT) in 2020.  We spent around £12,000 on the build.  That included everything from tools to appliances and the dreaded delivery charges we had to pay for the online purchases to be sent to us in Northern Ireland!  Sometimes the delivery charge was more than the item itself!!! 

Have a read of our post which looks at the big ticket items we bought, and also the blog post with some great money saving tips for your van build.

Yes we did!  I say “we”, but it was Dave who did the lion’s share of the workload.  You can read the step by step process we followed here. 

The exception was the gas installation – we felt it was safer and wiser to pay a qualified professional from Leisure Technical Solutions to do the job of fitting the gas tank and connecting the boiler, cooker and external bbq point.  Plus they were able to provide the Gas Safe certificate you need for insurance purposes.

It took us 16 weeks of blood, sweat and tears at the coldest time of the year (December 2020 to March 2021) to get the van built.

Take a look at this blog post for an easy step-by-step guide to our van build process.

Not an awful lot.  We really like our layout, but if money and time were no object we’d make five changes:

1. Remove the double bench seat & replace with a single swivel passenger seat to give more space up front.
2. Drill a second plug hole in the shower tray so no matter what way you’re parked the water will still flow out.
3. Change the heating system to diesel as its getting harder to find LPG on garage forecourts.
4. Replace the skylight with an extra large one to watch the night sky.
5. Fit a small window in one of the rear doors so we can see the sunrise from bed!

Wherever we want (within reason)!

Our first six months of van life was restricted due to the coronavirus pandemic so we lived and travelled around Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.  Most of the time we live and park off grid (we have 370W of solar power) which can be anywhere from a forest to a beach, to a mountain top or a city car park.  We also use campsites, pub stays, and on occasions, driveways of friends and family!

In January 2022 we were able to take Cloud Nine to live and travel in Europe for the first time!

We pretty much make it up as we go along!  We use a mixture of maps and apps, word of mouth recommendations from friends, and referrals from vanlife folk we trust and follow on social media.

A lot less than living in a 6-bedroom house!  But of course you still have your expenses – vehicle insurance; travel insurance (if you’re leaving your home country); road tax; breakdown cover; diesel; LPG; mobile telephone; wifi/internet; subscriptions & memberships; laundry; parking fees if you’re using car parks or staying in campsites; toll road fees; food & drink; activities & entertainment; and the ongoing maintenance of keeping a safe vehicle on the road.

We’ve written a bit more about the cost of van life in a blog post.

We have a Triplex gas cooker fitted in our kitchen area – 3 burners on top and an oven/grill underneath.  We also have an external gas point so we can connect our gas barbecue and cook outside in the better weather.

Yes we do.  Access is via a portable MiFi router which works really well if we are in an area where there is a 4G mobile network (hardly anywhere in Wales!).  

Get wet!  The space is too small for two people to stay inside all day without going crazy!!  We venture outside at some point every day, no matter what the weather is doing.  

Yes, we have a Truma combi heater which warms the van and heats the water. 

Where possible we take it to a serviced laundrette which is a great way to support small local businesses in the area you’re visiting.  Alternatively we seek out the Revolution Laundry stations that are installed in garage forecourts, or we do it when we stay at campsites.