GALLERY

LINDA & STEVE

Read Linda's story...

  • Untitled
  • Untitled
  • Untitled
  • Untitled
  • Untitled

We came across The Dirty Weekender Team at a VW Van Fest in Malvern only last September – John being the captain of the ship (but quietly controlled by the lovely Katie and lovely Debbie). They had several of their vans on show, all different in layout (and progress), however ,just not quite what we had in mind. The  team were a very approachable bunch and were happy to talk about our ideas but more so we listened to theirs. We were open to suggestions and when John insisted he had the 'right van' for us we decided to leave our details with him – although in our own minds we had already discounted the van as it was another £5,000 over our budget.  John later contacted us and we made arrangements to go along to the premises for a further chat. What became very clear, after speaking to so many people over the last few years, was that you needed to invest as much as you can (and a little bit more) in the vehicle - John's advice was no different – and it made sense! After all what is the point of buying some old van and kitting it out to look fabulous inside only to have it fall apart, or require major repair work a few months later? John was right, the 'right van' was the one – well Steve thought so anyway (it was also to be his daily commute vehicle) and with 'all the toys' and a go faster engine he was more than happy. We decided from that point the only way forward now was to convert the rest of the van in stages. Before we even took the van home the Team had fitted a new Reimo roof, colour coded the bumpers, fitted two extra windows, put in lighting, carpet and lining.  We later changed the front bench seat for a captains chair and that's when we had to put the brakes on. It is very easy to lose track and every now and again it pays to rein yourself in.

 

John was happy to go along with our arrangements and even offered temporary solutions in order to be able to bring the cost of the insurance down. Instead we put our hard earned cash towards a bed.  Again, we told John what we wanted – plenty of storage space at the back for Steve's (stacking) crates of bike bits and storage underneath. As usual he had no problem coming up with the goods...the RIB bed!  The RIB bed folds down in such a way that means you are sleeping on the reverse of two of the three sections of the passenger seats and, (when I have my way and get an entertainment system put in) the front and back section of the bed can be angled for lounging around on - or adjusted if you are parked on a slope to stop you sliding out of bed!. More to the point it gave us loads of boot space!

 

For the main part of the camper (the unit that houses the fridge, sink, hob etc.) John had had an idea and, like everything else, we had talked about over the last few months it wasn't always easy to envisage but you just can't help being drawn into the enthusiasm John shows. You just knew it was going to be 'all good'. Plans were drawn up and the work progressed on another customer's van - it was so much easier to be able to see the ideas that John spoke of and we are very grateful to all those customers that enabled us to do so  along the way. Steve and I waited for the call and came to view the finished camper it as soon as the job was complete.  Our first word was WOW followed by 'we want one'!  It was all that John had said and more! The edges were smooth and rounded and the unit was shaped to fit the van – no sharp edges on this! The colour of the unit was black, not just any black, it was piano black and reflected the light back into the van and was not at all dark as I had imagined. The light maple around the sink and the hob and the silver roller shutters of two of the storage spaces broke the solid black of the unit. We chose not to have an oven put in - after doing more research I found that those people that had an oven never really used it and, in the last 6 years of camping, neither did I. The storage space available by not putting in an oven is, quite frankly, more valuable and helps to accommodate my pots, pans, kitchen utensils etc. and even a decent size water container,  Another of the storage spaces also houses a 'stuff box' compartment which is deep enough for 'stuffing' the sleeping bags, coats, pillows etc. into. The little details such as the inset handles and push opening doors set it the unit off perfectly. There are strategically placed lights – two set into the pelmet above the sink and the two gas hobs and one under the lip of the maple above the fridge door. There was no dead space... every nook and cranny had been used even down to a narrow 'locker' (which also had a light fitted into it ) and is perfect for storing your plates, cups mugs and the all important wine glasses. It was certainly impressive! Oh and more importantly (particularly if you like your wine/beer served cold) there is even a fridge - complete with small freezer box (useful for making the ice to put in your gin and tonic) and is also housed behind a gloss black door.

 

John had certainly come up with a 'piece de resistance' when it came to the final part of the conversion and we now not only have the campervan that we could previously only dream of but also, (we learnt) the campervan that John had also wanted for himself but never seems to get round to finishing!  We will certainly be keeping in touch with John and the rest of the team and, if we had do this all over again, we would still choose Dirty Weekender for the conversion. John and his staff are very approachable and easy going and, if a campervan is on your want list, speak to them first!