'Living the van life': Taunton couple transforms vans into tiny mobile homes

TAUNTON — Kelley Diatchenko yearned for the freedom of the open road and nomadic life.

That’s why she intended on quitting her corporate 9-to-5 job so she could “live the van life.”

“You set your own agenda. There’s no more societal norm of wake up, go to work, pay your bills, and go to bed.  It gives you the opportunity to learn about yourself, become adaptable,” she said.

Kelley, a do-it-yourself-er and “minimalist at heart,” remodeled the interior of a camper van herself in 2019, doing the plumbing, electrical work and everything else needed for a life on the road.

And she did exactly that for a couple of years, moving around the USA and Canada, much of that time during the pandemic.

After a little more than two years, from 2019-2021, she would settle back in the region. With her now-husband Danny Diatchenko, they bought a house in Taunton and started up their own custom build camper conversion business, VaVaVans.

What is a custom van build out?

VaVaVans does full custom build-outs of camper vans, whether for recreational traveling and camping, or as a more permanent mobile residence.

“We are building your vision. Our goal is to make what you see in your mind come to life,” Kelley said.

They also do a lot of partial builds and small installations, many for other DIY-ers having trouble with their own builds. Recent examples include a low-flow toilet for one van, a caged-in large fan built into the ceiling for another, and an electrical vehicle charge system for the air conditioning, capable of working eight hours of continuous use, while off the grid.

“Builds get very complicated. Sometimes, people get in over their heads,” Danny said.

Kelley said they also do custom builds on other passenger vehicles, like short buses, SUVs, tow camper trailers and small RVs.

The two-person team of Kelley and Danny handle everything, from the kitchen and storage space, to the bed, toilet, and electrical power needs. All work takes place on their home property, whether in their driveway or large garage.

“She’s the brains,” said Danny, who does all the carpentry for each build, while Kelly handles the plumbing, electrical work and design phase for customers.

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YouTube connection sparks romance

After completing her build-out in 2019, Kelley, originally from East Bridgewater, was prepared to leave her cushy job as a project manager for a healthcare services company to become someone living out of her Ford Transit van — which she affectionately dubbed “Jolene” — and supporting herself through seasonal jobs and gigs.

“They made their very first remote position for me. I must have been very good at my job,” she said, adding she was relieved by the offer because she was concerned about how she would make money.

Kelley still retains her project manager job on a part-time basis.

Danny, from Taunton, worked as a carpenter for seven years, building homes in Marshfield and Cohasset, when he met Kelley, while she was building out her camper van. Kelley was documenting her build through YouTube and social media, and Danny was one of her followers.

Danny would communicate with Kelley over tips he gave for the woodworking.

“I knew how hard it was,” he said.

This communication would spark a romance and eventually them traveling together cross-country in "Jolene," leading to his developing a love for the van life, too.

In 2022, Kelley and Danny officially started VaVaVans.

Danny left his carpentry job a year and half ago to focus on VaVaVans.

“She changed my life with the van build, and that’s what I’m trying to accomplish for customers,” he said.

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Customers supply the vans

VaVaVans doesn’t supply the actual vans.  Customers are responsible for obtaining or purchasing their own vans for the custom interior build.

Kelley said they don't source vans or vendors, but will assist customers with obtaining pricing online.

Customers looking for a custom build with VaVaVans start off with a questionnaire and consultation “to see where the client’s needs are at,” said Kelley.

After the consultation phase, a rough estimate of costs for labor and materials will be given.

After the rough estimate comes the design through 3D modeling software, as well as the finalized cost estimate.

After signing a contract for services, customers are then asked to place an initial deposit, usually several thousand dollars, based on materials and labor, to be placed on the build schedule.

How much does a van build out cost?

Kelley and Danny said, not including the price of the van, customers should plan on investing, on average, $30,000-$40,000 for a full build. Danny added this figure is still roughly $20,000 cheaper than their competition because “we’re building our portfolio.”

How long does a van build out take?

The average full build out for a camper van takes two to three months, depending on the complexity of the features. VaVaVans focuses on one full build at a time with, partial builds and smaller jobs sprinkled in when they can accommodate them.  They won’t do multiple full builds simultaneously.

“We want a strong one-on-one relationship with the client. You are the focus,” said Kelley, adding they remain in full communication with the customer throughout the building process, as well as maintaining full transparency over the costs for every material and the labor. 

Said Danny: “We don’t want to become a company that’s stacking up jobs and pushing them out of the door.”

Business is booming

Business is booming for VaVaVans, with Danny and Kelley saying interest has never been higher among people looking for tiny mobile homes.

VaVaVans is currently booking for 2024.

“The lifestyle has become trendy,” Danny said.

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Who are their customers?

Besides thrifty campers, clientele of VaVaVans includes retirees who spend their winters down South and come back up North in the spring and summertime to camp and travel.

The boom in the camper business is something Kelley herself saw when she was on the road, during the pandemic.  She said, from her perspective, she saw a “culture shift” and “ramped-up interest” in the mobile lifestyle from “people wanting to get the most out of life,” while having the “flexibility of being remote.”

Affordable alternative in brutal housing market

Much of their clientele, Kelley said, have been older people living on fixed incomes and looking to make an economical downgrade. Other clients have been people disenchanted by inflationary prices and lack of availability in the housing market, and so are seeing mobile homes as a necessary option.

“A lot of clients I talk to, they don’t make enough income. People are selling their homes,” Kelley said.

The irony being when they first set out on this venture, the intention was to buy vans and build out the interiors for living in, to be sold.

“We didn’t think people would have vans they would want work done on,” Kelley said.

Kelley said a customer came to them wondering if they could build out her van.

“Once we did a full build the first time, we pivoted and realized that’s the path to go,” she said.

Long-term goals

Danny and Kelley intend on keeping VaVaVans a small business on site at their home property, and not moving the business to another space.

They are working on expanding their barn-house garage so they can fit vans inside, so they can work during any aspect of New England Weather.

In the long-run they said they might want to hire another employee, or a couple of apprentices, but, for the most part, want to keep VaVaVans as just the two of them.

What’s also on their agenda is to rebuild and replace “Jolene,” Kelley’s first van, which she sold to start up VaVaVans.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: VaVaVans in Taunton does custom remodeling of vans and campers