Ernie

Written by Ashley

Ernie is a T2 Mercedes 609D light truck and is about the size of a minibus, but it is far from that inside! The client gave me a design brief of a surfer shack with shabby-chic vibes, and we worked closely together to achieve the desired look. This tiny home has a separate bedroom area, a kitchen, shower, toilet and dining area with a single foldout bed making it a complete home on wheels.

This rolling home was intended to fit right in on the seafront…

For this build, I installed an Alexa Dot that controls the mood lighting and built-in surround sound speakers. With remote control and the addition of voice-activated controls, the system is super simple to use. To keep it true to its shabby-chic roots, I used reclaimed wood from Norfolk Reclamation for the cladding on the ceiling and internal walls. This brings so much character and texture to the interior and completes the look.

As in most of my builds, the kitchen has all the comforts of a modern home. These include a Smev oven, grill and hob, a Belfast sink and Thetford fridge/freezer.

I added a groovy pull-out wine drawer because I knew the client enjoyed a tipple or two!

The real showstopper on this project has to be the star gazing ceiling in the shower room, which for me was a real highlight of the whole build. The amount of light it lets in is impressive and creates such a spacious feel.

To power all the mod cons inside Ernie, we decided to use 400w solar panels and an MPPT charger. This allows the campervan to be off-grid.

I also installed a split charge system to keep the power flowing once the engine is running.

And finally, I installed a Victron power invert that gives the owner the ability to power high-voltage appliances.

The client asked for a toilet onboard, so I went with a Jabsco marine toilet which fit perfectly in the space we had available. I made sure to add in lots of storage space because, after my many conversations with the client, I knew this would be key to their comfortable living. This rolling home was intended to fit right in on the seafront and with a pop of colour on the exterior it certainly does.

All in all, this is one of my favourites builds to date.