Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 16, 2025

A family of 4 transformed their van into a bohemian tiny home on wheels

A family of 4 transformed their van into a bohemian tiny home on wheels

The Hofker family spent two months renovating their old van into a camper perfect for surfing adventures and weekend trips across Europe.

*  The Hofker family spent the summer of 2020 renovating their old family van.

*  With each family member focusing on a specific task, they removed the seats and transformed the 2003 Volkswagen T4 Transporter into a "bohemian modern" tiny home on wheels.

*  The family estimates that they spent around $4,300 on the project.

*  "Before it was just a thing you sit in and go somewhere," Sanne Hofker told Insider. "Now, it's suddenly someplace you want to be in."

Growing up, Tom Hofker, 21, and Sanne Hofker, 19, would travel from their home in Den Bosch, Netherlands, to destinations across Europe in their family's bright-red van.

Whether it was a camping trip or speed skating competition, their friends and teammates quickly became accustomed to the 2003 Volkswagen T4 Transporter and nicknamed it "The Hofker Bus" in Dutch.

"We literally grew up in it," Tom told Insider.

When those tournaments ended, the siblings' mother, Mirjam Hofker, used the van for work. But this year, she got a new van, so the Hofkers decided to renovate their old van, spending two months over the summer of 2020 transforming the vehicle into a homey camper van ideal for weekend getaways.


"Before it was just a thing you sit in and go somewhere," Sanne told Insider of the van. "Now, it's suddenly someplace you want to be in."

What originally started as a budget plan turned into a full-scale renovation


Tom said that in the Netherlands, passenger vans can be taxed heavily. So when his mother got a new van through work, the family realized they would either have to sell the old van or turn it into a camper, which would place the vehicle in a different tax category and have lower insurance costs.

The family didn't want their van - filled with childhood memories - to be sold, so they decided to renovate it. Plus, a tiny camper would be ideal for Tom's surfing trips and Sanne's wakeboarding competitions.

Tom and Sanne said they initially planned to do a budget renovation on the 54-square-foot space inside the van - that way they would meet the minimum credentials needed to be considered a camper, according to the Netherlands government's website.

The simple renovation quickly turned into a full-scale transformation involving everyone in the household.


"We've always been a little DIY in our house," Sanne said. "We do almost everything ourselves."

Sanne searched Pinterest and Instagram to help design the interior, and sewed the cushions for the benches and bed with her mother. Tom did most of the woodwork, while he and his father, Freek Hofker, did the electrical.

The family estimates the entire project cost around $4,300, which includes adding a pop-up roof to the van.

The family finished the renovation in under 2 months


Tom told Insider he feels proud when he looks at the completed project, while Sanne says she's "happy it's done" and amazed they did it so quickly; they finished the renovation in seven weeks, spending early mornings and late nights at work in the family's garage.

They agreed that a project like this wouldn't have been possible if the coronavirus pandemic hadn't forced their family to stay home; Tom's and Sanne's summer plans were canceled, and their parents started working from home.



Sanne Hofker picked warm colors to create a homey interior


Sanne described the van's interior as "bohemian modern."

Both Sanne and Tom wanted an interior with a surfing vibe, but, most importantly, Sanne wanted the van to feel cozy and homey.

"I wanted everything in a warm color, so it didn't feel as cold," Sanne said.



Additionally, she said elements like plants, pillows, and towels helped tie the space together.

"We put a lot of thought into the little details that make it feel homey," she said. "We really thought about the overall look."

The Hofkers hope this is the first renovation of many


Both siblings agreed that the van might be a little too small to live in, but they've already taken the camper on a surfing trip to France since completing the renovation, and have plans to take the van on their future travels.

The Hofkers hope to renovate bigger spaces in the future as well.

"We immediately started thinking about another project once this was done," Tom said. "And if we're ever going to build another camper van, we're going to go bigger."

Tom and Sanne pointed to school buses in the US as a fun renovation project, but they don't plan to live in one full-time. "Bathrooms and showers are really underappreciated," Tom said.

Even if future renovation plans don't happen, Tom and Sanne said they had an incredible time transforming the van with their family and look forward to creating more memories in the camper.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
A Dollar Coin Featuring Trump’s Portrait Expected to Be Issued Next Year
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
×