After seventeen years as a stay-at-home mom, Christine found herself starting over with no career, no plan, and one guiding question: what actually brings her joy? The answer was creating. She launched a construction company, built tiny homes on foundations, and at 50, finished the most personal project of her career: a self-built 2023 Ford Transit she converted entirely by herself for around $68,000 all-in.

source.image: Tiny Home Tours

THE NUMBERS

  • Van: 2023 Ford Transit Trail 350D, High Roof, AWD | $42,000 (used, ~11,000 miles)
  • Build out: ~$26,000 (self-built, includes salvaged materials and Christine’s own labor)
  • All-in: ~$68,000
  • Electrical system: ~$8,000 | AC: ~$2,000-$2,500
  • Solar: 580w | Battery: 800Ah
  • Water: 32-gal fresh / 7-gal gray
  • Dimensions: ~66 sq ft (6′ x 11′)
  • Builder/Designer: Christine Plum (@plum_builds)
  • Location: Houston, TX | Works: Galveston Island, TX
  • Monthly costs: Very low (van and build paid in cash; 600 sq ft Houston tiny home)

Christine grew up around builders and developers, but had zero van experience when she started. A cross-country Tesla road trip convinced her she wanted more. She started the build in June, finished in November despite injuries along the way, and did nearly all of it herself, including salvaging materials from her own job sites. Marble countertop remnants from a client project. Walnut ceiling accents left over from another. Even the single brass handmade light switch from a custom home she built, found its permanent home in the van.

source.image: Tiny Home Tours

Christine designed the electrical system first. She needed 800 amp hours of battery to run the AC reliably through Texas summers at her Galveston jobsites, plus a 580-watt solar array on a Unaki roof rack to keep everything topped up. The kitchen is pushed as large as she could make it, with extra tall counters (she’s 5’9), a deep sink with room to stash dishes when water runs low, flip-out storage panels, a built-in spice basket, and a small butane stove tucked beneath the fridge. A 32-gallon fresh water tank gives Christine about a week of careful use before she needs to refill. The 7-gallon gray water tank dumps every three to four days.

A partition wall separates the cab from the living space for temperature control and that at-home feeling. It doubles as a gallery for Christine’s art collection and family photos. Under the sofa is a built-in nook for her cat. The sofa also has a pull-out second bed, originally designed for her son on an Alaska fishing trip. Her 110-pound dog Seven has his own built-in food and water station, plus a den beneath the bed with a fan. Christine calls it one of her proudest design decisions.

Christine runs her construction business remotely out of the van, often parked at Galveston jobsites with the doors open to the water. A BLUETTI Elite 400 backs up the van’s main electrical and powers tools on site. Keeping expenses low is what makes the whole lifestyle possible: van and build paid in cash, a 600 sq ft tiny house in Houston with minimal overhead, and a business built on years of trust with her crew.