Van life couple who transform old caravans into dreamy 'homes on wheels' make $100,000 from three makeovers - and they had no prior experience
- Julia and Sam Joseph finished their first Toyota van renovation in March 2020
- They were eager to travel on the road but were stuck in Australia due to Covid-19
- Instead they decided to offer the van on rental platform, Camplify
- Julia told FEMAIL they were 'instantly' bombarded with customer requests
- They went on to start Open Road Campervans and have renovated three vans
- In the first 12 months of business they turned over an impressive $100,000
A couple who were eager to travel around Australia but were stuck at home due to Covid-19 lockdowns have turned over $100,000 in 12 months by renovating and renting out caravans.
Julia and Sam Joseph, from Brisbane, finished their first Toyota Hiace van renovation in March 2020 then listed it on caravan and motorhome rental platform Camplify.
While the business Open Road Campervans started out as a fun 'side hustle', it transformed into a successful brand adored by hundreds of customers.
But Julia told FEMAIL an average restoration costs between $20,000 and $35,000 on top of the cost of the van.
While the duo have no trade background, they enjoy 'learning as they go' to transform the vans into 'rental homes on wheels'.
Julia, 29, works full-time managing the brand's admin while Sam, 30, works as a product designer and helps with the renovations after hours or on weekends.
Julia and Sam Joseph, from Brisbane, were eager to travel around Australia but were stuck at home due to Covid-19 lockdowns have turned over $100,000 in 12 months after starting a caravan hire business
BEFORE: The Toyota van was completely decked out to make room for new furniture
AFTER: The business Open Road Campervans started out as a fun 'side hustle', it transformed into a successful brand adored by customers
Before she met Sam in New Zealand, Julia was an 'independent traveller' from Germany who enjoyed exploring new countries and continents in vans.
'Travelling to a new place in a van gives you so much freedom - you can follow the sun and wake up in a different new spot everyday off the beaten track,' she said.
Their van transformation took six months to complete from September 2019 to March 2020, right before the Covid-19 pandemic hit Australia and states started to go into lockdown.
Since then the pair have finished three caravan transformations, Roma, Como and and Omeo, and are hoping to complete another two over the coming months.
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'Nomeo (the first van) took us around six months but now we can build the same van in around two months,' Julia said.
The couple learnt a lot from Sam's dad who's a builder and by watching 'hundreds of videos' on YouTube.
They kept certain jobs, such as electrical work and plumbing, to hired professionals while they worked on the cabinetry and design.
Before she met Sam in New Zealand, Julia (pictured) was an 'independent traveller' from Germany who enjoyed exploring new countries and continents
The vans have a stunning new interior with white cupboards, wooden benchtops, couches on the sides of the van and a bed at the back
The fourth and fifth vans are larger than the previous models and will feature an indoor toilet, shower and storage space.
'In our Hiace vans, we really thought about how to maximise storage and opted for an outdoor shower,' Julia said.
'Once you go a bit larger, like we are currently doing with our VW Crafter LWB build, having an inside shower and toilet definitely makes sense.'
She added how she would prefer a decent kitchen or bed space rather than excess storage.
In all of their van designs, the kitchen bench with gas burners extends out from under the bed and onto a stand.
'It just makes a lot of sense in Australia to keep the heat of cooking out of the van in summer and even our winters here in Queensland are so mild, that we'd rather cook outside with a view,' she said.
Julia works full-time managing the brand's admin while Sam works as a product designer and helps with the renovations after hours or on weekends
In all of their van designs, the kitchen bench with gas burners extends out from under the bed and onto a stand (pictured)
Within the first week of putting the vans up on Camplify the couple was flooded with requests from eager customers.
'We're finding that a lot of people never considered a holiday or weekend getaway on the road before, and with Covid-19 restrictions many are keen to explore other parts of their own state,' Julia said.
'We have so many customers that have rebooked with us to rediscover a different part of the country.'
In 2022 the brand hope to potentially take on specific builds for clients to bring someone's dream van design to life.
When asked what advice she would give to others wanting to DIY their own van, Julia said 'research is everything' and always plan out your ideas
When asked what advice she would give to others wanting to DIY their own van, Julia said 'research is everything' and always plan out your ideas.
'Do as much research as you can before you start anything, because it's very hard to change something once it's done,' she said.
'Don't rush, take your time with the planning process to understand what you need to do.'
She also recommended leaving areas that are out of your depth of knowledge to professionals.
