This battered old Chevy van from the 70s caught my eye, although it’s hardly worth shooting. But then this is the other side of our block, and my friend James and I built this house by ourselves twenty years ago, so I figured it was worth a shot. The house is hard to see, as the trees have all grown up so much.
Here’ almost the exact same view, in the fall of 1995, with my trusty F100 in the front. It hauled a lot of materials that went into this house, and the roof is permanently dented from carrying too many 16 foot 2x12s one day. And that’s me up there pulling up another piece of lumber to cut.
And here is the main house, framed and ready for a roof before the serious rains come. And they did.
Isn’t building fun? Well, the idea always is; the reality is…some of the time. Especially when you get to stop for pictures.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXzu44JAFFQ
The owners tried to sell it last summer, and there’s still a video of it, in case this kind of thing interests you.
If not, you can gaze at this lovely van.
And within a month or two, I’m going to show you the new house I’m going to finish shortly. It will be the last! I’m too old for this kind of fun anymore.
Cool, always enjoy these house building posts since that’s a world I don’t get involved in yet is very interesting.
Will watch the video later…
I think I ran away from this van as a small child.
Now what triggered this whole “Free candy van-phenomenon” ? It was on this great website that I learned about it the first time. Plumbers, electricians, contractors and the like drove and drive these, nothing to worry about.
And to Don A: the friggin’ thing is orange !
Nice house, BTW. Talking about some DIY-project !
And drivers of these “typical van” vans
almost NEVER signal when they turn,
change lanes, or curb their vehicles.
Ditto pickup trucks.
I believe Disney subliminal messaging started the “Free candy van-phenomenon”. Look at the cover of this kids cartoon movie “Cars”! Notice the grey ’68-’74 Ford Econoline van with the words “Free Candy” on the side.
This is undeniably sick, perverted, inappropriate, & down right CREEPY in my opinion.
If you search “Disney subliminal messaging”, you may be shocked at the plethora of inappropriate stuff you find?
I have a copy of that poster in my classroom, and that van is NOT in the picture.
Then again, I may just be missing a photoshopped joke you’re making, and if that’s the case, carry on.
Not photoshopped as far as I know? I grabbed it off the internet. It is the only one I’m familiar with.
If it is P-shopped, then, well, I guess…nevermind.
Me too. That tube of K-Y jelly in the ice cream cooler just didn’t work for me…
If this Chevy van had the deluxe interior trim package, it would have the plastiwood on the dash grained vertically to match the house’s vertical wood siding.
Who did the electrical work, and what company supplied the parts?
Is there a reason you’re asking? The electrician was Kevin Shafer. I don’t know what supply firm he bought from.
Is this a Bedford CF after a trip to the photocopier or is the Bedford a Chevy that has been put through the wash?
Used to see a lot of CFs painted to look like the A Team van in the 80s
The Bedford has to be like the after picture of the person in the weight loss commercials vs the Chevrolet van seen here as the before picture.
I saw your comment elsewhere about the Vauxhall ute. This rig will make the fuel mileage of that Vauxhall seem like your Fiesta in comparison!
The long wheelbase CF had a SBC V8 as an option,
I would have thought the Chevy/GMC would have been the inspiration, but the CF actually came to market a year earlier, 1969 versus 1970. However it’s possible that some idea-sharing was going on, if that happened at all between the US and UK arms of GM in the late 60’s.
Ford was the first of the “Big 3” to offer a van with the engine in front of the driver as opposed to the forward control layout, though, in 1968. So perhaps both this and the Chevy/GMC design were responsed in a way to that Econoline.
Then the first Ford van with the engine in front of the driver must have been the Transit Mk1, introduced in 1965.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79srO7CxS7w
Take off eh?
Love this. Beautiful home. What a skill! Anxious to see the next you speak of.
This one was designed by one of the best architects in town. It cost way too much to be building as a spec home, and we did not make out well with it.
The one I’m finishing up is much more modest, as it’s going to be a rental and I designed it as such, as well as to be quite inexpensive to build.
Wow that was an undertaking for a spec home.
Will be even more interested in the modest home coming up–I do not understand why nearly no one builds modest homes anymore (ok I do but I don’t want to call any one out). I like looking into simple home plans that differ from the same cookie-cutter split-level floor plan that’s been being built for 20 years (because they’re so rare).
I also like researching old homes so this spec home really caught my eye…love the traditional interior trim.
Somewhere I have old book from the early 1900’s that has house plans that I bought years ago. Half of them don’t have a bathroom.
Some modest homes of which you’re likely speaking often had two plans–one for a bathroom and one not. Depended on the town’s sewage system also. Some plans had a simple addition which included the bathroom on the back of the house.
Would the architect that you refer to be you?
I am not an architect. But working with him (and another one that also pitched in) on this house and the one we built the year before (in the back of this one) was a real eye opener. They are adherents to a school of architecture that is largely based on the Work of Christopher Alexander, whose main book on his approach is called “A Pattern Language” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Pattern_Language
Did the house sell last year? The ask was breathtaking. Amazed to find out this was built on spec. I figured it was a 70s hippie craftsman project that took 15 years to complete. Would you mind naming the architect(s)?
I spent many a hot summer afternoon driving one of these, delivering orders of auto parts to local mechanics and then heading to the main warehouse to receive all of the parts required for tomorrow’s deliveries. It was that van that taught me to love the Dodge and Ford counterparts so much.
I’d live in that home if I was out there. Nicely crafted, lot of personality! Looking forward to pix of the one you’re finishing up now, even if it’s more modest.
Built many houses for a living for 23 years. Then I built my own with a 3 bay garage to play in. Then in 2008, the bottom fell out, my wife & I lost our jobs & we lost our home. Foreclosure & bankruptcy… the gov’t raped me clean & my mortgage holder was bailed out of course. I will never pour my blood, sweat & tears into another home. I’m now living in a 33′ 5th wheel camper, in the woods at age 53.
Life is just grand.
As for that van, someone gave me one once (a ’79?) to junk. Junk it , I did. lol
Nice article and unique Chevy Van with a bunch of patina. Wonder how close it is to ending up in the junkyard?
Is anyone other than me getting the song “Chevy Van” in his head right now?
That same house in Marin County or any ritzy SF Bay area suburb would have easily fetched a high price to more than justify the construction cost.