Have you always wanted to convert a van for traveling but found that you simply don’t have the necessary tools to do it?
There’s a place in Squamish that offers a wealth of tools and workshops to make your van conversion dream a reality.
Create Makerspace is a community workshop that has caught the attention of both local and travelling van builders and has become a meeting place for all things van life.
“I think it took a while for people to learn about us and understand what a makerspace is… but once they realized we have a parking lot and all the wood and textile tools to make other van features, they really came on board,” said Oscar Radevsky, founder of Create Makerspace.
“Many people who convert vans end up parking on a rainy, muddy side street and then working with shoddy tools they bought at a garage sale.
“So it’s really convenient to have a dedicated area where you can actually park and get in and out of your van without getting wet,” he told The Squamish Chief.
The accommodation
Create Makerspace opened in January and offers several collaborative spaces for DIY projects.
A monthly membership costs $150 and includes full access to the workshop from noon to 9 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. Visitors can also purchase a stamp card, which costs $400 for 10 visits or $250 for five visits.
The workshop includes a woodworking room, a metal workshop, a textile studio and in the coming months welding and pottery classes will also be offered. Regular classes for each discipline are also offered and start at $90.
The metal workshop also has numerous automotive tools that can help with any mechanical problems with the van.
Australian duo James Norton and Cassie Power came across the Makerspace workshop after they bought a van and needed space to renovate it.
“We were willing to buy used tools ourselves and do the work in a Home Depot parking lot and just try to make it work,” Norton said.
“But as I was browsing through the van living Facebook groups, I came across Oscar’s post saying that if anyone was interested in converting vans, there was space in his workshop.
“I thought it was very cool and I didn’t think it would be something like that here in Canada because we have it in Australia, at least versions of it on the east coast.”
Power said the makerspace met all of her expectations and the $150 monthly membership fee is a great deal when compared to the cost of all the tools needed to build a van.
“Given what was available in the workshop, the decision was a no-brainer – especially when you compare it to the tool prices,” she said.
“We’ve built a van before with minimal tools and that was just a big challenge. The idea of having a table saw, a miter saw and all these different tools that you don’t have in your garage at home is just great.
“We felt like kids in a candy store.”
Radevsky said he has seen as many as five vans parked outside the workshop at once, each with its own plans, budgets and capabilities for executing its builds.
“It has a really nice community aspect. People exchange experiences and share tips and tricks,” he said.
“I’ve already learned a lot about van conversions. I’ve never done a conversion before, but just seeing it happen in front of my eyes was really eye-opening.”
The workshop also offers showers to its members – a hospitality that both Power and Norton greatly appreciate.
For more information about the workshop and the courses offered, visit the Create Makerspace website.
