Help Me Finish the Home I Built With My Own Two Hands — I’m So Close
I’m turning 67 this August, and I’m asking for your help to close the final gap on something I’ve been building for years, piece by piece, out of necessity and hope.
The day Covid shut down San Diego, I had been homebound for 14 years. I was a disabled shut-in, confined mostly to four walls, my body never telling me from one hour to the next how long I could sit, stand, walk, or bend before pain would take over. The rent had gone up, drastically, more than I could afford, and I lost the home I’d lived in for 20 years. I had to act fast. I chose to build a RV van and become a nomad, because a van meant I could take my home with me anywhere and I wouldn’t have to be homebound.
That decision saved me. Van life has been a godsend for my mental health in a way I couldn’t have predicted. I found a local van life community, genuine, grounded people and made real friends for the first time in years. I am not the same severely depressed isolated person that I was.
I’ve come so far already. I sold everything I owned, saved the stimulus money and saved from not having to pay rent (while at my sister’s), In 2022, I was able to buy a $10,000 high-top Chevy van, and with the left over money, I was able to have insulation and flooring installed. Homes on Wheels Alliance gifted me a solar system, a bed platform, and reflectix for the windows. San Diego Good Guys gifted me a bench with a table and a heater. A Craigslist woman donated a barely-used Tempurpedic mattress. Fast-forward to 2026, I just had one and a half walls installed and a kitchen cabinet with countertop. Every piece has brought this space closer to being a real livable and safe home.
But right now, my remaining wall and two doors are still bare. I don’t have a sink or a place to wash up. My windows don’t have proper covers, which means no real insulation against the cold. Every week that passes without these finished is another week I’m living in a half-built shell instead of a home and at 66, with a body that doesn’t wait for anyone, I don’t have years to spare to get this done slowly.
I need $2,700 right now to finish it:
- The remaining walls and doors, covered in painted wood to match what’s already done
- A small sink and cabinet, so I finally have somewhere to wash up and brush my teeth
- Proper window covers, for insulation, and warmth
I’m also asking for $2,500 as an emergency repair fund. This van isn’t just my home, it’s my only way to get anywhere. If it breaks down, I’m not inconvenienced, I’m stranded. That fund is the difference between an inconvenience and a crisis.
I’ve done everything I can on my own to get this far. What’s left isn’t luxury, it isn’t $100,000 van. It is the last stretch between where I am now and a home that’s actually finished, actually safe, actually mine. I’m asking you to help me close that gap now, while I still have the strength to finish what I started. Any donation, regardless of the amount will bring me one step closer to having a real home. Thank you for reading my story, and thank you, from the bottom of my heart, if you’re able to help.
https://paypal.me/TinyConversions