Builder insulates campervan with Actis Hybrid as he follows his travelling dream
An Essex builder who is following his dream of traveling around Europe in a campervan is aiming to stay warm in winter and cool in summer by insulating it with Actis Hybrid products.
Richard Soper first had a taste of van life in his late teens when working in Australia and New Zealand – and two decades later he aims to replicate the experience with his wife Wendy, but slightly closer to home.
Richard has been using Actis honeycomb style insulation Hybris, insulating vapour control layer HControl Hybrid and insulating breather membrane BoostR Hybrid for years in his day-to-day life as the owner of a medium-sized building firm based in Rayleigh.
“I used HControl Hybrid extensively, on pretty much every loft and conversion job. It’s like a space blanket and I love it.
“Now I’m using it to insulate my camper van. It means when we’re travelling in Scotland Wendy and I will stay warm – and when we’re in Southern Europe, which can get quite toasty, we’ll stay cool. It’s brilliant at reflecting the heat when it’s hot as well as keeping it in when it’s cold. It’s thin and lightweight but has amazing thermal value. Its thinness is also great for a van because of course every millimetre counts in a confined space!
“I was running teams of up to 17 tradesmen on large refurb projects, with a number of them exceeding £500,000, and dealing with all the related health and safety, pay roll and VAT. Now it’s time for an adventure, which means I need flexibility. So I’m stepping back from bigger builds and concentrating on smaller, bespoke projects. I’m still doing kitchens, bathrooms and outbuildings with a smaller team, as well as concentrating on my main passion, carpentry, which I can do flexibly in between my travels.”
Richard is charting his conversion progress via his Instagram and YouTube channels – woodpeckersworkshop24.
“I worked for five years in Australia and New Zealand and did camper van trips then – but that was just hiring a van and only for three or four weeks. I thought of buying a fully fitted one this time but as I have the skills and the workshop it made sense to do it myself. It’s quite a whopper – a VW Crafter with an XL Wheelbase. The main issue is finding the time to get it done. But that’s what evenings and weekends are for!”
Richard and Wendy plan to visit Scotland and Cornwall initially, before travelling to Europe in the spring, with Switzerland, southern France, Spain, Italy and Greece on the agenda, along with a trip across the water to Ibiza.
“With my new business I can be pretty flexible and go away for a couple of weeks or even six months. Life is short. We need to make the most of it.”