Fed up of ‘wasting up to £800 a month on rent’, this former soldier decided to start on his dream home by spending £750 on a 16-year-old rusty LDV Convoy van.

And Jamie Waddington, 25, of Leeds, then decorated it with a rustic wooden interior finished with beautifully carved handles, skylight and carpet, complete with shelves and cupboards.

His van home - which he began work on in October and has lived in for three months - also has a hob, fridge, sink, sofa and fold-out bed, as well as fire extinguisher and carbon monoxide detector.

New build: Jamie Waddington started on his dream home by spending £750 on a 16-year-old LDV Convoy van

Putting it together: He decorated it with a rustic wooden interior finished with beautifully carved handles

Interior: The former soldier also installed a skylight and carpet, complete with shelves and cupboards

Playing the guitar: Mr Waddington began work on the home in October and has lived in for three months

To avoid having to share a house, he worked 80-hour weeks on various jobs including the fire service and outdoor firms to raise the cash for his new lifestyle after an ‘early mid-life crisis’.

Mr Waddington, who believes there is pressure on people his age to buy property, claims he can now survive on less than £10 a week on food and spends money on little else other than petrol.

He survives on helping farmers around the country in exchange for food that he then cooks in the van, and has paid work lined up for summer from previous employers in the countryside.

The former film extra said: ‘I buy very little, however I eat well. Aside from farmers, you get good food in honesty boxes for very little money, such as wonky veg.

‘I could make the van exactly how I wanted it and it is better than a house-share with people I don’t get on with know well.

‘I’ve always been an outdoor person but I realised this would give me the freedom what I wanted with my life. I felt I was growing up too quick and didn’t want to settle down.

Project: To avoid having to share a house and fund his new lifestyle, he worked 80-hour weeks on various jobs

New kitchen: Mr Waddington, from Leeds, believes there is pressure on people his age to buy property

Outlook: He survives on helping farmers around the country in exchange for food that he then cooks in the van

Relaxing: Mr Waddington has paid work lined up for summer from previous employers in the countryside

‘I wanted to do something I felt I had control over and my aim was to become self-sufficient. I enjoy budgeting and the challenge of surviving on very little cash.

I could make the van exactly how I wanted it and it is better than a house-share with people I don’t get on with know well Jamie Waddington

‘I mainly cook all of my own food. The only thing I don’t have is a toilet, so I rely on public places and the generosity of people letting me into places to use the bathrooms.’

Originally hoping to buy a camper van, Mr Waddington soon realised that could set him back tens of thousands of pounds.

Instead, he brought in the help of his father to convert an old white van, insulate it, panel it with wood and fit it out with all the appliances he would need.

So far, the van has travelled around Yorkshire while Mr Waddington visits friends, toured Cumbria and Wales and spent time in Bristol as he stayed with people he knows.

However he doesn’t plan to stay in Britain. In fact, Mr Waddington hopes to take the old van on a tour of Europe and even hopes it might stand up to a trip to the Sahara.

Chilled out: He claims he can survive on £10 a week on food and only spends significant money on petrol

Construction project: The van had to be completely refurbished to become the home that it is today

Work begins: He brought in the help of his father to convert an old white van, insulate it and panel it with wood

Going places: So far, the van has travelled around Yorkshire while Mr Waddington visits friends, toured Cumbria and Wales and spent time in Bristol as he stayed with people he knows

He said: ‘I’ve had offers from people all over Europe for jobs and places to pitch up so should be easy to make my way about with little expenditure, doing it as long as I want.

‘I have a little routine when I am travelling on the road from place to place. I wake up and wash in the sink like everyone’s grandparents would have done.

I have a little routine when I am travelling on the road from place to place. I wake up and wash in the sink like everyone’s grandparents would have done Jamie Waddington

‘Then I might driver into a village and find a toilet and free wi-fi and then visit a couple of places or natural sights of beauty. After that I spend the time planning a sensible place to sleep, such as quiet car parks.

‘My van has everything a regular house would have except smaller - though the living area is probably bigger than student halls and some flatshares I know.

‘The inside of most vans are dark and dingy but the natural light from the skylight mean this is very nice to sit in and it’s very homely. I just have to sleep with something covering my eyes or I will be woken up very early in the morning.