A couple transformed a Ford Transit van into a $100,000 modern home. Now they hope their business can diversify the van-life movement.

While quarantining in their home city of Toronto, Canada, in 2020, the couple researched the movement some more. Vandermeij and Figueiredo soon realized they have a unique skill set — Vandermeij is a designer and builder, while Figueiredo is a lawyer — that meant they were perfectly positioned to build a camper-van-renovation business.

"I knew I could build a van with my skills in woodworking and interior design, and my partner is super detail-oriented and good with the project-management aspect," Vandermeij told Insider.

Within a month of discovering the van-life movement, the couple decided to start their side hustle by building a prototype van.

They bought a 2020 Ford Transit van and immediately started turning it into a livable home.

"There was a lot of sitting around in our apartments during the pandemic and not a lot of exercising, so getting up and building a van together was really fun to do," Vandermeij said.

Vandermeij said the hardest part of the renovation process was working with the curvature of the van because he's used to working in homes that have hard right angles.

"It was challenging to get really clean lines, so it took us a bit longer [than expected]," he said. "It's basically one giant piece of furniture inside a curved van."

With the completion of their prototype van, the Swift Chalet, Vandermeij and Figueiredo officially launched their business, The Van Dads, which aims to one day renovate camper vans at low prices for diverse groups of people.

The Swift Chalet is just the beginning for them.

Vandermeij said the interior of the van only has two materials: Baltic birch wood and vinyl, both of which are great for wear and tear.

"We've trying to make this minimalist, modernist, and contemporary van design affordable for people to have," he said.

The mini-fridge also has a freezer, and the stovetop is induction so that it doesn't run on propane, which Vandermeij calls "super safe."

Vandermeij said this added design element makes the home feel less cluttered.

A table can be pulled out to create an eating or working area.

Under the bed, there is a composting toilet, which can be pulled out when needed.

"We have a lot of attachment to the van, but we're also excited to give it to someone who's going to have a lot more time to use it than us," he said. "We're excited to see someone else enjoy it, explore the world, maybe work out of it."

Camper-van conversion can cost anywhere from $30,000 to $150,000 on average.

Vandermeij said the Swift Chalet would be considered a high-end van and their most expensive, but they plan to have multiple tiers.

At the cheapest, people can bring them a van and they will renovate it with their base design for $36,000. Customers can then add features to that base design for an added price. The Van Dads also plan on offering completely custom builds, starting at $48,000.

They said they already have more than 80 people waiting to work with them.

Most of the camper vans seen on social media are high-end, cost over $100,000, and are owned predominately by white people.

"Van life sits squarely at the intersection of travel, particularly road tripping, and the great outdoors," Jessica Poitevien at The Daily Beast wrote in 2020. "Historically, these arenas have been dominated by white people and fraught with extra burdens and obstacles for BIPOC."

The Van Dads said they're proud to be able to add some diversity to the movement themselves. For starters, they are a homosexual couple and Figueiredo is Brazilian.

"We're a couple and my partner's not a white person, so we're very excited to be one of the few designer-builder teams that's not all white," Vandermeij said.

"We're hoping to service a diverse mix of people as are present in our beautiful city of Toronto," he said. "We're very excited to work with people who are interested in making van life more diverse and being present in it as their authentic selves."