A new van is rather like a blank canvas – with a bit of money and skill, it can be converted into almost anything – from luxury living accomodation to a mobile workshop or restaurant.

This VW Crafter conversion proves that new ideas are always possible – and that they aren’t as complicated as they might seem.

The Barbus provides a mobile barber service to the good people of Banbury, Oxfordshire and is the brainchild of Stella O’Neill and Louise Viggers, the directors of Barbus Service UK Ltd.

The conversion took four weeks to complete and involved ply lining and insulating the walls and ceiling in the load area, before covering it in a high gloss flame retardant plastic covering; the floor was covered in black rubber stud tiles; shelving was fitted and a generator was installed to power the heating and air conditioning system.

The van itself is a long wheelbase, high roof Volkswagen Crafter with a 2.5l, 136 PS engine driving a semi-automatic Shiftmatic gearbox.

It certainly looks like a cut above the average van to me and is very well trimmed… I thank you!