Also agree with screen2 - some vans are illegal when brand new - especially on rear axle loading. 'Quality' vans, especially British are bad in this respect - often it is down to the fact that they have used wood rather than lightweight board in their furniture construction. Also consider seating - if there are 4 belted seats you must consider weight of passengers and luggage!
As an aside - Like Francis we have also looked at new £50K+ VW vans - on the surface looked nice and shiny but further checks by OH ('hawkeye') showed sharps edges and holes in back of cupboards etc! Further research with actual owners on sites said the compressor fridge flattens the auxiliary battery in 2 days! So much for 'loadsamoney' says I!
------------- The older I get the better I used to be.
Quote: Originally posted by Screen2 on 02/11/2014
If you are building interior from scratch it is best to use lightweight board as indicated in a previous post. Half inch ply might be cheaper but you could end up with an interior that is too heavy. Your overall weight needs to be considered & it is not unknown for campervans to be overloaded & illegal without owners realising it.
I hadn't considered this .. thanks for the advice (and for the link given earlier by someone).
Having done a few "Self Bilds" I'd say that go around a local Motorhome showroom and take some photos. You'll get loads of ideas from them*
How many of you will be using the vehicle? If you're a family group, then have a look at the ELWB Ivecos - try and find one with the 2.8JTD Iveco engine.
On a budget of 4 to 5k then it may also pay you to have a look at LDVs. They're not that popular but they're still a good van
*Having said that, the last time we did that, we ended up buying a Laika for mucho dineros
How about looking for a horse box most are not high milers
lots come with sleep and shower fitted for grooms or riders and usually are renewed by horsey set to keep up with the jones.
the horse side can be converted at your leisure after replacing flooring (horse pee rely stinks and lingers for ever) hence the flooring.
and you will need to get deplated if bigun like rainbow converstion of single decker bus.
Unless you have goods or psv licence to cover
I bought a VW T4 2.4 diesel Hi top for £2300 (Ebay).
I fitted it out using good quality used stuff from Ebay, Fridge, combined 4 burner and Sink Unit, Zig Unit and some other odds and sods, as well as a 12 Volt TV/DVD unit, cleaned them up and they look like new.
The Sink Base and side cupboards were Factum Range from IKEA.
I pinched some Kingspan insulation from a Builders skip ! (well they didnt want it), I also got a pile of used Parquet flooring from a skip. Fixed down then sanded off and varnished and it looks pretty cool !.
Wall lining was from Rainbow Conversions.
Wiring from Halfords.
Best deal was 3 used flourescent double tube lighting units from Ebay, £12 the lot.
Bed was half inch ply from Builders merchants and wall unit was Melamine boards from Builders merchants.
DONT fit a Rock N Roll Bed. It wastes space and is incredibly uncomfortable to sit on.
I built a fold out bed directly behind the drivers seatm also using a removeable Box that forms part of the bed.
To support the bed when in Use I used cut down Stainless Table legs and fitted the base hole units into the floor.
When the bed is folded up, one of the Fitted Table base hole units acts as the extra support for the dining table.
We now have a superb walk through camper.
Total cost of the van and fitting out was just under £4k
ESSENTIAL: Battery powered Drill/Screwdriver. Those little plastic fitting blocks from DIY shops or Builders merchants.
Weve had a lot of comments on our camper from people who thought it was a Pro conversion and even been offered £5k for it but I wont sell it yet.
Funny point. My van came with the solid welded in bulkhead behind the front seats. I jigsawed most of it out, but then went around the spot welds with a Brick bolster and hammer. Got to the spot weld near the driver side seat belt fitting and suddenly BANG !! and a smell of gunpowder or something. I firstly thought I was being shot at then realised that my seat belts had explosive Pre-Tensioners. Scared the life out of me.
------------- Birth of the Universe?
Once upon a time there was nothing. Which exploded
We are on the SBMCC, very good site for the new builder.
We are currently converting a Mercedes Vario 614D minibus, 6 tonnes gross weight and built like a tank, so weight of fittings isn't a problem, we have about 2 tonnes to play with for interior and payload.
We bought a damaged caravan off ebay to source the expensive bits like cooker, fridge, oven, water heater and a lot of fittings and cupboard door in solid wood (or looks like solid wood anyway!)
We are looking at 10 years life out of it, so not building to sell. I don't think anyone gets any significant profit out of a self build when the sell it on.
I went for self build on my VW T4 and its even been in a 6 page magazine feature, I wasn't expecting that when I started, check out my full picture build thread of HORACE
Hi there, for what it is worth, my wife and I are currently converting a VW Crafter MWB (2010).
We budgeted 20,000 GBP and have so far spent 16,000 GBP, including the van, which cost us 8,000 GBP. This also includes custom made furniture and bed.
We took delivery of the van at the end of January and only just took it to the cabinet maker (weekend of 9-10 May). I also took the entire Easter week off work, while my wife took two additional days. The period also included Early May Bank holiday. All in all so far, working 14 weeks by my estimates, we've spent about 470 hours on this project:
130 hours during week nights
80 hours during Easter
260 hours during weekends
This is mainly just to get in lined and insulated.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: conversion costs
