Van conversion... how much ££’s

Just smiffy

Just smiffy

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A lwb Renault master or sprinter, how much roughly would a full diy conversion cost with full shower and toilet, not bothered about an oven. Rear semi fixed bed for storage under.
Solar and possibly lithium batteries
Swivel cab seats and some form of bench seating.. biggest water tank as possible, hot water system refillable gas bottles and probably a Chinese diesel heater.

electric’s, how hard is that...? Can you get kits..?

cabinets need to be of a fair quality and van insulation.

not bothered about too many windows and what’s the advantage/disadvantage of V5 saying motorhome or van. Or other variations

for cost purposes van costs around 10k

anyone done it..?
 

Why re-register the panel van as a motor caravan for the following benefits:​

  1. Cheaper Insurance – Generally leisure vehicles such as campervans are cheaper to insure than panel vans. This is because they generally have fewer claims, do fewer miles and are not used for commercial use. Keep in mind that you can still get your self build insured as a campervan even if the vehicle is registered as a panel van. Campervan insurance is generally 10% – 50% cheaper than van insurance.
  2. Contents Insurance – Vehicles registered as campervans generally have better contents insurance than panel vans. This is because a campervan contains personal belongings such as mobile phone, laptops, jewellery, etc. Whereas a panel van typically contains tools and parts for commercial use.
  3. Might be able to travel faster – Vans with an unladen weight of under 3050kg can travel at a maximum of 60mph on a dual carriageway. But this increases to 70mph on a dual carriageway for vehicles registered as campervans. All other speed limits remain the same. Vehicles with an unladen weight over 3050kg (i.e. all 3500kg vans) have no change in speed limit when re-registering as a campervan.
  4. Cheaper MOT – Class VII vehicles (between 3000kg and 3500kg) registered as camper vans come under the cheaper and less restriction Class IV MOT rules. When inspecting the vehicle the MOT tester has to test the vehicle “as it is presented”. So if a campervan is presented, that would normally be class VII, even if it is not re-registered as a campervan, the MOT tester should test is as class IV vehicle.
  5. Might get cheaper ferry prices – Travelling on a ferry is typically cheaper for a campervan or motorhome than a commercial van. Most ferry companies look at a converted campervan and are happy for it to pay the cheaper campervan price. However, a few ferry companies will use the DVLA logbook classification to determine whether to price the vehicle as a commercial vehicle or not
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for a good standard of finish and a few toys like lithium and b2b i think youll bee looking at 10/12 k nowadays i did one 10 years ago and spent 6k thats for the matierials and almost the same again in labour with a conversion company
 
I’ve got a Renault master with the extra high roof ( fibreglass ) I bought it new in 2012 , only done 30,000 miles , it was bought for my plumbing business but I retired earlier than expected, it’s been really handy but I’m think it Would make a lovely stealth wagon

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We did ours in 2019, pretty much what you describe, less swivel seats and smaller water tanks. Add under slung lpg, a 2kva inverter. Just under 10k in materials alone. With proper wall board and proper furniture moorland high pressure boards at 150 a pop. It took 7 boards. Insulation was about 900quid. I lined the hole van in 10mm dodo mat, that is a acoustic and thermal, before 40mm upholstery wool. The hardest bit to insulate was by far the overcab and the doors. Well worth it.
 
It is surprising how much it costs if you want a good professional looking finish. I've done a couple of VW's but the plumbing on those was basic, still cost around £5K (but we did buy a preformed furniture kit to look better). A friend has done a Boxer and I helped - think it cost him around £13K for bits, high cost items were insulation, windows, plumbing incl shower/toilet, electrics and the marine ply for furniture. Took him around 4 months pretty well as his main hobby. But he now has a nice van to his spec.
 
I’m thinking about it....🤔
mainly because motorhomes have gone up considerably at the moment plus there’s not too many automatics out there...
I’ve been looking at the 20-30k ones and some are just not worth it..
There’s quite a few Renault and sprinters that are automatic and around 10k would buy a half decent van... so it looks like from above it would cost around 10k to convert with the added bonus of having the layout I wanted and accommodate me being in a wheelchair but that doesn’t really hinder me in a motorhome as I get around very easily on my arse..😆

I have the skills to do one but I’m not very good at electrics..⚡️ But could soon learn I suppose... and it looks like I’ll have the time to do one over the long summer that’s coming....🤔 do I want to buy a motorhome for around 25k that’s overpriced or can I be arsed to do my own for around 20k.....🤔🤔 I’ve gotten very good at being lazy over the last year, but there are a few threads that are going to be doing self builds coming up which is making me think I could do that... Northernraider Tam for one....

can anyone link in some conversion product suppliers....👍🏼👍🏼
Thanks for replies so far, much appreciated..😁
 
We was with the same dilemma when we hunted for our Motorhome. I don’t put price in unusefull bling, but I ready to splash out in things that I use most, and give reliable service. The LiFePo4 battery 400ah bank was the biggest chunk, then the inverter, heater, boiler, toilet shower, fridge, freezer, sink, another heater, windows, insulation, boarding etc. The quality build is by far the best if you do it yourself. Main supplier for my bits was O’Leary. Drove there and loaded the van up with 4,5k parts and goodies. The rest I hunted down on the net for the best price. If you make a list, phone O’Leary for stock and he will round it up as a bulk buy. That’s what I did. Many things are not there, like insulation. I found a company sells the stuff on eBay shop. Same with the motorhome parts, lots on ebay shops. We budgeted 8k without the lithium and managed to spend a little less. The windows, maxxfan, bathroom vent, auto carpet, all from eBay shops. The lpg kit, I bought it from gas it under 300 all in. It’s important to have most of it delivered before you make a start. You will use them for reference to fit, the underslung needs bolting before you insulate the floor. So is essential that you got pretty much all at ready. If I would do it again, I would avoid bonded windows. This is the only think I would do different, no mater what the excuses are.

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I started off thinking 10k would be enough for the conversion and soon discovered id blow half of that just on electrics. Given what i want it to look like when done i now think nearer 20k is more realistic. My base vehicle has cost me £4k so will be around 25k when finished. I think its better to plan for a bigger budget then perhaps come in under that than set a low budget and have to keep upping it.
 
Northernraider said:
I started off thinking 10k would be enough for the conversion and soon discovered id blow half of that just on electrics. Given what i want it to look like when done i now think nearer 20k is more realistic. My base vehicle has cost me £4k so will be around 25k when finished. I think its better to plan for a bigger budget then perhaps come in under that than set a low budget and have to keep upping it.
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Did you get a 7 n half to convert?, I've been thinking of going the other way, get rid of the 7.5t and up rating a 3500 upto 3850. I'd put £10-£12k on the conversion, £20k would steer me more to buy something already converted
 
This is what I’m stuck with,,, if I do a van conversion with double bed at the back it would be difficult to take someone along for travelling, a friend or relative for example, where as if I got a traditional motorhome with two beds it wouldn’t be a problem and would probably have more storage for fishing tackle if me and a mate went fishing...🤔

I'm in limbo...🥴😬
 
Wissel

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Eggs said:
Did you get a 7 n half to convert?, I've been thinking of going the other way, get rid of the 7.5t and up rating a 3500 upto 3850. I'd put £10-£12k on the conversion, £20k would steer me more to buy something already converted
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Yeah 7.5 tonne merc. But i want the ability to fit proper sturdy hardwearing interior plus carry a 250kg motorbike on a rear rack etc.

You couldn't buy a 7.5 tonne 7.3 metre pvc with quality fittings for £25k ....ive looked
Even in germany pickings are slim and buying a motorhome choices are limited or crazy prices.

My priorities are load capacity , reliability and fulltime off grid capability in any climate.

What 7.5 have you got?
 
Just smiffy said:
This is what I’m stuck with,,, if I do a van conversion with double bed at the back it would be difficult to take someone along for travelling, a friend or relative for example, where as if I got a traditional motorhome with two beds it wouldn’t be a problem and would probably have more storage for fishing tackle if me and a mate went fishing...🤔

I'm in limbo...🥴😬
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My front sofa will make in to a second bed hopefully.
 
Northernraider said:
Yeah 7.5 tonne merc. But i want the ability to fit proper sturdy hardwearing interior plus carry a 250kg motorbike on a rear rack etc.

You couldn't buy a 7.5 tonne 7.3 metre pvc with quality fittings for £25k ....ive looked
Even in germany pickings are slim and buying a motorhome choices are limited or crazy prices.

My priorities are load capacity , reliability and fulltime off grid capability in any climate.

What 7.5 have you got?
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25 year old Merc 811, it was refitted to not a bad standard a few back, I've just had enough of driving a house brick shaped, 4l non-turbo engine truck. I think I can squeeze what I need into 3850kg. I'm also a fulltimer so could be wrong.
 
Just smiffy said:
This is what I’m stuck with,,, if I do a van conversion with double bed at the back it would be difficult to take someone along for travelling, a friend or relative for example, where as if I got a traditional motorhome with two beds it wouldn’t be a problem and would probably have more storage for fishing tackle if me and a mate went fishing...🤔

I'm in limbo...🥴😬
Click to expand...
What about a fixed rear bed and a sofa up front that you could use for a small bed ... :imoutahere:
 
Eggs said:
25 year old Merc 811, it was refitted to not a bad standard a few back, I've just had enough of driving a house brick shaped, 4l non-turbo engine truck. I think I can squeeze what I need into 3850kg. I'm also a fulltimer so could be wrong.
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Mine has the benefit of a turbo but still like a housebrick but then the hymer is hardly sportscar shaped either. Its 3900kg and i struggle to be honest and that's without a bike on the back. But then ive seen folk fulltime in vans half the size so it is possible.

But i find whatever motorhome you buy theres good and bad in it so i want to now try building my own.
I've not driven it yet so i might get a shock 🤣

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My xlwb boxer cost 21k inclusive of the Van cost at 13.9k. Suggest you put your money into the insulation and look at ready made furniture kits and interior panels. Check out Solway campers for the interior panels they are good, I used some in my Van. (They became available after I had completed most of my build).
As for suppliers of materials there plenty of options, the internet will become your best friend. Also suggest you look at the SBMCC, plenty advice on self builds in that forum.
 
Eggs said:
25 year old Merc 811, it was refitted to not a bad standard a few back, I've just had enough of driving a house brick shaped, 4l non-turbo engine truck. I think I can squeeze what I need into 3850kg. I'm also a fulltimer so could be wrong.
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I'd quite like to see some pics of your 811 if you care to share
 
Just smiffy said:
not bothered about too many windows and what’s the advantage/disadvantage of V5 saying motorhome or van. Or other variations
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If you are convert the interior as per DVLA guidance document then submit a request to change the V5 to a Motor Caravan and you will get the V5 changed to Van with Windows and also a covering letter to say that although the exterior doesn't look like a motor caravan the vehicle can be used as such. This letter from the DVLA is accepted by most insurance companies to get it insured as a motor caravan and also gives you other benefits such as speed limits.
 
scousebird said:
Ralph-n-Bev did a self build & it's wonderful
Bev, can you put a link please?
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Thanks Helen ☺️
Bit of a long read Just smiffy but you might get some useful advice from it . Ralph says if / when he ever does another he’d at least have more room to work on it where we live now . Back when he built Pug he had to do it all down our narrow drive outside in all elements . The interior design layout works well for us . We can’t wait to get back out there.
Good luck 👍
www.motorhomefun.co.uk

rb panel van conversion begins !

Well after Ordering our base vehicle back in July it has finally arrived..... As you can see its a Peugeot Boxer, the van is 6.4m long and has a 2.2 engine with 130 BHP. The new Boxer has a few changes to it the obvious one being the face lift. Other changes made are to the sliding door gear...
www.motorhomefun.co.uk www.motorhomefun.co.uk

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I've done a few (see my signature) and can make a few comments about converting your own...
  • You get what YOU want. {Positive}
  • If anything fails when in use you know where and how it was built. {Positive}
  • You will walk tall and proud of your creation. {Positive}
  • Building on a new vehicle to a professional standard won't be much cheaper. {Neutral}
  • If you are sensible you will use readily available parts thus your creation will be reasonably future proofed. {Positive}
  • Not always easy to sell on as it won't have a recognisable identity for buyers. {Negative}
  • Do a lot of research into prices and other peoples ideas and comments. {Time consuming}
  • Don't be fooled by comments about 'Motor Caravan' on the V5C it's almost irrelevant nowadays.
  • Some insurance companies are 'sniffy' about Self-builds but it is easily overcome by shopping around.
If you are thinking of a VW New Crafter (or MAN TGE) then it's worth a look here (I am) https://www.facebook.com/groups/2017CrafterTGE

The thread mentioned above is a superb read plus there is a forum section here for Self-builds https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/forums/self-build-motorhomes.70/
 
Ralph-n-Bev said:
Thanks Helen ☺️
Bit of a long read Just smiffy but you might get some useful advice from it . Ralph says if / when he ever does another he’d at least have more room to work on it where we live now . Back when he built Pug he had to do it all down our narrow drive outside in all elements . The interior design layout works well for us . We can’t wait to get back out there.
Good luck 👍
www.motorhomefun.co.uk

rb panel van conversion begins !

Well after Ordering our base vehicle back in July it has finally arrived..... As you can see its a Peugeot Boxer, the van is 6.4m long and has a 2.2 engine with 130 BHP. The new Boxer has a few changes to it the obvious one being the face lift. Other changes made are to the sliding door gear...
www.motorhomefun.co.uk www.motorhomefun.co.uk
Click to expand...
Got nothing done today reading your thread and mostly flicked through others comments, very well done and I fear it would take me years to do similar 🥴
Just one comment, the fantastic fan, I’ve read where others have swapped it for a maxi fan as they were not happy with the fantastic van..🤔

so if I buy a van for conversion do you fancy a nice FREE pitch in my front garden for the whole of summer in Cornwall fully serviced...😉😊
 
Just smiffy said:
Got nothing done today reading your thread and mostly flicked through others comments, very well done and I fear it would take me years to do similar 🥴
Just one comment, the fantastic fan, I’ve read where others have swapped it for a maxi fan as they were not happy with the fantastic van..🤔

so if I buy a van for conversion do you fancy a nice FREE pitch in my front garden for the whole of summer in Cornwall fully serviced...😉😊
Click to expand...
I had the pleasure of a guided tour Just smiffy Garry 😉 imagine a bespoke motorhome made just how you want it............ perfect. 😁
Don't forget quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten. 😎 Bob
 
Just smiffy said:
Got nothing done today reading your thread and mostly flicked through others comments, very well done and I fear it would take me years to do similar 🥴
Just one comment, the fantastic fan, I’ve read where others have swapped it for a maxi fan as they were not happy with the fantastic van..🤔

so if I buy a van for conversion do you fancy a nice FREE pitch in my front garden for the whole of summer in Cornwall fully serviced...😉😊
Click to expand...
No harm in asking smiffy...
 
Just smiffy said:
Got nothing done today reading your thread and mostly flicked through others comments, very well done and I fear it would take me years to do similar 🥴
Just one comment, the fantastic fan, I’ve read where others have swapped it for a maxi fan as they were not happy with the fantastic van..🤔

so if I buy a van for conversion do you fancy a nice FREE pitch in my front garden for the whole of summer in Cornwall fully serviced...😉😊
Click to expand...
Thankyou.
TBH it wore me out doing it weekends and evenings after a days graft. Worth it though. If you do your own you get everything in it you want and nothing you don’t.

If I was retired we would have probably jumped at the chance of a few week down there . 😉 😁 Give you a hand.
As for the fan , never had a problem with it. Does what it says on the tin. Even shuts itself when it rains. 👍 Thoughthats a bit annoying if your cooking and using the fan to get the steam/smell out . You can override it though.
Good luck with your build.

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