You can start building your campervan in two ways:
As it goes (more expensive and longer, but you get to work right away and see the results faster, which motivates you).
or
Plan in advance and then implement it (cheaper and faster, but you burn your initial enthusiasm over a piece of paper or in a 3D program).
You have to choose your own way. One thing is for sure: the bigger your budget the more it is worth and the more it should be planned.
First you should answer yourself to some important questions:
1) How many people will be using your campervan?
2) How many days a year will it be used for?
3) How often will you use paid campsites?
4) How much time do you have to build?
5) Winter or non-winter campervan?
6) What's your budget?
Constructing a campervan for two is the simplest. Installing swivel front seats and removing the separation wall not only increases space but also opens up more possibilities.
If your plan involves building a campervan for short trips, such as fishing excursions, the process will be simpler. You'll require basic supplies like water, small batteries, and optionally, photovoltaic panels. However, for longer journeys, the complexity increases as you'll need to store more water, utilize more electricity, and possibly install solar panels.
For year-round van life, the challenges escalate significantly. You'll need numerous solar panels, ample water storage including drinking and grey water tanks, and large batteries. Moreover, these additions add considerable weight, which must be considered within the vehicle's weight limit of 3.5 tons.
For comfortable travel, ensure your DIY campervan includes a shower, crucial for maintaining hygiene on the road.
One of the biggest challenges is filling and emptying water, emptying toilet contents and ensuring energy independence (especially in winter).
In some countries, such as the Scandinavian countries, there is a well-developed camper infrastructure, where you can get rid of waste free of charge. In other countries it is not so rosy anymore.
Of course, you can be tempted to use ecological soap (grey, odourless) for washing. There are also ecological toothpastes and dishwashing liquids.
It is similar in terms of electricity, in summer it is easy to balance energy, because the sun shines for a long time and falls at an almost right angle to the photovoltaic
panels (significantly increasing their efficiency).
Now one of the most important things - the budget.
A lot depends on how much money you have set aside for your build. Many people who built the campervan say that they did not fit into the budget. Usually it was influenced by 2 things.
First of all, the purchase of a van to which you should add 20% of the purchase value, because you always have to fix something after the previous owner. After all, a van is most often sold when it starts to break down, and if it is functional, you will not even see it in advertisements because it will be bought by someone from the seller's family or friends.
The second important factor is all the little things you need for building, like screws, glues, gaskets, and hinges. These are often left out of our plans, and during construction, we might change our minds or make mistakes, leading to extra trips to buy materials. So, it's a good idea to set aside an extra 50% for unexpected construction costs.
For example, assuming that the build will cost €10,000, you will most likely spend around €15,000. So it’s important to manage the budget correctly since we don’t want to stop the project due to lack of funds.
As the legends say, confirmed by facts, no one has ever finished building their campervan in 100%, and at the same time no one has ever made it on time. Time is the most underestimated factor. It often seems that we could build a campervan in 4 weeks and it comes out as half a year or even twice longer. There are many factors involved in the campervan conversion, but on average it takes 1000 hours.
Assuming that we only work alone on weekends and we devote about 6 hours to work each day, we will need 166 days, i.e. about 83 weekends, i.e. 2 years. Working in the afternoons and weekends, will shorten this time to about 6-9 months.
It is best to start off-season, that is in September or October. Then we have a good chance to go on holiday with our campervan next year. Of course, there will be people who will start in March and finish in June, but that depends on many factors.
The level of advancement of the build, the quality of its finish or even if you have a garage or not. In our case, we had no garage which was very problematic regarding the organisation or storing materials. If you do not have a garage, it is definitely worth starting the conversion in the spring.
If you lack a garage, initiating the build process in the spring is strongly recommended. During this season, you benefit from milder weather conditions and temperature, providing a more comfortable and conducive environment for the work.
While starting the campervan conversion process off-season in September or October offers ample time for completion by the following year's holiday season, some may choose to begin later, such as in March, depending on various factors. Factors such as the progress of the build, the desired level of finish, and the availability of a garage can significantly influence the timeline.
The extended daylight hours in spring also offer increased visibility, making it easier to tackle various tasks associated with the conversion project.
Several furgon vans, particularly those of Continental origin, are "plated down" to 3500 kg (3.5 tonnes). This indicates that although the chassis was originally
designed for a gross vehicle weight (GVW) exceeding 3.5 tonnes, the motorhome converter has restricted it to 3.5 tonnes to comply with regulations allowing driving with an ordinary car license.
It's important to note that in various countries within the European Union, there is a tolerance of 1 to 2%. Only some countries have 5-10% tolerance, so generally we have around 35 kg and 50 kg of margin.
Estimating the weight by tallying the list of items and materials used can be challenging and often results in a 50% increase over the initial plan. It's crucial to be mindful of the overall weight. Consider that three adults add up to 200 kg, water weighs 100 kg, packed belongings for a trip contribute another 100 kg, and a full tank of fuel is around 100 kg.
Therefore, if the Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) of the vehicle is 3500 kg, the total weight (excluding the aforementioned items) should not exceed 3000 kg. Additionally, keep in mind that LPG gas weighs approximately 60 kg per 100 liters.
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