I have received many requests to know just how much our DIY campervan conversion cost, well I tried my best to keep a complete record of all expenses and I will lay it all out!
First things first, what was the purchase price of our van and what did we get?
We purchased a 2015 Ford Transit 350HD Dully 3.2L Turbo Diesel. We bought it from a dear friend for $25,000 outright. This was a very spontaneous opportunity that was presented to us and we felt that it was something we were meant to have so we pulled the trigger!
I was super intimidated because all of a sudden I had this insane project that we agreed to with absolutely NO idea how to accomplish it! If you know me, that is exactly what I like…..tell me I can’t and I 1000% will prove to you that you are wrong.
So, I researched and researched and researched and then realized I just had to start and take it step by step; figure it out as I go. The reason I tell you this is because I really didn’t have any idea how much it would cost or how to budget for this build. I will say that I did about 90% of this entire build myself. My husband was definitely the main brain behind the electrical system itself and chose the products and installed them, although I did do the wiring through out the van body. The other handyman that I would consult frequently when I couldn’t figure something out was my father-in-law, “the Blanch-manager” who is a jack of all trades and the one that took care of our gray tank we added under the shower!
Let’s break it down.
Demo:
We started with the demo! Luckily this step requires mostly muscle and not much money coming from your pocket (that is assuming you have access to some basic tools like a hammer, pliers, impact drivers and pry-bars. One cost you may incur is a dump run fee to trash all of the panels you take out, which may run you about $50.
Subfloor, Insulation & Sound Deadening:
This shows the progression of building the new insulated subfloor and ceiling, along with Havelock wool insulation and sound deadening with Kilmat.
Subfloor framing and foam board insulation $94.30
Floor hole epoxy filler and rust paint $15
Kilmat 50ml Sound Deadening $66.48 and this tool
Plywood Subfloor $65.15
Havelock wool $168.47
Total: $409.40
Click here to see a recap of these events!
Design/Layout
At this point in order to start wiring, you need to know where you want everything to go and nail down your layout. You also need to pick out all of the items you choose to use so you can give enough space to house said items and run wires to the correct locations for plugs and lighting etc . Below are the main items in the van that I needed to lock in so that I could get my layout and provide enough room to fit everything.
Kitchen Sink $93.25
Techomey Mini Fridge $312.02
2 burner gas stove $112.74
Kitchen Faucet $158.72
Bidet Shower Faucet $79.35
Maxxair Fan $321.74
Thetford Porta Potti $184.99
Bosch Electric Mini-Tank Water Heater 4 gallon $192.39
Shurflo water pump $72.50
26 gallon Water Tank $102.78
20 gallon Gray water holding tank $108.31
Shower Pan $144.74
Recessed Ceiling lights $61.14
Victron Lynx Distributor $231.50
BattleBorn Energy 200 ah Bundle including: $3,648.65
– Two 100AH Deep Cycle Lithium Batteries
– Victron BMV-712 Battery Monitor
– Victron Multiplus Inverter Charger 2000 watt 12v
– Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/50 Solar Charge Controller
– Victron Digital Multi-Control
– Victron Orion-TR Smart 12/12V-30A Isolated Charger
– RJ45 1.8mm cable
With many of these items I linked and bought above from Amazon, I would use my Amazon shopping hack to get lower prices than what it is listed for. If you want to see the trick click here for an explanation! Once these items were all decided upon we were able to layout precise measurements of where everything would be placed. Next up wiring!
Electrical System:
Above I linked the electrical system we went with. Since this was our first conversion this portion of the build took an extremely long time to figure out! Pretty much the month of December absolutely nothing was done in the van, only on the computer researching. That is when we came across Nate with the explorist.life who is such an amazing resource to get you through your first build! The remainder of our electrical costs is below (electrical bundle and lynx distributor linked above). This is by far the most expensive part of the build!!!
With that said, now that we have done so much research and know the ins and outs of the electrical needs in a van, there are ways to streamline this and make it MUCH more affordable!! It was really beneficial to get the education that came with setting all of this up though, so we look at it like we paid for a little college class as well. haha
Electrical bundle and distributor linked above: $3,880.15
12v Fuse Block $38.72
Shore Power Inlet $24.44
10 AWG Solar Cables $31.99
Waterproof Solar Cable Entry Gland $9.99
16 Guage stranded wire $55.67
12/3 AWG stranded wire $55.72
Solar Panels $499.74
Airbag simulators $9.32
Outlets, Switches, Outlet boxes $152.20
Recessed Ceiling lights $61.14
30 amp electrical cord $23.58 36.99
Miscellaneous Electrical fuses, wire, nuts, lugs $547.46
Total: $5,379.95
Click here for a recap on the electrical install!
Framing, Walls, Cabinets, Bench, Paint, Floors
Next up is all of the furring strips that frame the walls of the van. Once those were in place the plywood walls went up and I was then able to start building structures to fill our tiny home on wheels. Now these costs can vary immensely! Not only with wood prices being astronomical but also if you choose to build your cabinets or not, etc.
I built all of the upper and lower cabinets, along with the bench seat. Below you can see snapshots of progress through framing, to the walls being put up, painting and the frames of both the bench and cabinets.
Furring strips $88.85
Window framing wood, Kreg jig screws, ceiling framing $173.10
Plywood and 2×3’s: $153.52
Self drilling screws $16.50
Plywood for walls $94.87
Lower Cabinet wood, bench wood and plaster $240.61
Bench wood and slats $131.43
Paint-Benjamin Moore Soft Fern $64.04
Upper Cabinet wood $80.02
Shower plywood walls and Fixed bed wood $169.04
Car seat Bracket Mounts $70.76
Flooring $0.00 given to me
Total: $1,282.74
Ceiling
My cedar plank ceiling cost me $196.76 which I think is a steal for the impact it made! I absolutely love it and would use it again.
Cedar Planks: $196.76
Maxxair Fan $321.74
Butyl Tape $10.72
Total: $529.22
Door Planks
I used a very lightweight cedar planking to cover the two back doors and slider of the van.
Knotty Cedar Planks $176.02
Faux greenery: free from my house
Total: $176.02
Water System
The plumbing system came together much quicker than the electrical system. The added cost of putting an indoor shower is what made it more expensive. If we do a future build we have already talked above doing an outdoor propane shower on the back doors and just enclosing a toilet in a cabinet/bench. We used PEX tubing for the water lines with some PVC leading to the drains we mounted to the bottom of the van. Mounting the grey tank was the biggest part of this project.
Bosch Electric Mini-Tank Water Heater 4 gallon $192.39
Shurflo water pump $72.50
26 gallon Water Tank $102.78
20 gallon Gray water holding tank $108.31
Shower Pan $144.74
Thetford Porta Potti $184.99
Kitchen Faucet $158.72
Kitchen Sink $93.25
Water fill Inlet $19.95
Bidet Shower Faucet $79.35
Kitchen and shower drains $29.25
RV fill hose $17.78
FRP Shower walls $82.60
Shower tiles *$288.89 (*gifted product)
Total: $1,286.61
Appliances
We chose to go with propane for our stove because we like cooking on a flame more and it allowed us to conserve our power when we choose to be off-grid. For that reason we went with the 2 burner stove linked above and the Techomey Mini Fridge 1.0 Cu.Ft, Mini Fridge with Lock 12V/110V to allow us the option of using it via 12v or our AC power.
Techomey Mini Fridge *$312.02 (*we ended up getting a full refund due to a dent on the top, but it works completely fine)
2 burner gas stove $112.74
You will need a propane tank, we already had one.
Total: $112.74
Accessories
Everything I lumped into this category is more of the decorative pieces! So not all of this is necessary but to me, it is! The stone was a sponsored item as well so I did not have to pay for them.
Epoxy Countertops– free! left over from a prior project
Stone backsplash tile *$274.01 (*gifted product)
Foam Pad for bench seat $112.46
Bench seat covers $96.57
Cabinet hardware $27.86
Loloi Rug $29.26
Macrame “garage cover” $23.98
Bed Sheets $32.90
Shower Curtain $20.85
Comfort Tech 10″ Serene Foam Mattress, Firm, Queen $493.12
Electrical doors and over cab storage: free from scrap wood I already had
Total: $837.00
*We chose to limo tint all of the windows on the passenger van (their are a lot, like eight!) $500
So the grand totals are below!
| Subfloor, Insulation & Sound Deadening | $409.40 |
| Electrical System | $5,379.95 |
| Framing, Walls, Cabinets, Bench, Paint, Floors | $1,282.74 |
| Ceiling | $529.22 |
| Water System | $1,286.61 |
| Appliances | $112.74 |
| Accessories | $837.00 |
| Door Planks | $176.02 |
| Tinting all windows | $500.00 |
Total Build Cost: $10,513.68
Purchase price: $25,000.00
Total Cost: $35,513.68
All in all, for a first time build with really no idea how to budget for this project I am pretty impressed we were able to do as much as we did! Any questions welcomed!
Exterior Plans
We eventually plan on getting a small lift to give us more clearance under the van. We will be adding rims and tires shortly but we have yet to purchase those.
A couple other items are:
Moonshade Portable Awning $350
Hitch Cargo Carrier $175
7 Comments
Valerie Keller
Beautiful! Did you sell this Van?
nailgunnelly
yes back in August!
Mary
If you had it to do over, what would you do differently?
nailgunnelly
Make a converting bed into a dining space rather than a fixed bed!
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monica kaul
I’m curious where your bucket list trip was in your van?
nailgunnelly
We went from the Central Coast of California through northern Arizona and up back through southern Utah visiting the Grand Canyon, Zion, Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Kanab, Horseshoe bend, Antelope Canyon and so many other stops!