My DIY camper – from rusty van to cosy home in 5 months

The van conversion is finally complete. See more pictures of the complete camper conversion here

I love the idea of living in a van

But I don’t really find the look and feel of most motorhomes or campers very appealing (I mean home like). Months of daydreaming allowed me to get a pretty clear image of how I wanted the van to be. No plans/layouts were drawn up or measured. It was pretty much built on-the-fly.

UPDATE: My book, From Van to Home, is now available as an instant download. It covers every detail of my conversion and much more. Read more about it and get it here

My van – a space for living

I used common materials found in DIY and home shops rather than using the specialised (and expensive) materials from motorhome/camopervan shops.

The result is something that feels pretty cosy and home like, and you can easily forget you are in a 10 year old van by the side of the road.

Features of my converted camper van:

• Compressor fridge/freezer (can select mode)
• pressurised water system with 70L fresh tank
• 200W solar charging system with approx. 190Ah lead-calcium batteries
• 240V mains socket from pure sine inverter
• 12V power distribution board with mains hook-up
• LED lighting 0.8W in ceiling and ultra-bright 4W in lamp
• studio reference speakers
• shower and toilet
• extendable bed – sleeps 2
• large hammock fits multiple people, sleeps one
• work desk area
• hot water on demand
• refillable LPG tank 11KG
• gas cooker and sink
• plenty of storage under bed. Overhead shelf fits 3 60L backpacks

Here’s the van before conversion

The van is 10 years old. It was rusty, holey and hacked up. This is after repairing some of the rust on the floor – see removing floor rust 

Now it’s time to travel Europe!

For more images see the completed van conversion gallery

Make your own van home!

The ebook is available now to buy as an instant download here