For sure, the query on everybody’s thoughts after they see a wonderful camper van conversion is “how a lot does it price?!” These wonderful houses on wheels rival high-end condos and should have the worth tag to match, proper? The fact is that van builds range dramatically and van conversion prices can vary anyplace from $1k to $50k+.
Once we began changing our camper van, Benji, we did a ton of analysis on camper van builds. We needed to set up a finances to create our dream van dwelling with out breaking the financial institution.
If in case you have the instruments and know-how, you’ll be able to maintain prices down by doing the construct your self. However if you happen to’re not eager on getting your fingers soiled, there are many nice van conversion firms on the market who’re consultants on the conversion course of.
Our self transformed van – Benji
So how a lot does a van conversion price? Beneath, we share the breakdown of our prices!
How A lot Does it Price to Convert a Sprinter Van?
DIY Van Conversion
These days, because of the college of YouTube, you’ll be able to study to do nearly something your self. We spent hours watching YouTube movies and studying suggestions and tips from different van lifers earlier than getting began. Max was snug utilizing instruments however we had no prior constructing expertise and realized the whole lot from others. With somewhat assist from Oksana’s dad and brother, we managed to show a cargo van into a comfortable dwelling on wheels.
DIY van conversions can vary dramatically of their worth tags. We’ve seen conversions as low cost as $1,000 and as costly as $50,000. 4×4 van conversion price much more, particularly, you embody the price of the car itself!
Skilled Van Conversion
We received’t lie, the van conversion course of was not painless. It took a variety of analysis and a variety of arduous work—to not point out many bleeding fingers and every day journeys to Residence Depot. It ain’t for the fainthearted. A DIY van conversion can put a pressure on the physique, the thoughts, and even your relationship!
If the timeline and grit don’t fit your way of life, you’ll be able to all the time rent knowledgeable. Most van conversion firms provide packages starting from simply framing and insulation to a whole construct. The associated fee to transform will likely be based mostly on the extent of the construct, labour prices, and what supplies you select.
How A lot Does a Sprinter Van Price?
Earlier than we speak about the price to transform a can to camper, we wish to share a bit extra about our van itself. Vans appropriate for van conversion can vary in worth dramatically, relying in your wants and finances. Model new Sprinter/ProMaster vans price anyplace between $30-50K, whereas used vans will be bought for $10-20K.
We didn’t have the finances to afford a model new van, so we targeted our search on used cargo vans in our space in Ontario, Canada.
We knew we needed a high-top base van that was large enough to accommodate a everlasting bathe and have loads of storage. So we targeted on on the lookout for an prolonged mannequin. We in contrast over 35 used vans in our space and after a ton of analysis selected a 2008 Dodge Sprinter 170WB 3500.
The van had simply undergone a collection of upgrades and had over $10K in latest repairs. It had pushed simply over 130,000 km – a low mileage for a ten yr outdated car.
We bought the van for CAD $15,500 (USD $12,180), together with registration, taxes and all different paperwork. We drove it dwelling and checked out it as a clean canvas for our dream van conversion. We had been now prepared to begin constructing!
How A lot Does it Price to Convert a Sprinter Right into a Camper Van?
We’re going to take you thru each step in our campervan conversion course of. You’ll be capable of see a full breakdown of the price of changing a van. Like we mentioned earlier than, Sprinter van conversion prices can range broadly. These are our prices based mostly on doing the construct ourselves in Toronto, Canada.
Strip & De-Rust
Though our Sprinter van was in good condition mechanically, it did have a good quantity of rust. To repair this, we sanded out the rust spots, patched any holes, and painted on rust prevention paint. All in all, this step wasn’t too expensive, but it surely did find yourself being very time-consuming. What it lacked in bills, it made up for in elbow grease!
The POR-15 rust prevention paint was CAD $74 and the most costly merchandise in our rust busting finances. The fibre patches totalled CAD $45 and labored like a allure for masking up the rust holes. To organize the metallic physique of the car for paint, we used a POR-15 metallic prep remedy, which price CAD $40.
Insulation
Including the correct kind of insulation in each space was an vital step in our camper van construct. We realized a lot throughout the analysis stage of this step of the campervan conversion. It was quite a bit to study, so to assist others, we put collectively a complete insulation information under.
Ultimately, we insulated the ground of our van with inflexible foam board and spray foam, and used Havelock wool on the partitions and ceiling. We opted for sheep’s wool due to its pure insulating properties. It price us $560, which is dearer than different supplies however was completely value it.
Inflexible foam board is a reasonably cost-effective materials and with solely 70 sq ft of dwelling house, we didn’t want a lot. We additionally added Killmat Sound Deadening Mats to reduce vibrations and out of doors noise. This set us again about $100, which was a worthy improve.
Home windows
Like many cargo vans, our van didn’t have any home windows within the dwelling space. When you plan to transform a van to reside in full time, including home windows is an superior method to get pure gentle and benefit from the views whilst you’re cooking or working.
We added 2 backdoor home windows and window panels on both aspect of the van. Some folks would possibly select to have them put in professionally, however we did it ourselves.
Our prices for home windows set up included the price of the home windows – CAD $1,200 for two rear home windows and a pair of aspect home windows, one other CAD $90 for primer and urethane, and CAD $40 for the trim.
Followers
Coping with extra moisture will be difficult when dwelling in a van. To forestall mildew and mildew, we targeted on creating good airflow. We put in two Deluxe MaxxAir Followers: one over the mattress and one other one within the kitchen for CAD $553 every. Once we’re cooking, scorching air can escape and the followers assist to maintain us cool within the summertime.
Within the rest room, we put in a smaller MaxxFan Dome vent fan for CAD $110. It permits moisture to exhaust from the bathe and doubles as a toilet gentle. Lastly, we spent CAD $70 on supplies to seal the surface edges and maintain our DIY campervan watertight.
Heating
Full-time vanlife in Canada requires a very good heater so you’ll be able to overlook how chilly it’s outdoors. After plenty of analysis, we realized we may maintain our camper conversion price down by putting in a diesel heater. Ours was simply CAD $272 and will get gas immediately from our car diesel tank. We received a no identify model, imported from China and it really works simply in addition to the extra well-liked Webasto heater, however prices a fraction of the worth! It’s fairly spectacular how highly effective it may be for the low worth! It heats up quick and may heat the entire van very quickly.
Flooring
The most effective a part of a campervan conversion is that you simply don’t want a variety of supplies. We bought a whopping 80 sq ft of engineered vinyl plank flooring for a complete price of CAD $230. Together with some plywood subfloor, we took our van inside from work van to fashionable dwelling very quickly.
The vinyl plank flooring is waterproof and scratch-resistant, which makes it nice for tenting. The one half we’d change if we had been to do it once more can be so as to add in-floor heating. This is able to imply extra supplies within the electrical finances however can be effectively value it for coziness in Canadian winter.
Ceiling
Our ceiling design is made up of stained wood planks connected to a sheet of Lauan Plywood. Utilizing self-tapping screws, we connected our wood ceiling to the physique of the van. We repeated this course of once more to create the ceiling beneath our elevator mattress. This manner, whether or not the mattress is up or down, now we have a steady ceiling design.
We spent about CAD $209 on plywood and 1×4 wood planks, and one other CAD $58 on the wooden stain and CAD $20 on nails and screws to carry all of it collectively. . Much like the de-rusting, our labour was the very best “price” incurred when constructing our van ceiling.
Partitions
Utilizing the identical plywood we used on the ceiling, we coated up our wall insulation with CAD $177 value of Lauan Plywood. We then nailed tongue & groove shiplap panels to cowl up the plywood and add some texture. Once more, the small house meant we solely needed to buy 60 ft of shiplap, setting us again by about CAD $160. And naturally, this was all made potential with the assistance of our trusty nail gun, which was a implausible $50 buy.
Cupboards & Counter tops
One of many greatest chunks in our inside van conversion price was the cupboards and counter tops. When you adopted alongside on our van construct course of, you’d know that we had a little bit of trial and error on this division.
We used ⅜” Baltic Birch plywood to construct the entire cupboards and drawers. Our grand complete for cupboard plywood was CAD $464. With that, we constructed an 8-drawers, two kitchen cupboards, and an overhead storage compartment. With correct storage being probably the most vital points of van life, these cupboards have been wonderful. They assist us to remain organized and tuck all of our issues away after we’re on the street.
As soon as we made the change to common drawer slides, we added magnets and latches to maintain them from opening whereas driving. The entire drawer slides had been CAD $305, making our drawer finances a bit larger than anticipated. Ultimately, we’re pleased with how they turned out they usually look nice with the matte black {hardware} we selected.
The final step in finishing our cupboards was including the reside edge black walnut wooden countertop. Many individuals go for pre-made IKEA counter tops of their construct however we actually needed one thing distinctive. Max scored these wooden slabs for CAD $330 from an area lumber yard. We sanded them, reduce them to suit our counters, stuffed any holes with epoxy and sealed them with Rubio Monocoat sealant which price us CAD $79. These reside edge counter tops are powerful sufficient for no matter vanlife throws at them.
Elevator Mattress
One of many coolest options of our campervan conversion is our DIY elevator mattress. Once you’re doing van life full time, it’s very nice to not must make your mattress on daily basis. With our setup, we will hangout on the sofa within the daytime and decrease the mattress down solely after we want it. We used an ATV winch and marine-grade pulleys to create the elevator mechanism. The pulleys and screws had been CAD $232 and the winch price us CAD $140.
To construct out the mattress body, we used CAD $141 value of wooden and made positive to permit room for airflow. We then bought a 4” reminiscence foam mattress with a latex topper to make use of as our mattress. It’s tremendous snug and was solely CAD $335—far cheaper than a daily mattress! We used the identical reminiscence foam for our sofa cushions too.
Lavatory & Bathe
Having a toilet makes vanlife really feel such as you’re at dwelling and never simply dwelling in a car. We didn’t wish to compromise on the comforts of dwelling so we included a moveable rest room and a scorching bathe in our van conversion worth. So, the new query on everybody’s thoughts: how a lot does it price to have a toilet in your camper van?
Properly, our priciest parts had been the supplies for framing out the bathe, the water heater, and the bathe pan. We spent about CAD $240 on framing supplies, together with the waterproof FRP boards for the bathe partitions. Subsequent got here the bathe pan, which we received at an area rest room retailer for CAD $116. It really works effectively for our house since we opted for a spherical nook bathe design.
Lastly, the water heater was CAD $173, which is a lifesaver on chilly days. Chilly showers will be refreshing typically however positively not when it’s freezing outdoors!
Our moveable rest room ended up costing us simply CAD $108, but it surely positively has its limitations and we’re already contemplating upgrading it.
Electrical
Our electrical system was by far the BIGGEST expense in our van conversion price. We didn’t need our van life to be crammed with worrying about useless batteries or having a generator. So, making a photo voltaic system that might permit us to reside off-grid was an enormous a part of our finances.
We opted for 4 12V 100Ah lithium-ion batteries that got here out just below CAD $3,600. Sure, they had been costly, however lithium-ion batteries are a few of the greatest batteries for van life. They’ll stand as much as altering temperatures and don’t require any outdoors venting—good for all times on the street.
Our Xantrex Freedom XC 2000 inverter/charger was used so we received an amazing worth for it at CAD $600. The inverter permits us to plug in all of our gadgets and home equipment like we’d at dwelling. It additionally doubles as a DC to DC charger so our batteries can cost from the alternator after we’re driving.
We additionally spent CAD $400 on a very good high quality MPPT cost controller to manage the ability coming into our batteries from the photo voltaic panels. Along with these parts, our electrical finances additionally coated the entire wiring, fuses, and shops we would have liked to finish our energy system.
Photo voltaic Panels
No photo voltaic system can be full with out photo voltaic panels! We put in two 300W monocrystalline photo voltaic panels to provide us 600W of solar energy. The panels price just below CAD $400 complete from an area distributor. The panels reside on our roof and are connected with aluminum nook brackets, bolts, and washers. The entire mounting {hardware} and wiring totalled CAD $66.
Plumbing
Our DIY camper van plumbing system runs to our kitchen sink and the bathe. We have now a 25 gallon recent water tank, which price CAD $281. The massive capability means we don’t must fill it up too usually and it may nonetheless match properly beneath the sofa.
The entire valves, connectors, and pipe fittings had been CAD $259. These allowed us to make one central plumbing level that the kitchen sink and bathe can share. As soon as we use water from the sink or bathe, it goes into our 25 gallon gray water tank. This price CAD $226 and is the right measurement water container for our wants.
Lighting
One of many particulars that makes our van construct really feel good and comfortable is the lighting. We used dimmable LED puck lights on our ceiling which are managed with a distant. We have now 10 puck lights in complete, which price CAD $90.
The LED strip lighting we added across the perimeter of the van was CAD $56. It brightens up the kitchen space and also can work with a distant or via an app. To finish the lighting system, we added a CAD $25 gentle change that works as a dimmer too.
Exterior Paint
Giving Benji a shiny new paint job was the final step in remodeling him from work van to camper van. We determined to make use of inexperienced and black BullyLiner paint to provide him a brand new look and shield in opposition to rust. We spent about CAD $1,058 on paint to completely coat the outside with 2 coats. Fortunately, we had been capable of borrow an air compressor and spray gun from a neighbour to use it like a professional.
As a closing contact, Oksana’s brother painted a tremendous mural on the aspect of the van. He used black mattress liner paint, which was CAD $37.
Ending Touches
To make our camper van conversion really feel like a house, we added just a few ending touches. Step one was including curtains to the home windows for privateness and décor. We purchased material at an area material retailer for CAD $111 and sewed them with assist from Oksana’s mother. We additionally purchased some sofa pillows from Worth Village. A set of three down decor pillows price us simply CAD $22.
We additionally added adhesive cork liner to our drawers and cupboards for CAD $43. The shelf liner appears good and helps to maintain our issues in place whereas we’re driving. We additionally added a pleasant subway tile backsplash to our kitchen. We opted for the sticky kind for simply CAD $69 vs actual tiles and are tremendous pleased with the way it turned out.
The finishes in our camper van conversion price additionally embody the White Exterior Latex Paint we used on the partitions. We ended up having to do 3 coats of it to cowl the wooden grain and ended up paying simply over CAD $106 in paint prices.
Instruments
As a result of we’ve been touring full time for the final 5+ years, we needed to begin from scratch with instruments. We purchased all of the fundamentals like a drill, jigsaw, round noticed, and orbital sander. We ended up spending CAD $100 on the drill and CAD $112 on drill bits for all the precise functions we would have liked. Our orbital sander was CAD $75 and positively got here in helpful when prepping for paint.
Every thing else on this class was little issues like further batteries, measuring tapes and screwdrivers.
We had been fortunate to have been capable of additionally borrow some instruments from household and neighbours. Issues we didn’t have to purchase that proved to be very helpful had been: desk noticed, wooden clamps, and air compressor.
Automotive Equipment
To make backing up and parking somewhat simpler, we put in a backup digital camera on our Sprinter van. It price us CAD $134 and offers us peace of thoughts when maneuvering our 170” wheelbase. We additionally bought booster cables for CAD $30, that are a street journey important.
Lastly, a carbon monoxide detector and fireplace extinguisher are security objects we wouldn’t be with out.
Miscellaneous
The miscellaneous class of our van conversion price is the entire glues, paint brushes, and {hardware} that didn’t match anyplace else. We spent CAD $220 on supplies like screws, nuts, and bolts, which coated our whole construct.
To prep all of our wooden for portray, we used CAD $54 value of sandpaper with our orbital sander. We additionally spent CAD $70 on a vacuum that has shortly grow to be our greatest accent in maintaining a tidy van.
Home equipment
As soon as the van construct was full, it was time to outfit our tiny dwelling on wheels with all of the necessities. To outfit our kitchen, we opted to buy solely electrical home equipment. It was our purpose to keep away from utilizing propane from the beginning, so we designed our electrical system to have the ability to deal with the rise within the energy draw.
Our fridge is 2.2 cubic toes, much like a bar fridge. We purchased it used, for CAD $700. It’s meant for use in a motorhome so it may deal with all of the bumps of the street.
For our range, we use a single burner induction cooktop. It’s nice as a result of we will tuck it away after we’re not utilizing it and it’s energy-efficient. It was CAD $80 and works a lot better for us than a camp range.
Lastly, the crown jewel of our kitchen is the De’Longhi Nespresso Essenza Plus Machine. It’s nice not solely due to its barista-style espresso, however it may additionally boil water in beneath 30 seconds. The machine was dear at CAD $262, however we use it every day for our tea, espresso and even some cooking wants!
Kitchen Provides
To make it possible for all of the supplies in our construct had been van-proof, we switched to unbreakable kitchen provides. Plates and bowls fabricated from wheat straw are sturdy and may maintain as much as any bumpy roads we cross. They had been CAD $54 and make a cute, eco-friendly addition to our kitchen. We additionally invested in a very good high quality chef’s knife and van-sized rubbish and compost bins for CAD $55.
Complete Price of Van Conversion
Closing Ideas
The associated fee to transform a base car right into a camper van can range a lot based mostly in your preferences, your capacity to cost store, and the last word design of your van conversion.
Whether or not you begin with a Mercedes Sprinter or a VW bus, your construct will be tremendous minimal or tremendous luxurious. Determining what options you need and doing the analysis to estimate the prices is the easiest way to begin your finances. We did a ton of analysis on campervan conversion price earlier than beginning our construct.
In the end, we had been capable of spend extra on our finishes as a result of we saved a lot in labour doing the construct ourselves. It was a enjoyable studying expertise and makes us admire our van much more!