$3500 DIY Budget Van Build (2024)

In May of 2017, I bought a used Ford Transit and began converting it into an off-grid mobile home named Casper. The van build took about 2 months while working on it part-time and cost about $3,480.

About the Van

Casper is a 2016 Ford Transit 250, standard length (130″ wheelbase), low top Cargo Van, which I bought slightly used for $24,000 with a little over 18,000 miles on it.The van was formerly a U-Haul and I bought it from a certified pre-owned Truck & Van dealership in Mesa, AZ. Casper gets on average 18.5 mpg and takes both ethanoland regular gasoline.

Choosing the right van for my needs

I researched and test drove a Mercedes Sprinter, Chevrolet Express, Dodge Ram ProMaster, and a few other passenger and cargo vans. Many of the other vans I looked at were much cheaper (except the Mercedes, Sprinters– which were much more expensive), but they all had low fuel-efficiency, already had a lot of miles on them, and were no longer under warranty.

As a solo female traveler planning to camp off-grid in rural settings, safety was a high priority for me. Meaning, I didn’t want something that will be breaking down in the middle of nowhere, and if it did, I wanted to be able to easily get parts and service.

Want info about camping off-grid? You might like my guide to finding free campsites.

I’m also concerned about my carbon footprint, so I wanted something with decent gas mileage and flexible fuel options.

In the end, I chose my van because it is flex-fuel, stealthy since it is a white fleet van, aerodynamic, newer ford vans drive SO smoothly (like a regular car), they’re American made and easy to get serviced anywhere, and mine was still under warranty.

I love my van, but if I could do it again, I would have bought a Ford Transit high-top (probably with an extended body), so I could stand up inside and have more room for cabinetry and storage.

Quick Note: After 4+ years of van life, these are the 27 van life items I think are essential.

The DIY Conversion Process

The conversion was a somewhat sporadic endeavor, spanning 2-months while working on and off with the help of friends and family. I didn’t keep thorough track of how many hours I spent working on the van build, but I’d guess about 100 hours of labor went into it.

I included a supply sheet of all the building materials and expenses at the bottom of this post. I also made a conversion kit, which includes products I have used in both my budget and “luxury” conversions that I highly recommend in your own van build. I purchased almost everything for the van on Amazon or at Home Depot.

I used quite a few resources to get started, mostly Youtube van conversion tutorials, Pinterest for design and layout ideas, andThe Vanual.

DISCLAIMER: Even with all the preparation, the build consisted of a lot of trial and error- considering I had ZERO prior woodworking experience. This is an amateur van build, so feel free to take my suggestions and lessons with a grain of salt. In most cases, I chose the easiest, quickest, cheapest options (with the exception of the expensive solar electric system) because I was anxious to get on the road. I don’t claim that this is the best way to convert a van, but everything I built worked well for 3 months of full-time van life and about a year of part-time van adventures.

So without further ado, here’s how the van conversion went down…

Casper, came quite bare, with these wood beams on the side, which I decided to leave on. It also came with a metal partitioner in the front, behind the driver and passenger seats, which I had taken out at the car dealership I bought the van from.

Step 1. Making the Floor & Insulating the Van

I started by insulating the floor.

I did this by cutting and taping together pieces of reflectix(with reflectix foil tape),until the floor of the van was covered. After I had the floor insulation mapped out, I used my reflectix blueprint to trace the shape of the floor around the wheelbases onto plywood, which I then pieced together like puzzle pieces to create a floorboard.

Then I gathered my mom’s tools and borrowed two saw horses from my neighbor, and we got to work.

We measured (twice), chopped, and screwed the floorboards directly into the van, over the reflectix insulation.

Step 2: Building the Bedframe and Storage Spaces

We built a bed frame and storage units with scrap wood and with leftover plywood from the floor. We deliberatelydesigned the layout of the van around a chuck box that my mom built with her dad. We incorporated the chuck box so that it would act as part of the support system for the bed and could be used as extra storage and a countertop for cooking on a portable stove when the chuck box is open.

I wanted to be able to access my storage spaces from multiple areas. So I left openings in the front and back of my bed frame, and a small side hole. For the driver side storage unit, we created two separate hinge doors, for top loading storage access.

I also created the layout so that I could have a small bed with a table and couch, or I could convert it to a larger bed when I’m not using the table.

The chuck box is not a permanent fixture in the van (which was a part of the design), so after we created the bedframe and side storage unit, we took the chuck box out to make it easier to move around during construction.

I screwed in some plywood to make the top of the bedframe (on the right), and created hinge lids out of plywood for the storage spaces (on the left).

We also built, a cubby hole for my bathroom. That green bucket with the white lid is my toilet (in the picture below).

Step 3: Installing the Walls

I used faux wood wall paneling for the walls, which was simple enough to screw directly into the horizontal wood beams on the side of the van. I used this because it was cheap, quick and easy to install, but still looked good. It worked fine, but if you have the budget, I’d recommend using real wood instead.

Step 4: Building the Kitchen

My neighbor let us use his workshop and helped give us guidance on how to tackle the kitchen. At this point, I had already bought a refrigerator, so we built the kitchen countertop and shelves around those dimensions. Utilizing his drafting knowledge and his table saw really helped speed up the process.

I went through a few stainless steel bowls, attempting to drill holes in them to make my own sink, before giving up and buying a $20Sterling Oval Single Basin Self-Rimming Undermount Sink from Amazon’s Warehouse (this sink was a bit small for my needs).

Once I had the sink I was able to saw out the hole in my kitchen countertop.

I then used the extra wood to build a table. I screwed in a table base that I bought on Amazon to the table, and another on the floor of my van.

I also created a plank that would complete my bed when I wasn’t using the table.

After I had all my pieces sawed out to the appropriate measurements to fit in the van, I sanded them, stained them, and left them out to dry.

Then I used silicone to seal my sink into the counter and drilled in my new hand pump faucet.

I installed my kitchen, with my side loading AC/DC fridge, my new 3-in-1 breakfast center, and my new table.

Step 5: Plumbing

I used two 5 gallon water containers for my plumbing system (one for input and one for output/gray water). I ended up storing my water output jug under the bench seat, and kept the input water jug directly under the sink.

I used braided vinyl tubing to connect my faucet and drain to the water containers and metal clamps, flex coupling and PVC bushing to secure them in place.

Step 6: Making the Bed

I bought a queen size 6-inch memory foam mattress for my van bed. Which I highly recommend because it’s given me some of the best sleep of my life.

I traced out the pieces with chalk, directly on the mattress, and then cut the mattress with a bread knife into 5 separate pieces that make a couch and a bed, or they can combine to make one large bed.

I picked out the fabric at Walmart and my aunt upholstered all my cushions for me.

Step 7: Installing the Roof

We saved the roof for last, because we had no idea how to tackle it.

Step 8: Fantastic Fan and Solar Panel Installation

I hired people to install my vent and solar panels, because neither my mom or I felt comfortable cutting or drilling holes into the roof of the van ourselves.

I bought a FantasticFan on Amazon and took it to RV Renovators in Mesa, AZ to install. They did a fantastic job 🙂

Note: I do not recommend this fan, and I ended up upgrading to the Maxxair vent/fan, which I highly recommend.

I bought two 160 Watt 12 Volt solarpanels, and my mom’s friend installed them on the roof of the van.

We then connected them to a Goal Zero Yeti 1400 Lithium power station inside the van. This power station is a lithium battery, inverter, charge control, display screen, and power outlets all in one and I highly recommend it!

Step 9: Curtains and Black Out Shades

For the final touches, my aunt hemmed some black out curtains for behind the driver and passenger seats and used the excess fabric to sew curtains for my kitchen cabinets area.

I hung all my curtains with tension rods, which I also used on my shelves to secure things while I’m driving.

Finally, I used excess Reflectix insulation to cut out window shades. I then spray painted them black so they don’t stand out as much from the outside of the van.

In the end, I spent $3,480 on my camper van build.

$1800 of that, was for the Goal Zero Power Station. So $1,680 was for materials, appliances and construction. The conversion could have been much cheaper, had I gone a different route on my solar electric system. But I didn’t have the skills to wire together an inverter, a battery, plug outlets and a display system, so I thought the amateur user-friendly and space saving option was the way to go.

All in all, I love the way Casper turned out. It’s not perfect, but I am proud of how cozy and functional my little mobile home ended up being.

A big shout out to everyone who helped me convert this van-especially my mom! I’m so grateful and I definitely couldn’t have done it alone!

March 2019 Update: I did a major renovation on my van. I had a high-roof-extension installed and had the entire van professionally remodeled by RV Renovators located in Mesa, Arizona. I upgraded many features of the vanafter determining what I liked and disliked about my first budget DIY build.

Take a tour of my remodeled van…

A few parting suggestions for your own van build:

Buy a van you can stand up in! Especially, if you plan on using your van as your full-time home and “office.”
Invest in a top-loading DC compressor refrigerator, because they are very energy efficient and can double as an ice-chest if you run out of power
Get warm LED tube/strip lights for at least one of your lighting options- they are very energy efficient and create a great ambiance!
Get a swivel base for your passenger seat (this gives you a lot more seating options and living space)
Design your layout with a sink and extendable faucet near a door so it can double as an outdoor shower
Put in power outlets on both sides of your van (I only installed one set in my remodel, and it’s inconvenient to only have one place to plug in electronics)

Feel free to check out my cost & supply sheet below, and browse through the products I used that worked out well for me in my vanbuilds.

Remodeled Van Conversion

27 Essential Van Life Items