What a self-build van conversion really costs
· 7 min read
Ask three van builders what their conversion cost and you'll get three numbers that differ by a factor of five — because “a conversion” spans everything from a bed platform and a camping stove to a rolling apartment. What's consistent is the structure of the budget. Here it is, with realistic self-build ranges (van not included).
| Category | Budget build | Comfortable build | What drives it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insulation & vapour | €300–500 | €500–900 | Material choice; wool vs. foam boards |
| Framing & panelling | €400–800 | €800–1,500 | Ply grade — birch is 2–3× spruce |
| Electrics | €600–1,200 | €1,500–4,000 | Lithium vs. AGM, solar size, inverter |
| Water & plumbing | €200–500 | €800–2,000 | Shower or not — the single biggest fork |
| Heating | €200–400 (Chinese diesel) | €1,000–1,800 (brand) | Heater brand and install |
| Kitchen & appliances | €400–800 | €1,200–2,500 | Compressor fridge, hob, oven |
| Windows, vents, doors | €300–600 | €800–1,500 | Each window ~€150–400 fitted DIY |
| Bed, furniture, finish | €300–600 | €1,000–2,500 | Hardware, cushions, upholstery |
Totals land where the community surveys say they do: UK self-builds typically run £5,000–15,000 in materials, EU builds a similar €6,000–17,000, and a comfortable full-spec build in North America — including the van — averages around $45,000. The budget build column is genuinely achievable; the trap is that nobody builds from one column. You economise on insulation and then buy the €900 fridge.
The three costs nobody puts in the spreadsheet
Mistakes. Miscut sheets, wrong-size water fittings, the window that cracked going in. Experienced builders budget 10% for redo. Planning in 3D — where the shower either fits or visibly doesn't — is the cheapest insurance against the big ones.
Weight. Every 100 kg of build adds roughly 0.3–0.5 L/100 km of fuel. Over 100,000 km, a 300 kg-heavier build costs €1,500–2,500 extra in diesel — real money that never appears in any build thread. (Where those kilograms come from: what a conversion actually weighs.)
Tools. First conversion? Add €300–800 for the track saw, jigsaw, driver and crimping kit you don't own yet. (The good news: you keep them.)
Budget while you design, not after
The reason conversions blow their budgets isn't bad discipline — it's that the budget lives in a spreadsheet while the design lives somewhere else, and they drift apart. In VanPlot every placed item carries its cost: the layout is the budget, materials are priced from your actual framing and panels, and running costs show what the weight does to fuel. Free to start, in the browser.
Related: build order generator
