Practical guides for the part of the build that happens before the saw comes out.
· 8 min read
Four sleeping spots, four seatbelts and somewhere to sit out the rain — three family layouts with real dimensions, and an honest section on when a van stops being the right vehicle.
Read the guide →· 8 min read
The big three measured where it matters: cargo floor length, width between wheel arches, standing height — and which layouts each van actually allows at each length.
Read the guide →· 7 min read
How a wall-folding bed compares with fixed and convertible beds on floor area, weight and build complexity — with the dimensions that make one work in a medium-wheelbase van.
Read the guide →· 9 min read
Vanspace 3D, VanCAD, SketchUp, VanLogic, Plan your Van, graph paper — and ours. Every van layout planner compared on price, real van dimensions, weight math and buildable output.
Read the guide →· 7 min read
Medium or long wheelbase? A layout-feasibility answer, not a driving-feel answer: what fits at ~3.0 m, ~3.5 m and ~4.0 m of cargo floor — fixed bed, bathroom, garage — van by van.
Read the guide →· 6 min read
Litres per person per day for drinking, dishes and showers; fresh and grey tank pairings that fit real vans; and why tank placement is an axle-load decision, not a plumbing one.
Read the guide →· 9 min read
A worked method for sizing a lithium bank and solar array from a real load table — fridge, heater, laptops, induction — with three example setups from weekender to full-timer.
Read the guide →· 6 min read
3.12 m, 3.71 m or 4.07 m of cargo floor — what each Ducato length allows, with layout patterns that work (and don't) at every size.
Read the guide →· 7 min read
The numbers behind a kitchen you can actually cook in: worktop height and depth, aisle width, hob and sink cutouts, fridge formats — and three galley layouts with real measurements.
Read the guide →· 8 min read
Five two-person layouts that actually work — fixed-bed tourer, convertible weekender, office-on-wheels, wet-room build and the budget minimalist — with the dimensions that make each one fit.
Read the guide →· 7 min read
Insulation, ply, furniture, water, batteries, solar — component-by-component weights for a typical self-build, and how fast a 3.5-tonne van runs out of payload.
Read the guide →· 7 min read
A category-by-category budget for a DIY conversion — realistic ranges for insulation, electrics, water and wood, plus the running costs nobody puts in the spreadsheet.
Read the guide →· 6 min read
Bed heights and garage volumes, measured: what it takes to fit two bikes, e-bikes, surfboards or ski gear under a fixed bed — and what that does to the headroom above the mattress.
Read the guide →· 8 min read
The space tax of a bathroom, measured: what a 70×80 cm cubicle displaces in an L2 vs L3 van, what the water weighs, and four layouts from no-bathroom to full wet room.
Read the guide →· 6 min read
Weekend-warrior versus full-time build schedules, phase-by-phase hour estimates, the steps that always overrun — and how much planning up front compresses the calendar.
Read the guide →· 7 min read
Payload, axle loads and centre of mass explained for self-builders — what 3.5 tonnes really leaves you, and how overweight builds fail inspections and void insurance.
Read the guide →· 7 min read
The first big layout decision, settled with numbers: floor area gained, garage volume lost, kilograms added, and the daily faff factor — plus when a transverse bed beats longitudinal.
Read the guide →· 8 min read
Which steps come first and why — rust, holes, wiring, insulation, walls, furniture — and the classic out-of-order mistakes that force builders to tear panels back off.
Read the guide →· 8 min read
A step-by-step method for getting from empty van to buildable layout: zones, templates, weight checks, budget — and the mistakes each step prevents.
Read the guide →