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.