Campervan Conversions

The short version

What’s the job?: Turning an empty van into something you can live in, with every part of it built by me. I also finish part-built vans and add to ones that are already converted.
Does the van stay?: Yes, for the whole build. I take on one build at a time, and there’s a big waiting list.
What do you need from me for a quote?: Every build is different, so the best thing is to get in touch and talk it through.
How do I get in touch?: WhatsApp is the best way to get hold of me. Or ring 07584 865427.

I turn empty vans into something you can live in, at my workshop in Llanfairfechan. The layout is worked out around how you travel.

The inside of a finished campervan looking out through the open side door at sunset over an estuary. An oak worktop with a black tap and a pan on the gas hob, a patterned tiled splashback, and a table with two marbled mugs and a book.

Do you do everything yourself?

The electrics, the heating, the windows, the gas, the cabinetry, the beds and the seating are all done here, by me.

On most conversions the systems get fitted by different people who never speak to each other, so the electrician doesn’t know where the heater is going and the joiner boxes in a cable somebody else needs to get at. I do the lot myself, so the van gets designed as one thing. If something is wrong, it’s mine to sort out.

The kitchen in that van, from a pile of timber to a finished galley:

A kitchen carcass under construction on a workshop bench: a light timber frame with ply panels, a drawer runner fitted to one side and hinges on another. — 1. Carcass built on the bench

The same carcass further on, with four ply drawer boxes fitted inside it and brass hinges on the door frame. — 2. Drawer boxes and hinges in

A finished drawer box held up in the workshop, its front made from two planks of reclaimed oak, with tools and a bench behind. — 3. A front made from reclaimed oak

Reclaimed timber drawer fronts being offered up to the drawer boxes inside the van, with the gas hob and fridge already in place alongside. — 4. Fronts offered up in the van

The kitchen installed in the van while the conversion is still in progress: oak worktop, black sink, black tap and gas hob in place, patterned tile taped to the wall, floor not yet finished. — 5. In the van, tiles going up

The finished kitchen: oak worktop, two-burner gas hob, stainless sink and chrome tap, patterned tiled splashback, magnetic knife rack, cane-fronted lockers above and reclaimed timber drawers below. — 6. Finished

How do you work out the layout?

There is no single right layout. A van for two people doing long trips off-grid is a different vehicle to one used for weekends with hookup, even if they started out identical. Before any work starts I’ll want to know how you travel and how long you want to be away from a power source. Then what you’re happy to do without.

A finished campervan seen from outside through the open side door: the full kitchen run with oak worktop, sink, gas hob, fridge and cane-fronted lockers, a wooden floor, a bench seat, and a blanket and bag hanging by the door.

Is there a waiting list?

Doing everything myself means I take on one build at a time, so there is a big waiting list.

If you are planning a conversion, talk to me early. Well before you are ready to hand the van over.

Do I need to supply the van?

Yes, the van is yours to buy. I am happy to advise you on what to look for before you commit to one.

There is no vehicle I won’t work on in principle. Tell me what you are considering.

Will you finish a van somebody else started?

Some vans turn up half-built, when the owner has run out of time or patience.

I will take those on, but it depends on the van and what has already been done. Some part-built projects are a sound base to carry on from. Others would cost more to put right than to start again.

Why I can’t price a half-built van over the phone

I can’t assess what I can’t see. In a part-built van, the two things that decide it are the electrics and the insulation, and both are already hidden.

First, the electrics. In a self-built van they are often poor, and they are buried behind panelling and under the floor. I have no way of telling whether a system is safe by looking at the sockets. To know, I have to get back to the cable.

Second, the insulation. Very often it is missing in places, or done in a way that traps moisture against the metal instead of keeping it out. A van that feels fine in July can be holding damp in the walls, and you only find that out by opening them up.

The inside of an empty high-roof van seen from the open rear doors, with the walls, roof and floor completely lined in foil-faced insulation. The structural ribs are still visible and the cab seats can be seen at the far end. — Insulation going in on a build of mine. On a part-built van that arrives here, all of this is hidden behind the panelling and there is no way to know whether it was done at all.

Both of those sit behind the walls, and the walls sit behind the furniture. So finding out what you have actually got means taking the interior back out, which is exactly the work you were hoping not to pay for.

That is why some part-built vans have to come back to a bare shell first. It isn’t me being difficult about your workmanship. Until it is opened up there is no way to know. Bring it over and I will tell you straight what I find.

Can you upgrade a van that’s already converted?

Plenty of the work I do is adding to a van that is already converted. More power, better heating, a layout change, a window where there isn’t one.

A close view of oak drawer fronts with aged copper cup handles set into a cream painted frame, below the edge of a thick oak worktop. — Oak fronts and copper cup handles.

Do you fit rock and roll beds and seating?

I fit rock and roll beds and crash-tested seating, both as standalone jobs and as part of a build.

Can you help with DVLA reclassification and insurance?

I can talk you through DVLA reclassification to motor caravan and insurance for a converted van. They come up on nearly every build, so they’re something to look at before the van is finished.

How does payment work?

Payments can be staged through the build. How they are staged depends on the job, so it is something to sort out at the start.

Final payment is due on completion. The vehicle isn’t released until it is paid for. I don’t offer credit.

Can you make one-off fittings?

Doing everything in house means a fitting can be made rather than bought. This is a slate splashback cut for a hob in a Mercedes Sprinter, on a full time off grid van I did alterations to rather than built.

A slate splashback cut to shape on the workbench, standing behind a black gas hob. — Slate cut to fit behind the hob.

How much does it cost, and how long does it take?

They depend entirely on what you are having built. The simplest useful conversion and the most involved one are so far apart that a range on a web page would tell you nothing about your own van.

Ring me and describe what you have got in mind. I’ll give you a real answer for your build.

What warranty do I get?

My workmanship on the build is covered by my two year guarantee. The parts that go into it are covered by their own manufacturer warranties, so five years on Victron and three on Autoterm.

Do I have to bring the van to you?

The van comes to my workshop in Llanfairfechan and stays for the whole build.

Customers come over from Wrexham regularly, and I have had vans from Manchester and further. Come and see the workshop and talk it through in person if you like. Ring ahead first.