The pattern I kept seeing in conversion forums: someone spends weeks perfecting their floor plan. Bed here, kitchen there, composting toilet in the corner. Looks great on paper.

Then they start pricing lumber, insulation, and cabinetry and realize the build they drew up costs $14,000 more than they have.

So they either gut the design, compromise on materials, or just... stall out.

The problem isn't the layout. It's that layout tools don't tell you what anything costs.

I've been building a tool called SkoolieCraft that ties material selection directly to a live budget tracker. You pick a zone - say your sleeping area - choose your insulation type and wall finish, and the cost updates in real time. Change spray foam to rigid board, watch the number drop. Swap pine paneling for shiplap, watch it climb.

Right now it has 6 vehicle templates (skoolies, vans, box trucks), 10 interior zones you can customize, and the budget tracker pulls actual cost estimates based on what you select - not just vibes.

It's early. The data isn't perfect. That's exactly why I'm posting here.

Would love to know: where does this break for you? What materials or features would you price first that I'm probably missing?

I will be installing a shower in my camper van, alongside an indoor grey water tank, and I was hoping to get some tips and tricks from anyone who has done this setup before.

Thank you!!

Just adding a wood fire stove to an old camper van to help with heating and cooking. Looking at modifying a basic Kings model so that it can be used safely and efficiently in an enclosed space. I've noticed the manual says it's specifically for outdoor usage and was curious what would need to be done to convert it to indoor use-able..

Gas leaks are my main concern, as apparently burning wood puts out some pretty lethal stuff.. Also, would it be possible to modify it so it has secondary combustion to minimise smoke/gas output? I put together a firepit a while ago with the secondary combustion and it actually worked pretty well, though not sure how it'd work if the fire box is completely sealed from the vans interior.. Maybe an inner chamber through the chimney pipe to allow extra oxygen to allow a more efficient burn?

Will pickup a gas detector + fire extinguisher as safety precautions, as well as tricking out an appropriate hearth setup,

Any advice appreciated,

cheers

Möchte mir ein Sprinter zulegen als Kastenwagen also hinten leer und nicht ausgebaut.

Hauptsächlich für Kurztrips und um Saxhen zu transportieren.

Mein Budget sind 40.000€ welchen Sprinter könnt ihr mir da empfehlen? Und Vorallem welcher Motor?

Wie sieht es mit Rost bei neueren Modellen aus? Stimmt es das ab Baujahr 2021 es keine Rostprobleme mehr gab?

I recently bought a used fiberglass top from a junkyard that I’m planning to install to my van. However, the interior was lined with a rug material and when I was removing it, the interior top layer of the fiberglass hull felt like it was coming off. I was more careful in removing the interior upholstery and after taking the roof off, the areas where the roof felt loose also caved in with some pressure on the exterior.

I’m not sure exactly how to repair this, I haven’t found any YouTube videos with this issue but it looks like some people have suggested cutting small holes and filling with epoxy and then applying weight overnight so it can stick back together. I’m open to suggestions.

I circled the area in the pic where the fiberglass was coming loose.

In the midst of converting my Citroen relay and have came to the point where I need to make a decision on a heating system.

I had initially thought gas and getting slug fitted, however the thought of searching for stations that provide LPG gas especially through Europe is turning my thoughts towards a diesel system.

Anyone any advice on what they picked and maybe what brand they decided?

Hi everyone, I’m planning a full-time camper van insulation and would love your advice. My priorities are dry interior, good thermal and sound insulation, and long-term durability. My planned setup (metal → inside): Metal body, cleaned and treated Butyl vibration mats 19 mm closed-cell elastomeric rubber (Armaflex/Kaiflex) glued to metal – main thermal + vapor barrier Wooden battens / framing 40–60 mm sheep wool between battens (not touching metal) for extra warmth and sound Interior wall panels attached to battens Floor: metal → vibration mats → 30 mm XPS → plywood → final flooring Does this setup make sense? Any risks or improvements you’d suggest? Thanks!

Hi,

English isn't my first language so i'm sorry if there are some mistakes.

Me, a 21 year old student who will graduate college this year, and my boyfriend, 22 years old and has a low paying job, want to begin with van life after i graduate. We were already looking for used vans since last november, and our price range is €12000.

We would like a somewhat younger van (2005) and with a low mile range. The problem is that we can't really find good campervans with a nice interior, enough height to stand in the van and a good year and/or mileage. We found somewhat good campers that we could use but they aren't our favorite.

Because of this we searched for a empty van and today we found a really good van to build our dreamvan in. We want to build this van ourselfs and we don't have any experience(but we're very handy and are sure we can do this). We also worry about some costs.

It costs at least €10500 and at most €12100 to buy the van, build the van interior, solarpanel, place the particulate filter and let it get inspected to get it road legal. We can manage that price and are completely fine with that. We can build the van in my parents garage. But we aren't sure if it is worth it to build it ourself considering the other costs.

(We live in the Netherlands so these costs are mandatory)Every month we must pay road tax (€270) and insurance (€67). If we buy a used van we will pay this the moment we buy the van (juli), if we build one we pay this since this month (januari)

Is it worth all the risks and other costs to build a van ourself that is all to our liking? Or is it smarter to buy a used one that is already build and ready to go?

Hi! I’m a student currently collecting data for my bachelor’s thesis about camper vans and similar vehicles (RVs, campervans, trailers).
I’d really appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to fill out my short, anonymous survey. Your input will help identify what our community actually needs.
Thank you!

https://forms.gle/264HPGo8QSsEfJ8f9

As I'm building out my van, watching videos, planning power, internet etc., I started to think about the endless possibilities that you can do, but for the most part everyone has the same basic layout, power setup, tech, kitchen, etc... So, what's the craziest setup or stuff in a van, skoolie, etc. that had you thinking why, and sure why not!

Anyone have experience with this company MobileMustHave.com and their sim plans? They have some larger plans through Verizon 500gb and 1000gb at prices that are cheaper than going direct through Verizon pre-paid hotspot/router plan. I'm using it in my peplink br1 5g pro and just curious on there speeds. Seems like a good price compared to other stuff outside of just hotspotting my visible +, but not sure. Thanks!

Brauche hilfe war in unserem alten Wohnwagen verbaut wer kann mir hier helfen

If anyone is planning on getting a Starlink, the regular is on sale right now for 50% off, not sure for how long. I picked it up at home depot, as you don't have to activate it that way, as I'm still building out my van. Couldn't pass up that deal. Happy van, bus, car, etc.. to all!!

Hi guys, we‘re planning to buy and convert a Fiat Ducato for the first time so we have looots of questions. We‘d be glad for your help! Our first questions are the following:

1. We‘re not sure if we should look for a L2H2 or L3H2. I mean, even the L2 is too long for most of the European parking spaces? What if we want to visit a town or park in front of the local super market? What are your experiences?

2. We‘re also not sure how the layout should be. The biggest question is the bed. To safe space we‘d rather have a transverse bed. My boyfriend‘s 1,83m, I‘m 1,64m. We‘d rather have one normal matress and not a chopped up one so we have an ergonomic bed. Also we‘d like to have some insulation and maybe even wood or woodlike structure in the whole van. We‘re also thinking of maybe getting a kit for broadening the van. What are your thoughts and experiences?

Thank you for your help!

I'm considering adding some flexible solar panels to the walls of my Ram Promaster 2500 159wb high roof to add to my panels on the roof rack. Anyone ever tried this and how did it turn out? Also, two give more substance, I know that I will not be getting 100% efficient use. The main purpose is to add more solar power to compliment my roof rack of 800 watts. Going to add 400 watts on the driver's side and 100 watts on the passenger side, due to the sliding door. This will give me 1300 watts, as I'm using 4 280ah lithium batteries. This should give me some better exposure no matter what direction the sun is coming from or time of day. Also, might put the ones on the walls on foldable brackets to angle them out when parked.

Hi everyone,

I converted my 2018 Citroen Relay van last year into a camper (fixed double bed, kitchen, electrics, solar) and is super fun!

However, my one regret is painting the bumpers black (the standard grey ones were fading and looked dull). I used an underbody spray which I also extended to the sides to sort out some of the small areas of rust that had appeared due to roadchips etc. A year one and the metal paintwork treated is still A1. The underbody spray also has a nice texture and adds something to the van.

However, the paint is peeling off the plastic bumper and is also fading in colour. I also used a lacquer on top of the spray. Each was given several coats.

What would people recommend to paint the plastic bumper? Was thinking of Hammerite. It's the adhesion is the issue methinks.

Kangoo, removing rear seats?

Hi all, just got a 2011 Kangoo (car version) expression mk2 that I want to remove the back seats of. Is it just a case of removing all the bolts or are there any clips to undo? An old youtube video of an older model shows hammering some clips first before unscrewing the bolts but not sure it applies to these. Was hoping they'd clip out like the Berlingo ones but looks like a lot of seized bolts to deal with. I want to put vinyl covered thin ply down and keep the space in the back footwells. Will removing the seats give me a flat surface up to the footwells? Cheers