Nowadays, rv solar panel installation has become more and more popular, But How much does your campervan conversion cost? many people are interested in this question, and after our van conversion, we would also like to know how much money we have invested in our future house on wheels. That's why we kept accurate accounts throughout the expansion, entered all campervan expansion costs in a table, and documented them precisely. So we can now tell you exactly how much the increase cost us and the most significant cost factors.
Campervan conversion costs
A campervan conversion is often more expensive than you think and takes longer than initially planned. It took us around two and a half months to convert the Fiat Ducato, and we worked around the clock on the car. After work, there were usually countless hours of research to do.
As with our last van conversion from the Mercedes Sprinter, we have again created a detailed parts list that you can download here for free. We have tried to make the categories as meaningful and straightforward as possible. That's why we're listing the categories here in the order in which we built our van. We only name the essential components in each category for space reasons. You can download the complete parts list here for free.
Base vehicle cost
We bought our Fiat Ducato from a roofer on the beautiful Baltic Sea and had to travel a long way to get it. The vehicle is from 2016, only had one previous owner, and has 100,000 kilometers on the clock. The Ducato was in excellent condition, and we paid €15,500 for it. We wanted to spend a maximum of €12,000 for the base vehicle, but the ‘Vanlife Boom' has caused prices to rise sharply, and the selection is tiny.
Cost of rust removal
Our Fiat Ducato didn't have any rust inside or on the outside of the body, which saved us a lot of work and money. We sprayed Fluidfilm AS into the cavities to prevent any rust. We have treated minimal scratches in the interior with anti-rust primer.
Cost of the windows
Overall, we installed two vent windows from Carbest, a skylight, and a roof vent for the shower. We have enough light in the camper through the windows and can always provide fresh air. In contrast to sliding windows, hinged windows can also be opened when it rains, which is a great advantage. Mobile home windows are not cheap, so the price quickly increases. On the other hand, the 40 x 40 cm roof hatch is very affordable at €62.
Insulation costs
We insulated our campervan with self-adhesive Armaflex. In cold temperatures, the heat stays in the car longer and does not escape to the outside as quickly. In hot temperatures, the camper does not heat much in the sun. In addition, it also acts as a kind of noise insulation.
Cost of felt
We have covered our rear doors, the sliding door, and the transitions and borders of the gates with felt. We decided on the Carpet felt from Adventure Truck. The felt gives the interior a nice and cozy feeling of space and covers the bare metal. In our opinion, the investment in the felt is worthwhile, and the vehicle looks much more like a campervan than a transporter.
Cost of the floor
Our original floor panel from the vehicle is a 9 mm thick screen-printed panel. Fortunately, the base plate was in perfect condition, and we could use it again for our expansion. We installed insulation under the floor panel and decided on a standard PVC floor covering, which we attached to the floor panel with double-sided tape.
Cost of sealant and glue
In this category are all the sealants and adhesives we used for our van conversion. We used bonds such as Dekaseal 8936 to seal the windows, and with Sikaflex 221i, we glued the substructure made of wooden slats to the vehicle floor, among other things.
Building material costs
The costs for the building material are made up of many small parts, such as screws, angles, and PVC strips. We have also listed the fly screen for the sliding door, the curtain rod, and the blackout fabric here.
Cost of furniture
We have listed all the components we have installed in our van in the furniture category. We can convert our seating area into a comfortable bed with a lifting table frame. We also had upholstery and a mattress precisely tailored to our measurements. The upholstery is the most significant cost factor of our furniture costs. We cut a bed by hand and sewed a cover for our Mercedes Sprinter, but now we wanted to put it in professional hands. The drawer slides, screw-on hinges, and furniture knobs are also part of the furniture costs.
Cost of wood
We used a lot of wood for our van conversion. We used 6 mm poplar plywood for the wall paneling and 12 mm spruce profile wood for the ceiling. Most of our furniture is made of poplar plywood and birch multiplex. We built the wall paneling's substructure and the table's basic framework with substructure slats made of spruce.
Wood treatment costs
We painted or varnished most of the wood used. We didn't immediately find the right color for the hard wax oil and the colored paint, so we spent a little more money than was necessary. We painted the poplar plywood for the furniture with primer and then with colored acrylic paint. We painted the profiled wood ceiling paneling in amber with Osmo Hardwax-Oil. Even if the wood treatment costs us some nerves, we are more than happy and satisfied with our result!
Cost of tools and equipment
We were fortunate to expand our van into a heated hall. The friendly neighbors even lent us their tools, so we didn't have to buy anything new except a few pliers and drill bits. We also had a lot of tools in stock from the last van expansion. In particular, the hand-held circular saw with a guide rail has enabled us to make long and straight cuts. Unfortunately, we could have done better with the jigsaw during our last expansion.
Roof rack cost
We ultimately built the roof rack and adapted it to our space conditions. On the right are the two portable solar panels for camping, and on the left, we transport the paddleboard and the two surfboards. Building the roof rack took a lot of planning and work, but we think it was worth the effort. In addition, the roof rack is also cheaper than a purchased one and is perfectly designed for our project.
Water supply costs
This category includes our entire water supply in the van and, therefore, many different components. In this article, we only summarize the essential elements. Otherwise, the list would be endless. In the free parts list for download, we have divided the water supply into many categories and clarified it.
We have installed a shower, a dry composting toilet, and a sink in our Ducato. There is a 126-liter fresh water tank in the rear, and we have installed a 93-liter waste water tank under the vehicle. With a hot water boiler, we can heat our water with the diesel parking heater or with a built-in heating element and take a shower even in cold regions. For our upcoming Panamericana trip, we have installed a water filter from Riva. The water supply includes many small components, such as hoses, tees, and hose tails.
Gas supply costs
We love to cook when we travel and eat a balanced diet. We are often away for months, and a functioning and well-equipped kitchen is essential. We have installed a three-flame gas cooker using an 11-kilo gas bottle. We have made an extra gas box for the gas bottle, which is integrated into our kitchen cupboard.
Heating costs
On our travels, we will also be in colder regions like Norway or Alaska; of course, we don't want to freeze there. We have installed the Autoterm Air 2D diesel parking heater from Tigerexped so that it is comfortably warm in the camper even when the outside temperature is 0°C.
The auxiliary heating runs on diesel, and with the hot water boiler from Elena, we can heat the water for showering.
Electricity costs
The electrical system in the van is the most significant cost factor in our campervan conversion costs. To be entirely self-sufficient for several days, we installed a 300Ah lithium RV battery. This lithium battery charges while driving via a 50-ampere charge booster. We also have two 175-watt mini solar panels on the roof rack and can use solar energy to charge our battery. We keep our groceries cool with a 98-liter compressor refrigerator. Of course, the costs for the electrics could have been significantly lower, but since we also work in the van on the road and will be on the road for several years, this high investment is worth it.
Security costs
We have installed several security measures to protect our campervan from external influences. We have installed different locks on the front doors as well as on the sliding door and the rear doors. With a GPS tracker, we can always see where our camper is and intervene quickly in the event of theft. We also installed a gas sensor, alerting us to different gas types in the van.
Campervan conversion costs: that's how much we spent
The expansion was again a little more expensive than planned. Many components have become more costly over the past year due to supply bottlenecks and high demand, and wood prices, in particular, have felt like they have tripled. We spent a total of €14,525.87 on our campervan conversion. This price includes every single screw and every wooden slat.
All in all, we have come up with a total price of an impressive €30,025.87 for our Fiat Ducato and the van extension. So we invested twice as much for the expansion as for the vehicle as we did for the Mercedes Sprinter two years ago.
Conclusion on the campervan expansion costs
Our campervan conversion costs are again lower than initially hoped, and the purchase price of the vehicle was also higher than expected. In return, we will enjoy our camper for many years and experience many unforgettable adventures. We plan to be on the road with our van for a long time, so the high investment is worth it. In our opinion, for two short vacations a year, the high costs would no longer make sense.
