The REAL Cost to Convert a Van | Ft. Seven 0 Savage

In this video, we go over the REAL cost to convert the van of your dreams. We wanted to give it to you straight in terms of what to expect with cost, labor, tools, and time. We interviewed one of the best DIY van builders we know, Seven 0 Savage, so you can learn the realistic time and money cost from a DIY standpoint as well as from Van Land's professional point of view.

▬ Contents of this video ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
00:00 Intro
01:21 Seven 0 Savage interview start
03:10 How much his total cost was (parts, labor, etc)
05:06 How many labor hours did he spend
06:15 How much did he pay for tools
06:56 How long did it take him to build
08:24 Seven 0 Savages BEST advice for those getting started
11:25 Jeremy reviewing a full van build pricing spreadsheet
12:53 Exterior expenses
14:43 Flooring & seating expenses
15:38 Power system expenses
16:24 Windows & ventilation expenses
18:02 Heating & cooling expenses
19:06 Water system expenses
20:04 Interior expenses
21:02 Bed & furniture
21:56 Cooking & refrigerator expenses
22:41 Total Cost

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[seven_o_savage]

Hell yes!! Ya'll crushed this vid!!!

[rmease]

I am in the final stages of my 2019 Sprinter 144 4x4 camper van build-out here in sunny Portland, OR (sarcasm). I find the price list presented here a bit (a lot!) mis-leading. First, let me thank Seven O Savage for his youtube channel as it has inspired a few ideas for my build, and I have learned a ton through his successes (and his mistakes!). Now about the list: Many of the big ticket items are just not a requirement and/or would not be something a DIY'er would pay for: Most of the exterior items look cool but rarely get used (suspension and tires are the exception I believe), the floors/seating section (standard floor is the only thing needed here), windows and vent (out of this list I have one CRL window, maxx-air fan, one bunk window, window covers and window trim. Thanks to Seven for the sliding bed idea so I can avoid the use of flares!), Heating & Cooling (Aircon not needed, unless your adventures are mostly sitting around in RV parks), Water System (to me, an indoor shower in a 144 is a terrible use of space), Interior ($3, 400 for wheel boxes? $500 for LED lights?? For the rest, build out ceiling and wall panels and overhead shelf using baltic birch ply for a fraction of these prices), Bed and Furniture ($4, 500 for a pre-fab galley?! If you're going to DIY a camper van, just build out your bed frame and cabinets. This is what DIY van building is, right?), Cooking (fair enough), So, if I add up items that are prefab or I am not adding to my van, I come up with about $55K out of the $94K total list price! The total cost for my build, INCLUDING the van itself, is currently $97, 800, with about $5K-$7K left for remaining build-out and tires/suspension upgrades. For some perspective, I have used the best components I can find (8020 framing, marine vinyl flooring, 300 amp-hours + all Victron components, Roam Built side steps, Isotherm Water Heater, 3-stage water filter, all BLUM drawer and cabinet hardware, Vanmade Gear Window Coverings, custom 8020 roof-rack with solar, baltic birch and high quality maple veneer ply, etc....) and I believe my build would outlast even some professionally built camper vans. All this for under $50k + the cost of the van. Even just excluding the pre-fab stuff on this list (assuming I wanted to add some of the exterior stuff later) would bring down the cost on this list by tens of thousands of dollars. This is a fine "pick-list" for someone looking to spend money on a professionally built camper van, but the title of this video, "The REAL cost to convert a van" indicates this is the cost for a DIY'er, which is just not accurate.

[jeffreywalker]

Thanks for the price/time guidelines. It should be noted that this is for a 4X4 off-road conversion. The first section at $24, 800 wouldn't apply to most 2X4 conversions with a possible exception for the $1200 awning.

The "smart floor" at $4900 isn't something the average 2x4 builder would necessarily want/need. Same for the overhead rack /rail system.


The $9000 for custom bed/furniture/etc. is a luxury that I think most van builders would likely forgo. Seven does a great job showing us how to easily build wall/floor cabinets that can be accomplished by a reasonably handy person.

Looking at NEW vans at LaMesa RV shows fully loaded 4X4 off road Sprinter vans selling for $163, 000 WITH a good 48 V solar system., 48 V a/c, full wet bath, swivel seats, HD suspension, etc... This is less than a van built under your assumptions on this video when you price in the cost of a new van. A fully loaded 2X4 is going for as little as $98 to $104, 000. Yes, these are new Sprinter (and some Ram) vans.

The good thing about this video is it proves my old maxim as a home renovation contractor: It will cost twice what you think and take twice as long as you think it will.

That being said, you two are really good at this and I appreciate your videos immensely!

[krisg]

Two of the best on YouTube for Fulltimer conversion van

[eileenstowe]

That was a great spread sheet, do we have access to that anywhere? You guys covered some awesome content! Thanks for sharing.

[BuildItAnyway]

As an european building a 2011 sprinter, I would say most people here do conversions for between 2 and 6k. The most cost goes to batteries, BMS, solar, maxxfann, windows etc. It is generally much cheaper to just get a bigger battery bank, and a bit more solar and run things like fidges on mains. Simply because a mains fridge is like 1/10th of the price of a fancy Dometic unit. But there have been some nice 12/24v second-hand options.

If you outsource the carpentry you can probably add about 3-5k to that. If you outsource the electrics you can probably add another 500-1000 euros to that.
Airconditioning is another 1000-2000 or so for a Dometic unit.

Things that can make it expensive is if you are buying off the shelf stuff that looks cool:
roof racks that look nice (2000 euro), spare wheel carriers (600-1000 euro), fancy flip away bike carriers (500-1500),
cool wheels and tyres (probably 2000-3000), or"fancy" webasto/branded diesel heaters (1000-5000) vs a Chinese alternative which is like 100 euro.
Doing the lifepo4 280AH battery bank diy saves you also about 1000-2000 euros.

Renogy is a good alternative for Victron, has quite a price advantage.

But I must say, overall this video is great!

[joeygenochio]

Not to mention shipping costs for all the larger things, like a massive roof rack, heavy batteries, solar panels, flare space flares, big water tank, etc

[astridkapp]

love that you shared that! I do not underestimate what you guys have to do! Well worth the quality you are putting out there!

[heinzimhof]

An eye-opener for anyone wanting to dive into a DIY van buildout project to understand the basic necessities and associated costs for material and labor.

[ryanmikita]

Another great video! Do you sell the interior light kit? If not will you share the source to find these lights?

[artventurespro]

Very thorough process and valuable insight..opened my mind in the process and true cost..btw, digging the tones of thr pics and videos highlighting the van.love the sun flares and moody tones .now thinking of renting a sprinter van for our Utah road trip this spring to get a feel for what we need ..

[ericburgher]

Wanted to echo the sentiments of a few others and was wondering if you could make this spreadsheet available to help with planning/budgeting. I’ve been looking for a video like this for a while! Thanks for putting this together.

[gj]

Awesome job great teaching as usual.
No one is as honest
Thank you 🙏🏾

[vincenttamesis]

Super great info Jeremy. Thank you very much. So the $94K for material and labor plus the cost of the van. Also, If I bring you a second hand/used van, you are open to customizing it as well. correct?

[Asha-wwct]

So I'm the process of purchasing a sprinter. I've been following your videos, on types of water tanks and what you need to get when you're buying your van what you shouldn't get put into the van. So I have a question I don't need a kitchen at all in my van, I have an esophagus issue my body cannot digest solid foods, so all I would need is a dry bath a shower a toilet and a sink.. and a tiny little area for a microwave drawer, refrigerator drawer, and another drawer to put my little smoothies/ protein shake cups and blenders. So basically three little drawers and the rest of course full closets and Storage for all of my clothes purse shoes hats gloves everything.. curious to know how much would that cost.

[willofthemaker]

Awesome video! As all ways you guys have great information

[margaretcostello]

Is there a link to the cost sheet? Thx Seven OSavage & Vanland

[Bli]

I'm interested in these folding seats (Click Seats?) but can't find them on your website. Where can I buy these? Great video btw, very informative.

[davekent]

Thanks for the video. You guys are great🇺🇸

[AJourneyOfYourSoul]

There are all kinds of ways you can save money. Lots of times builders like this add parts that aren't needed or even used in any practical way.

You see that rack on the roof, most people NEVER use them for anything that can't be replaced in some other way. Mount your solar panels right to the roof. Also, most people never use their awning. Get yourself a tarp setup to try out first, so you can find out if an awning is truly important to you before spending the money.

Batteries, build your own lithium batteries for pennies on the dollar. It is super simple. You get the cells direct, buy a BMS, wire it up (simple) and you could have 540 amp hours in a 12v system for way less than you think. Even ready made lithium batteries are starting to cost under 30 cents per watt hour, $350 per 100 amp hours. The cost of lithium batteries is dropping like a rock.

Also, really calculate your energy needs. Most people way over build when doing these fancy builds.


Now all those cool looking bumpers, suspension lifts etc.... you really think they are pushing their vans to need that? Nope. Just put on the biggest tires that will fit and call it a day. Seriously, hardly anyone pushes their van to need all those items.

Aftermarket wheels, not needed, stock works just fine.

$1, 000 dollar toilet, nope, buy a simple liquid/solid separator insert and make your own.