STEP 1 BUDGET
Think about your budget in advance. You can get everything done on a budget. You don’t need a very large budget to make your dream camper. It can be as cheap or as expensive as you want.
Your first set expense is, of course, your van. So see which part of your budget you want to spend on buying a van and which part on building your actual camper. I have a blog post full of tips before you buy a van, handy because you should check it out first!
Another aspect that you should think about is how much you are going to do yourself and with what things you might need to hire a professional. Of course you can do everything yourself, but you can also have someone do the relatively difficult or time-consuming things. Such as installing the electricity or a lifting roof. Remember that labor is expensive, it can easily take up a large chunk of your budget.
It is also useful to check what tools you already have, what you can borrow from friends or family and what you need to buy (or rent) yourself. Tools can still cost a bit. You don’t need the most expensive tools, but there are some essential tools that will make your conversion a lot easier and less stressful.
The most important thing, and the reason why you are doing this conversion, is of course that you can travel afterwards! So don’t forget to include this in your budget. You must have money left over at the end of the conversion to be able to go out afterwards. So leave enough so you can enjoy your upcoming travels!