How To Build A Camper Van For £1,000

Converting a van into a campervan is often made out to be a cheap option — but it rarely is, and it’s often possible to spend as much as you would on a professional conversion by the time you’ve finished.

However, as Build Your Own Dream Camper Van For Less Than £1000 shows — and as I’ve managed myself — it is possible to convert a van far more cheaply than you can buy a professional conversion — without having to buy a decrepit vehicle that will break down every five minutes and has more damp than an English summer!

In this new book, Matthew Ball and his brother Stuart convert a van into a camper for less than £1,000, including the cost of the van. It’s an impressive feat and judging from the photos, the end result isn’t at all bad.

Obviously choosing an LDV van helped — they are probably the least desirable vans on the market — but there is nothing especially wrong with them and later models of the LDV Convoy used a Transit engine and drivetrain, so should be fundamentally reliable.

The main areas covered in the book are:

• How to build a campervan for less than £1000
• Easy step-by-step instructions that anyone can follow
• Requires minimal tools and DIY experience
• Packed full of original money and time saving ideas
• How to pick up a good solid van for peanuts
• How to kit out your van’s interior for free
• How to build your dream machine in ten weeks
• How to buy 30 metres of high-quality fabric for just £9

The authors are also keen to stress that this conversion plan will work on any suitably-sized van, not just an LDV — and reckon the average non-expert DIYer should be able to complete their conversion in less than ten weeks, which is pretty good going.

If you are keen on doing a conversion but worried about the costs and the DIY skills involved, then this book could be a very good starting point.

Book Information

Title: Build Your Own Dream Camper Van For Less Than £1000
Authors: Matthew & Stuart Ball
Price: £19.99 +P&P (direct from publisher, also available on Amazon)
Publisher: Veloce Publishing (www.veloce.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-845845-24-7