We are sharing this information in hopes of helping others plan how much their conversion may cost. As we progress with our build, we will return to this page an add in the actual costs. We estimate the build to take 6 months to complete.
Buying a Van
We found a 2018 Ram Promaster 159″ Extended in excellent condition with 32,000km’s.
Van Base Cost: $33,989.00
Taxes: $4,637.56
Insurance: varies depending on your package.
Remember if you buy a vehicle privately through kijiji, craigslist or autotrader, you will need to pay sales tax when you insure it.
Designing the Build
Before you can accurately develop a budget, you need to figure out what you want to put in your van. We organized the tables below into categories and we priced out all of our items. When developing your budget, we recommend adding in 10% contingency, and don’t forget to include tax! Mistakes are going to be made, or something is going to be forgotten and this contingency will account for all that in your budget.
Demo/Framing/Insulation
Item | Budget | Actual Cost |
|---|---|---|
Rust Treatment | $20 | $20.44 |
Insulation | $2,000 | $2,000 |
Tools | $200 | $53.72 |
RV Windows | $250 | $1,349.25 |
Sliding Door Window | $700 | (incl. above) |
Framing/ Adhesive Materials | $200 | $197.21 |
Hardware/ Misc. | $100 | $135.07 |
Base Price | $3720 | |
12% Tax | $446.40 | |
10% Contingency | $416.64 | |
Total | $4,583.04 | $3,755.69 |
Completion Comments
We are 90% finished this phase of the build and our final numbers have been updated in the table above. We needed a lot more adhesive than what we were expecting, but other than that, there were no surprise costs! We still need to insulate our sliding door, bulk head and finish the rear doors. We haven’t decided what we are using yet.
Interested in the details for completing this phase?
Check out these videos:
Framing our Floor
Framing our Walls & Spray Foaming
Electronics
Item | Budget | Actual |
|---|---|---|
$350 | $455.70 | |
Solar Pack | $600 | TBD |
Inverter | $355.00 | TBD |
B4 Espar Heater | $2,676 | TBD |
Temperature Monitoring System | $180 | TBD |
Batteries | $3,685.56 | TBD |
$300 | $155.05 | |
Electrical Hardware/Wires | $250 | TBD |
12% Tax | $1,007.59 | |
10% Contingency | $940.41 | |
Total | $10,344.55 |
Bedroom
Item | Budget | Actual |
|---|---|---|
Bed(Lumbar) | $100 | |
Matteress | $400 | |
Overhead Storage | $100 | |
Hardware | $100 | |
12% tax | $84 | |
10% Contingency | $78.40 | |
Total | $862.40 |
Livingroom
Item | Budget | Actual |
|---|---|---|
Couch(Lumbar) | $100 | |
Cushions | $125 | |
Laguna table mount | $265 | |
Table | $100 | |
12% tax | $85.50 | |
10% Contingency | $80.08 | |
Total | $880.88 |
Bathroom
Item | Budget | Actual |
|---|---|---|
Toilet | $925 | |
Shower head/tap/fittings | $400 | |
Waterproofing | $400 | |
Showerpan | $500 | |
12% tax | $267 | |
10% Contingency | $249.20 | |
Total | $2,741.20 |
Garage
Item | Budget | Actual |
|---|---|---|
Drawer slides | $500 | |
Lumbar | $100 | |
Misc. Hardware | $100 | |
12% tax | $84 | |
10% Contingency | $78.40 | |
Total | $862.40 |
Finishings
Item | Budget | Actual |
|---|---|---|
Paint | $40 | |
Stains/Sealants | $50 | |
Shiplap | $200 | |
Flooring | $150 | |
Misc. Home Decor | $150 | |
12% tax | $75.60 | |
10% Contingency | $70.56 | |
Total | $776.16 |
Kitchen
Item | Budget | Actual |
|---|---|---|
Fridge | $1100 | TBD |
Stove | $941 | TBD |
Sink | $300 | TBD |
Faucet | $200 | TBD |
Countertop | $160 | TBD |
Cabinets | $200 | TBD |
Fittings | $150 | TBD |
Water Tanks | $430 | TBD |
Propane Tank + Install | $885.95 | TBD |
Backsplash | $55 | TBD |
Water Pump | $185 | TBD |
Accumulator | $100 | TBD |
Water Heater | $340 | TBD |
Plumbing fittings | $100 | TBD |
12% tax | $641.76 | |
10% Contingency | $598.98 | |
Total | $6,588.74 | TBD |
Total
Total Estimated Cost (Including Tax and Contingency): $27,639.35
We are first time converters, so we have probably forgotten something, buy hey, that’s what the contingency is for! We hope you find this information helpful for planning your own conversion. If you have any questions, please leave a comment and we will get back to you!
– Hayley and Jake