Van Ventures Magazine

“All the juicy
details of
sprinter van
conversion
so you can
plan your
own build!”
snug and won’t be going anywhere especially with
all the wood/structures were going to add onto it.
We then added a couple pieces of 5/8 plywood on
the whole flooring structure and screwed it into.
The van already had beams going across the roof,
so we used rivnuts and bolted the cut plywood – we
used plywood because 2/3’s wouldn’t bend enough –
we found the plywood to bend nicely and be strong
enough. This way the finishing pine slats had
something sturdy to be screwed to. For all the structure
in the kitchen, we used 2/3’s. For the structure
in the bed area, we used 2/4’s. We figured using a
stronger structure for the bed area was a good idea
and it all seems to be working great.
Windows/Vents
I got a fantastic fan and it’s absolutely amazing. It
has a way option and 3 speeds each way. I’m finding
it very useful when I want to cook and blow the
air out of the van and when it’s warm I can bring
the air into the van. Definitely very happy with that
purchase! The CR Lawrence window is awesome! it’s
really good quality and works perfectly. There is also
a little slider screen door that is able to be opened
to create some awesome airflow. I really wanted a
Dometic Heki, and If you’re in Europe you should
TOTALLY get one of these. Unfortunately, they don’t
sell them over here, I looked everywhere.
Heating
I decided not to buy a propane heater because I
wanted to save space and cost. I thought the oven
would work well as a heater. Heating with the oven
is not ideal and If I was to live in the winter in my van,
I would totally get a gas heater that connects under
the van and blows warm air into the van. Ideally,
aesthetically I would love a little fireplace, but I don’t
really want to be living anywhere cold enough to
need that.
Walls
After framing and insulating with Reflectix, I stained
some pine tongue and grove slats and put them on
the sidewalls and roof of the van. Two layers of cherrywood
and a top coat and these slats looked beautiful!
On the other half of the van, we used a thin wood
board and screwed it into the
supporting framing.
Most of the driver’s side of the van was covered by
structures such as cupboards and the kitchen area,
so not much was seen behind there. The structure
between the cab and the back of the van is made
with MDF board cut to shape to fit around the
corners of the van. Very happy we used this
compared to plywood as this the MDF is much
sturdier and not slightly bent like the plywood.
Structures
I’ve read so many different layouts and van plans,
but after living in a van before, I knew what I wanted.
If you’re looking at weight, you really don’t want
all the weight on one side of the van, even though
that’s what everyone is doing because it’s aesthetic.
I totally went that route because it does look really
nice. We tried to even out the weight by putting the
batteries under the bed on one side, but realistically
all the weight is on the driver’s side.
I would definitely suggest measuring and drawing
on the plywood on the ground to figure out where
you want things to go and how big. I built my bench
with the intention of putting the toilet inside the
bench, but after actually building it. the dimensions
were not going to work and I would have no walking
space. So alterations had to be made and the toilet
ended up going under the bed as a slider toilet. For
your reference, I don’t think nature’s head toilet is
small enough to go under a bench, so don’t bother
trying! Unless you want a massive bench and no
walking space.
Bathroom
I looked into so many different toilets for this van
conversion but came to the conclusion that Nature’s
Head Toilet was worth the money. From having a toilet
before that I used to have to change all the time
and it was really gross and messy. The Nature’s Head
Toilet is so simple to change and less frequently and
I would highly recommend. I only have to dispose
of the pee once a week because I have 2 buckets,
and the other waste is composting with Sphagnum
Peatmoss and needs to be changed every
few months.
Yes! I have an outdoor shower. I thought this was a
great idea because the water heater was already
going to be positioned outside of the van, and
having a shower there would be perfect. It’s
definitely saved me a few times when I couldn’t find
a shower anywhere. The shower is attached to my
Gasland Water Heater.
The toilet is built on 2/3’s in the shape of a square,
with plywood on top. There are 4 wheels under the
wood structure and 18-inch sliders allowing it to roll
back and forth. The toilet stays in the while I drive
and step on the breaks because we installed baby
locking system locks on most doors so they wouldn’t
open while I drive.
Oven
I used to have a stovetop in my old van, and I
really missed making cookies and pizza. So this time
I researched an oven option and found an awesome
one! The Stansport Oven is honestly amazing. I’ve
made pizzas, cookies, and some baked fish and can
definitely say its a great oven for a van!
Countertop
This is my favorite thing about my van conversion
and it definitely took the most time. I bought a raw
slice of elmwood and sanded it over a few days, cut
it to length and then fit it on the counter where it
would go. It was kind of tricky to cut the holes for the
sink and stove perfectly, but we definitely did a great
job! We put 3 coats of epoxy on top of the counter.
One thing to note, don’t use mineral oil after sanding
to see how nice of a piece of wood you have, because
the epoxy does not like the mineral oil. Thankfully
we were able to save it and by adding more epoxy
it wasn’t obvious that there were gaps. Next time,
no mineral oil! Sanding and using acetone between
coats of epoxy is a good idea!
Faucet
I wanted this van to look very rustic chic and what
would be better than a gold faucet! I am so happy
with this addition and the fact that it’s a large faucet
that has a spray nozzle.
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