You’ll want to check out our post/video on framing. Now, it’s a comfortable abode, thanks almost entirely to products purchased at IKEA. Check out this $1,000 camper van build by Grace and Marlon of “The Sweet Savory Life.” Nicknamed “Flippie,” this 2017 Ram Promster 1500 cargo van started out as bare as vans get. Yes, we try to clean our feet and step barefoot but somehow beach days bring in specks of sand to our bed. A typical van build has about 600 - 1,000 hours of labor involved. We haven’t had to use a single public restroom during our pandemic road trips. A Sacramento-based couple converted a 2017 Ram Promaster Cargo Van into a tiny home. Aside from the obvious things like the kitchen and bed, we added a desk, shower, cabinets and drawers to our must-have list. We mostly have gyms where we go and have taken showers outside our van using a portable shower when in state and national parks. For van conversion specialists, click here! What I like about this new layout is the unobstructed way to get in and out of the cockpit. We cleaned the floor thoroughly by sweeping and wiping with sanitized wipes. Grace and Marlon Aquino spent $1,000 at IKEA (and a few other stores) to turn their 2017 Ram Promaster Cargo Van into a tiny home on wheels. Also, we’ve been able to take incredibly beautiful pictures with this layout! Pertinent Links: Frank's articles on Insider.com Nomandland on Hulu (Requires subscription, free trial available.) Under the couch are three IKEA plastic bins, which hold clothing and books and which can easily slide out. We’ve been living in Flippie for almost 2 years now and don’t regret jumping on this crazy idea. Impressively, nothing broke down except for one loose screw after over a year of full-time dwelling. Moved our bed to the rear: using sofa risers and glue, we lifted our sofa bed over the wheels in the back. And… just thinking about having to build cabinets and drawers on our own was very intimidating! We’ve been able to experience some of the best landscapes in the country and are now enjoying living a smaller and slower lifestyle. So we’ve decided to completely change the layout! share. We wanted a permanent raised bed above the “garage” (over the bikes and other stuff); no need to fold/unfold the bed at night & it creates a lot of storage room under the bed. “We must've visited over 10 times figuring out which items were best to use. I hope that you found some inspiration for your own van-build! For the pull out trash can, we already had this Ikea trash can in our home, and decided to simply use it in our van, since this would be our new home! Using IKEA Cabinets in a Custom Van Camper Build by Zach on May 13, 2018 in Miles Van Camper, Van Build Series I decided early into my planning that I was going to use IKEA cabinets in my camper van conversion. Finally, in April 2019, we moved in to start living in Flippie full-time. Added an outdoor shower in the rear: the Helio shower with a foot pump was once used as our faucet in the sink but has since been used as an outdoor shower located in the rear. 4 Lixhult storage $60, Skadis Pegboards $163.90, Ego power station $600 (bought on sale on Ebay, original price with 2 batteries is $1300). Underlayment $38.98 (Home Depot) & Sorbus Interlocking Floor Mat (www.walmart.com) $90 for 60 sq.ft. If you want some inspiration Van Tourist has two great videos on how he has built his Ikea kitchen: Part 1 Part 2. So we’re down to doing it ourselves as our only practical choice! Has anyone done a complete van build out using IKEA products? This shows IKEA can help you make a home out of anything. Added portable toilet behind the driver’s seat: we wanted to minimize our exposure to Covid-19 by skipping public restrooms. The company is still developing a solar panel that comes with it so for now, we have to charge it from a shore power. Anyone done a sprinter van/rv build with the standard kitchen cabinets you buy from the store? It was almost 2.5 metres long, weighed over 30kg, and only just squeezed in the car (barely leaving room for my Ikea purchase: a single fluorescent dishwashing brush, which was looking a bit forlorn at the bottom of my huge yellow bag). Coleman 12v fridge $139.99, Electric water bottle pump $12.99 each, total $25.98, Water setup: 3 Ozark Trail water jug (2 for clean water, 1 for gray water), Ikea camper van built for just $2000. For our floor plan, we’ve decided on placing the bed behind the cockpit purely because we didn’t want to have to build a platform. All other furnitures were assembled and mounted including the kitchen, sofa bed, desk, drawer and overhead cabinet. Blogger Grace Aquino and her husband Marlon, from Sacramento, live full-time in Flippie the van. Mar 25, 2020 - Why I used IKEA kitchen cabinets for my DIY camper van conversion, how I made them work and how they're holding up! pretty much what the title says. For the toilet, we bought a Dometic portable toilet which has been a game-changer! Probably, the most asked topic we get is the shower and toilet setup. Fourth, most Ikea items are relatively inexpensive. Cheers! And since we really only use for charging our phones and laptops, we only charge the powerstation every other week. It made me wonder why we haven’t done this earlier! The best decision we’ve made was to move-in with only our backpacks and 2 gaming chairs that reclined flat and served as our bed. This really helped us finally create our final floor plan! Helio Nemo Pressure Shower for our faucet $89.00 (REI). Ikea furniture is very easy to build, replace, and upgrade making it perfect for this build. I don’t like to use the tent as much because first, we have to set it up, then let it dry and put it away after. May 20, 2020 10:39 a.m. PT. We had to assess what things we’re bringing in the van and how much storage we really needed. Ikea House. And what an incredible view we had! Nov 14, 2019 - Campervan novice Grace Aquino and her husband Marlon have converted a low-roof 2017 Ram Promaster cargo van into a campervan. There’s only one problem… we had zero experience in building anything! Karlton and Toni stripped out the original interior (“dark carpets, patterned upholstery and weird wallpaper”) and renovated their 28-square-meter motorhome in just two months. When we first started out van build, storage was our main concern, so we built the bed high to fit bicycles underneath. Not only is it inexpensive but also easy to build and mount! Total win + €250 Detailed article: Stripping the Van This blog post is an update to our $1000 Ikea camper van build in 2019, click here to read! To see more pictures of our old layout, read “Simple Ikea Camper Van Build for $1000”. Yes, camper van conversions don’t have to be expensive! low roof (though comfortable enough for both my husband and I to stand), glass side window (most Promasters don’t have a side window). This is the heaviest of all fixtures in the van made of both wood and metal. Our Ford Transit DIY camper van conversion is build mostly around the mountain bikes and the platform bed is no exception. low roof (though comfortable enough for both my husband and I to stand in) 60 sq.ft. This is our first layout built with Ikea in 2019. Most Ikea fixtures in the van are made of light metal and plastic except for the pantry shelf, made with a metal frame and wooden drawer. Not only is it inexpensive but also easy to build and mount! Well, except for a few Ikea cabinets he’s assembled in the past! The couple spent only $1,000 on IKEA products for the conversion. Yesterday, I finally took pictures of the interior of our self-converted camper van named Flippie! Feb 19, 2020 - Explore Bermstyle's board "#VAN Build out", followed by 213 people on Pinterest. We only picked fixtures with light materials like metal and plastic. We built “Flippie” using mostly Ikea furnishings for just a $1000! This step needs to come before the rest or you will not have anything to mount your cabinet walls to! Often when camping on boondocking spots near national parks, we simply open the back doors and use the Nemo Helio portable shower. We also didn’t want to have to buy tools! Latest posts from Pete. Using mostly Ikea furniture, our total cost was just around $1000. 06-17-2016, 12:19 PM . The new 2020 layout and updates totaled slightly below $2000 with the Ego power station included among others. I only calculated the cost of the actual build including insulation, pegboard walls, bed and cabinets. This electric water dispenser is definitely easier to use with just a touch of a button. All other things like the fridge, Eco power bank station, ottoman, drawer and other accessories were not included. Ikea shows how to build fun structures out of pillows, blankets and furniture. Also, I really like that I can open 2 back doors in the rear kitchen while cooking! 2. Here's our 2020 updated rear-bed layout! First, the showroom is a treasure trove of inspiration and helped us visualize what is possible for our space. To figure out their floor plan, Grace decided they need to live in their bare van on cots and figure out what they needed. My husband came up with the brilliant idea of using Ikea furnishings instead. In fact, we don’t have any problems with odor at all. Ikea Kitchen Cabinets for a van build? Article from apartmenttherapy.com. The kitchen setup is not even included. Meaning… we want to be able to easily take it apart or switch it around if needed! I cut eight, small L brackets out of angle steel and mounted them to the double stud fittings with 3/8-24 bolts cut to custom length (approx 3/4″). We also discuss the film Nomadland, now streaming on Hulu. Traveling and seeing new places is always at the top of our to-do list. The easiest and most inexpensive way to do this is with 2×4’s, but before we could build that, we had to cut out the baseboard to … This step should’ve been the second step after insulation but we ended up installing our floor much much later! For privacy, a shower curtain is hooked to the opened back doors. If needed, a pop-up tent shower is also an option for us. The vibrations of a constantly-moving vehicle can easily break some of the heavy wooden IKEA cabinets. As pictured above, Flippie’s first layout placed the bed behind the cockpit. While it was convenient having the kitchen in the rear, it was more inconvenient for us to step on our bed every time we go in from the cockpit. This is a Layout Guide - it will help you figure out your van floor plan and build a van with a layout similar to one of our vans. We opted not to purchase the Ikea cabinet legs/toe kicks, and instead build our own since we’d be customizing/painting them to our liking. I wanted to have a rear kitchen thinking that I needed to be able to open the back doors when cooking to aerate the van. Sometimes, we use this shower tent outside. I had this grand plan of hiring a professional photographer to take beautiful pictures once the project is all done. Mar 25, 2019 - Extraordinary Rv Camper Van Conversion Ideas For Inspirations 14. report. Second, Ikea furnishings are easy to assemble. Though our floor plan was set, we still wanted our build to be open-ended! Items from the Blue and Yellow store takes centerstage in 60sq. Our first build totaled to $1000, however, the Ego power station ($600) and other things weren't included. Impressively, nothing broke down except for one loose screw after over a year of full-time dwelling. ft. van conversion. As I mentioned earlier, we had little knowledge in building anything and with the high cost of professional van builders, our most practical choice was to build Flippie with Ikea. We covered our walls using Ikea peg boards (Skadis) by screwing them to the wooden panels. Grace in their van, nicknamed Flippie For more information on insulation and our initial build, click here! For indoor showering, we use a metal basin big enough for us to shower in using the same Nemo Helio portable shower and shower curtain to keep the water in the basin. This is our updated layout in 2020 with the bed in the rear. Also, cleaning the black tank is obviously not a fun job, however, it’s something I can tolerate. We used 2 peg board sizes 22”x22” (3 pieces) and 30”x22” (7 pieces) to fill both walls in total of 10 pieces. I really love that though we live in a small 60 sq.ft. Note… we couldn’t figure out what kind of flooring alternative we can use while trying to avoid any wood! With a roll of underlayment (also bought at Home Depot), we covered the entire floor and taping on the sides to keep it in place. Placed vinyl flooring on top of our interlocking foam mats: the foam mats were starting to look worn out; we just placed the vinyl floor on top of the foam mats to give it a fresher feel. They were easy to dismount and move around. | The Sweet Savory Life. It’s a simple, no-nonsense build … Moved kitchen beside the sliding side door: I am still able to open the side sliding door while cooking to aerate the van. Dec 12, 2019 - This budget van conversion was done with IKEA products for under $1,000. In my experience, Ikea furniture is also remarkable light making it perfect for a van build. We also have an outdoor shower tent as an option. We researched a lot of designs, and we love how simple this bed design was to build! The Van… 2017 Ram Promster 1500 Cargo Van. Sometimes, we use this shower tent outside. After a few calls to van conversion companies, it became clear that we’re going to have to do it ourselves! Mar 25, 2019 - Extraordinary Rv Camper Van Conversion Ideas For Inspirations 14. Difficulty 1/5 – preparing the van for the build was not difficult Fun 3/5 – it starts out fun because it’s the first step, but soon just turns into lots of sweat and hard work Time 1/5 – this took us one day with 2 people Cost 0/5 – this step actually made me money! save. In 2019, my husband and I converted a 2017 Ram Promaster into a tiny home on wheels which we called Flippie! We may have given up a few conveniences, like a nice hot running shower every day, but the rewards far outweigh it. See more ideas about van, camper van, van life. Jul 18, 2018 - Check out my DIY RAM Promaster camper van named Miles Van Camper and learn about all the stuff I used to build this awesome rig! low roof (though comfortable enough for both my husband and I to stand in), glass side window (most Promasters don’t have a side window). Third, they had an excellent return policy in case things didn’t work out. It would cost us close to $20k just to get the insulation, electrical and bed. I hope that this gave you an inspiration and a little nudge to get on with your van-building plans! I was thinking about doing that to save build time and also in hopes for an easier build. In fact, it only took us half a day to take the interior apart, add the vinyl flooring and re-arrange to the new layout. Planning. 136” wheel base. Added electric water bottle dispenser as a faucet: our old faucet was the Nemo Helio shower with a foot pump. Similarly, we’ve been able to take dramatic photos laying down in our beds when the side sliding door is open! Sign up. Here's a disclaimer… this cost covers only the van build itself. Balkarp Sleeper Sofa $149.00, Desk Besta Burs $199 & Top Trones Storage $24.99, Raskog Cart/ Pantry $29.99 & Helio Nemo Pressure Shower for our faucet $89.00 (REI) & Dollar Store white baskets. It’s extendable to accommodate different bed widths (this is super helpful) and latches onto brackets. The best part of this layout is the amount of space under the bed where some use to install custom drawers and cabinets. See photo gallery of the finished galley and the process at the bottom of the post Nov 4, 2019 - Who said a self-converted camper van has to be expensive?! Log in. 3. My favorite part of our build is its versatility! Building Flippie was generally simple and inexpensive costing us about $1000. Scroll through the photos below to get the links to each product I used. Then the exercise floor mat puzzles (Walmart) were placed on top cutting the edges to fit the space. Depending on the location, the rear-kitchen layout offered some stunning vantage point for both the side and back doors. The build, however, was quick and relatively easy only taking us 2 weeks of after-work and weekend hours to complete. This meant that the whole structure was braced in each area. I added solid sides to the foot of the bed using Ivar shelves. Using mostly Ikea furniture, our total cost was just around $1000. We like it because it has a flip up lid to keep smells from creeping out.