01 / Bare metal
Start with what’s underneath.
March 2018. The steel floor, with separate patches of sound damping. A lot of the build disappears under the next layer.
See this part of the buildOne van. Made personal.
Meet Walter.
One old van.
A lot of heart.
A campervan build, from the inside out.Scroll a little. Stay a while.
01 / THE BEGINNING
Hi, I’m Michael.
It started with a van.
And a van full of tools.
I bought Walter at an estate sale for $3,000. Selling some of the tools that came with him brought the van cost down to about $1,500. Then came the conversion.
I put my heart and soul, and a good deal of engineering, into this van. I’m really proud of it. I also took a ridiculous number of photos along the way.
So here it all is: the finished room, the work behind it, and the details to help you plan your own build.
The story of Walter Michael02 / MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME
Small space.
Plenty to discover.
Open a drawer. Peek under the bed.
See what makes this little room work.
THE FINISHED INTERIOR
01 / 05A little room.
A little room.
A lot fitted in.
A full-size bed at the back. A kitchen along the side. And an aisle that gives everything room to open. Come have a look around.
Take the interior tourTHE COOLER, PULLED INTO THE AISLE
02 / 05Dinner starts
Dinner starts
with a drawer.
The Dometic cooler slides out from under the counter so its lid can open. Above it: a sink, soft-close drawers and a place for the small things.
See how the kitchen worksTHE UNDER-BED DRAWERS
03 / 05There’s more
There’s more
under the bed.
The big drawers bring cookware and supplies out into the aisle. From the back doors, I can reach the garage and electrical equipment.
Open the storage guideTHE ELECTRICAL COMPARTMENT
04 / 05The work you
The work you
don’t always see.
The controls, charging equipment and wiring live under the bed. I’ve included the original DC notebook, a clearer redraw and the details that still need checking.
Open the electrical notebookWALTER, AFTER DARK
05 / 05Same van.
Same van.
A different feeling.
Warm light along the wood ceiling. Window coverings around the bed. Here’s Walter with the lights on after dark.
Look a little closerReal photographs. All the little details.
03 / THE WORK BEHIND THE ROOM
Before it was home,
it was a project.
The bits that get covered up.
And the photos of what’s underneath.
02 / The first layers
A floor to build on.
April 2018. The wood-pattern planks going over the fitted deck. The wheel wells and edges needed their own cuts.
See this part of the build03 / Making it fit
Room for the things that move.
April 2021. The exposed frame and drawer runners before the boxes went in. This is where the clearances start to matter.
See this part of the build04 / A place to live
And then it starts to feel like home.
The finished interior, with the bed, kitchen and storage fitted together. The guides open up the work behind this room.
See this part of the build04 / OPEN THE BUILD NOTEBOOK
What are you
working on?
Pick a project. Get into the details.
All 17 build chapters
Planning & costs
Working out the layout
My rear bed, side kitchen and drawers all share a small space. Here’s how to work out your own campervan layout with measurements, tape and room to move.
Shell & lining
Building Walter’s floor
Follow the photographed floor sequence: sound-damping patches, shaped insulation, a fitted deck and wood-pattern planks.
Kitchen & water
My campervan kitchen
Here’s my kitchen with the cooler, drawers and water cupboard open. If you’re building your own, start with what has to move and what you’ll need to reach.
Bed & storage
My under-bed drawers
Here are my under-bed drawers, from the exposed runners to the finished storage. Check your hardware and openings before cutting, then try a box-width calculation with your own allowances.
THE ENGINEERING BEHIND IT
A look inside
the notebook.
The October 2020 notebook still describes Walter’s finished DC wiring. You can open the original, follow the clearer redraw, and see what still needs checking.
Follow the connectionsThese are records of my build. Cable, protection and hidden AC details still need separate verification.
FIELD NOTES / 2020
05 / TAKE SOMETHING USEFUL WITH YOU
A little help
for your own build.
Free tools, real measurements.
No account. Just get started.
01 / PLAN THE COSTYour build.
Measure twice.
Paper, pencil,
Your build.
Your budget.
Keep quotes, spending and the things you haven’t priced in one place. Download your worksheet.
Open the budget planner 02 / CHECK THE FITMeasure twice.
Make room.
Work out a drawer’s outside width from your opening and the allowances for your hardware.
Try the drawer calculator 03 / TAKE IT TO THE VANPaper, pencil,
and a plan.
Three print-and-write sheets for floor layers, roof-vent fit and drawer clearances.
Get the free planning sheets PDF · 3 pages ↓
Photograph edited for privacy.THERE’S A LOT MORE IN HERE
Stay curious.
Make something.
If Walter gives you an idea for your own van, that’s a pretty good reason to have shared all this.
Wander through the photos