The Budget

Balancing it Out

So, now that the van is ready to use, I thought I would update you on what it has all cost in total.

Back when I first seen the van, away back on the 12th May last year, I guessed a rough figure of £2000 to do the conversion on it (Facebook Post)

I also stated on my thread on eFestivals (Link) about the same figure, as this is what I thought it would have cost.

Ok so as mentioned away back when I started the Blog, I bought the minibus from the RNIB for £750.

As it came with all the seats still fitted, wheelchair ramp, wheelchair restraints etc, I sold everything I could on eBay and Gumtree.

I also had bought a few things 2nd hand from people and salvaged some stuff from caravans which I later sold too.

So the total I made from selling everything on I didn't need, was around £680.

Now for the cost of all the parts, tools, joiner, kitchen accessories and bedding etc was £4300 but this included £300 of B&Q vouchers that I got free anyway so actual cost was £4000.

Cost Calculation

 4000   Conversion
-  750   Minibus
-  680   Sold Parts
--------
£2570


So around £500 over budget, which isn't that bad considering when I started this I really had no idea on what I thought it would actually cost.

I did plan to use a lot of 2nd hand caravan parts for the conversion, but in reality the only items are the toilet, oven and fridge that are used.

The budget also didn't include me spending a fair chunk of money on these items which I didn't initially plan to include in the conversion

• Smev Hob/Sink (£250)
• Solar Panels plus fixings (£230)
• TV/Bracket/Aerial (£140)

If I didn't put them in, it would have been just under the budget I guessed, but I feel they definitely improve the conversion.

Summary

I think it has been worth the money invested, and by not using a lot of 2nd hand parts has improved how the conversion looks, and I have been able to build it to the spec I wanted.

With the van only having just over 14k miles on the clock now, the bodywork is in good condition and is solid underneath, I feel this will last a long time if looked after and hopefully it will still be going in 10 years time.

Being curious to what I think it is worth, if I was to sell it as it is now, I've asked a few people and also looked on eBay to see comparable vehicles.

The approx range I've been told is around £6-7k but nothing lower than £5k

But no, it's not for sale!!


Link to Spreadsheet

The Wire

Keeping it Cool

When I am parked up, the fridge will either run off the gas or if I have a hook up, it will run on 240V.

However, when on the move if I want to keep it running, it needs a 12V feed from the van as if it was on the leisure batteries it would quickly flatten them.

There was 2 ways to do this, either run a split charge system which involves adding in a relay, fuses etc to the leisure batteries and a feed goes off the relay to the fridge.

The other, easier option was just to run a wire from the ignition live, so that when the van is running, the fridge can be powered and when it is parked up, it doesn't have power.

I wasn't really comfortable going with either option, but after speaking to an auto electrician yesterday, I decided to try the 2nd option.

Above the glove box, under where the reversing camera sat, there was a couple of relays which one is for the camera, and the other I think is for the door open alarm.

So in the picture above, I took the ignition live feed wire (the purple one) and ran a split from that. I tested the wiring with a multimeter to ensure it was only live when the ignition was on.

From that split, I put an in-line fuse (10A) which is ample for the fridge that gives out about 6-8A when running. 

Before stripping back the interior plastics to hide the wiring, I tested it out by connecting the live to the fridge and the earth to the van chassis.

All working, so when van is off it showed 0.00V to the fridge, but when I put the ignition on and selected the 12V switch on the fridge itself, it was running between 12-13V when the van was running.

I left the van running for 10-15 minutes and after that, I could feel the fridge getting colder.

Now I knew it was working, I ran the live cable down the side of the door behind the plastics and then along the passenger footwell again hidden away.

It then went along the side in the conduit, so the same place I put the socket cable for the fridge.

Ok so it's not the tidiest and discrete way to do it, but it's barely noticeable so will do for now.

So then I just connected the live wire to the fridge, and also connected up the earth to the chassis.

So as you can see, you can barely see it as the live runs along the back of the beading.

And completing this job was the last one on the 'To Do' list I had, so am pretty happy with that and all going well everything will work well next weekend!

Link to Photo Album

The Shower

Wet and Dry

I got the 2nd Gas Bottle I needed yesterday, but needed to order a new regulator so waiting on that. 

But I wanted to test out the shower properly, so I used the regulator off the kitchen gas bottle. 

So with it all connected up to the boiler, I grabbed my towel and shower gel and jumped into the van. Closed all the curtains, as didn't fancy having my neighbours seeing me getting undressed, and got into the shower.

It only takes about 10 seconds to heat up, in fact I had it a bit too hot so will need to adjust the boiler down a bit. But the good thing about having a mixer tap is I can do it easily from there too.

Also plenty of pressure coming through, actually really enjoyed the shower.. could even be better than the one in our bathroom at home!

I put a bath mat just outside the shower in case water got out but the shower curtain kept it all in.

Also the extractor fan worked well, with pretty much no condensation or steam getting into the main part of the van.

I had a proper full shower, probably in there for a good couple of minutes and interesting that I only used less than half of one of the water tanks which is better than I expected. 

Quite pleased overall of how the shower was and how well it worked. 

PS You'll be glad that there was no shower selfies in this blog update ;-)

Link to Photo Album

The Kit

Odds n Sods

I've still got a few things to buy for inside the van for when going away, but got a some bits the other week and also put the bedding etc in too.

The bedding stores under the long section of the sofa, in 2 storage bags to keep them clean and dry. Below shows them on the bed, it's amazingly comfy too!

I got a lovely red whistle kettle and pot.. and a little frying pan to match too. And the cups are in the van colours of red/black.

This is one of my favourite things I got for the van, it's a retro chopping board!

Other stuff I have got is a wok, bamboo cooking utensil set, bamboo cutlery set, tin opener, sharp knife and a few other bits.

And after all that, it was lunchtime so felt I needed to test out the table and have a cheeky cider!

Link to Photo Album

The Cats

Curiousity Didn't Kill The Cats

All along this build process, I've had numerous visits in the van by our three cats - Ollie, Floyd and Lulu and even a couple by the neighbours cat Sooty.

Ollie likes to have a quick sniff round, Floyd likes to make himself at home and Lulu just appears usually when am not there!

Here are the photos I've taken along the journey.. enjoy!

Link to Photo Album

The Random 2

Small Jobs

Again, just a few small random things to post about but wanted to share everything I've done.

Firstly, when I was checking out the Camera the other day, I noticed that the alarm for the sliding/back doors is under there and can be seen on bottom left of this photo.

That only comes on when the ignition is live, so could be an ideal place to take the 12V feed to the fridge so it runs only when the engine is running, still to do that but not essential for now.

I also noticed when driving, that the TV has a bit of play on the bracket when driving. Simple solution for when I am on the move was to put a bungee cord round it.

I also got 2 black end plates for the kitchen unit, you might have noticed them in previous photos but they just finish it off nicely.

Oh and I also fitted a Carbon Monoxide alarm for safety, I will also pick up a smoke alarm too before using the van.

Also managed to find a nice storage place for the hook up cable, fold up chair and a couple of windbreaks which fit nicely in the back area just to the left of the wetroom frame.