The Van Tour
This is Joyce, she is a 2010 Mercedes Sprinter 313, Long Wheel Base and she is our home!
Below I have added small descriptions with pictures to give you the guided tour
Click Here For The “Costs and Components Spreadsheet”
The Cockpit
I removed the bulkhead to open up the space, removed the twin seat and added a second-hand single. I then put both seats on a swivel.
The head unit is a Pioneer SPH-DA120 – it has Bluetooth, Apple Carplay, reversing camera and handsfree
I got this one secondhand off Facebook Marketplace
Marcela added a nice map of Europe above our heads
We converted the overhead empty space into cupboard space
The Lounge
The internal height is 187cm (6ft2″)
I installed opening side windows (From eBay) and blackout/thermal blinds from Van-X
Marcela measured and ordered the foam for the side seat from efoam.co.uk and then had them upholstered at our local upholsterers – Tailored by Polcari
We have plenty of storage under the seats
The Bathroom
Toilet
Our toilet is only there for “emergencies” and thankfully hasn’t been used yet 🙂
This is a pipe that leads directly outside…
Shower
I originally designed the shower to have a removable curtain as shown below, but we have never actually used it. The shower base is large enough to sit/neal down comfortably.
The shower curtain is permanently fixed to the copper pipe, I just put the first pic here to show how it fits.
The Dining Room
We made a removable table for working and eating on
Our Bedroom
In the bedroom, we have a standard double Simba Mattress,
a wardrobe with one side each
and laptop draws/desks
This is our handy reading lamp with 2x USB chargers
The Kitchen
The kitchen has an LPG twin hob, grill and oven. The sink is large and deep with a high flowing tap.
The cooker is a Voyager 4500
The sink is a Chinese one off of eBay and the tap is from B&Q
To maximise worktop space we made a solid oak chopping board (from the worktop cutoffs) that fits over the sink.
You may notice on some pics that it is sitting proud of the sink, this is due to the wood expanding! I will have to get sanding.
The fridge/freezer is a Vitrifrigo compressor fridge that runs on about 35W
Gas
The gas bottle is stationary and secured in place with a rubber hose to the cooker and copper lines to the external water heater. The gas cupboard has a floor vent as a precaution.
We fill up with gas at service stations, just as you would with an LPG vehicle
Underneath The Van
Joyce has a 70L fresh water tank and a 50L waste for the sink and shower water.
The fresh water tank has a heater probe and insulation to prevent freezing up in sub-zero conditions
The LPG water heater is external to save room inside the van. It’s very efficient and heats up enough water for a shower in 5-10 mins!
On The Roof
Awning
We have Fiamma F65S 3.7 Meter awning which is great for providing shade and shelter
Solar
I installed 4X 100W semi-flexible solar panels which produce enough electricity for 2 of us to live off.
The rest of the electrical system is as follows:
(This pic is from the build as you cant see them very well now the van is finished)
40A MPPT Solar Charge Controler
Split Charger (from eBay)
Isolator and breakers
1000W inverter (from eBay)
(Pic from build, sorry for quality)
The Garage
In the garage, we fit a bike, lots of kitesurfing equipment, tools, winter gear, beach tent and all other sorts of garagey stuff!
Garage shelves, light switch and quick disconnect shower point
The outside shower is one of my favourite parts, really handy!
Other Things
Music System
The music system consists of a 12″ Kicker Sub, 2X Vibe 6×9 speakers and 600W & 900W amplifiers (plus the standard front speakers, which are surprisingly good!)
(Pic from build, sorry for quality)
Heating
Eberspacher D2 with 7day timer – I plummed it directly into the fuel tank
The thermostat and the heat outlet are shown here:
The exhaust
Wifi
Huawei MiFi Router – Getting the right SIM card is more difficult than you may think. I will be writing a post about this to help anyone who needs a lot of data for a sustained period of time in Europe.
240V Sockets x4
Ventilation
Joyce is equipped with a Fantastic Fan, rear roof vent and both side windows have openings. This gives great ventilation and keeps us cool at night.
Hammock
Van Tour Video
Click Here For The “Costs and Components Spreadsheet”
See The Build Here:
To be continued on The Van Build Page…
32 Comments on “The Van Tour”
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Hello, I read your blog and watched your videos and this is very inspiring and informative but, I have not yet seen a video with estimated costs …and also how much your typical monthly expenses are living on the road compared to how you lived before? Thank you! 🙂
All in good time Krystal, all in good time haha – in all seriousness you are right I need to get a move on. I have been spending a lot of time driving recently, but will 100% get the vids and info out asap! Thanks for watching and reading 🙂
We live in the South West and just in the process of purchasing our van. Wondered where you found yours? Did you go to an auction, dealer or private sale
Advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
Hi Toby,
We got her from a dealer actually, but we were in the automotive industry so did a trade deal. We actually went all the way down South West from N.Wales! A place called Frome.
It took a good amount of searching to find a nice one that was priced low enough and we had to compromise on mileage to get a new enough van within budget.
Anything I can help you with, please feel free to message me 🙂
Alex
Lol ok cool ..sounds good ..thanks for the reply!
Hey Alex,
Thanks for the response, small world we live 15 mins from Frome! Enjoy your adventure.
Your advice was helpful, cheers
Toby
Correction: estimated costs that went into building and converting the van into your home….the more detail the better….from the cost of the van itself, to the cost of the solar panels, insulation, wood, etc. etc. and also as i mentioned in the first comment i am curious to know what your monthly expenses are…including food, van insurance, wifi costs, phone service, gas etc. etc. ….thank you so much …u guys are truly awesome! POWER COUPLE!! 🙂
Can’t wait to see your van build blog post or video!!!
hi, could you say what mileage your van had and any thoughts you have on what is acceptable? (From viewing adverts i see there is huge depreciation for miles but would not want to buy one that is worn out.)
Hi Nicholas,
She has very high mileage actually, just over 200,000 when we got her and 217,000 now!
The thing is she has had a new gearbox just before 200K and been serviced well all her life. I’ve seen Sprinters for sale with over 300K on the clock, so they do the miles.
I used to be in the motor trade and have always been a firm believer of its the way a vehicle is loved (maintained & treated) rather than the miles it has covered that effects its lifespan.
Let’s hope she holds out 😀
Inspiring about get a build to spec or self build so the costs would be useful even an estimate please on build and monthly living costs
Which wifi / sim?
I need to start very soon thanks in advance
I am working on build info all this month 🙂
You could spend £5 or £50 though you know…
I will blog and create videos to help with these points though
Looking forward to seeing your detailed build info. This is definitely one of the nicest builds I’ve come across.
Especially curious about the nice side window with shade and the rear vent/shade/skylight which I haven’t seen elsewhere. Where did you find them?
Many thanks!
Cheers! eBook on the way which will inlcude all parts, cost and source 🙂
Looking forward to the build walkthrough! I’m hoping to start a build next month and will need to do it in multiple phases due to budget contraints. Curious to see how you did all the wiring and plumbing as those are the main things I hope to accomplish this coming year (before all the aesthetics go up)
Good luck with it! Currently just writing up on wiring etc – hope it will help you 🙂
Really inspirational seeing you guys embarking on this adventure! I stumbled across your youtube video (which is like number one when you search for van conversion so congrats!) and already it’s set the cogs in my mind whirring. I was curious whether your decision to leave when you did was influenced by Brexit ( 🙁 booooo, hiss) or if you think you would still have embarked on this trip in say a couple of years when Britain has left the EU? Sorry if it’s getting political, I was just curious as I would like to attempt something similar whilst we still have freedom of movement! Keep having fun!
Thanks! Yeah I am very pleased with my video – lucky 🙂
Personally, we were not influenced by Brexit (yes boo hiss indeed). After being out here I have realised I don’t actually want to come back to the UK, so I am thinking how Bexit will affect that… I would certainly recommend embarking on something like this though 🙂
Hello both of You.
Love the tour video and the smart things that You have done to the van.
As A kiter and cyclist I have the Same plan.
But I wonder How heavy the van is with al this settings.
This is becouse, in the netherlands, You need A diverent drivers licence when your van is to heavy.
Can You tell me the weight of the van after your great rebuild
When You are in the netherlands Lets go kiting
Greetings
Folkert
Hey thanks 🙂
Total is about 3400KG fully loaded (inc passengers, full tank of fuel etc)
hello.
Thanks for your replay.
that is nice work to keep it under the 3500 kg, you have got 100 kg to spare to use it for a heavy shock absorber or bigger fule tank
Hey Alex!!
Was just wondering when the detailed video or EBOOK would be out!?
Cheers
about 10 days for eBook, vids shortly after 😀
Is there a vid with the costs? Or can you please give us an idea of the costs to convert into your home? Very, very sweet and a great job! So many clever ideas, too. Thanks for sharing!!
Yep I am working on all that stuff now 🙂 Watch this space 😉
Thanks for the nice comments
Hi 🙂 My boyfriend and I are just doing our van conversion – I am trying to figure out how to hook our inverter to our socket outlets – I am only able to find inverters with a 240 socket outlet (on them) – how do you connect this to an AC fuse box? Did you just take an extension cable, cut that and wire it to an AC fuse box? Thanks a lot in advance. We have watched so many videos but no-one seems to touch on this. Thanks a million!
Hi, I have actually just released an eBook that will help you with this and many other build challenges 🙂 Check it out here: https://kitevanman.com/ebook/
Hi guys! Big Congrats for you build and life style. How many Kilometers had Joyce when you bought her? Thanks!
Hi Alex,
Thank you for all the info and detail. I’m considering getting the design package and ebook bundle but I want an MWB as opposed to an LWB. Given this, is there any value in getting the design package.
Cheers,
Cam
Hi Cam,
You could edit the design base to fit the MWB easily enough, you would then just adjust the design to fit. I highly recommend the use of a 3D model! Try it and see, if it’s not working for you I will refund you anyway 🙂
Cheers,
Alex
Excellent point of view Here! Thanks for the information. sounds so great and helpful. Kudos!
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