How Much Does It Cost to Build a Camper Van Conversion? (Realistic Guide for 2025)

🚌 How Much Does It Cost to Build a Camper Van Conversion?

This is a question I get asked more than any others. It's such a loaded topic, it is hard to even know where to begin.

The question itself is flawed because it requires a "one-size-fits-all" answer and that simply is not the case.

Everyone is different. Everyone has different van goals and preferences based on what they are doing with their vans. Because of this, it is important to define what type of camper van are you building.

Whether you are talking to me or a random person from a van online group, no one can give you build advice until they know your entire story.

⚙️ Deal Breakers: What to Consider Before You Build

There are many big factors to consider when building a camper van:

• What climate are you going to operate this van in?
• What is your tolerance to heat or cold inside the van?
• Are you going to be driving in sand or mud?
• How tall are you?
• Are you going to be primitive camping, boondocking, or staying somewhere with shore power?
• How bad is the moisture in your area?
• Do you need an inside toilet? or can it be one that is put outside to use?
• Shower? Do you need one at all and if you do, can it be an outside one instead of one built inside the van?
• Do you plan to cook inside the van or can you cook outside?
• Do you even need to insulate the van?
• Do you plan on hauling large items like kayaks, bikes, or dog crates?
• Do you need to sell this van later as a cargo van?
• How many people will sleep in this van at one time?
• Will you be living in this van?
• Are you the type to hang out in the van for long periods of time or is it just a place to sleep at night?
• Is running a generator an option?
• Are you a fair weather weekend camper and therefore do not need to bother with a heater or a roof top AC?
• Are you trying to build your van to make it look as finished as a new Winnebago?
  
• Do you want to use your van to also haul lumber or supplies even after its conversion?
• Do you need a desk table in your van for a bit of office work or board games?
• If you are near 6' or taller and MUST sleep across the wheel wells, you will need flares to make room and now your budget has sky rocketed when you could just sleep long ways in the van for free.

Depending on your answer to these questions, there are very simple and cost effective ways to execute these van goals and there are extremely expensive ones. If you have an unlimited budget that is great but most people do not. I find that many times, the prospective van builder is headed down an expensive route and doesn't realize it. Sometimes, their wants out weigh their wallets. Many times, with just a little bit of compromise, the price to achieve that van goal can shrink 75%.

🚐 Choosing the Right Van Size

Let's back up all the way and talk about what size of van to get? I notice in the van forums that this question frequently gets asked, "Should I get the long or short wheelbase, low roof or high roof?". It is usually followed by 100 comments that completely ignorant of the poster's situation, preferences, and van goals. This is an impossible question to answer unless you know everything about the person asking.

Before I suggest anything, I always ask, what are you going to do with the van 80% of the time? Do not try to build for every scenario or you will drive yourself crazy with all the inevitable compromises you are about to make.

🏠 Roof Height: High Roof vs. Low Roof

So when it comes to choosing a high or low roof, ask your self these questions:

• How tall are you and do you want to be able to stand up while changing your clothes? Roof height is an important decision.
• How many people will be inside the van camping? Two or more campers can feel cramped inside a low roof van.
• Can I even reach the upper corners or roof of a high roof van? You might need to bring a stool in a high roof van to reach the high places.
• Am I going to be spending a lot of time inside the van? A high roof will have more room for amenities.
• Do I want to store gear or bikes on the roof? Storing items inside the van is free while storing them on the back or on top gets expensive fast.
• Do I need to drive into parking garages?
• Do I care about high winds blowing my high roof van around the interstate? (if you live in Wyoming, this one matters)
  
• If storage is a big concern, then high roof is the way to go. For example, you can install a high bed platform around 40" and leave room for bikes and dog crates underneath. Most low roof vans do not have the room for bikes and a bed at the same time.

📏 Wheelbase: Short, Long, and Extended Bodied?

Wheelbase options in vans range from short to long as well as the extended bodied vans. The shortest full size van is the Ram ProMaster 118. This little cute van makes a great one person camper or outdoor gear hauler that lives at the trail heads. It is just big enough for a small east/west bed and a cooler but still fit inside parking garages of the big metros.

Again, let's build for what we are going to do with the van 80% of the time. In the past year I know of a few people that bought a van to live in, full time, and bought too small of a van. They are now stuck with their build and can't get out of it. If you are not daily driving, city driving which requires a shorter wheelbase, or driving it off road where you need a shorter van, then you should consider the biggest van you can find.

The first thing you need to figure out is: Which direction are you going to sleep? This may have a drastic impact on what size of van to purchase.

Are you going to tow? If so, how heavy? Some prefer to not tow with extended bodied vans because of the kingpin being so far behind the rear axle.

Personally, If it was just the two of us, I could use a van with a medium wheel base of around 140 inches. But I have a family so I opted to get the Mercedes Sprinter 170 crew van for the extra room. My camper van build doesn't even start until after the rear bench seat. I daily drive this van and it is a bit big but when driving on long trips and camping, it is the right van for the job.

When people think of wheelbase they think of turning radius and the length of the van. The most overlooked item I see concerning wheel base is the available space on the roof for storage, AC, vent, and solar panels. The longer your van is, the more space you have on top. I recently talked to a guy who planned on putting his roof top AC, Max Air Fan, and 400 watts of solar on top of his Ford Transit 148. He does not have the room for all of that and now he is stuck and having to compromise. He should have bought the Ford Transit 148 extended bodied and he would have room for everything.

🔨 The Build: DIY or Professional?

Lastly we get to the build. This is the biggest variable. Who is going to build your van? If you pay someone to build a custom van, be prepared for custom labor charges. Building a van is not the same as an aftermarket bolt on part for your regular car or truck. Even using some premade kits to help the install go faster for the labor can still take weeks and most shops are around $100 an hour and not because they are greedy but that is how much it takes to operate a business in this country now a days. For many people they see those warm log cabin looking vans on Instagram and want that fit and finish of a Air Stream with LEDs everywhere. It looks great but the price can sky rocket when trying to achieve this goal. Some want to convert their house into their van with a full shower and dishwasher. I will not ever tell anyone how they should build their van but at this point, if you want a dishwasher, you might want to consider a full size RV. For me, I just need to organize my gear, have a bed ready to go at all times, and a small kitchen area which will meet 80% of my needs. One of the first items on your list to figure is the electrical and who is going to install it. This is is the biggest cost misunderstanding I see everyday. Electrical systems can cost anywhere to $500 to charge phones and laptops and up to $25,000 for running roof top air conditioning systems.

💰 So, What’s the Real Cost?

So let's circle back to the original question, "How much does it cost to build a Camper Van Conversion?" The correct questions should be, "How much does it cost to build a Camper Van for me and my goals based on my preference and am I building it myself or paying a shop to do it for me?

There is only one person who can answer this and that is you. Once you have decided on which van, roof height, wheelbase, van goals, deal breakers, and who will build it, only then can you start plugging a number into each item on your build list. I help advise people on what to do for each item on their build list all the time so feel free to reach and ask me any question you may have.

🧰 About TNTvans

At TNTvans, we specialize in DIY-friendly camper van conversion kits that ship fast and install easily — no heavy pallets, no complex wiring, and no special tools required.

Our modular bed systems, wheel well storage units, and kitchen kits are designed to fit in the Ford Transit, Mercedes Sprinter, Ram ProMaster, Nissan NV, Chevy Express, and Ford Econoline — giving you a professional look without professional costs.

If you’re building your van yourself, TNTvans can help you save time, space, and money while achieving a clean, high-quality build.

👉 Explore our kits here: Shop TNTvans Conversion Kits