I think Greg is a bit of a genius. His videos were recommended to me by a work colleague and I've addictively binge watched them. A fantastic bench mark for any DIY van conversion. Inspiring and enthralling.
I thought that when I was editing it. "How cani make this more inetresting?" :D I wonder if anyone is going to sit and watch me readout my figures for half an hour? But thankfully you have :D Cheers
You are such a gent, with a kind heart, not many like you out there. Your build is first class and done for your comfort, so you don't need to justify the materials used. May you have many enjoyable years in her, well done, brilliant video's.
Uncle Greg has taught me more in his series about valuable skills and traits within one month than my 1st year in uni. I am forever grateful and hope I can one day begin my own build.
Greg, I really must thank you for the brilliant meticulous way you have gone about your Van build. As someone contemplating a build myself your videos are easy to follow, full of ideas and easy to listen to. I realise you may recoup some of your investment through these videos but I certainly think you’ve earned it. Thanks again and we’ll done to you and yours.
That’s an amazing price for what you’ve achieved and shared with so many. My bare van alone was just under your your total price and I’ve spent another £20k self converting it. At the end of the day these are very personal projects and a chance to create something unique. And in my case they never seem to end! Just adding air suspension and Wi-Fi.Thanks for taking us along for the ride Greg and safe travels.
The sky is the limit as to what you can spend. We certainly spent more than planned but have been living in it full time now for over 4 yrs so when you compare that to the cost of running a home it’s actually a huge saving. 👍🏼😃
I just want to thank you for the incredible detail of your van build videos. I'm now building out my own van, and if mine can be even half as good as yours I'll be very pleased! I do have a sinking feeling that my original budget was, like yours, well below reality. By the way, your furniture panels are absolutely brilliant, and were well worth it. Your build looks like it came out of the factory! Thanks again for documenting everything so well. I've learned SO much from your hard work, and I'm very grateful.
That’s very kind of you to say so. Although it was expensive the furniture board does look amazing and it’s extremely good quality. Cuts very cleanly which makes it easier to get a good finish.
I've seen a few self build vlogs on YT now, and watched a few of your own, and it all seems very encouraging and very appealing tbh, being able to up-sticks and go where you want in a home from home kind of way, but having the space to build a van up is something else, which sadly where I am renting isn't possible, so I've been looking at the price of second hand camper vans recently and you are correct they are stupidly expensive, the cheapest I've found was about £30k, so I think you have a bit of a bargain there, built to your spec, from what I've seen your workmanship is second to none, perhaps you should set up building vans for others, with no time or place to do their own,, maybe a lot of work I know, but perhaps ultimately rewarding. Safe travels to you both.
For me personally my van was a way for me to take early retirement I do plan to build another van to sell but it’s not something I would turn into a business. Why don’t you look at using a converter to fit out your own van that would be cheaper. Here’s a list of them www.quirkycampers.com/uk/quirky-van-conversions/
Been waiting for this video Greg! Mercedes Sprinter van £6,600 Appliances and materials £15,000 Experience of building your dream camper van PRICELESS! Well done!
I couldn't agree more. iMax $28000... At a guess conversion $13000... Lots of research... Many 'debates'... Humbling mistakes... Much fun... Looking forward to seeing Australia now...
The van conversion is a delight and your knowledge and willing to share all your research and how-to videos with us is more than generous. Thanks Greg.
I have never in my life given a comment on a video but i really take my heat off to you Mr. Vigroe. Your calm demeanour and detailed explanation really help to make a leap of faith into free and more meaningful way of life without winning a lottery. Sincerely, Ivan
Hello Ivan, I’m honoured that you have broke silence on my channel. Thank you. I hope the videos give you the tools to build a more fulfilling life for yourself 🥳
Hello Greg and thank you for your detailed van conversion serious. It helps me a lot in my van build. You are number one youtuber in my list when it comes to van build. Hope to finish my van in August. Thank you for your job - very well done.
Great Job! Greg, I want to thank you for the many detailed videos of your van build, The references, places of purchase etc,etc. Your wife also has knowledge and skill of van building. Seeing glimpses of her assisting and your detail videos has given me confidence to give van building a try. Once I find a decent 6m high top van, I will like to do a van build. I’ve been looking at the Murivi,; Vanguard and Dexter panel-van layout. You are so correct regarding the cost of the ready built panel-vans they are so expensive, The purpose of having a panel-van or Motorhome is to enjoy traveling at your leisure, a person should not go into debt to buy a pre-built panel-van.
thanks for answering my question about fans, this is a super video I really took a lot from it, especially liked that you didn't use lots of loud graphics music or special effect just the facts well presented in a calm clear style - I really like it - thank you! will be watching more subsribing etc
I just returned from NEC disheartened by the quality of finishes and robustness of many of the vans have started to look at self builds, I think I’ve hit gold with your channel👍👍
*cries in 2022 prices* I spent more on my empty shell than you did for your whole build. I can only hope it turns out half as nice. Thanks for all the videos Greg!
Greg, you are a legend! Thank you for sharing all your work, insights and research. The dropbox list of parts is also massively helpful too, along with all the other resources you've shared. You are Lou seem super lovely and I wish you all the best adventures.
Hi Greg, well done. I must admit I did smile a little when you mentioned the possible cost of the sprinter and the conversion. Your honesty and thorough cost breakdown is a wow factor, but it really does give one the idea of cost which is what one really needs at the outset. Especially if one has no idea of the full reality. So thanks for all your diligent accountancy.
You know what mate. You are so genuine and bang on the money. You can do a van build from reclaimed materials that cost ZERO or you can do a van build and many many thousands later your thinking Fxxx. Almost completed our latest build and I've gone soooooo far over what I told my wife our budget would be that I am now saying, it's because you wanted this and that. Gotta blame someone for being 7k over budget lol. Our build will be on YT very soon please drop by
Greg I watch all your videos because you are thorough in all you do. We are alike because on my last roof conversion of my house I itemised every cost, so at the end of the day, you just like you, I knew how much it cost me. Well done to you.
Do you regret not making a recirculating shower, instead of your regular shower? I've seen some people install those (look for a genius setup by Curt from Snow & Curt channel) and it feels like an absolute must-have, now that I know how it works. You save on water weight + can take proper unlimited showers. Check out Curt's recirculating shower setup + walk through shower "room" + automated tilted solar roof using 12v linear actuators. They are all absolutely genius. He even has an AC running off his solar + Li-ion battery setup. He pretty much got everything one would want from a house (on wheels or not). Now my ideal setup is pretty much everything from Snow & Curt channel, but with the finish, style & quality of Greg Virgoe's build. That would make for the best van on the planet.
@@GregVirgoe Thanks for replying! Do you mind if I ask why? A combo of solid 3-step charcoal filter + a UV filter will make your recirculating shower water cleaner, than what most people have coming out of their regular house tap. I agree, it sounds kinda gross, until you realise that it's no different to taking a bath. Accept for when taking a bath, the water literally stays the same, while in a recirculating shower it's getting cleaned & sanitised constantly. And as far as water availability, I am not sure how it is all over Europe, but when I spent months travelling USA, sometimes it was really hard to find water sources, much less good ones (other than buying jugs of it from Walmarts, which is not sustainable & creates unnecessary waste). So it would have been nice to have a way to cut down on the amount of necessary water. And recirculating shower just sounds like a really good way of doing it, without sacrificing on comfort. Because what ended up happening is that drinkable water was always a priority, when you are in remote areas, where water sources are scarce, so shower had to be sacrificed, which is not very nice. With a separate shower tank & a water tank, that wouldn't have been a problem.
The Credible Hulk why not? For these reasons. Capital cost Ongoing filter cost Electric load for UV filter Reduced water flow rate Ongoing maintenance. In two years of living full time in the van we’ve washed every single day and never had a situation where we went without water, ever. 🤔👍🏼
Thanks Greg, it's really helpful to see a breakdown of the costs, I wish other builds would share this level of detail too. The breakdown will help others decide on where to follow suit and where to perhaps go for lower cost options. Your van is top quality, better than most factory builds. I have seen a few videos of whats under the skin of some factory builds, such as insulation and wiring and some definitely cut corners on what's not seen, you built in quality right the way through.
I really appreciate that. I’m really keen to design and build a van on a minimal budget. I think I could still turn out a good standard of build but use reclaimed and recycled products throughout. Eco build 🤩🚌
Just as I thought: Greg and Lou kept meticulous detail on the cost of the build. Incredible (and incredibly useful). Greg, you're being exceedingly modest. I'd stand your roughly £22,000/$27,600 build up against upfitters' conversions of £80,000/$100,000! This is precisely the reason I chose a 2011 Ford E-350 cutaway with 12' Supreme Iner-City box (FRP) as the platform for my self-conversion. The cost for my truck with 75,000 miles on the odometer was $14,500. An additional consideration for my truck was that it was fleet maintained, so it's in excellent condition. As added bonuses, the truck came with a 1,000W pure sine wave inverter (though a larger inverter is needed to run the induction cooktop, etc.), and is equipped with a 1,600 lb. lift gate that functions as a back porch. All tolled, my build budget is $11,000. As I already possess every tool needed, purchase materials wholesale and am doing 100% of the work myself, I'm confident in this figure. Included in this budget are lithium batteries (24V/120A/3kWh), urine diverting composting toilet, recirculating indoor shower, lift bed, undermount tanks from large diameter PVC pipe and ultra-filtration water system, all of my design and construction. These alone save me at least $7,000! So, in the end, while a non-traditional RV, I'd stand mine up to anything available commercially at $100,000+. All for $25,000. Due to modular construction techniques, everything in the box is removable. This restores the truck to a utilitarian cargo carrier while affording reuse of the components in future builds. My plan is that this maximizes the available market for the truck when it's time to upgrade to a newer chassis. Of course, completely removing the box, with all it's contents, and installing it on a newer chassis is also an option. This could also prove extremely useful in the event that the truck chassis is damaged beyond repair in a collision (God forbid!).
Without doubt the best self build I have seen, your attention to detail during the build was unsurpassed compared to others; that said each to their own and all manage to fit out to suit their needs. I am one of those with not a clue and purchased a van conversion already done, but from a small quality company Murvi in Devon; certainly not cheap but great quality and gives me peace of mind when using it. Just shows if you have the skills and time you get a quality van conversion and the satisfaction of having done it all yourself. Congratulations
Nice build. ive follow all you video and i built our camper from scatch.we looked at a 2007 motorhome for £25000.00 then went to a guy i buy my work vans from, picked up a very clean ford transit T350 LWB high top network rail crew van 2012 reg which had windows all ready fitted for just over £5000.00. so in fact we now had a budget of £15000.00 to spend on it, we fitted it out with brand new gear and the way we wanted it to be. at the end of build we had alot more in it than the original camper we looked at. we dont need to be hooked up to any electrics as solar panel charges both batteries.runs fridge lighting. we spent just over £7000.00+£5000.00 for van total of £12000.00 . So its a big thankyou to you and your videos for all the knowledge you have past on.
I found it amusing the disparity between your original and resultant budgets but fact is your van is stunning and your engineers expertise showed through on every step of the build. Vantastic 👍
Been waiting for this Vlog, I did exactly the same thing as you two. We calculated a £7500 build and it turned out to be £14000. Thats without the things we wanted to make the outside look cool like meaty tyres etc. loved the Vlog. Hope your both good. Hope to see you at Quirky !!.
This was a real eye-opener. I haven't costed anything yet, so this was good to see. Like you my first thought was quite a low figure, going to have to re-evaluate that now. Thank you for this, informative as ever.
Obviously I did t cut any corners and some stuff can be done a lot cheaper like furniture board and appliances etc. ours was replacing our home so we wanted the best we could make out of it. 👍🏼😊
Your videos are GOLD ❤❤❤ Thank you for doing them, I'm just about to start my conversion and I feel so much more confident after watching your videos! You're a star!
Amazing how things can mount up, we bought our LWB Sprinter 2014 80k £9,000 and the build cost is at just about at completion at £6,000 so total cost is £15k. People like you and many others have saved me thousands, I owe you a beer. 💙♥️💙♥️💙♥️💙💙♥️💙♥️💙♥️💙
Absolutely brilliant honest down to earth video,this should be a must see video for anyone contemplating the self build journey,thanks for taking the time to make and publish it,stay safe guys.
Greg the van build is a credit to you , I could spend twice that and it still would'nt come close to your van but enjoyed all the videos of you building it take care both of you all the best.
I have for a long time now had a figure in my head and was only £242.00 out. I actually thought the van cost more but the fit out a little less. You put a lot of work into you van Greg, manufacturers couldn't do it better 👍
You have build a top class van for that money. I am so impressed by your work. If I should buy a van like this in Sweden it will cost about 80.000 pounds
Ours came in just short of £16k. We saved quite a lot by going for painted ply rather than the furniture board but still spent the money on decent kit. Even high end motorhomes and professional van builds seem to cut corners on those bits.
for the end product .. that is a bargain , as Greg said for a ' pro ' coachbuild you would shell out at least double ( and because he build it himself , he will have an idea where to start faultfinding any issues )
what a legend , i took a lot of advice and my vans great , your the best guy on the internet by an asses roar , keep them comming ,love the channel, Tommy in Ireland
Greg just come across your channel after weeks of watching TH-cam videos on self builds. You are the real deal and I'm now persuaded to join the club of self build. Thanks again,Ben 😉
Greg....I hate you lol 😂 your comments, build your van to suit your own needs in regard to your budget? Can’t imagine building anything less spec, however, my budget is about £12000 total. I’m confused, you mention that your build is your permanent home, yet you seem to have excellent facilities to complete the build? Did you sell up and consider the van as your permanent home? We’re thinking of selling up and commiting to that ideology, am I reading you right? Cheers, Ben, .
Ben Moffat we got rid of our house in July 2018. The workshop is Lous parents garage not my workshop. We finished the build (controls and garage doors) on my mums driveway before living in the van full time which we have done for two years now. 😃
Hi Greg, For the quality & spec that you have achieved you have done amazing for that overall spend, all I can say if your were in the business of van conversions, I'll be first to buy one from you even with you labour costs added (and so would many others) top job 👍
After having a '74 VW bus and living in it in 1990, it's time for me to get on the road again. I'm pretty useless with my hands, but I'll definitely be giving some of it a go. Your videos are amazing and they've inspired me. Looking at vans now. Thanks for the inspiration and the amazing attention to detail :)
I've been thinking of doing a van conversation for quite sometime now even though i already own a large sized motorhome, its more or less just a challenge or a hobby for me plus i will use it for work ...But i must say your videos where inspiring & informative for me 👌on that note i went & bought myself a 2010 plate mwb sprinter high roof , i was thinking of the lwb but vans are so overpriced just now at this moment in time it's becoming unrealistic, & alarming to actually find one that was in decent condition & a fair price .i also needed something smaller that would fit in our driveway, but as it's just me & the mrs the mwb should be more than adequate for us we just need to use the smaller space now to suit our needs😏 .....Thanks again for giving me the inspiration to do so & all the best on your travels for the future 👍
Thanks again Greg for another very informative video! Without your channel we doubt we would have taken on the challenge of our self build.. Your videos made the difference! A huge thank you once again! 😀👌🏽👏🏽
Brilliant build and end product, everything bespoke costs money and it works for you both perfect so well worth it, my build was a compromise on cost and build but again it works for me so perfect, well done
Absolute legend, the best ever van life / builds on you tube. Greg is the reason I am now building my own van. There should be a statue of you in parliament square !!!!!
What about the swivel seat and the telly hahaha, we love you Greg, I build my van to and I love to show her to you ,if you coming down the South coast to Teignmouth you gonna be my guest, I got an Italian restaurant to, come to see me
Wow it's been a pleasure to follow you throughout the 2 years of building your van, Keep the series going when not in lockdown as I want to see the adventures you now have in your new home, Take care be safe 👍😎
@@GregVirgoe Yes I've been watching most if not all your videos from the build to trips in Europe, well documented and very informative information, keep them coming 👍😎
In reality it’s about 5k more than where I wanted it to be but it was all a huge learning curve I know there are areas there where we could have saved money.
@@GregVirgoe I'm going to struggle to get anywhere near you costs. Germany seems so much more expensive and prices have gone up. What your video and the budget exercise have done is show me why commercial campers are so expensive. No wonder even old clapped out vans are 20K here.
i watched the whole lot...... with headphones on so the missus couldnt hear lol. it was an expensive build but looking at your van interior is like looking at factory built and you couldnt buy factory built for that kind of money. great vid greg.
I wanted to see if I could make as close to a production build but diy the whole thing. I think it’s a pretty good go at it and in some parts much better.
Greg you are amazing! The detail contained within your build is second to none. We’ve missed your vlogs so good to hear from you. Keep them coming Greg. Take care.👍🐶🐾😀
Thanks Greg for all your videos, I have just completed my van build and I must say I borrowed quite a lot of your ideas lol. I agree you put all this effort into building a van why cut corners on quality totally the best van build series on TH-cam thanks again
Yep, van build started Sept 2017 :O 30th June 2018 we both quit our jobs. 7th July 2018 we handed our house keys over and here we are two years later still living the dream :D
lol...well, I'm a bit staggered if I'm honest. Greg the level and depth of your videos are exceptional. You look like you have a perfectionist/OCD streak in you lol. I say that because I defo do(which some times can make like more time consuming than it has to be lol). I have sort of binge watched your videos. Not 100% fully yet but I'll start again now! We've done a couple of houses up in the last four years and I've been thinking of a new challenge for a while. We could "buy" an old van but it wouldn't be the same as designing and converting it yourself. If you're up for it, there's a lot more pleasure in creating something yourself. If anything, your videos were at quite intimidating and has made me wonder if I could create something as brilliant as you have. The level of detail and knowledge is quite amazing! On a side note I have heard the Sprinter only does about 18mpg...Is that true!! I'm still not sure which van to get? I do remember as we have refurbed the houses the trips to screwfix, B&Q and the likes have driven the costs up considerably. It's the extra bits and bobs and tools you don't have that add a lot to the costs! If you don't keep spreadsheets, you forget all those extras! Thanks again Greg, A great series and a brilliant source of information. I plan to make ours more rustic but perfect lol. I'm not a fan completely of the "new coach built" look but I have to say, you pulled it off brilliantly. Wish me look. I may be picking your brains at some point if I may. Cheers, Mart
I’m surprised how many wives don’t know the cost of the build. That won’t matter when they’re sunning themselves on the beach with a glass of sangria in hand 😎☀️🚌🍻
I think Greg is a bit of a genius. His videos were recommended to me by a work colleague and I've addictively binge watched them. A fantastic bench mark for any DIY van conversion. Inspiring and enthralling.
Thanks for fantastic feedback.
The craftsmanship, time and thought gone into that van is priceless.
my thoughts exactly..he must be proud as punch.i know i would be.
@@arthurconrod9825 no
I just watched you spend 27 minutes reading out a spreadsheet and was enthralled the entire time. Why can't work budget meetings be as entertaining?
I thought that when I was editing it. "How cani make this more inetresting?" :D
I wonder if anyone is going to sit and watch me readout my figures for half an hour?
But thankfully you have :D Cheers
You are such a gent, with a kind heart, not many like you out there. Your build is first class and done for your comfort, so you don't need to justify the materials used. May you have many enjoyable years in her, well done, brilliant video's.
Wow, thank you! That really does make my day to read your kind words. Best wishes 😊
Uncle Greg has taught me more in his series about valuable skills and traits within one month than my 1st year in uni. I am forever grateful and hope I can one day begin my own build.
Greg, I really must thank you for the brilliant meticulous way you have gone about your Van build. As someone contemplating a build myself your videos are easy to follow, full of ideas and easy to listen to. I realise you may recoup some of your investment through these videos but I certainly think you’ve earned it. Thanks again and we’ll done to you and yours.
I hope that the videos do give you some helpful tips when you come to do your own build. Thank you for watching 🤩
That’s an amazing price for what you’ve achieved and shared with so many. My bare van alone was just under your your total price and I’ve spent another £20k self converting it. At the end of the day these are very personal projects and a chance to create something unique. And in my case they never seem to end! Just adding air suspension and Wi-Fi.Thanks for taking us along for the ride Greg and safe travels.
The sky is the limit as to what you can spend. We certainly spent more than planned but have been living in it full time now for over 4 yrs so when you compare that to the cost of running a home it’s actually a huge saving. 👍🏼😃
Very useful thank you.
Thank you to my friend Max for recommending your videos too.
I’m glad you are enjoying the videos. 👍🏼🤩
I just want to thank you for the incredible detail of your van build videos. I'm now building out my own van, and if mine can be even half as good as yours I'll be very pleased! I do have a sinking feeling that my original budget was, like yours, well below reality. By the way, your furniture panels are absolutely brilliant, and were well worth it. Your build looks like it came out of the factory! Thanks again for documenting everything so well. I've learned SO much from your hard work, and I'm very grateful.
That’s very kind of you to say so. Although it was expensive the furniture board does look amazing and it’s extremely good quality. Cuts very cleanly which makes it easier to get a good finish.
I've seen a few self build vlogs on YT now, and watched a few of your own, and it all seems very encouraging and very appealing tbh, being able to up-sticks and go where you want in a home from home kind of way, but having the space to build a van up is something else, which sadly where I am renting isn't possible, so I've been looking at the price of second hand camper vans recently and you are correct they are stupidly expensive, the cheapest I've found was about £30k, so I think you have a bit of a bargain there, built to your spec, from what I've seen your workmanship is second to none, perhaps you should set up building vans for others, with no time or place to do their own,, maybe a lot of work I know, but perhaps ultimately rewarding.
Safe travels to you both.
For me personally my van was a way for me to take early retirement
I do plan to build another van to sell but it’s not something I would turn into a business. Why don’t you look at using a converter to fit out your own van that would be cheaper. Here’s a list of them www.quirkycampers.com/uk/quirky-van-conversions/
@@GregVirgoe Hi Greg, Thank you for your reply, I'll check into that 👍
Been waiting for this video Greg!
Mercedes Sprinter van £6,600
Appliances and materials £15,000
Experience of building your dream camper van
PRICELESS!
Well done!
I couldn't agree more.
iMax $28000...
At a guess conversion $13000...
Lots of research...
Many 'debates'...
Humbling mistakes...
Much fun...
Looking forward to seeing Australia now...
£22k and your workmanship has produced an absolutely brilliant van. Well done! Your videos are well produced, informative and honest.
Thank you Chris. Much appreciated
The van conversion is a delight and your knowledge and willing to share all your research and how-to videos with us is more than generous. Thanks Greg.
If it helps others achieve the enjoyment we have it’s so worth it. Thanks for following us. 😃
Best van build series I’ve seen. Van is a credit to yous. Excellent level of finish, really impressed.
That really does mean a lot to me thank you 🙏🏼😃
I have never in my life given a comment on a video but i really take my heat off to you Mr. Vigroe. Your calm demeanour and detailed explanation really help to make a leap of faith into free and more meaningful way of life without winning a lottery. Sincerely, Ivan
Hello Ivan, I’m honoured that you have broke silence on my channel. Thank you.
I hope the videos give you the tools to build a more fulfilling life for yourself 🥳
The best van conversion on TH-cam!! Worth every penny. I'm embarrassed to say my van stands me in about £1200 with a build budget of £3000 🙄 lol
Hello Greg and thank you for your detailed van conversion serious. It helps me a lot in my van build. You are number one youtuber in my list when it comes to van build. Hope to finish my van in August. Thank you for your job - very well done.
honest and realistic summary of true costings,not to mention the top shopfitting skills that went into it,well done.
Great Job! Greg, I want to thank you for the many detailed videos of your van build, The references, places of purchase etc,etc. Your wife also has knowledge and skill of van building. Seeing glimpses of her assisting and your detail videos has given me confidence to give van building a try.
Once I find a decent 6m high top van, I will like to do a van build. I’ve been looking at the Murivi,; Vanguard and Dexter panel-van layout.
You are so correct regarding the cost of the ready built panel-vans they are so expensive, The purpose of having a panel-van or Motorhome is to enjoy traveling at your leisure, a person should not go into debt to buy a pre-built panel-van.
thanks for answering my question about fans, this is a super video I really took a lot from it, especially liked that you didn't use lots of loud graphics music or special effect just the facts well presented in a calm clear style - I really like it - thank you! will be watching more subsribing etc
Thank you 🙏🏼 I appreciate your support 😃
I just returned from NEC disheartened by the quality of finishes and robustness of many of the vans have started to look at self builds, I think I’ve hit gold with your channel👍👍
This video was made on my birthday.....It's a sign from the van life gods.
*cries in 2022 prices* I spent more on my empty shell than you did for your whole build. I can only hope it turns out half as nice. Thanks for all the videos Greg!
If you put labour on top of that that you done your self,thanks for your honesty ,and you explain things very good thank you
By far the best series of how to do a campervan conversion on TH-cam, the detail you go into is brilliant. Thanks so much for sharing.
Excellent resource for the self build camper van person, thank you for your generosity in sharing this.
Hats off to you Greg , you made a great home, and don’t forget the labour , top job👍
If I factored that into the cost would treble I think 🤔🤣
Greg Virgoe But it only took half an hour, didn’t it?? Hehe!
Diana even I have that tee shirt 👍
Greg, you are a legend! Thank you for sharing all your work, insights and research. The dropbox list of parts is also massively helpful too, along with all the other resources you've shared. You are Lou seem super lovely and I wish you all the best adventures.
Thank you very much Doug. Im pleased it is helping you. Thanks for watching. 😃
Fantastic video! You are a talented craftsman and even better teacher! Cheers!
Hi Greg, well done. I must admit I did smile a little when you mentioned the possible cost of the sprinter and the conversion. Your honesty and thorough cost breakdown is a wow factor, but it really does give one the idea of cost which is what one really needs at the outset. Especially if one has no idea of the full reality. So thanks for all your diligent accountancy.
Thanks Greg. Another brilliant, well informed and useful guide which is helping me no end through my van conversion. Cheers!
You know what mate. You are so genuine and bang on the money. You can do a van build from reclaimed materials that cost ZERO or you can do a van build and many many thousands later your thinking Fxxx. Almost completed our latest build and I've gone soooooo far over what I told my wife our budget would be that I am now saying, it's because you wanted this and that. Gotta blame someone for being 7k over budget lol. Our build will be on YT very soon please drop by
A superb account of how everything comes together. Your channel really is an awesome resource.
Cheers Dan, much appreciated
Greg I watch all your videos because you are thorough in all you do. We are alike because on my last roof conversion of my house I itemised every cost, so at the end of the day, you just like you, I knew how much it cost me. Well done to you.
It’s good to keep a record too for insurance or selling later on 👍🏼😃
Thanks for the budget breakdown. This has answered a lot of my questions
You are welcome. This was a top end build and you could save money in a few places I think.
Do you regret not making a recirculating shower, instead of your regular shower? I've seen some people install those (look for a genius setup by Curt from Snow & Curt channel) and it feels like an absolute must-have, now that I know how it works. You save on water weight + can take proper unlimited showers.
Check out Curt's recirculating shower setup + walk through shower "room" + automated tilted solar roof using 12v linear actuators. They are all absolutely genius. He even has an AC running off his solar + Li-ion battery setup. He pretty much got everything one would want from a house (on wheels or not).
Now my ideal setup is pretty much everything from Snow & Curt channel, but with the finish, style & quality of Greg Virgoe's build. That would make for the best van on the planet.
No not at all. The thought of that puts me off straight away. There’s no shortage of water it pretty easily available everywhere you go
@@GregVirgoe Thanks for replying! Do you mind if I ask why?
A combo of solid 3-step charcoal filter + a UV filter will make your recirculating shower water cleaner, than what most people have coming out of their regular house tap. I agree, it sounds kinda gross, until you realise that it's no different to taking a bath. Accept for when taking a bath, the water literally stays the same, while in a recirculating shower it's getting cleaned & sanitised constantly.
And as far as water availability, I am not sure how it is all over Europe, but when I spent months travelling USA, sometimes it was really hard to find water sources, much less good ones (other than buying jugs of it from Walmarts, which is not sustainable & creates unnecessary waste). So it would have been nice to have a way to cut down on the amount of necessary water. And recirculating shower just sounds like a really good way of doing it, without sacrificing on comfort. Because what ended up happening is that drinkable water was always a priority, when you are in remote areas, where water sources are scarce, so shower had to be sacrificed, which is not very nice. With a separate shower tank & a water tank, that wouldn't have been a problem.
The Credible Hulk why not?
For these reasons.
Capital cost
Ongoing filter cost
Electric load for UV filter
Reduced water flow rate
Ongoing maintenance.
In two years of living full time in the van we’ve washed every single day and never had a situation where we went without water, ever. 🤔👍🏼
Thanks Greg, it's really helpful to see a breakdown of the costs, I wish other builds would share this level of detail too. The breakdown will help others decide on where to follow suit and where to perhaps go for lower cost options. Your van is top quality, better than most factory builds. I have seen a few videos of whats under the skin of some factory builds, such as insulation and wiring and some definitely cut corners on what's not seen, you built in quality right the way through.
I really appreciate that. I’m really keen to design and build a van on a minimal budget. I think I could still turn out a good standard of build but use reclaimed and recycled products throughout. Eco build 🤩🚌
Just as I thought: Greg and Lou kept meticulous detail on the cost of the build. Incredible (and incredibly useful).
Greg, you're being exceedingly modest. I'd stand your roughly £22,000/$27,600 build up against upfitters' conversions of £80,000/$100,000!
This is precisely the reason I chose a 2011 Ford E-350 cutaway with 12' Supreme Iner-City box (FRP) as the platform for my self-conversion. The cost for my truck with 75,000 miles on the odometer was $14,500. An additional consideration for my truck was that it was fleet maintained, so it's in excellent condition. As added bonuses, the truck came with a 1,000W pure sine wave inverter (though a larger inverter is needed to run the induction cooktop, etc.), and is equipped with a 1,600 lb. lift gate that functions as a back porch.
All tolled, my build budget is $11,000. As I already possess every tool needed, purchase materials wholesale and am doing 100% of the work myself, I'm confident in this figure. Included in this budget are lithium batteries (24V/120A/3kWh), urine diverting composting toilet, recirculating indoor shower, lift bed, undermount tanks from large diameter PVC pipe and ultra-filtration water system, all of my design and construction. These alone save me at least $7,000!
So, in the end, while a non-traditional RV, I'd stand mine up to anything available commercially at $100,000+. All for $25,000.
Due to modular construction techniques, everything in the box is removable. This restores the truck to a utilitarian cargo carrier while affording reuse of the components in future builds. My plan is that this maximizes the available market for the truck when it's time to upgrade to a newer chassis. Of course, completely removing the box, with all it's contents, and installing it on a newer chassis is also an option. This could also prove extremely useful in the event that the truck chassis is damaged beyond repair in a collision (God forbid!).
Just how organised are you ! 😊. Fabulous
Without doubt the best self build I have seen, your attention to detail during the build was unsurpassed compared to others; that said each to their own and all manage to fit out to suit their needs. I am one of those with not a clue and purchased a van conversion already done, but from a small quality company Murvi in Devon; certainly not cheap but great quality and gives me peace of mind when using it. Just shows if you have the skills and time you get a quality van conversion and the satisfaction of having done it all yourself. Congratulations
Thank you very much. At least you are able to enjoy yours straight away 😃
Your van is the best build van I've ever seen. You are amazing!
Thank you very much 😊🤩
Nice build. ive follow all you video and i built our camper from scatch.we looked at a 2007 motorhome for £25000.00 then went to a guy i buy my work vans from,
picked up a very clean ford transit T350 LWB high top
network rail crew van 2012 reg which had windows all ready fitted for just over £5000.00.
so in fact we now had a budget of £15000.00 to spend on it,
we fitted it out with brand new gear and the way we wanted it to be.
at the end of build we had alot more in it than the original camper we looked at.
we dont need to be hooked up to any electrics as solar panel charges both batteries.runs fridge lighting.
we spent just over £7000.00+£5000.00 for van total of £12000.00 .
So its a big thankyou to you and your videos for all the knowledge you have past on.
I found it amusing the disparity between your original and resultant budgets but fact is your van is stunning and your engineers expertise showed through on every step of the build. Vantastic 👍
Been waiting for this Vlog, I did exactly the same thing as you two. We calculated a £7500 build and it turned out to be £14000. Thats without the things we wanted to make the outside look cool like meaty tyres etc. loved the Vlog. Hope your both good. Hope to see you at Quirky !!.
We are staying in the UK now this year under the circumstances. If quirky goes ahead we will be there. Please come say hi
I budgeted my 7.5 tonner at £18k and it came out at £20.5k
Twenty years back but, it can be done.
Superb. Extremely thorough - well done fella!
👍
Thank you 🙏🏼
This was a real eye-opener. I haven't costed anything yet, so this was good to see. Like you my first thought was quite a low figure, going to have to re-evaluate that now. Thank you for this, informative as ever.
Obviously I did t cut any corners and some stuff can be done a lot cheaper like furniture board and appliances etc. ours was replacing our home so we wanted the best we could make out of it. 👍🏼😊
@@GregVirgoe I'm looking to live full time in mine too. My biggest problem so far is finding somewhere to build it. I'm looking forward to it though.
Your videos are GOLD ❤❤❤ Thank you for doing them, I'm just about to start my conversion and I feel so much more confident after watching your videos! You're a star!
Absolutely à fantastic build....... This is like a production someone could find on a TV programme... Brilliant... 📺👍👏
That’s very kind of you many thanks 😊
A very comprehensive build cost video. And you know all of the jobs are done properly. 💙❤💙❤💙❤
Yes indeed every screw and nut accounted for 👍🏼😊
Amazing how things can mount up, we bought our LWB Sprinter 2014 80k £9,000 and the build cost is at just about at completion at £6,000 so total cost is £15k. People like you and many others have saved me thousands, I owe you a beer. 💙♥️💙♥️💙♥️💙💙♥️💙♥️💙♥️💙
You done well with those figures. I’m happy that it has helped you mike. I’ve have an IPA please 🍻 cheers 😀
Absolutely brilliant honest down to earth video,this should be a must see video for anyone contemplating the self build journey,thanks for taking the time to make and publish it,stay safe guys.
DIY Campervans And Variety thank you for great feedback 👍🏼😃
Greg Virgoe a well worthy video as always Greg 👍
You did Great!
Thank you 😊
I think you’ve done a brilliant job building the van. It worked out cheaper than I expected, it’s a very professional looking conversion.
Allan Macdonald I’m surprised how many have said similar things 👍🏼😃
Greg is the type of guy every dude needs as a buddy....
Oh mate, that’s made my day 👍🏼😃
Greg the van build is a credit to you , I could spend twice that and it still would'nt come close to your van but enjoyed all the videos of you building it take care both of you all the best.
I have for a long time now had a figure in my head and was only £242.00 out. I actually thought the van cost more but the fit out a little less.
You put a lot of work into you van Greg, manufacturers couldn't do it better 👍
I built our new 3-bed house, I think your van is more complex. Well done on a fabulous build.
You have build a top class van for that money. I am so impressed by your work. If I should buy a van like this in Sweden it will cost about 80.000 pounds
Excellent video. Clear & comprehensive. Now subscribed
Thank you 🙏🏼😊
Decent, honest cost video, nice one Greg! Ours was just short of 20k, it soon adds up!
camper vibe that makes me feel better and yes it’s all the little bits and bobs. 😬
Ours came in just short of £16k. We saved quite a lot by going for painted ply rather than the furniture board but still spent the money on decent kit. Even high end motorhomes and professional van builds seem to cut corners on those bits.
Your channel is a wealth of information and I thank you for all the effort you have put into it. Fantastic conversion. Hats off.
I’m pleased you like it 👍🏼thanks for watching
I have watched your conversion and I think you have done a fantastic job, and you should be very proud of yourself, job well done.
What a great van build series. I watched everyone from start to finish. Very professionally done Greg. 😎😎
for the end product .. that is a bargain , as Greg said for a ' pro ' coachbuild you would shell out at least double ( and because he build it himself , he will have an idea where to start faultfinding any issues )
That’s very true. I know every screw in the van and how to use it to it’s best ability too. 😃👍🏼
what a legend , i took a lot of advice and my vans great , your the best guy on the internet by an asses roar , keep them comming ,love the channel, Tommy in Ireland
Tommy Byrne that’s one I’ve never heard before 😃🤣 cheers 🍻 thanks for great feedback 👍🏼
Calmly explaining the build was a winner for me a very watchable guy, in one word inspirational thanks for all the help 👌🏻🇬🇧
great helped a lot with simple stuff for me a novice thank you
I’m pleased it’s helped you 👍🏼😊
Greg just come across your channel after weeks of watching TH-cam videos on self builds. You are the real deal and I'm now persuaded to join the club of self build. Thanks again,Ben 😉
Ben Moffat what took you do long mate? 😂😃 glad you found us now 👍🏼
Love your tenacious commitment even with all your set backs 😉
Greg....I hate you lol 😂 your comments, build your van to suit your own needs in regard to your budget? Can’t imagine building anything less spec, however, my budget is about £12000 total. I’m confused, you mention that your build is your permanent home, yet you seem to have excellent facilities to complete the build? Did you sell up and consider the van as your permanent home? We’re thinking of selling up and commiting to that ideology, am I reading you right? Cheers, Ben,
.
Ben Moffat we got rid of our house in July 2018. The workshop is Lous parents garage not my workshop. We finished the build (controls and garage doors) on my mums driveway before living in the van full time which we have done for two years now. 😃
Absolutely fantastic
Thank you
Hi Greg, For the quality & spec that you have achieved you have done amazing for that overall spend, all I can say if your were in the business of van conversions, I'll be first to buy one from you even with you labour costs added (and so would many others) top job 👍
Give this man 1 million subscribers
After having a '74 VW bus and living in it in 1990, it's time for me to get on the road again. I'm pretty useless with my hands, but I'll definitely be giving some of it a go. Your videos are amazing and they've inspired me. Looking at vans now. Thanks for the inspiration and the amazing attention to detail :)
Hi Greg I got a friend who live in Derbyshire M.A.M conversion brand new 85k I like it how you have done your van top man you are well done .
Love your van and videos, the standard and quality of your build is amazing, you can see that you really enjoyed doing this!
I've been thinking of doing a van conversation for quite sometime now even though i already own a large sized motorhome, its more or less just a challenge or a hobby for me plus i will use it for work ...But i must say your videos where inspiring & informative for me 👌on that note i went & bought myself a 2010 plate mwb sprinter high roof , i was thinking of the lwb but vans are so overpriced just now at this moment in time it's becoming unrealistic, & alarming to actually find one that was in decent condition & a fair price .i also needed something smaller that would fit in our driveway, but as it's just me & the mrs the mwb should be more than adequate for us we just need to use the smaller space now to suit our needs😏 .....Thanks again for giving me the inspiration to do so & all the best on your travels for the future 👍
I really found fantastic the way you explaining how you built your van step by step. I have a clear idea how I will built my. Well done!!!!!
Thanks again Greg for another very informative video! Without your channel we doubt we would have taken on the challenge of our self build.. Your videos made the difference! A huge thank you once again! 😀👌🏽👏🏽
Thanks Greg for it. Great Job. Sylvie France
Thank you very much. Great to get a true picture of what it really costs. Appreciate the time you take making your videos.
It’s worth it to get such great feedback. Thank you 😊
Sir. You are the British Airways of van life.
Very very impressive.
Thanks 🌷🙏
Thank you for watching 🙏🏼🤩
Brilliant build and end product, everything bespoke costs money and it works for you both perfect so well worth it, my build was a compromise on cost and build but again it works for me so perfect, well done
Exactly as I said it’s your own taste and style 😃
Absolute legend, the best ever van life / builds on you tube. Greg is the reason I am now building my own van. There should be a statue of you in parliament square !!!!!
Eamonn Hurson wow 🤩 thanks very much. You need a “Greg got me into this” t shirt 😂👍🏼
What about the swivel seat and the telly hahaha, we love you Greg, I build my van to and I love to show her to you ,if you coming down the South coast to Teignmouth you gonna be my guest, I got an Italian restaurant to, come to see me
Wow it's been a pleasure to follow you throughout the 2 years of building your van,
Keep the series going when not in lockdown as I want to see the adventures you now have in your new home,
Take care be safe 👍😎
Thanks, will do! There's lots more to come.
Have you watched our previous two trips into Europe?
@@GregVirgoe
Yes I've been watching most if not all your videos from the build to trips in Europe, well documented and very informative information, keep them coming 👍😎
Great job, unbelievable! Woodworkers make the best builder.
Great videos and really useful information, thanks a mil!
You are welcome 🙏🏼 glad you liked it. 😊
Just been detailing s budget for myself. Was horrified where I was likely to end up with total cost. Great to have your confirmation, thanks.
In reality it’s about 5k more than where I wanted it to be but it was all a huge learning curve I know there are areas there where we could have saved money.
@@GregVirgoe I'm going to struggle to get anywhere near you costs. Germany seems so much more expensive and prices have gone up.
What your video and the budget exercise have done is show me why commercial campers are so expensive. No wonder even old clapped out vans are 20K here.
i watched the whole lot...... with headphones on so the missus couldnt hear lol. it was an expensive build but looking at your van interior is like looking at factory built and you couldnt buy factory built for that kind of money. great vid greg.
I wanted to see if I could make as close to a production build but diy the whole thing. I think it’s a pretty good go at it and in some parts much better.
Greg you are amazing! The detail contained within your build is second to none. We’ve missed your vlogs so good to hear from you. Keep them coming Greg. Take care.👍🐶🐾😀
Thanks Greg for all your videos, I have just completed my van build and I must say I borrowed quite a lot of your ideas lol. I agree you put all this effort into building a van why cut corners on quality totally the best van build series on TH-cam thanks again
Our plans for the van evolved as did our long term travel dreams. It turned out great and I’m very happy with it. 😃
A smashing conversion, and you still have the tools for future use. Well done, great vlog.
Who knows there may be another build in the future.
Damn has it been two years?! I remember first watching at the start, seemed like six months ago.
Yep, van build started Sept 2017 :O
30th June 2018 we both quit our jobs.
7th July 2018 we handed our house keys over
and here we are two years later still living the dream :D
It all starts to add up fast Greg!!!!
Yes It was wishful thinking but then the spec and plan changed massively when we decided to get rid of our house and live in it 😃
Fantastic build very interesting info but not surprising given the spec well done mate
lol...well, I'm a bit staggered if I'm honest. Greg the level and depth of your videos are exceptional. You look like you have a perfectionist/OCD streak in you lol. I say that because I defo do(which some times can make like more time consuming than it has to be lol).
I have sort of binge watched your videos. Not 100% fully yet but I'll start again now!
We've done a couple of houses up in the last four years and I've been thinking of a new challenge for a while. We could "buy" an old van but it wouldn't be the same as designing and converting it yourself. If you're up for it, there's a lot more pleasure in creating something yourself. If anything, your videos were at quite intimidating and has made me wonder if I could create something as brilliant as you have. The level of detail and knowledge is quite amazing!
On a side note I have heard the Sprinter only does about 18mpg...Is that true!! I'm still not sure which van to get?
I do remember as we have refurbed the houses the trips to screwfix, B&Q and the likes have driven the costs up considerably. It's the extra bits and bobs and tools you don't have that add a lot to the costs! If you don't keep spreadsheets, you forget all those extras!
Thanks again Greg, A great series and a brilliant source of information. I plan to make ours more rustic but perfect lol. I'm not a fan completely of the "new coach built" look but I have to say, you pulled it off brilliantly.
Wish me look. I may be picking your brains at some point if I may.
Cheers,
Mart
Greg, you forgot the cost of the TV. Top class and well done.
Dear Greg, thanks for putting this up. Very informative and honest, and, to be honest, useful for when the wife gives it "HOW MUCH!!!"
I’m surprised how many wives don’t know the cost of the build. That won’t matter when they’re sunning themselves on the beach with a glass of sangria in hand 😎☀️🚌🍻
Finally we get to the juicy stuff 🤣keep being awesome Greg and Lou!
Can’t thank U enough Greg. U master by far camper conversions