The decision has been made to invest in a motorhome but how do you make sure your investment is the right option for you.
Do you want to build a campervan conversion and invest not only money but time and effort in planning, building and creating the perfect motorhome for you?
Or do you want to test drive and purchase a campervan which is built for purpose and does what it says on the tin. An instant home from home to whisk you away – even if the pink carpet is not quite to your taste – you do have all the facilities you need.
Build Your Own Campervan benefits
- Plan the layout to suit your needs – If you want space for your muddy walking boots after a long days hike, you can plan it in. Somewhere for the dog to sleep, a bespoke pop up shower area or even a luxury bath.
- Choose the van/manufacturer and model. We all have our bug-bears when it comes to a particular manufacturer of vehicles, as we also have our favourite trusty brands. Why compromise on layout for the manufacturer you want or vice versa when you can pick and choose both. You can have the right van for you – with the best driving position, ride and reliability incorporating the best layout, facilities and interior design.
- Plan a budget based on requirements – you can make the most extravagant motorhome with all the bells and whistles if you have a big budget. Equally if you are on a shoestring then you can carefully plan the essentials and build a very cost effective and bespoke campervan for you.
- Be creative – Take your imagination and build it. Why stick to the norm when you can create a completely custom campervan. You want a motorhome sun roof – build it. You want a Jacuzzi – build it. You want a bar on the roof, or a hammock for a bed, or you want to dress your campervan like a dog?! Build it!
- Special touches – Like when you buy a home, it is the painting, décor and internal fixtures and fittings that make it your own. With a campervan conversion it is the same. Paint the walls and ceiling, choose the flooring and upholstery coverings based on your taste, not based on the manufacturers generic chintz. Make the interior your dream campervan.
Build Your Own Campervan draw backs
- Time – Often building your own campervan takes much longer than you plan, things you think can be completed in one day may take a week or more. So be prepared.
- Effort – From managing the project and investing the budget, through to actually fitting and fixing the van together, not to mention having an unusable half-finished campervan sat outside the front of your house! The effort of building a campervan is not just a bit of carpentry and a lick of paint, if you want it to be right you need to invest the time and effort.
- Cost – Manage your budgets, the little things add up quicker than you think from screws, paint, insulation, electrical components, through to the big purchases such as the van, campervan bed, heating system, and campervan windows for example.
- Awkward – Walls are not square in a van, this may sound silly but when you are trying to fit a square cupboard in, or line the van with plywood you may wish it was square. Not to mention a spirit level is only as good as the level of the drive way it is parked on and how equally the tyres of your van are pumped up. It can be tricky building your own campervan.
So the other option is buying your own motorhome ready made.
Benefits of buying a motorhome
- Controlled budget – Your budget is your limit, you can shop around and buy the best motorhome which is most suited to your needs within your budget. Or in some cases stretch it out a little if you see a motorhome or campervan you really love.
- You get what you see – Once you buy your motorhome you can take it on holiday that same day if its full of fuel and insured. You don’t need to spend months on end building the van to your desired specification.
- Make it your own – You can still make it your home from home. By re-upholstering the seats, a fresh new carpet and a few finishing touches you can turn a preowned campervan into your own little luxury home on wheels.
- New and Fresh – If you choose to buy brand new although the initial cost might be a little steep, you can get your hands on a up to date campervan or vmotorhome with all the mod cons. Choose the layout and style that suits you a be the first to own it.
- Compliance – As someone else has done the hard work of building the motorhome they have also done the checks and tests to get the campervan roadworthy. All you need do is insure and tax it and you’re off.
Drawbacks of buying a motorhome
- Budget – To get anything half decent you need to invest a good budget, this can vary considerably based on what your requirements are and how old you are willing to go for a second hand motorhome. make sure you know what you want and how much you are willing to pay for it. If you are looking for a preowned campervan then don’t be afraid to negotiate with the seller.
- Chintz – Often, unless you are buying a brand new motorhome many vehicles come with a whiff of Chintz. Something that without new upholstery or some strategically placed throws is difficult to hide if you don’t like it.
- If you go brand new then fantastic, but you drive if off the showroom court and immediately lose several thousand pounds.
- If you go for a second hand motorhome then be careful what your buy, as with any vehicle purchase you need to understand the history and reliability. How well has the van been looked after, how many miles has it done. Only then should you start thinking about the interior – but normally the heart wins over head and you end up falling for a quirky unreliable campervan with lots of personality but very little reliability.
The bottom line is there are benefits of both buying a campervan and building a campervan. We often recommend hiring a campervan or hiring a motorhome out for your next holiday to test out what you like, from her you have options. If you like the big coach builds, lots of space, bathroom, kitchen etc.. then maybe look to buy, if you prefer the personalised and bespoke feel of your own van, with everything in the place you want then maybe the campervan build is the one for you.
Our site should help you with whichever route you decide to take and keep us posted we would love to hear about your venture and how you came to your decision. Even better send us your campervan or motorhome pictures.
