Conversion cost

[mothercoder]

I would love to hear (if you're willing to share) total cost of your cargo trailer conversion. Van conversions also which would be similar except for less cost of finish materials due to smaller square footage. 

I ask because I was reading a blog and the blogger said his conversion cost $7500 (6x12 enclosed cargo trailer). That did not include the cost of the trailer. He was at $11,500 all in. I have to look closer at what all he did but I don't think it included any holding tanks or a plumbed bathroom. Sounds like there was a water pump for the kitchen. He had 4 deep cycle batteries and 480 watts of solar. No expensive finishes as far as I can tell. So given that, this seems high to me. Or maybe I'm not being realistic and need to get more serious with my numbers. 

So do tell: type of rig, cost of your conversion, what it included. Thanks...again.

 

[BradKW]

I think there's just too many variables to really get the comparison you want. For example, with the electrical system you spec'd I could easily hit over $5,000 using Rolls Surrette, Magnum and Morningstar products. Or I could put it all together for under $1,000 with other choices, maybe a nice Craigs List find or two.

You could spend around nothing on repurposed cabinets, or you could drop $5,000 or more on custom work. A counter top can be free repurposed lumber, or $2,000 of granite, Corian, etc.

I guess my point is that it's really just up to you by a wide margin. I see tiny-house-type Youtube vids all the time with titles that show how little was spent...and one thing I've noticed is that getting materials for free or cheap often carries a much bigger "labor cost" than spending the money on new. Build a wall from free empty aluminum cans and you get a free wall in a few days... Buy some plywood and 2x4's and you'll have a wall in under an hour for around $100 bucks.

 

[karl]

Very well said BradKW

Free and cheap, innovation, knowledge all contribute to an economical build

 

[rvpopeye]

So , to narrow it down....zero to infinity.......all up to you.

 

[mothercoder]

Yeah I appreciate that. But the question wasn't how much/little can I spend but rather how much did you spend and what did that get you?

 

[Weight]

i am still figuring this build's cost. it is scary. my first van was a 2x4 fastened to the wall. a solid wood door hinged to that. cardboard boxes for under-bed storage. one 5 gallon jug for water with a wash basin. i was very happy to have a 5 gallon bucket that night in Georgia. i found every thing free-bie.

 

[Almost There]

When I did my interior I racked up $1,700. Cdn for the basic build - wood, screws, hardware, vinyl, insulation you  name it. It would have been half that price if I had of been able to do it stateside.

The only things I got at less than full price at the lumber yard were the flooring (Restorit find) and my countertop finish (faux marble paint job done by friend).

That did not include any electrical, the two Whynter fridge units and the C-Head toilet nor the drapery fabric. The electrical was somewhere between $1,500 and 2G... I didn't keep track by that point but I did go with good products and not 'start up' stuff to be replaced later.

I still want to put in a backsplash in the kitchen and add an awning to the outside.

I recently had to add up the entire cost of the van and the build for insurance purposes - scared the bejebus out of me when I added it all up...  

But then of course the high top alone is valued at $7,000. here in Canada. Technically worth more than the van...

 

[VanKitten]

I stopped keeping track. I had originally planned to take a year or two, do most of the work myself, and spend the money on good electronics, batteries, and solar.

Nothing works ou the way you expect.

Now, I am spending like crazy to get on the road fast. I am sleeping on couches, in cheap motels, some nights in my car, etc. Constantly moving. I cannot keep this up. I refuse to pay for a 6 month or year lease....so, I am spending like crazy to get it done fast. I still insist on top notch workmanship. Top quality material. Just do not have the time to wait till someone is offering a deal on something I could use...do not have the time to build it all myself.

If you have the time and are willing to learn...you can do it for very little...or stretch it out to go easy on the budget.

 

[karl]

A couple years ago I did a Sprinter long body conversion that included , insulation, paneling, maxair vent, 200w solar, smart charger, house batteries, inverter, diesel fired furnace, fridge/freezer, murphy bed, custom cabinets( pull out cutting boards, folding tables, drawers, hand made wood latching, lots of detail) sink, cork flooring, rv steps (side and rear), led lighting and likely some I forgot and the bill was $11,000 with 200+ man hours in the build.

My step van was a very different project in that it is a square box that didn't require building  cabinets to fit curved walls, much of the material involved was surplus or salvage and scrap from construction sites and projects, and I have no idea how many hours I invested. The new items I bought were - Rv furnace($600 with piping) Fridge ($430) 200 w solar. 2 GC batteries, wire, Mppt controler, smart charger, inverter, solenoid ($1500) mattress, paint, wallpaper, adhesives, screws,etc ($300 +/-) back up and security cameras and lights($400)LED lights and switches, wiring($100.) insulation ($150.) Appliance blankets for blackout curtains, velcro($30.) 5 computer fans for venting ($40) =$3550. (i'm sure I forgot something!)
All of the plywood, cedar boards for cabinets and shelves, formica, hinges and hardware, much of insulation, floor insulation, flooring, seats and steel for swivels, urethane, screening, were all free/ left over/salvage.

 

[ValerieP]

It can sound like a lot, but a Class b is really expensive, and you don't get the floor plan you want, and for what I would be wiling to spend it would be at lest 10 years old. I bought a relatively new van, and I'm going to add a high top. I thought they were about 2000, but I'm tipping the scales at 4000. I haven't started with everything else yet, but I'm estimating with solar, a rack and the interior I want- maybe 4000. I'm building my retirement space because I won't have much money when I retire, but I'll have my mobile living space!

 

[masterplumber]

I'll have right at $6000 in my 6x12 cargo trailer once I add a modest 200 watt solar system, an Engle dual zone fridge freezer, and convert it to tandem axles. That includes buying the trailer used. But I did all the labor myself and it doesn't include any labor value. If you search under my username in conversions you can find my build. It needs to be updated but you can get an idea of the quality that went into it. I wanted something simple, but also for it to be welcoming And a comfortable place to hang out during a 2 day storm or something.

 

[mothercoder]

I'll check out your build. I know I can't have everything I want immediately. And being honest with myself, the funds later will be tight so I have to pick what is most important first and the special "wants" will need to wait plus I'll have to be okay if I never get them. I'd like a better toilet than the luggable loo I already have but I want it less than I want a decent 12v fridge. I would like a tankless water heater but a comfortable bed is more important. 

I'm going to order my cargo trailer in December for a March delivery. Between now and March I can keep my eyes open and try to get deals on the must have components. So there's time. 

I'm gonna need a spread sheet.

 

[kaBLOOnie Boonster]

I would love to hear (if you're willing to share) total cost of your cargo trailer conversion. Van conversions also which would be similar except for less cost of finish materials due to smaller square footage. 
If
I ask because I was reading a blog and the blogger said his conversion cost $7500 (6x12 enclosed cargo trailer). That did not include the cost of the trailer. He was at $11,500 all in. I have to look closer at what all he did but I don't think it included any holding tanks or a plumbed bathroom. Sounds like there was a water pump for the kitchen. He had 4 deep cycle batteries and 480 watts of solar. No expensive finishes as far as I can tell. So given that, this seems high to me. Or maybe I'm not being realistic and need to get more serious with my numbers. 

So do tell: type of rig, cost of your conversion, what it included. Thanks...again.

It sounds like my blog was the one you were reading. Keep in mind that I still have ALL of the receipts of the build. If by chance you happen to be near Salida, CO, you are welcome to inspect my build.

Rather than drown in microscopic details, it may help to talk about unifying principles that you can wrap your head around. Anybody who has naively stepped into a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) project has learned that the little things really DO add up. It's human nature to total up a couple of the big-ticket items, that easily come to mind, and then say that that is the "cost" of the conversion.

 

[masterplumber]

I totally agree with the last post. An example of this is I wanted to run a positive and a ground wire from my Blue Sea fuse panel to each light or outlet individually. I'm glad I did, but I have about $800 in electrical not counting my 12volt power supply or any solar except the wires I ran to the roof for future. At the same time, the build doesn't have to be done to use. My first trip we slept on cots and other than the sink, there was no kitchen. We just used an old Chuck box I built many years ago. 4 years later it's still. Work in progress as funds allow, but I've traveled 20,000 miles with it and probably spent 200 nights in it. Right now I use it for short trips, and for work out of town. My goal is to have all the major work done while I'm still earning money, and then in a few years retire and spend winters traveling the Southwest and Baja with it.

 

[Almost There]

Yep, it's the little things that add up fast.

Let's talk electrical for example!

Simple solenoid to house battery bank involves not just the solenoid but heavy wire at up to $4 or 5 a foot, plus the wire to ground and to the power source. Mine had a good switch put in on the dash for controlling when the power was going to the house batteries. This involved 8 connectors of various sizes, 2 fuse blocks for the line to the batteries plus the fuses themselves and a spare for stock. The $20. price of the solenoid itself pales in comparison to the cost  of all the other pieces.

I did like Masterplumber did, all my 12V wiring is run with 10 gauge wires (2) back to the fuse panel. I installed 8 - 12V Marinco outlets in the van so they were where I needed them. Only 2 so far have seen no use but they are there for the future use of the TV I want. I put almost 300 ft of the 10 ga. wire in the van. Wiring for the lights and ceiling vent added to the outlets meant that the whole Blue Seas fuse block was in use. 12 circuits worth of connectors including switches for the lights means that I used around 30 connectors for that. Well, more until I learned that I couldn't' crimp worth a darn because of the arthritis in my hands and borrowed hand strength from friends for replacement connectors. The fuse block was around $50.00 but I probably spent twice that on the other stuff.

As to the wood part of the build, I swear that I should just have stood in the screw section of H/D and bought a large box of each length of #10 wood screws on the shelf. It would have saved innumerable trips to the hardware store in town for yet another box of yet another size of screws....

We all tend to price out the cost of the plywood and the major items when figuring out a build and don't include the small stuff that  adds up quick. I'd say a close guestimate is to take the pricing on the major components like wood, appliances, etc and then double it for an approximate finished cost.

 

[akrvbob]

I was a campground host when I bought my 6x10 cargo van and it was a 75 mile drive and 7000 feet of elevation climb to get home. I knew I wouldn't make that drive again for several months so I drove the trailer off the lot and went to Home Depot to buy all the lumbar-insulation-screws-paint-varnish I would need. That was $300.

I ordered a lot I needed and had it delivered to the main campground--I was remote. $200 for windows, $100 for vents, too much miscellaneous to remember. But, I took a lot (including the solar) off my old camper so I already had it.

I could do it all again today for no more than $2000 (including all new solar) and I was really pleased with it!

A blog on my build:
http://www.cheaprvliving.com/living-converted-cargo-trailer/

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I would love to hear (if you're willing to share) total cost of your cargo trailer conversion. Van conversions also which would be similar except for less cost of finish materials due to smaller square footage . . . 

I gutted and completely re-did the interior of an 8' pop-up truck camper.  I have about $3000 invested in the interior (3 years ago pricing).  This includes 2 X 100 W solar + 210AH of battery (2 GC2s).  The camper came with an old refrigerator that I am using, so refrigeration is not included in the cost;  it also came with a usable 4" thick foam twin mattress.

I did all my own work (I do have a carpenter friend that I get advice from) and either have or was able to borrow all the tools I needed for the construction.  All I had to buy were a couple of saw blades and router bits.

 -- Spiff

 

[GypsySpirit]

Before I found you all and this forum, I decided this is what I wanted.  I had little skills and my only requirements were a bed, a closet and someplace to put my potty.   I found a small flatbed trailer for $600 and traded some sewing for welding and had the frame beefed up.  The build was accomplished by basically bolting on beams and screwing in wood until I had a somewhat useable space.  Took every donation of wood, lumber, and anything else, useable or not.  No plumbing.  No wiring other than trailer lights.  I have a space to sleep, a counter and a closet.  Ta-da.  About $1000 in,including having Uhaul put a hitch on my truck.

Two years later, I have a roof that leaks like a sieve and a ruined floor from water damage.  Trying to figure out if it is worth tearing down and doing over, or scrapping the whole thing.   I now know what I don't want.  Learned a lot and got two years of part time use out of it.

Not sure if this answers your question, but it's how I did it.

 

[mothercoder]

Before I found you all and this forum, I decided this is what I wanted.  I had little skills and my only requirements were a bed, a closet and someplace to put my potty.   I found a small flatbed trailer for $600 and traded some sewing for welding and had the frame beefed up.  The build was accomplished by basically bolting on beams and screwing in wood until I had a somewhat useable space.  Took every donation of wood, lumber, and anything else, useable or not.  No plumbing.  No wiring other than trailer lights.  I have a space to sleep, a counter and a closet.  Ta-da.  About $1000 in,including having Uhaul put a hitch on my truck.

Two years later, I have a roof that leaks like a sieve and a ruined floor from water damage.  Trying to figure out if it is worth tearing down and doing over, or scrapping the whole thing.   I now know what I don't want.  Learned a lot and got two years of part time use out of it.

Not sure if this answers your question, but it's how I did it.

Thanks.  This confirms to me that it can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be.

 

[user 423]

I haven't built mine yet but have done a lot of pricing of materials,etc. and have figured about $6000 for a not-too-fancy 6x12 w/single-axle but would have solar,vents,etc.

However, I just spotted a 17' Casita on CL that appears to be in pretty good shape for $6000. Hmm...