Many people dreaming about building a mobile home one day. There are a thousand variations. The challenge is to have everything you need in a small space.
A few tinkerers were quite creative when it came to converting their motorhome.
Since I am currently dealing with this topic a lot, I put together a list of my top conversions. These are the inspiration for my projects.
Every time I start a new one, I look for new inspiration from people who have already gone through the process of converting a motorhome. Some are summarized in this list.
And this is my result for your mobile home conversion:
A lot of space and a lot of payload are absolute advantages of mobile homes based on trucks, but here, as with any vehicle base, there are pitfalls as well.
Felix is currently in the US and is converting a school bus there. He and his girlfriend are planning something big, we can rely on that.
Felix Stark from Expedition Happiness
Vanalog Vibes drives through the USA in their Mercedes Sprinter and searches for Frutopia. Will they find this place? Anymway, the journey will definitely not be uncomfortable.
more pics on Vanalog Vibes
Shane put a lot of emphasis on quality when upgrading her Sprinter. The dark wood looks very high quality, doesn’t it? The conversion is definitely one of my favorites.
Cyrus Hammock Seat / Workplace has gone viral very quickly on Facebook. But the idea is also brilliant.
more at Cyrus Sutton
In any case, this is a place where it can be endured. I could imagine one or the other movie night here.
Find more pics here: Mitch Cox
A dog, a child and a bus. Stephanie’s life could make some people real jealous. She definitely looks happy on her Instagram pictures.
Check out more from Stephanie Artuso.
As a vanlife pro, you can’t really ignore “the rolling home”. Since their successful Kickstarter campaign, the two from UK are back on the road and promote their book worldwide.
The RV expansion of the VW bus has become really nice. I don’t usually find carpet on the wall beautiful, but in this case I make an exception. Very nicely done.
more pics here: The Rolling Home
A camper’s dream. Very white, very feminine and very bright. The tiny house advocate lives in her Bluebird Bus.
Julie Puckett from House Bus
The equipment of Mega Wats is very functional. The idea with only one table leg saves a lot of space and looks very good.
Find more pics of the couple here : MegaWats
Not all who wander are lost. That’s my motto too. The family sprinter is fully equipped and ready for adventure. The wood paneling is exactly what I love.
Comfort meets adventurousness. As an exception, a carpet in a mobile home conversion can be found here. Difficult to keep clean when traveling. It looks real cozy though.
more here: Rohan Kensey
This Mercedes Sprinter is rustic and simple. The ceiling fan is an idea that I would like to adopt in my bus. You don’t have to open a window to get some fresh air at night, but where is the cooking going on?
More pics here: Pete and Jen
One of my favorites on this list. It couldn’t be more comfortable. Above all, the frame of the kitchen block is made of real wood. The optics are impressive.
more on camper_travels
This is my own mobile home conversion. The whole van is lined with wood to make it as comfortable as possible.
The motorhome includes a full kitchen with gas and plenty of storage space for the perfect camping trip. There is an instructions for this mobile home conversion.
More information here.
White surfaces, wood, clear lines and a few decorative highlights: What I like about myducatohome is how cozy a practical and modern interior with a few plants looks.
More from Christina on ourducatohome
A forest photo wallpaper in a camper? I wouldn’t have come up with that in a million years. Dominik proves how casual it looks. And then you ask yourself: Why didn’t you think of it yourself?
More of Dominik Freund here: Freundship
The comfortable bench with a view or the space under the awning outdoors? Ben and Josie have to decide every day where they would prefer to have their coffee. But you can’t go wrong with the decision anyway.
More from Ben & Josie on Veggievanlife
No question at all: Zach’s camper is a real gem and the interior is more than successful. Practical, stylish and the idea with the blackboard paint on the windows is awesome!
find more of Zack here: ZachBoth
The rustic van has two eye-catchers: the beautiful oven and the tiles on the stove. You can vividly imagine how dreamy the cooking evenings are on cozy autumn evenings.
more on thevanwithoutaplan
Frank and Juliet’s campervan could be affectionately referred as Villa Kunterbunt (house of Pipi Longstocking), it looks so cheerful and colorful here. In addition to the decoration, there is a special highlight: the bathroom hidden in the box.
More from Juliet and Frank here: glampervanlucy
It looks minimalist and yet cozy. The octagonal windows invite you to take a panoramic look. If there are no mountains to be seen, the mountains on the side wall…
More from Tommy Erst at longroadtonowhere
You know, I’m a big fan of wood interior construction. The loyal companion of Joel and Portia also shows how cozy it becomes through the warm wood.
More from Joel and Portia at oznpom_ontour
At Candice, too, rustic wood and lots of pillows in a large cozy bed dominate. With the chain of lights on the ceiling, you can see stars even when the sky is cloudy.
More from Candice at the_wayware_blonde
I really love this integrated desk. Here you can work, you have everything you need within reach and then the whole thing looks real good. And it works as a dining table too!
More here koermikoermet
When upgrading their Sprinter, Juliana and Richmond attached great importance to high-quality materials. Lots of wood, storage space and additional windows ensure comfort. Well done!
More from Juliana and Richmond here: homesweetvan
I really love the contrast between light and dark wood. It just looks classy!
More here: carliewelsh
Here, again, one of my favorite wood paneling. I find the rustic style really cozy and that’s why I am also a big fan of vanpartment. They are currently converting again, let’s see what will come…
Traveling the world alone in an old VW T3? Susi is on the go and reports about it on Youtube and Instagram.
More here: Susi Cruzz
There are some good chassis that can be used for a basis. Here is a collection – with or without four-wheel drive.
It was clear to me from early on: “I want my own camper!”. But not one that I just buy, one that I build with my own hands and my wishes. I decided to get serious about motorhome conversion. Then Emma came into my life.
The biggest step in getting a campervan was already done. Now I had to think about what I would need. I knew I wanted a full kitchen and a big, comfortable bed. A large seat to relax with friends to end the evening was also needed. Since Emma is not really tall, I had to make a plan for every inch.
I looked at a lot of different conversions on the internet. Looked at how others have solved certain things and how I could implement it for myself. Then I made sketches.
I tried a lot of variations.
The kitchen behind the seats or by the window. The sitting area and the bed are elongated, to slide out or fold up and down. Each variant had to be considered carefully.
It was also important not to make the mobile home conversion too complicated. After all, I wasn’t a professional and I wanted to start the conversion as soon as possible.
When these things were clarified I had a plan how my interior would look like and the financial planning started.
I wanted my camper as nicely as possible, but the financial means have to be right. I didn’t have a lot of budget. For me, it shouldn’t be a luxury conversion either. I had planned to buy many materials as cheaply as possible and build a lot myself. That way I could save myself the cost of a carpenter or electrician.
To keep track of things, I created a list with the costs that I would have to pay. Sure, I could only guess at the time, but at least that way I knew roughly where my pain threshold lies.
A high investment, I have already done with the purchase of the motorhome. Everyone should know for themselves what their dream of a camper is worth to them. However, you should not be immediately scared off by the costs. It can be a lifetime investment.
In order to save as much costs as possible, I built most of my camper myself. For me it wasn’t just a question of cost.
After you have bought a camper and the most important questions have been answered, you can now start.
Before the interior work could start, I had to check the base of the vehicle. Is there any rust anywhere? Has fluid collected in some places in recent years? Do you have to fix anything?
If you don’t check the vehicle to the core for rust and remove the rust, you have to expect that it will get worse over the years and then it may be too late.
So if there is rust has in the vehicle, quick action is required. Even the smallest rusty spot can turn into a real problem in a short amount of time.
Therefore, the following applies here: recognize, remove rust, treat, prevent! I’ll show you how to do it here. (english version coming soon)
There are a few ways to style the floor of your RV. Before doing that, you have to ask yourself a few questions: What do you like best? Would you like an easy-care floor or a particularly robust one? A particularly cheap floor, or can it be of very high quality and therefore significantly more expensive?
Then you can go to the hardware store, for example, and get advice. Which material is the most robust and which is the easiest to care for? Which material is the lowest or highest in terms of price?
In addition, the floor covering also determines the look of your camper and should also match the rest of the interior. Either you choose linoleum or parquet, you can also use wooden planks or make yourself comfortable with a carpet.
In my case, I chose linoleum with a wood look. The easy processing and the cost factor convinced me.
Insulation protects your camper against certain influences.
If your camper is in the sun, it will stay cool for longer inside with appropriate insulation and will not heat up as quickly. The same principle applies to the other direction. Heat retains better inside when it is colder outside.
The insulation helps you to “contain” the sound or absorb the noises of the vehicle. That definitely makes both driving and standing more comfortable for you.
The X-Treme isolator is available as a self-adhesive version and without it. I advise you to use the self-adhesive version, as it is much easier to use.
Having electricity in a camper is super important to most. For me too. So that everything works as you imagine it, I would like to show you my way to a working solution.
Please note that the use of electricity can be dangerous and is usually only carried out by experts. Care should be taken when installing the AC power cables.
Confusing the blue wire with the black connection can become a trap. But since we want to do everything ourselves, a specialist should check the wiring completely, at least at the end. Because safety comes first. You can find more information about this here. (english version coming soon)
I thought about this for a long time. There are a few variants, but for me comfort was the main reason. Your interior trim should match your camper.
Ask yourself what is important to you? The weight? The simple processing? The costs? The optics? This is where some options come together. For me it was a few thing.
Spruce wood is built into Emma that we bought as normal thin profiled wood. Spruce in this thickness is amazingly light.
So whether with wood, colorful, white, kitschy or modern, that’s up to you. Of course, you should consider a few things, such as the individual functions of the kitchen or how flexible you want the expansion to be. Also how much storage space you need. But once these things have been resolved, make your van as beautiful as possible.
I have compiled all my knowledge about mobile home conversion in a book that should make it easier for you to implement your project.
For a few years I have optimized and improved my motorhome and made it really cozy. In this way I was able to gain important experience, which I want to pass on to everyone who needs.
On more than 220 pages, I have summarized all the tips and tricks I know in 8 chapters.
Starting with the preparation of the camper.