Pancake expenses.
How much does a van build cost?
From bus to van. Our second conversion.
Trying to keep costs down.
Our goal for the van build was to keep costs down while maintaining quality. To fund the project, we sold Saguaro for $39,000 and used the proceeds to pay off the van. We made a conscious effort to prioritize the essentials and avoid getting carried away with ‘unnecessary’ luxury items like a shower, TV, and oven. Through these efforts, we ended up spending a little less on the van build than we did on our first conversion with Saguaro.
**The one exception.
We decided to provide this entire cost breakdown for two reasons: (1) to show exactly what WE spent on our van conversion, and (2) give YOU an idea of what it would cost if you were to follow a similar build. Because of this, there is some grey area we need to mention.
During our build we had a few companies reach out and offer to send some electrical components if we would in turn showcase them on our YouTube channel. We want to be 100% transparent and mention that these deals (which included our 200Ah batteries x3 and 175W solar panels x3), amounted to an estimated total of $4,000 that is NOT included in the given chart.
That being said, although we decided to go 100% electric in our van build, you can save money by replacing the electric stove and hot water heater with propane versions - reducing your overall electrical needs.
| Category | # of items | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle | 1 | $42,000.00 |
| Electrical** | 49 | $4,361.19 |
| Living Space | 16 | $1,875.73 |
| Wood | 31 | $1,400.15 |
| Kitchen | 6 | $1,124.27 |
| Bathroom | 4 | $1,050.74 |
| Plumbing | 29 | $1,001.52 |
| Tools | 7 | $543.18 |
| Insulation | 5 | $497.36 |
| Window Covers | 1 | $459.00 |
| Hardware | 37 | $418.98 |
| Paint | 28 | $316.84 |
| Misc | 0 | - |
| Build Cost | - | $13,048.96 |
| TOTAL COST | - | $55,048.96 |