Van conversion mistakes

The ones Lee sees most, and how to avoid them

The van conversion mistakes Lee sees most are cheap products, wrong wiring and a floor that isn't straight, and the last two customers who came to us both said they wished they'd found us before they started.

Lee answers it himself · 3:01

The mistakes

  • Carpet in before the wiringOne customer carpeted his whole van before his wiring went in, did only part of the insulation, forgot a lot of wires and never put the boarding on. He had to rip all his carpet out.
  • A sky dome where the shower goesIn brand new vans, Lee has seen sky domes put in the wrong place for the shower, so the shower doesn't fit the skylight. The hole had to be repaired and the sky dome moved over.
  • Cheap productsVery cheap glass windows, for one, where the channels break and leak inside the van.
  • A thin floor that isn't straightVery thin insulated floors leave nothing to screw to, and nine times out of 10 a lot of your furniture screws to the floor.
  • Wires through bare metalDrilling holes and dragging the wires through bare metal.

Lee's rules

  • A van boarded on the walls and roof, the wiring in before the floor goes down
    The floor has to be straightHis number one rule. A van is never level, so you can't use a spirit level in it: without a straight floor, you've got nothing to work off. Thick enough to screw to, too.
  • VentilationA MaxxFan for ventilation, or some kind of ventilation.
  • Trunking on your electricsAlways put trunking on your electrics. We can't tell you where every wire goes (you might want a USB socket or a light somewhere), but we'll remind you of a few bits.

We tell you all of this at the measure up, on the WhatsApp calls and in voice messages. Message Lee and he answers, always within the day.

I should have come and seen you in the first place.

A customer, as Lee tells it

We give out that much information to stop you making a mistake down the line.

Lee, VANZ Adventures
A slate grey kitchen pod with a concrete worktop, fitted in a van

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