Here is a breakdown of everything we used in our DIY van build. Whether you just purchased a van or are in the thick of a conversion we hope this is helpful in finding materials to make your own home on wheels! There are so many decisions to make regarding where to put things and how to make everything function in the best way. So we hope this post sheds some light on why we chose each item and maybe get you to think about something differently for your own build! Remember our van is just one version out of a million ways you can build out a van!
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Our Van Kitchen
Kitchen Faucet with soap dispenser
This faucet is really nice! It’s flexible so you can spray around your whole sink. There are 2 modes for water which is also nice. We use the spray mode because we find we use less water with it.
- We also got the faucet hole cover to make it look more finished on the countertops. It’s definitely not necessary but it meant we didn’t need to worry too much about making the hole perfect.
An undermount soap dispenser sounds silly because it’s a van but it’s one of those little things that is just so great! It means we never have to move a bottle of soap around to wash dishes. It’s the same matte black so it matches the faucet perfectly.
Sink
Initially I wanted a matte black sink but all the options were super expensive. We weren’t willing to spend hundreds and hundreds on a sink so we went with this 15″ x 17″ x 10″ sink and love it! It’s very deep so you can fit a ton of dishes inside it.
- It’s more of a dark dark grey but it looks good with the matte black faucet!
Fridge
We went back and forth on an AC versus DC fridge for a while. DC fridges are a lot more energy efficient but are so dang expensive. We couldn’t stomach spending $800 on a fridge so we spent about a $100 on this mini fridge and so far it’s been working great. We haven’t had any issues with having enough power to run it!
- Ours is a 2.4 cubic feet fridge. It is plenty of space for the 2 of us. We do shop often but we haven’t had a time where everything didn’t fit.
Cabinet Latches
You need some sort of latch or way to make sure your upper cabinets (and lower cabinets) stay closed while driving. Some people using magnetic ones, some people use child locks, gate latches or roller latches. We chose these roller latches and they latch really well!
Fruit Basket
You need a place for everything in a small space. So a fruit basket that hangs on the wall is the perfect solution! We have a designated place for fruit to go so all of it isn’t getting smashed around in one of our cabinets.
- We use the big one for fruit, the medium one for reusable towels and bags, and the small one for vinegar and toilet paper.
Countertops
We made DIY countertops out of 3/4 inch plywood that I stained and sealed. It took a few days but it let us cut custom sized pieces for exactly the dimensions we needed. I think the countertops cost us a total of $50.
Maxxair MaxxFan
We chose the Maxxair MaxxFan because it can suck air out as well as pull air in. We use it in exhaust mode when we cook to vent out smoke or strong food smells. When its hot we use it in fan mode to circulate the air inside the van.
Read More: Why We Bought a Ford Transit Instead of a Mercedes Sprinter Van
Off-Grid Electrical System
Creating an off-grid electrical system was really important to us. We wanted to be able to charge electronics such as our computers, phones, and camera batteries as well as power things in the van like our lights, outlets, fridge, and fan.
3 200AH Renogy Deep Cycle AGM Batteries
3 200AH batteries means we have a total of 600AH of batteries which is a lot! AGM deep cycle batteries are like a third of the price of lithium batteries but they are probably twice as heavy.
- Because they are so heavy they are very hard to maneuver. We basically put them where they were going to go and tried our hardest not to have to move them again.
2000 Watt Renogy Pure Sine Inverter/Charger
This thing is a beast. Literally it is huge. We opened it up and immediately were unsure if it was even going to fit. It works well though and really is not loud at all! The fan turns on occasionally and then turns off and is barely noticeable.
- If you don’t think you’re going to hook up to shore power often then you might not need the charger function. Just the inverter (without charger) is a lot cheaper and they are significantly smaller.
Battery Monitor
This is one of the last things we got for our electrical system. We actually didn’t even have it hooked up for our first few days in the van. Still to this day we don’t have it mounted.
With a bigger budget we would have loved one of the fancy ones that you can check with an app on your phone. But this one does exactly what we need it to do! It tells us our battery percentage and flashes green when it’s charging so it’s easy to tell.
Distribution Panel
We bought fuse blocks and ended up returning them for this RV distribution panel. We returned the fuse blocks because they are not intended for 120-V (AC) applications. This distribution panel has a DC side and an AC side and keeps everything so organized!
- On the DC side each load has a blade fuse. We got this blade fuse package with a variety of different sizes.
- The AC side of the panel uses breakers. We have a 30-amp breaker for the main power breaker and then 2 20-amp breakers and 2 15-amp breakers.
DC Lights
We have 8 LED lights in our ceiling. They are DC so they use very little electricity which is really nice. They were very easy to install. Use a hole saw to make a hole and then pop them down into the hole. They stay in place without doing anything else and we’ve driven on some rough roads!
- We have 1 set of 4 lights on a switch at the front and a second switch of 4 lights on a switch at the back of the van. That way we can flip the switch when we open the slider as well as from in bed.
- We wired the lights in parallel. They are actually pretty bright so we definitely do not need more than 8. We most often only having one switch on at a time.
400 Watt Solar Panels
We got so lucky to find these 200 watt Newpowa solar panels. Because of where our roof starts to slope and where the fan is we had very specific dimensions that the solar panels had to fit in. We got so lucky that these fit. There is legitimately 1 inch between the edge of the solar panels and the edge of the fan.
30A MPPT NewPowa Charge Controller
This charge controller helps take the energy from the solar panels and make it power that we can use to power things in the van. It is fairly big so make sure you have space to mount it with room for it to vent above and below.
Solar Panel Cable Entry Mount
Funny story about this one. We installed our solar panels and we’re all excited about them being up. We spent so long trying to think of a contraption that would allow the wires to be routed inside the van to connect to the charge controller but would not let rain inside too. Then we googled it and this cable entry mount came up first. This thing is the perfect solution and it’s so inexpensive!
DC Light Switch
We have 3 of these switches. One for 1 set of lights, 1 for our second set of lights, and one that is a switch for our water pump. They are very simple and easy to wire.
- They make single, double, and triple switches too if you need multiple switches in one place.
DC Outlets
Honestly these outlets took way longer to install than we expected. But they work great and we love the option of using the cigarette lighter or just using the USB ports.
- Just make sure when you’re installing them that you have a lot of space behind because the wires go out quite a bit. We had to cut out a little of our insulation for them to fit behind the wall.
Read More: How to Choose a Van Layout
Our Complete Plumbing System
Our plumbing system is fairly simple. We have 2 fresh water containers, a water pump, a water filter, and a grey water tank. We don’t have a hot water heater which means we don’t have hot water. It requires making your plumbing system a lot more complicated and we’ve been completely content without it!
Shurflo 12-V Water Pump
This water pump doesn’t use a lot of power and has really good water pressure. It definitely does make noise when it runs but we’ve gotten used to it after awhile.
Water filter
No matter where we fill up on water this filter always makes the water taste delicious! It’s a little big to store but we like the peace of mind it gives us. It comes with it’s own small faucet. We were both surprised by how good the water pressure is from the filtered water faucet!
- A bonus with this water filter is that it uses no electricity!
2 6-gallon Water Container
12 gallons of fresh water lasts us about 8 days so thats about 4 days per container. It’s easy to move the hose from one container to the other when the first runs out. So we only need to pull the jugs completely out when we are filling up both with new water. For now we’re really liking that they are portable because it means we can fill up pretty much anywhere.
5-Gallon Water Container
This 5-gallon water container is for our grey water tank. It lasts us about 10 days before needing to dump. We have a strainer in the sink to try to stop large pieces of food from going into the grey water tank. That way we can stop it from getting too smelly.
Nature’s Head Composting Toilet
It’s a lot of money but this toilet is something that we use everyday and literally changes the way we live in the van. Without a toilet we wouldn’t be able to stay places without facilities. Having to get up and immediately find a bathroom would get old fast so for us it’s worth it! Plus it literally does not smell. Everyone says it but it’s really true!
Miscellaneous Van Items
6-inch Memory Foam
We went back and forth a lot between ordering a mattress and cutting it ourselves or buying pieces of memory foam. Ultimately we chose memory foam because we were worried about cutting into a mattress with fiberglass and it being a disaster.
- We cut it with a big butter knife and it was pretty easy although it does make a mess! It’s available in a variety of lengths and widths depending on what you need.
- If we had to pick it again we would probably choose 4 or 5 inch foam just because 6 is a bit thick when we’re sitting on the benches.
Blackout Curtains
These black out curtains are the best! We use them to partition the cab from the back of the van. They make it really easy to be stealthy and also help us control the climate in the back a lot. Literally you can feel a temperature different when we have them up from the back of the van and up in the cab.
Hooks
You want as many hooks as you can all around your van. Having a place to hang keys, masks, wash cloths, your wet towel after showering, jackets, etc. is so helpful!
DC Fans
These fans are really good when you’re in warm temperatures. Because they’re DC they use very little power which allows us to use them for long periods of time. We have 2 and clip them onto our upper cabinets so we can use them while sleeping.
