Build your dream van
Doing your own self build project can be exiting times and seems like an easy project when you look around on social media . The problem is that there’s so many people doing it wrong and some of the advise available is given by people who might have only built one or two vans , Now that’s ok if they know what they’re doing but how can you tell ?? Answer is you can’t . When you invest in a vehicle to convert you need to follow a certain process and use the correct materials so rock wool as insulation is a definite no no but a mistake I see people make time and time again .. So why do I offer coaching and not build them myself anymore ? I do build the odd one now and again for repeat customers from back in the day but the self build market is huge now ! And with rising cost of premisses along with the increase in labour cost you could see the cost of a full conversion exceeding over £60,000 on a long wheel base crafter or sprinter . Self build will save a small fortune on labour cost with the average conversion taking around 800 hours to complete ! yes 800 ! times that by an hourly rate of around £45 per hour and that’s a lot of money .. £36,000 to be exact . I started building the VW Transporter camper vans back in 2006 and supplied some VW franchises and the odd motorhome supplier as well as doing bespoke conversions for my own walk in customers and I’d say I’ve built close to one hundred vans so that’s a lot of experience under my belt . My company Alpine campers operated out of a 5000 sq ft premises with state of the art machinery like CNC routers , snap on diagnostics , you name it we had it but the pandemic shut me down due to lead times on new vehicles taking over a year . So I now run my self build coaching program and customers see great results in the progress they make and the peace of mind that they’re doing it right .
How it works
Once you have decided that you want to use the self build coaching program you will need to have a think about how much coaching you will need . I will give you a free thirty minute consultation over the phone to discuss you build plans and come up with a plan of action with you .
The coaching
Once we have decided on how much of the build you require coaching on we can come up with a schedule in the diary either weekly , daily or how ever suits you and I will go through that stage of the build over the phone or via zoom call . If you choose a full stage like insulation for example you will also find all of the materials you require on my shop listed as stage one package . That way you know that you are using the correct materials for that job . You will also be able to book your coaching through my shop as hourly slots or full stage slots for instance stage one would probably take two hours of coaching so you would buy a stage one materials package and a two hour coaching slot . If you are converting a VW Transporter you will find some useful CNC Files in my shop for the furniture and custom bed templates , These files can be emailed to a CNC company and it will take around 20 minutes to cut a full set of furniture then you simply put it together and install it . Don’t worry if you think you need more time as you can simply add more time from the shop or if it’s just a quick question on something then just give me a call or message .
End result
The end result will be something to look back on and say what a journey it was to build your dream van . It Isn’t easy and you will need a good practical mind to complete some of the final stages of the build . If you only know the basics at the moment it’s not a problem , as you get further into the build your skill set will grow and develop new skills over the course of the project . With the right guidance and the correct materials you will achieve an amazing van build that you can be proud of and it will last a lifetime . There’s nothing more satisfying than enjoying your holidays in the van you built and saved a small fortune on labour cost . You might end up turning it into your new career !