# Feeling a little intimidated...



## LindsayH

Hello everybody, I'm Lindsay! 
Having decided a few weeks ago that I want to rent out my flat and travel Europe in a campervan with my dog for a while, I've been doing a lot of reading. I'm still excited but feeling a little overwhelmed by what I don't know. It seems I need to be a mechanic, plumber, electrician, carpenter, computer/technology expert and about 100 other things none of which I know the first thing about. I'm hoping to do my own van conversion and have realised that it's going to take weeks just to decide which van to buy! 
There's clearly a lot more to all this than meets the eye, but I feel like I'm learning fast thanks to the wealth of helpful information kindly shared online by experienced bods. This forum seems especially good and I'm spending a lot of time reading through old posts.
 So far I have Van Dog Traveller's van conversion book and Nick Rosen's off grid book. If anyone has any other suggestions for helpful books I'd be grateful.
Cheers!


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## rockape

You don't need to have all the trades ,, being a woman you must know everything.:idea:


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## RichardHelen262

Another forum for self build ideas is the vs t5 forum as nearly every one on there seams to do a self build, and post their progress as the do it, although you will probably need a van a bit bigger for full timing it will still give plenty of good ideas and advise,


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## Beemer

LindsayH said:


> Hello everybody, I'm Lindsay!
> Having decided a few weeks ago that I want to rent out my flat and travel Europe in a campervan with my dog for a while, I've been doing a lot of reading. I'm still excited but feeling a little overwhelmed by what I don't know. It seems I need to be a mechanic, plumber, electrician, carpenter, computer/technology expert and about 100 other things none of which I know the first thing about. I'm hoping to do my own van conversion and have realised that it's going to take weeks just to decide which van to buy!
> There's clearly a lot more to all this than meets the eye, but I feel like I'm learning fast thanks to the wealth of helpful information kindly shared online by experienced bods. This forum seems especially good and I'm spending a lot of time reading through old posts.
> So far I have Van Dog Traveller's van conversion book and Nick Rosen's off grid book. If anyone has any other suggestions for helpful books I'd be grateful.
> Cheers!



You will need a few basic trade skills, and practising with hand and power tools, but a lot can be gleaned from books.
I have had experience with conversions and found it to be quite fulfilling when the van was finished.
Planning your setup is really important, prioritise what you want in your van too.
I wish you well in your adventure.


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## Touringtheworld

..... Just buy a ready made one, the best one you can afford which suits you the best and get gone on your travels. 

Self build is a nightmare even when you know what your doing. 

Don't waste any more time - just go


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## yorkslass

U tube is a good place for tutorials, some of them give in depth explanations. :welcome::wave::wave:


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## caledonia

As posted earlier buy an already converted van. Your time would be better spent wilding than getting bogged down with a self build.


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## Steveyates02

Why self build doing the build is as much fun as the traveling once finished with the self satisfaction that every time you get in it you think I did this :dance: and also by doing the self build you will have the skills to do on tour repairs and know how it was built will be a great start for any repairs 
Good look and post pics as you do it 
steve


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## Haaamster

I would agree with an already converted as you appear to have little experience of the work involved in doing a self build. You may spend ages doing a van then find out you do not like the way of life. Also you could buy a ready made, be on your way in no time and find out what you would like to change as well as gain experience at the same time. Good luck.


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## st3v3

I'm helping out with the electrical on a self build at the moment. Even with someone who kind of knows what they are doing it's expensive and taking forever. Have you looked for something already converted? I would really recommend trying that route first!


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## trevskoda

Hi take time and plan things out think where wiring has to go & use thick wiring to where you may have 12v power points and put in usb like my picys beside where you may want a tv not fogetting the antenna cable.
Solar panel a must about 100 watts and a simple control unit here are some pics and also a water heater if you like in loo ,but most of all take time dont rush.
O and a few volt meters on dash to let you see batts are charging,have fun.


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## Byronic

I'd say a bed and where it goes is the first must Trev. Nice TV though!


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## Steveyates02

trevskoda said:


> Hi take time and plan things out think where wiring has to go & use thick wiring to where you may have 12v power points and put in usb like my picys beside where you may want a tv not fogetting the antenna cable.
> Solar panel a must about 100 watts and a simple control unit here are some pics and also a water heater if you like in loo ,but most of all take time dont rush.
> O and a few volt meters on dash to let you see batts are charging,have fun.



Omg what you got in there a nuclear reactor lol
looks very impressive


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## n brown

i am in awe of people with few practical skills who take on a self-build.  i´ve done loads of them over the years,more than i can remember,and i´ve been a practical person all my life, and every single van has been a series of bloody headaches ! fair play to anyone who gives it a go,and i´ll happily give advice to any fool willing  to try it !


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## hextal

Get yerself on SBMCC.

Don't get intimidated, remember that many of the pro-convertors will be happy to just do bits and pieces, so you could always do the basic fitting out yourself and pay for the gas and electric, or have them just put the windows in.

None of it is rocket science, you just have to read up on what you're doing and be prepared to make mistakes, or if your canny learn from everyone else's.

To be fair, as above, I come from a practical background, so what I generally think of as common sense is apparently not always (so our lass keeps saying anyway).


One word of advice on some of the conversion books though. Remember that they are generally not written by experts, or often even by people with much experience. So treat the advice accordingly, particularly with gas and electric. I've seen some of these that looked, well, er, interesting.


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## LindsayH

Wow, thanks for the warm welcome and words of advice. This is exactly what I need. On any of my posts please always feel free to post frank, and if necessary, blunt points of view. I'll be grateful and never take things the wrong way - I promise!

My van buying decision is not yet final so I will take everything said on board. My reasons for leaning towards a self build are as follows:

1. I am a bit terrified about my lack of skills, experience and practicality. I have a bit of carpentry experience but that really is it. I figure it would be better to learn some of this on my drive at home rather than half way across Bulgaria! If I've built it myself, I'm far more likely to be able to fix it. As a single ,youngish (ok, 33!) girl I get ripped off enough by tradesman here, I would be worried about this even more abroad with language issues.

2. My finances are limited and a self build seems cheaper, and more importantly can be funded as I go along/get paid. After selling my horsebox I'll have about 2.5k capital but the rest will have to come out of my wages. 

3. It will (hopefully) be done right. Surely it's impossible to see rust/bodged wiring/holes etc. in a ready made van?

I would love to just up and go tomorrow, much easier mentally! Unfortunately I have a 3 month notice period at work, 2 horses/4 chickens/a tortoise to find homes for and a lot of stuff to sell or get rid of in order to get the flat ready for renting. I've also started some self defence classes and would like to get better at that. I was hoping for January for a start date but at this rate that looks highly unrealistic!

As for not liking it as a lifestyle, I will do a trial run of a week or two in Scotland/France or something as a run through but once the flat is rented I'll just have to suck it up!


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## trevskoda

Byronic said:


> I'd say a bed and where it goes is the first must Trev. Nice TV though!



thats the reverse cam ebay £25


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## LindsayH

That would certainly solve the problem  Tortoise is a bit old and narly but the horses and chickens would make a lovely stew!


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## QFour

What are you going to live on while you are away. I suppose you can do Europe on a shoestring but you still need derv etc and there is always the odd problem just waiting round the corner. If you are handy with tools thats fine. If you are going to pay someone to do work for you thats fine but you need a plan and stick to it otherwise you will be paying to have work done and following month paying to have it altered or modified. Save your money and buy something that you can use. You will then get some fun out of it and be able to work out what you need and what you can manage without. You will also get to know how the MH functions and how to load it and how to park it level on a hill.

Its an adventure. Hope you enjoy it.

..


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## n brown

keep this in mind- a van,a foam rubber mattress, a washing up bowl, a 10ltr water container,a 2burner cooker ,a good led camping light and a bucket will cover all your basic needs,everything else is luxury,not necessary for travelling.


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## trevskoda

i am at mine 2 years between jobs as im self employed and to get it reclasified as motor caravan you will need to finnish and the are rules you must stick to for that to which you will find on the self build forum or net your insurance will come down then ,good luck.


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## oppy

swiftcamper said:


> Bring the animals to a wildcamping meet not sure about horse,chicken and tortoise stew though:mad2::mad2::mad2:



I dunno, talk about ruddy tactless, some folks have no feelings for other peoples sensitivities :mad1::mad1::mad1: Chicken---good but ruddy tortoise---yuck. They have a crust like a frozen Hollands steak pie. No, horse is definitely the way to go, Annie and Hippie will have some great recipes :wacko::wacko::wacko:

Oh yes, sorry----------------welcome to the asylum  :have fun::have fun::cheers:


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## trevskoda

n brown said:


> keep this in mind- a van,a foam rubber mattress, a washing up bowl, a 10ltr water container,a 2burner cooker ,a good led camping light and a bucket will cover all your basic needs,everything else is luxury,not necessary for travelling.


in n/ireland you can no do as it will be classed as as a commercial and you will have to show biz books to get ins,other wise folk would buy vans to drive over cars.


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## n brown

different here Trev fank gawd !


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## Deleted member 19733

Hi and welcome to the forum, have fun



:welcome::camper::have fun::cheers::dog::drive::goodluck:


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## QFour

n brown said:


> keep this in mind- a van,a foam rubber mattress, a washing up bowl, a 10ltr water container,a 2burner cooker ,a good led camping light and a bucket will cover all your basic needs,everything else is luxury,not necessary for travelling.



This can be taken one step further .. You don't put anything in that doesn't have more than one use .. It does make you think ..

..


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## runnach

Not sure about the tortoise but pretty sure Robmacs clan will take the chickens !!!...

As for your plans , i agree with what a lot of the others say , buy summat ready made to go ...and nie just do it !!!...nbrown btw is quite correct re the basics.

I believe when you fulltime , your needs are different, and whatever you choose I assure you 12 months down the line there are things that you want to change ...good example making a bed up every day great at a weekend but for a year day in day out a serious chore so a fixed bed in terms of convenience and robustness makes sense.

In terms of your skillsets , dont worry too much, you will be surpised what you can do when you need too , my best pal is youtube . very little you cant find on there asto how to do a job safely and the finish approaching professional ...

There will be times when you think what have i chose this lifestyle for ? ...but outweighed by a significant margin are the moments you meet folk see things you could never book in a travel agents.

The technical bits lots of people here to offer help and guidance and it has been known will do the real tricky bits for you .

If you have the pluck to have a bash which it sounds you have you are way past the halfway mark ...after that self discovery and knowing where to find the answers... I struggle to think of any situation where a member on this forum has not been able to give sage like advice ....

good luck and above all Have fun 

Channa


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## trevskoda

n brown said:


> different here Trev fank gawd !



yes it was stopped here about 40 years back as folk were buying and telling the ins it was for dogs hunting etc but in fact were using for com use so now you have to show books,im lucky i can do this but once changed to m/caravan ins goes down from about £600 to £200 so makes sense to change.


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## Haaamster

Just my opinion but if I was in your position this is the kind of thing I would be looking at. 
renault master campervan 4 birth motorhome | eBay
Yes it has no MOT so I would advise you to take someone with you with mechanical knowledge to check if it can be fixed and check the engine. For that money if it lasts you a year it would be worth it and next year if you have money for a better van you could gut this one and transfer some of it to your new van.


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## ScamperVan

The seller repaired it - MOT to Sept 2016


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## Haaamster

ScamperVan said:


> The seller repaired it - MOT to Sept 2016



Even better then, perfect for a starter van taking into account the posters finances.


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## Martlet

*Welcome.*



LindsayH said:


> Wow, thanks for the warm welcome and words of advice. This is exactly what I need. On any of my posts please always feel free to post frank, and if necessary, blunt points of view. I'll be grateful and never take things the wrong way - I promise!
> 
> My van buying decision is not yet final so I will take everything said on board. My reasons for leaning towards a self build are as follows:
> 
> 1. I am a bit terrified about my lack of skills, experience and practicality. I have a bit of carpentry experience but that really is it. I figure it would be better to learn some of this on my drive at home rather than half way across Bulgaria! If I've built it myself, I'm far more likely to be able to fix it. As a single ,youngish (ok, 33!) girl I get ripped off enough by tradesman here, I would be worried about this even more abroad with language issues.
> 
> 2. My finances are limited and a self build seems cheaper, and more importantly can be funded as I go along/get paid. After selling my horsebox I'll have about 2.5k capital but the rest will have to come out of my wages.
> 
> 3. It will (hopefully) be done right. Surely it's impossible to see rust/bodged wiring/holes etc. in a ready made van?
> 
> I would love to just up and go tomorrow, much easier mentally! Unfortunately I have a 3 month notice period at work, 2 horses/4 chickens/a tortoise to find homes for and a lot of stuff to sell or get rid of in order to get the flat ready for renting. I've also started some self defence classes and would like to get better at that. I was hoping for January for a start date but at this rate that looks highly unrealistic!
> 
> As for not liking it as a lifestyle, I will do a trial run of a week or two in Scotland/France or something as a run through but once the flat is rented I'll just have to suck it up!



Welcome!

If you have a self-propelled horsebox, why buy a van?
N. Brown's statement of basic requirements is a good place to start; then read all that you can before making any decision.
This site is full of wonderfully helpful, and knowledgable people, with lots of experience; just keep asking the questions.

Regards,
Martlet


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## LindsayH

A couple of very useful and interesting replies, thank you. I'm going to start a separate van thread, I'd be grateful if any of you could add your thoughts.

I'm getting rid of the horsebox basically because it's a pile of crap and falling apart. It's an LDV and I know these have a bit of a cult following but I really don't like driving it either. The steering is just awful! I also want something smaller I think.


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## hextal

Just don't ask which van to get. 

You'll end up more confused than when you started and convinced that anything you buy will disintegrate/explode as soon as you have parted with your cash.

Plus you'll probably start a fight.:lol-049:


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## trevskoda

Here are 2 on dunedeal n ireland,the we susy at 900 bucks and the hymer with g/fibre body and very clean at 3700.


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## LindsayH

That little Hymer is super cute and the inside is lovely.


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## trevskoda

LindsayH said:


> That little Hymer is super cute and the inside is lovely.



Hi lindsay a lot of vans here are like new inside some have never had the kitchen beds loo used as most older folk just drive them to the seaside and buy a we tea at shops then return to van and look out the widows before returning home for the evening,
the glass fiber hymer i think is on a reno chasis and has been on for weeks ,i think a offer of around £3000 may lift it and being north reg you can take home with out re reging unlike the south,worth ph about and some times the stretch on money may save you a lot of hastle doing a self build.:drive:


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## ian1950

I and I suspect many others on this site was paid to work on vehicles. Myself for fifty years and I find your comment rather insulting. True that there are many working in the industry I wouldn't employ to make tea. But the vast majority have a great knowledge of a wide range of vehicles :mad1::mad1::goodnight:


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## oppy

Ian, Don't be so sensitive. There are many on this site, like me f''rinstace, who on occasions suffer from 'foot in mouth disease', but what he said is, to a certain extent, quite correct. I, like you, have spent a good many years in the motor trade before I retired and witnessed the evolution of mechanics into fitters, eg. mend it with a new one syndrome. Most maintenance work can be carried out by an enthusiastic amateur, unless like me there are certain physical restraints, and there is always someone to ask when one reaches the poo. Anyway the comment was probably made with a touch of tongue in cheek and I didn't think it in the least offensive, don't be so touchy just enjoy the banter and try stepping on the odd corn from time to time----------it's fun
:wacko::wacko::wacko:


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## ian1950

oppy said:


> Ian, Don't be so sensitive. There are many on this site, like me f''rinstace, who on occasions suffer from 'foot in mouth disease', but what he said is, to a certain extent, quite correct. I, like you, have spent a good many years in the motor trade before I retired and witnessed the evolution of mechanics into fitters, eg. mend it with a new one syndrome. Most maintenance work can be carried out by an enthusiastic amateur, unless like me there are certain physical restraints, and there is always someone to ask when one reaches the poo. Anyway the comment was probably made with a touch of tongue in cheek and I didn't think it in the least offensive, don't be so touchy just enjoy the banter and try stepping on the odd corn from time to time----------it's fun
> :wacko::wacko::wacko:



Thanks oppy feeling a little tetchy this morning. normally wouldn't have bothered me but just pushed my buttons this morning:cheers:


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## oppy

ian1950 said:


> Thanks oppy feeling a little tetchy this morning. normally wouldn't have bothered me but just pushed my buttons this morning:cheers:


Ah, don't worry, it's an age thing, When I wake up feeling tetchy, I shove her out to brew up :rockroll:


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## LindsayH

Anyhoo....

I can in fact confirm that I am, indeed, a girl. I can change the spark plugs on my old 205 but that's about it. I've started a van thread if you wouldn't mind taking a look and answering any of the questions you feel you can help with. No arguing about which vans are rubbish, I'm sure they all have their pros and cons


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## LindsayH

As I can't seem to do an avatar, I'm going to try and upload a pic of the dog and I. It's nice to know who you're talking to! And to prove I'm real...


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## Haaamster

I still say a cheap ready made, I think if you go for a self build you will still be on here in 3 years time asking how do I do certain things. There is a lot more to it than meets the eye i'm afraid.


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## Caz

Nice photo Lindsay. Lovely dog.

Sorry can't help with your dilemma, I have a slightly different problem in that I know (after many years of different caravans & motorcaravans) exactly what I want - but no-one makes them and I'm not capable of building it myself.

There are many campervan converters about who say they will do a conversion exactly to what you want - but at a hefty price and when you start discussing it with them they start telling you what they will do, rather than agreeing to do what you have asked.

I think maybe in your situation I would go for the best ready built one I could find.


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## RoaminRog

LindsayH said:


> As I can't seem to do an avatar, I'm going to try and upload a pic of the dog and I. It's nice to know who you're talking to! And to prove I'm real...
> 
> View attachment 34470



Bloody hell! It's cold where you live!
Welcome to the forum


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## RoaminRog

Hi Lindsay, and welcome to the forum. As you already have a horsebox, you may be familiar with the (refillable) Gas It System. If you intend to full time in your van, it would save you a fortune when compared to bottled gas. Also it would mean that you could refill in virtually any European country, something you cannot do with (Calor) bottles, which can only be exchanged in the UK.
Regards Rog.


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## LindsayH

The photo was taken on the west coast of Scotland in mid December. That journey home took 35 hours and included an unscheduled 'wild camp' overnight in a Tesco car park on the outskirts of Glasgow in the back of a Honda Jazz. It was -15C. Good campervan practice??

Off to Google Gas It...


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## trevskoda

LindsayH said:


> As I can't seem to do an avatar, I'm going to try and upload a pic of the dog and I. It's nice to know who you're talking to! And to prove I'm real...
> 
> View attachment 34470



Lindsay you are posing as a wild camper but in the real world you are a stunning super model hiding in the wilds of scotland to stay out of the big lights.:wave:but do get a van.


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## RoaminRog

A Gas It system is not as expensive as it first appears, you will save money on your refills from the outset, you will not have to enter into any rip-off agreements with gas suppliers, and of course because you have bought it, it remains your property and can either add value to your van or be transferred to your next van or sold separately because they tend to hold their value.


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## Haaamster

LindsayH said:


> As I can't seem to do an avatar, I'm going to try and upload a pic of the dog and I. It's nice to know who you're talking to! And to prove I'm real...
> 
> View attachment 34470



Are those wellies the same length? :rolleyes2:


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## LindsayH

runnach said:


> I remember year you took image, was a mild December, where shorts and T,s were worn right up to Christmas.



   Doh, always go South for the winter! Rookie error!!

Trevskoda - supermodel :lol-049: you are too kind, has it been a couple of years since your last eye test by any chance??

Haaamster - the wellies are the same length, one leg is dangling, the other is on a rock. I hope you can sleep tonight now  (incidentally, I spelt wellies wrong the first time I typed that sentence which made for much more interesting reading...)

This forum is hilarious!

Gas It sounds good at first read, I had vaguely assumed something Calor related would be involved. Will continue to research.


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