Citroen Relay (ex plasterers van)

[MikeH]

Bought this on a whim on March 18th `09. Set to work converting it after collecting bits:

Inside was thick with plaster and other "stuff". Powerwashed it clean.

Fitted caravan window into replacement door.

Some of the dents weren`t worth fixing when a scrap yard door is only £35.

Back end was a mess! One tinted window, rotten bumper, ugly lock, extra holes!

Started on inside. B&Q supplied all the raw material.

Bargain cupboard door - only 50p! Parquet flooring £7 a box.

Did I really spend £20 on a rug?! Ah well the marble lino on the wall was free.

Sunroof brand new £115, saved a lot by fitting it myself.

Carpet on the walls, 4m x 2.5m leftover piece from B&Q only £6!

 

[MikeH]

Part way through respray. Very windy but I was in a hurry. Only had one day!

Respray done but cracked windscreen putting rubber back in. Doh!

Got more pics somewhere, will post them when they turn up.

Fitted 12v electrics with fuses, sockets and gauge by CBE. 2 x 75ah batteries under drivers seat with split charge relay and 15w solar panel. Inside the cupboard is a B&Q plastic shelf unit.

 

[JoandNick]

excellent, like the carpet on the walls thought it was wall paper. I'm having a nightmare trying to paper my walls

 

[MikeH]

Thanks Carpet adds even more insulation and it`ll wipe clean. The adhesive outweighed the saving though, at £8 a 500ml tin it was one of my more expensive outlays. Next time I`ll buy it in bulk.

 

[eric]

Just gotta hand it too ya Mike, guys like you amaze me. Not only did you build the inside, fit doors, sunroof etc. but you resprayed the whole van too! I'm guessing you have already made something out of all that plaster from the inside.... Well done mate.

 

[MikeH]

I'm guessing you have already made something out of all that plaster from the inside.... Well done mate.

LOL made a nice mess on my driveway

Here`s a recentish pic with the new graphics. Designed them myself too

 

[The REBEL CAMPER]

A GOOD JOB... well done

looks great... the dogs b.... if i may say so

 

[noody]

I need to fit one of these if I'm to use my van after the next hip-replacement.



This is the first-one, it's a re-surfacing procedure.



Bit of good joinery Eh ?

___________________________________________
Richard Roggan. Distinguished kitesurfing Gentleman.
I don't do tricks.

 

[eric]

LOL made a nice mess on my driveway

Here`s a recentish pic with the new graphics. Designed them myself too

Looks great Mike.. The colour is set off really well with the new graphics!

 

[Storm382]

Nice job on the relay..thought I had done abit on mine rebuilding roof, and refitting carpets and headliner...but hats off to you mate

I used top tac - spray carpet glue to stick my carpet to the roof only £3 can from maxwells and it holds like....GLUE !

 

[MikeH]

I tried 2 different types of adhesive spray. One by Evo-Stick at 8.99 a can and one specifically for car carpet at 3.99 a can. Both worked fairly well but were messy to apply and penny per square inch covered compared not very well against the normal "paint on" Evo-Stick. There are areas on my ceiling where the spray on stuff hasn`t adhered at all whereas the "paint on" is good.

I`m very tempted to build another and if I do, I`ll be buying the biggest tin I can get!

 

[LaughingHeart]

WOT!!! No artex ceiling??? Nice job! I think you deserve to get plastered yourself!
Paol.

 

[bob690]

Excellent job, usually with an ex plasterers van its, BISH BOSH " LOADSA MONEYYY"....Bob

 

[Aaron_TransitVan]

Part of my job involves fitting them Toilet frame and seats lolol!

Always to people are having knee or hip replacements

 

[Firefox]

Great job Mike. Very impressive, especially respray. I also think BandQ is a good source of materials. They do a great range of pine cupboard doors which make good locker doors when stained to match.

How much value do you think you will have added to the van when it is completed? You seem to have done quite well on materials costs, so there would be a good investment value, even if it's only a hypothetical one.

 

[MikeH]

How much value do I think I have added to the van when it is completed?

I don`t think it`ll ever be completed! I`ve done more to it since. TV and Playstation and a solar panel on the roof being the main bits but lots of other small stuff that doesnt get noticed as well.

I took some pics recently so I could get an agreed value with Flux. I was thinking £3500 but I`m not sure. Maybe I could get £3000 as a private sale on a good day.

 

[Firefox]

Yes, possibly more than £3500, it depends if you get the right person as you say. But stuff like solar panels or inverters starts pushing into the very desirable range.

The reason I ask is I think the value of the self-builds is a bit of a black art. In my own case the van was £5,500 because it was a late model less than 3 years old. I'll probably spend about £4000 to £5000 on bits over a year or so. That's about 10k outlay for a van which would cost £35,000 new. But if it comes to selling it I'd probably only get about £15,000.

The main market seems to be older couples who value the security of a known brand very highly, so that pushes the value of other conversions down. Probably unjustifiably in some cases but for the right conversion there must be some real gems out there.

 

[MikeH]

The quality of the work must count for a lot - mine loses out there