DIY van conversion: $7K & 2.5 years by couple with no experience | Full Van Build Time Lapse

Van Build Ep. 33 - Full timelapse of a low budget camper van conversion. In March 2020, just before the covid lockdown, we bought a used 2019 Ford Transit high roof cargo van to convert to a tiny home on wheels. This is a time lapse of the whole build over the last 2 and half plus years. We hope you enjoy going back in time with us!
We had no prior experience when we started this tiny home conversion, but we’ve always enjoyed working on projects together, coming up with creative and resourceful ways to transform used and discarded things. Our goal with this transformation was to keep our costs low, repurpose used materials as much as possible, and create a space that would work well for us and our cat as we travel.
We have a van build series where we share each step of the build in detail. If you haven’t already seen it, check it out! And next, we’re bringing you our official van tour! Stay tuned!
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👉 ABOUT US: We're Steve and Audra, DIYers from South Florida who share a passion for cheap travel, nature, wildlife, and adventure! We've been working on converting our 2019 Ford Transit high roof cargo van into a campervan and are sharing our build and adventures along the way - all while trying to do everything on the lowest budget possible! While building out our van, we've been traveling the country as much as possible with our adventure cat in training, Lady Gray Gray Gillespie Pinkerton. We invite you to follow along on our journey! If you have any questions, we’re happy to answer! Comment below or send us a message on Facebook or Instagram and we’ll respond as soon as possible. And please don’t forget to subscribe to our channel!
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MUSIC CREDITS:
You So Zany by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommon...
Artist: audionautix.com/
Music by: Bensound.com/free-music-for-videos
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#vanlife #timelapse #vanbuild #vanbuildseries #lowbudgetvanbuild

[@SteveAudra]

Hey everyone! After two and half plus years, we have finally finished our van build! It’s been so fun to look back at the transformation and all we’ve accomplished - and we're excited to share it with you! Also, if you’d like to check out our other van build videos or travel and van life videos, links to those are below. VAN TOUR: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJbPgnpsnd6Jj9E VAN BUILD: kzbin.info/aero/PL7bb1Ftno7hhoqzCZ7kZUx2jL3pUVd6UZ VAN TRAVELS: kzbin.info/aero/PL7bb1Ftno7hhNuHOo8SYSTsaPmFd7o1zp

[@ljhoats]

This video made me tired just watching it lol good job.

[@SteveAudra]

@@ljhoats Thanks so much! 🙂

[@sheheals_wounds5169]

So inspiring & you guys looked like you had so much fun🤪🥰 Pin your comment so it can be seen at the top. Best adventures and amazing trails🚐

[@SteveAudra]

@@sheheals_wounds5169 Thanks so much! We did have fun *most* of the time! Thanks for the note about pinning the comment. I thought I already had. Oops!

[@inteligentnydom3848]

Bzdury i głopty ciąg dalszay .....

[@findinAway]

Omg I love the cat door, Spread the word on this couple Steve and Audra they seem so sweet and humble. Love following along, stay sweet and simple...Besitos 😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘

[@SteveAudra]

Thanks for being our cheerleader! ❤🙂 We so appreciate you following along and keeping in touch so regularly! We'll have to try to meet up when we come your way.

[@klovess]

SO much work, but an awesome final result.

[@SteveAudra]

Thanks so much, klovess! 🙂 We appreciate you watching and for your support along the way, especially your technical support and gifts that have helped us manage our computer needs while on the road! ❤❤

[@grayandgrumpy]

This was a phenomenal video!!! Really fun to watch.

[@SteveAudra]

@@grayandgrumpy Thanks, Grumpy! 🙂🙂

[@mysons-le4hy]

Wow!!! the day before the World closed down. Right on time😊

[@SteveAudra]

Couldn't have timed it better! So crazy!

[@amapolaamapola5835]

Hola 👋. Que bonita camperización 👍👏👏👏

[@SteveAudra]

Muchas gracias! 🙂

[@rvmotorhomecamping1179]

Really nice time lapse! I subbed and If I start doing panels maybe u can be a guest!!!!!

[@SteveAudra]

Thanks so much and we appreciate you joining in on the premiere chat! We hope you keep in touch!

[@3veningStar]

inquiring minds want to know. 2:06 wouldnt it have been easier to tighten that with the wrench and socket that you could leave in place and spin?

[@SteveAudra]

Thanks for watching! Great question. There are different ways of installing plus nuts. We address it more in a previous video at about the six minute mark. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXu0fKN5hJarj7M

[@gertie_a.van.degroot]

Steve and Audra, amazing video. When you look back at how it all came together, it’s an amazing accomplishment! Pat yourselves on your backs! ❤️❤️

[@SteveAudra]

Thanks so much, you guys! It really does feel like such an accomplishment. I'm glad we have documented the whole process so we can look back on it. Thanks for joining in on the premiere. It was fun to watch with you all! ❤️❤️

[@FollowThomas]

That was a nice compilation of your travel van building. You could do that for living, haha. Now, the main fun starts. See you on the road. 👍🙂

[@SteveAudra]

Yes, see you on the road!!!!! 👍 👍 And this is not a process we're looking to repeat any time soon! 😆 Although it does feel really rewarding to look back at it all and see what we've been able to do, learning as we go!

[@Lifepothesis]

This is such a great overview of your build! Thanks for sharing your process.

[@SteveAudra]

Thanks, you guys! 🙂

[@stattravels8109]

Loved the time lapse! Van is awesome! Now go on an adventure and relax!

[@SteveAudra]

Thanks so much, Trudy and Tony! We'll be planning some adventures for sure!

[@WORCESTERTHATCH]

Fantastic job guys, I did notice it was you Audra doing most of the work? I just hope Steve was behind the scenes supplying you with endless refreshments 😉

[@SteveAudra]

Haha! I (Audra) definitely didn't do most of the work. It may look like that as Steve does so much of the filming. We both contributed quite a bit, but I would have to say he did more of the physical labor. Hmmm, the supply of endless refreshments was a task we probably both performed but Steve is definitely better at waving the palm frond fan! Thanks for watching and dropping a comment!

[@volkergrigo5657]

Nice work, nice film about your work 🤣👍👍👍👍and your van looks amazing❤

[@SteveAudra]

We really appreciate that! Thanks for taking the time to comment! 👍

[@unowen9668]

This was so much fun to watch!!

[@SteveAudra]

Thanks so much! 🙂 We're glad you enjoyed it and hope you check out some of our other videos!

[@Christina0623]

I hope you don't mind if I steal that litter box idea for Hitch, one day 🙂

[@SteveAudra]

Of course not! We can't wait until you and Hitch can get on the road and that would be fun to have matching cabinets! 🙂 Thanks so much for joining in during the premiere! We appreciate that you have been along for so much of the "ride" and appreciate your continual support. It's nice having such dedicated cheerleaders! 💙💙😻

[@danawadeandramboadventures2657]

Hey Steve and Audra love the time lapse awesome job! Love watching u guys!

[@SteveAudra]

Thanks so much! It was fun to put together - and look back at the whole process! Thanks for joining in for the premiere! 🙂

[@danawadeandramboadventures2657]

@@SteveAudra you're very welcome and we loved it! Thanks for sharing 🙂

[@cangal58]

I saw your van tour on Tiny home tours. Excel build.

[@SteveAudra]

Thanks so much! We hope you'll follow along on our van life adventures! 🙂

[@findinAway]

Much ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Evelyn yay

[@SteveAudra]

Jump on the live chat!

[@jshenderson]

Well done guys, Loved the music choices. and was there some "never before seen" footage or did I just not remember from my binge watching some of those clips. And if you are "finished" does that mean no more additions or changes at all? :) Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Also i am curious if you guys know the finished weight of the van vs before the install?

[@SteveAudra]

Hey Jeff! Thanks for watching and your stamp of approval on the music choices! 🙂 There was indeed some never before seen footage. And after the fact, we realized there were a few clips here and there that we forgot about as well. Some we don't have any more, but we do have some on the electrical that we still need to share at some point. For some reason, those clips didn't seem to fit in other videos but we really should do a video on our electrical system at some point. We plan to do a video tour next week and there have been a few small changes since we did the timelapse. I'm sure we'll continue to tweak a few things but for the most part we are "done." We weighed the van when we were over on the Gulf coast. We weighed in at 7,520 and it probably hasn't changed too much since then other than the weight we added to the back doors. We'll have to weigh in again when we have a chance. I need to double check this, but I think an empty Ford Transit cargo van is listed as 5,226 curb weight and is rated for up to 9,000 capacity.

[@darynsauder1490]

Great job guys! Looks amazing! What was each of your favorite part of the build?

[@SteveAudra]

Thanks, Daryn! We appreciate you being such a big part of this and helping make this all happen! My (Audra) favorite part of the build is the ceiling and walls because I feel like it was so rewarding to take "junk" (discarded fence wood and pallets) and make into something that I think looks pretty decent. And I've enjoyed the finishing touches recently. I know Steve found the sink area to be pretty challenging, but I'll have to ask him his favorite part and get back to you!

[@SteveAudra]

Getting back to you with Steve's official feedback! He's the happiest with how the main living/dining/kitchen area turned out (even though the countertop is possibly only temporary). He's pleased with the cabinets and really thought the flooring and trim made it all come together nicely. He also affirmed that the sink/cabinet area was the most challenging. So, there you have it! 🙂

[@smasenheimer1]

VERY VERY VERY IMPRESSIVE!!!!!!! Will you build me one??

[@SteveAudra]

Thanks, Safety Sue! ❤❤ Can we make you a match box car-sized version? LOL! We think one is quite enough for us! We're ready to get out adventuring in it now!!!!

[@JohnWick-sj7je]

Coucou d'Algérie, sympa la vidéo.😊

[@SteveAudra]

Thank you! 🙂

[@manonthemoon2912]

Too fast

[@SteveAudra]

We have a whole van build series if you want the slower version! 🙂 kzbin.info/www/bejne/jISTfnybjZuSb6M

[@nicktubara]

That's what she said 😛

[@volkergrigo5657]

The toilet is extremly 🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙mega idea

[@SteveAudra]

Thanks so much! It's nice to have things that have more than one function in such a small space!

[@nateandnat]

You two did an amazing job!💪🏻

[@SteveAudra]

Thank you so much! 🙂

[@MotoM1234]

You made your own shitter too?

[@SteveAudra]

We sure did, and made a video about it too: kzbin.info/www/bejne/epSmemaAermDe7ssi=xMHiKHOV3cxsHhiR

[@kellielaczik1325]

Side note: loving the tunes!!

[@SteveAudra]

Ha, thanks! We hope you enjoyed seeing the build too! 🙂

[@joyannepinciaro9608]

Absolutely beautiful!

[@SteveAudra]

Thank you so much!

[@lannyandroxanneadvantures2546]

Watching

[@SteveAudra]

Thanks so much for joining us for the premiere! 🙂 We appreciate it!

[@amrodarwiesh2435]

That's awesome job

[@SteveAudra]

Thanks so much!

[@lannyandroxanneadvantures2546]

And I'm working on ours right now

[@SteveAudra]

What's your current project?

[@lannyandroxanneadvantures2546]

@@SteveAudra was those clearance lights

[@lannyandroxanneadvantures2546]

@@SteveAudra I didn't record it

[@lannyandroxanneadvantures2546]

Maybe I'll do a summary short video

[@ingridramirez4436]

I love it

[@SteveAudra]

Thanks so much! 🙂🚐

[@kamrulhasan-yp8vf]

Where is the toilet?

[@SteveAudra]

You can see our toilet at the 17:04 mark. We talk more about it in our van tour (kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJbPgnpsnd6Jj9E ) and have a video dedicated about that topic and showing how we made the toilet here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/epSmemaAermDe7s. Thanks for watching!

[@asopol3673]

Congratulation building your Van but it took long time 🙂🤷😊

[@SteveAudra]

Thanks so much! Yes, you are right. It took a long time but that's alright with us. When we started, we thought we'd get it done a lot more quickly, but we traveled with it a lot while the build was in progress and that helped us really understand what we needed and what we didn't. A lot of van lifers find out they want to change their van not long after building it out. Hopefully that won't be the case for us. We really enjoyed traveling even with it unfinished and taking our time also helped us save a lot of money. We were able to keep our eyes out for free or cheap materials!

[@СергейПетрич-м4б]

👍👍👍

[@SteveAudra]

Thanks for watching!

[@matthewkeating6970]

Great vid

[@SteveAudra]

Thanks so much!

[@BrainBytesRR]

Well Done... Good work.. watching from india

[@SteveAudra]

Thanks so much! We appreciate you watching! 🙂