You’ve seen the dreamy pictures on Instagram, and you’ve decided you want your feed to look like that too. So, you’re going to build a camper van. But should you do it yourself or hire someone to do it for you?

There is no shortage of videos on Youtube or van life blogs with full-on instructions and advice on DIY camper van conversions. Similarly, there are companies out there offering to do those services for you. So what is the best solution for you? Below are a few questions to consider before you start the build of a camper van.

How much you will use it and what kind of interior do you want?

Depending on your comfort level and whether you want to spend days, weeks or years in your van, your amenities can vary to a great level.

And the amenities will then decide on what building solution that are best for you. 

If you only want to use your van for shorter trips, you can get away with a much lower comfort level and still enjoy your time away.

But if you plan on living in it full time, having only the basics such as a bed and a stove, might take its toll on you in the long run.  

I knew that I wanted a van that included most luxuries such as a bed, sofa, table, kitchen, oven, toilet, heater and solar panels.

And although I plan to live in my van fulltime, I didn’t feel the need to include a shower – I’m used to spending days without taking a shower while hiking and traveling. And there are plenty of shower solutions out there without having to install one.

That said, we’re all different. So think about:

• How much you are going to use your van
• What comfort level that you are okay with
• The interior that you want to have

A basic interior might be the perfect DIY project, while a more complicated solution might require professional expertise.

How much money do you want to spend?

Like everything else, building a camper van costs money. And the more money you have, the more extravagant (and fun) it can be.

What kind of build you’ll take on – and the kind of van you decide to buy – will most likely depend on your budget.

And there’s no argue that doing it yourself will always be the cheapest option.

But even though you do it yourself, and depending on your own skill, you still might have to hire an expert to do parts of the build for you – such as the electricity. So, costs that you should factor in are:

• Cost of the actual van
• Materials
• Expert labor
• Unforeseen expenses

As I plan to live in my van full time, I figured that the money I spent on the build of my camper van would also be spent on my future home.

And because of that, I decided to take out a loan at a small monthly cost, leaving me with a decent budget. That way I could opt for a more complex build.

How much time do you have?

If money is the best argument for building a camper van yourself, time is probably the best argument for hiring an expert.

Not only will you have to take into account the time it will take to do the actual build, but you also have to account for the time it will take you to:

• Find and buy a good van
• Do the research
• Prepare the van for the build
• Order and getting all the materials

Time was definitely one of the biggest factors for me when making the decision to hire someone to do the build for me.

Only the research itself was, for me, way too time consuming to take on this kind of project myself.

And the company I hired provided everything. They both searched for and purchased the van, bought all the supplies and material, did all the labor as well as the re-registration of the van (so that instead of being just registered as a van, it is registered as a camper van. This is done by a National Car Testing center).

This meant I only had to spend minimal time choosing things such as cupboards, floors and sink.

Do you enjoy DIY projects?

This can be a hard one to answer if you never really been involved in a DIY project, but most of us have at least an idea as to whether they would enjoy a DIY project or not.

Me? Not at all. I’m also one of those people that are not able to visualize the potential or final result of any kind of building project.

So me heading into a DIY project would be like an elephant riding a bike – it wouldn’t go well.

Pros and cons when building a camper van yourself

Anyone who’s ever built their own camper van (or anything else for that matter) has my full admiration.

And there are many advantages to build a camper van yourself:

• You save money.
• You get to know the van inside and out.
• You know all the materials that’s been used and how it’s been built, which makes for a great sales pitch if, and when, the day comes to part from it.
• You get to build it in whatever way you want, and to be in control of it throughout the entire process.
• You’ll have an accomplishment to be proud of.

That said, there are some disadvantages too.

• It takes a lot of time. More often than not, something comes up that slows down the process.
• You need to have a workshop or space to store the van and do the build on.
• Even though you have a budget, there most likely will be unforeseen expenses.

Pros and cons when hiring someone to build a camper van for you

This was my choice when I decided to build a camper van, and I made the choice mainly because of the factors below:

• You save a lot of time.
• If anything unforeseen happens, it will be the supplier’s headache.
• You can go for a complex build and more advanced solutions.
• With the right kind of contract, your budget will stay on track.
• You get expert advice on how to design the van.

Of course, I did experience disadvantages with this choice as well:

• You’re not in control. And if the company is hours away from your hometown, as in my case, it can be hard to trust strangers with such a big project.
• There might be miscommunications and misunderstandings, which could lead to a different end result.
• You could end up in a dispute with the supplier (this didn’t happen to me, but it’s a risk).

In the end, there is no right or wrong choice. It all comes down to your preference and the resources you have.

If you don’t mind spending the time and you want a project on the side, the DIY option will probably be your cup of tea.

If you’re short on time and think it’s worth the money, hiring someone will most likely be better suited for you.  

And of course, you could just get lucky and find the camper van of your dreams already up for sale and good to go.