4 Easy Van Build Ideas: What I'd Change About My Van

In the past, I’ve talked about all the things that I wouldn't change after three and a half years of van life.

This time, I'm going to talk about the things that I would change—because sometimes those items are just as important while sharing van build ideas with others.

We all learn from our successes and mistakes, and the lessons that we pick up during the DIY van build process are certainly no exception.

There are so many things to consider when working on van build layouts. Here are four things that I would change if I were starting a new van build from scratch based on my personal experiences.

But, I eventually decided to change out my containers. Now, I have four four-liter containers for my water, and I like them better because they're light, they have a nice shape, they’re very thin, and they store in the cabinet well.

When they're being stored, they have a cap that you put on. It also came with a spigot, so I rotate the spigot out and put a cap on it instead when they're not in use.

What I like about these simple water containers most is that they’re one less thing that I have to charge and one less thing that I have to worry about.

My couch also folds out to a bed that’s on a platform with a metal frame that clicks into place, and that is where I originally slept.

But, I would have to pull it out and put it away every single day. While my new mattress is a little less comfortable than the original, I like both of them because they're not a dense foam that stores moisture or anything like that.

They air out rather quickly. And I use wool blankets as a mat covering, so I don't need to use sheets. It stays really clean, and I don't have a lot of moisture accumulating either.

3. Prefabricated cabinets

Another thing that I would change is that I’d do more custom work with my cabinets. Since I didn't have a shop or even the right tools to build my own cabinets, I opted to just get some prefabricated ones, and they serve me well enough.

But, I had to search quite a long time trying to get the right dimensions for my van and something that would scale to the space that I had available.

In essence, you can get limited a little bit when you do that because you have to fit things around the cabinets instead of the other way around.

I put carpeting over the rubber flooring for the time being, and that I would not change because it is so easy to maintain. I think if I had a pet, or if I did activities that led me to drag in mud and dirt, I would think differently.

I also do not have cold feet, which I hear a lot from people. I also have little area rugs where there’s more traffic, so I can keep the dirt and dust out from there as well.

Plus, I like it because I can sit on the floor, and it doesn't feel like you're on a floor. You're just on another surface that is comfortable.

If I could, I would put down a plywood floor on top of the rubber floor so that it wouldn't have to deal with all the undulations. It doesn't bother me enough to do anything about it, but if I was going from square one, I would do the plywood floor instead with a carpet or an area rug over it.

Custom van builds

So those are the things that I would change or have already changed in my van. With custom van builds, they’re very specific to you, your needs, and what you plan to do in them.

But if you're in a similar situation and you’re looking for van build ideas before you get started with your build, or even afterwards when you’re still reconfiguring things, these four items are things that simply didn’t work for me.

What other items would you want to change? Leave your thoughts down below.