Perhaps there are very few people who would not like to travel and at the same time spend the night at home without using the services of hotels or hotels. Many will say that this is impossible and every trip is accompanied by a hotel room. Nevertheless, there is a solution - a motorhome or a motorhome. You've probably seen such movable structures in foreign films. And this is not strange, because, say, in America, according to statistics, every 3 residents have a home on wheels.
Such a house is not only convenient and comfortable, but also significantly saves money, since the question of finding a place to live disappears. You can talk about the advantages of a motorhome for a long time, and there are really a lot of them. However, there is one drawback - a car-home on wheels is not a cheap pleasure. But if you have patience and hard work, there is a way out - to build a mobile home on wheels with your own hands.
The main need for such a house is travel, which you can safely send with your family and even small children. The motorhome is also useful for business trips, you don't have to look for hotels, book rooms, collect luggage and carry it with you.
The main thing is that the driver is experienced, with good driving experience and, of course, with a positive attitude towards this type of transport.
Mobile home: what you need for comfort
Although the house will be in the form of mobile housing, this does not mean that it should not be comfortable and meet the minimum needs of the owners.
Home lighting
To supply light to a mobile home you will need:
- rechargeable battery;
- charger;
- wiring system for subsequent wiring;
- panel for controlling the supply of electricity.
Heating for home
Several types of heaters can be used to heat a home, it can be a stand-alone type and a gas cylinder. It is preferable to use gas, since, in addition to heat, it will provide an opportunity for cooking.
If you have chosen heating with gas, then here you will have to contact a specialist for help. Of course, building everything with your own hands from start to finish is commendable, but you should remember about the safety of passengers.
Air (ventilation) for home
Ventilation is very important, especially when using gas. In this case, there should be several holes, and one of them will be as low as possible.
For comfort: water, bathroom, kitchen
No home will be comfortable if it lacks basic amenities. Think carefully about where the kitchen, mini-size portable dry closet and shower will be. Also, do not forget about water tanks and pumps for it.
It is better to send the water that will drain into a large bucket under the body. To do this, you can use a special hose that should be laid in the floor.
RV Furniture
Certain difficulties may arise with furniture, since it should be as compact as possible. For such housing, folding furniture is used, it is attached to the walls. In most cases, such furniture can only be purchased on order, which is quite expensive. But if there is an opportunity to do it yourself, then this will significantly save money.
Optional: doors, windows
As for the windows, it is better to do at least 2, so you can save energy and not turn on the light during the day.
It should be borne in mind that if the house is being built from a trailer, then the width and height, of course, should not exceed the dimensions of the car. If you are the owner of a domestic minibus that has not been to your liking for a long time, then you can safely use it as the main material for mobile housing. First, you need to thoroughly clean it, remove unnecessary seats, a jet of upholstery, get rid of all that is superfluous. After clearing, you can start making the necessary holes (for windows, ventilation, wires).
We build a motorhome from "GAZelle"
At the moment, there are several classifications of mobile homes. According to the main design features, the following categories can be distinguished:
- trailed;
- camper van;
- a caravan house connected to transport.
Mobile modern homes can be divided into types, not only according to certain structural features, but also by purpose. This category includes mobile homes that are used as permanent or long-term housing, as well as those intended exclusively for travel.
You can find more detailed information about what it is in a very useful and interesting article by our specialist.
There is another form of classification of modern motorhomes. They can be divided into three main categories:
- C - small, used for short trips;
- C B - semi-integrated car houses;
- B A - fully integrated.
The first ones are made on the basis of an ordinary SUV; the sleeping places here need to be transformed in a special way. Class B mobile homes are distinguished by a permanently located berth, which is located at the rear of the vehicle. A class motorhomes are similar in appearance to ordinary buses. They are quite comfortable and, therefore, very expensive when purchased ready-made.
To save money, you can build a mobile home with your own hands, using photos and special instructions as a guide. If you correctly follow the main stages of making a mobile home, you can get a vehicle that will have a large windshield, a fixed driver's seat, as well as special retractable partitions that form zones of different functionality and separate berths.
Below you will find information on how to make a mobile home with your own hands, which can be considered autonomous. The structures can be equipped with generators, have a gas conduit and a sufficiently large supply of water.
Stages of building a motorhome with your own hands
If you want to build a motorhome with your own hands, you should carefully follow the instructions presented. Below is a description of how to build the body of a motorhome depending on the base, how to properly equip it and equip it with all the equipment necessary for living and traveling.
Making a plan
Self-made mobile homes are quite serious structures. The process of their construction, here, as in any important event, you need to start with a detailed plan. It is at this stage of the work that the master must think over the most basic aspects of the case, all possible little things and draw up the most accurate drawing.
Performing a motorhome from a trailer with your own hands, you need to clearly adhere to all the points and rules indicated in the plan and drawings.
The general internal space of a building on wheels should be divided into three main zones:
- A dining room where you can eat, work on your laptop or read the newspaper at the table. Here you can place a small sofa, chairs and a table. These items should fold easily enough to take up the minimum amount of free space.
- Sleeping place. This is one of the important areas, as proper sleep ensures activity and good mood. For the driver, night rest is very important, since his concentration and attentiveness depend on it, which directly affect the safety of movement during the day. It is advisable to equip this area with a comfortable bed, which should easily rise and free up space.
- Bathroom with toilet. To equip such a zone, you need to install a sink, a shower cabin and a modern dry closet.
- Kitchen. This zone takes up the minimum amount of space, since most of its elements are built-in. For maximum comfort, you need to install two burners, a small sink, a countertop, a small refrigerator and a cooker hood.
Due to the fact that a standard motorhome space is rather limited, its zones need to be integrated into one another. It is for this reason that a preliminary plan is so important, which must be followed carefully.
In the process of drawing up a plan, you need to carefully consider what interior items are really required, what you can refuse.
After that, everything you want, indicating the exact dimensions, is transferred to a sheet of paper. Further, the plan is drawn up according to the following principle:
- the estimated area of the motorhome is divided into pre-divided zones. For example, a bedroom needs more space than a kitchen;
- the location of the bathroom and the options for separating it from other rooms are noted;
- all elements of furniture are drawn, as well as methods of their fastening and folding options.
In the process of drawing and designating these areas of the room, it is imperative to take into account the dimensions of each element.
Don't forget about free space as well. A mobile home should not be littered with things and pieces of furniture.
After drawing up a detailed and well-thought-out plan, after specifying the size of the common room and pieces of furniture, you can begin to implement such a structure as a house on wheels from a trailer with your own hands.
Base selection
Among the most affordable budget options that are optimal for everyone who loves to craft something with their own hands, there are three most convenient designs. A residential trailer with your own hands can be made on the basis of a gazelle, a trailer with a reinforced chassis and an old minibus. Let's consider two of them in more detail.
Minibus
To make a motor home with your own hands from a minibus, you should start with a thorough cleaning of the body, with the removal of the upholstery. After that, you need to make special holes for ventilation, under windows and for gas supply. After these general preparatory work, you can begin special processes related to the arrangement of the living area. Work of such a plan must be performed in the sequence given below:
- Smoothing out dents on the inner surface and priming all metal parts of the base. This will prevent destructive corrosion from occurring.
- Internal surface - walls, ceiling and floor are covered with thermal insulation material.
- A moisture-resistant coating is laid on top.
- Gas and electricity are provided.
- Bathroom equipment is being manufactured.
- The kitchen is equipped, furniture is being installed.
It is equally important to tidy up the travel van's engine and chassis. For the reason that it is a mobile vehicle, its ability to move should be given no less close attention than arrangement and comfort.
Trailer
Making a camper from a trailer with your own hands is much more difficult than from a minibus. The main difficulty lies in the fact that the walls and ceiling have to be built from scratch. An approximate scheme of action in this case will be as follows:
- Cleaning the chassis, trailer.
- Fastening to the base of the frame of the future motorhome.
- Covering the frame with a layer of plywood.
- Arrangement of the floor with the simultaneous use of thermal insulation.
- The structure is sheathed with outer material and covered with special moisture-resistant compounds.
- Arrangement of the roof.
- Construction of a drain, conduction of wires to provide the house with electricity.
- Installation of door and window openings.
All this is a general scheme for performing a mobile home. Each stage will be discussed in more detail below.
Outdoor finishing works
As soon as the main body of the mobile home is ready, you can start the main outdoor work. It is very important to ensure that the campsite is kept to an optimum level. There should be no dust, dirt and significant defects here. This is what guarantees the successful formation of the structure. The main points of outdoor work include:
- Removal of corrosion and different types of damage.
- Arrangement of holes.
Speaking about the necessary holes, it can be noted that these are not only window openings, but also those that are designed for gas outlet, ventilation, water fillers.
Openings must be made in the process of arranging the camper. Otherwise, you may encounter certain difficulties.
The external arrangement of such a structure as a house on wheels with your own hands from a minibus or a trailer consists in performing the following work:
- Creation of partitions between the main body and the front seats.
- Arrangement of internal insulation. Here you need to remember that the overall temperature and sound insulation inside the room will directly depend on the quality and proper installation of this material.
- Sheathing of the structure from the roof to the floor covering itself.
On the modern market there is a huge amount of a wide variety of materials. The choice can be made based on personal preference, environmental characteristics, general financial situation, and the type of body used.
Home furnishing
The equipment of a motorhome lies in its bulk in its interior arrangement. To make the house convenient and comfortable, you will need to bring water, electricity, gas into the house, as well as install certain furniture.
Water supply and bathroom
A prerequisite for the water supply of the structure on wheels is to ensure the supply of running water. To carry out this process, a couple of canisters and a compact pump must be installed under the sink, which will provide the necessary flow of water to the tap.
Thinking over wastewater disposal is a basic rule when arranging a full-fledged toilet. They can be withdrawn by means of a special hose located in the floor surface. A little engineering knowledge, and it will be possible not to manually drain the water into special portable tanks. Although many do so.
As for the bathroom, the best option is the purchase and installation of a dry closet.
Electricity
One or more special batteries can be fully responsible for the accumulation and storage of electricity in a wheelhouse. These devices can be charged while the tractor is running or when connected to external sources. When equipping a motorhome with electrical networks, modern inverters occupy a special place. These are special devices that are capable of converting a direct current with a voltage of 12 V into an alternating one equal to 230 V. Due to this, it will be possible to connect devices operating from a standard 230-volt network to a 12-volt network without any problems.
Heating and gas
Gasification of the described design consists in a simple installation of a gas cylinder in the room. To do this, you need to select a separate closed area. In the lower part of it, you need to equip special holes that go out.
Tom Grantham, 29, and Kylie Barnes, 30, spent $ 2,000 to buy out an old shuttle bus - and turned it into a posh mobile home for a family of five with all the amenities and even a fireplace!
How did they do it? Let's see! 
When Tom Grantham and Kylie Barnes bought a 23-year-old shuttle bus for $ 2,000 in 2011, probably no one except them believed that this purchase would make sense. The couple had to invest many months of labor and about $ 15,000 to turn it into a super home on wheels, equipped with everything necessary for a family with three children. 
The spouse has personal memories associated with this bus: as it turned out during the purchase, for many years he had been running along route 51 from Grimsby to Loot, passing by the spouses' house every day. Now he's turned into their very own luxury travel van. 
Tom and Kylie have three children - Henry, 3, Poppy-May, 7, and Logan, 8. They will not be cramped in the former bus converted by Tom's forces! 
The RV's main living room has two wide sofas. You can sit on them with the whole family, admiring the views, and if necessary, they are decomposed into two wide double beds. "This is the perfect car for a weekend trip as a family!" - says Tom. He was mainly involved in the technical part and the manufacture of furniture, and Kylie became the interior designer. 
In the mobile home, Tom has built all the necessary amenities, equipping it with a stove, oven, gas fireplace, sink, toilet and shower. From the previous bus, only the traditionally decorated driver's seat remained. 
To fit a bedroom for three children in the car, I had to try hard, using all the space vertically, from floor to ceiling. 
The kitchen-living room in the central part of the van is decorated with light wood and is maximally illuminated. 
In their mobile home, the family travels to music festivals throughout Britain, as well as vacations in France and Belgium. 
However, when trying to go to Italy, the former bus let the owners down: due to engine breakdown, they got stuck in Switzerland. “It was a nightmare,” Tom recalls. - The police took away our passports, and we had no right to leave the bus! I had to call a friend for help and change the engine. " 
However, this story did not make the family disappointed in their mobile home. Children especially love him: after all, it was thanks to him that they visited the French Disneyland! 
The conversion of the regular bus into a van for travel lasted more than one year. 
The floors in the car are finished with wood and covered with carpets, so that passengers feel at home. 
Tom had to make almost all the furniture for the van with his own hands. 
According to Tom, the kitchen gave him the biggest problem. 
Funnily enough, the family recently decided to list the completely finished and refurbished van on eBay. The starting price is £ 9,100, or about $ 12,000. “The kids are terribly unhappy that we want to sell the van! - says Tom. "But we think it's time to try something else new and interesting."
If you decide to make a motor home yourself, you will need some basic knowledge, tools, a lot of patience and even more free time. And, of course, a reliable vehicle for building a camper.
This article contains some pictures of a self-built RV based on a Volkswagen car. Most of the advice can be applied when building motorhomes based on other vehicles.
It is very important to read the next point before you start!
IMPORTANT! Before starting to create a camper with your own hands, it is necessary to legalize the implementation of such a procedure. In this case, you can prevent various legal difficulties. The rules differ depending on the country, so we cannot publish uniform recommendations on this matter.
The first steps
Do-it-yourself mobile home construction consists of the following steps:
- Outdoor work
- Internal work
- Water supply works
- Gas and electricity
- Furniture
- Other
If the van is operated by only two people, there will be really a lot of space. If you are planning a trip of 3 or more people, you need to think over the number of seats. Remember to equip seats with appropriate seat belts.
How many sleeping places do you need? One of the options is the arrangement of a bunk bed for children. If you have enough space under the roof, you can make a "drop-down" bed.
At this stage, you should have a clear plan for the way forward. Sure, you can improvise, but it's much easier to have a well thought out plan on paper.
Outdoor work
The first thing to do when preparing your base vehicle is to thoroughly clean the inside of the car.
At this stage, you also need to think about the shape of the body as a whole. It's time to deal with body damage, rust. Local or complete painting of a car will help.
Typically, vans do not have windows, so you might want to consider installing them. They are needed to provide fresh air and sunlight inside the RV. Windows come in different shapes and sizes, the choice depends on your preferences and body characteristics.
During the construction of a mobile home, you will have to make several holes in the body of the car. These are openings for ventilation, gas outlet (in case of leakage), heater exhaust gases, water fillers, etc. Some of them can be done later, but it is much easier to resolve the issue now if you know exactly where they will be.
Remember to apply a primer wherever bare metal appears to prevent corrosion.
Build your own motorhome the right way!
Internal work
The van will most likely have a bulkhead behind the front seats. Some partitions are fixed with screws, others are welded to the body. The "Bulgarian" will help to solve the problem.
Remember to use protective equipment. Sparks can leave nasty stains on glass that cannot be removed.
The fun begins. The insulating layer is very important as it will protect your camper from outside noise and temperature. There are many materials that can be used. The choice is entirely up to you.
In this case, we used Armaflex material... It should be cut into pieces and glued. The main point is moisture protection. If the insulating material does not protect against moisture ingress, do not use it.
It is necessary to prepare insulation material, lightweight and waterproof plywood, and soft and flexible carpet.
Thicker plywood should be used for the side covers, since furniture will be installed on them in the future.
Use a wide temperature range adhesive or sealant to attach the insulation and carpet to the sidewalls. Because the camper van will be exposed to both freezing temperatures and the hot summer sun. Heating operation will also affect. In the case of using low-quality glue, the work will have to be redone again after a while.
Where to begin? Start covering the RV from the roof to the flooring. First, we mount the insulation and cladding layers on the ceiling, then move on to the side panels.
Use wooden planks on the floor to provide enough insulation space. The battens are fixed to the floor with a suitable sealant. Then a layer of insulation is laid, after which it must be covered with plywood. Plywood is fixed with sealant or screws.
Remember the water supply and the need for electrical cables and gas pipes. Wires and hoses can be routed through insulation or under plywood covers if you already know where all the fixtures will be installed.
Water supply works
A mobile home must have a cold running water supply. For this, two canisters of water are installed under the sink. A submersible pump supplies water to the tap.
If you need warm water, an extra sink or shower, the system will be more complex. Large water tanks can be installed elsewhere, for example, under the van. Hoses will be needed to connect the entire system.
When you make a motorhome yourself, you are only limited by your imagination.
Don't forget about waste water. You can install a suitable tank under the car, or run a hose through the floor to drain water into a portable tank or bucket.
Remember, used water smells bad in summer and freezes in winter. Therefore, you need to get rid of it as soon as possible, so a bucket may be the perfect solution.
How about a toilet? You can install one of the handy portable toilets.
Gas and electricity
IMPORTANT! Gas hoses and electrical wiring must only be installed by qualified personnel! They can pose a serious hazard if incorrectly installed. Build a motorhome yourself, but don't put other people at risk.
Propane in the camper can be used for cooking, heating, as well as connecting the refrigerator. You can do without it by using an electric stove and refrigerator, as well as an autonomous Webasto heater.
The gas cylinder must be stored in a separate place with openings in the bottom. Why should there be holes at the bottom? Because propane is heavier than air, so it will always go down.
It is even possible to make a valve to connect the gas stove outside the vehicle for future cooking outside the van.
Again, build the camper correctly for your own safety!
Electricity is necessary to start all devices designed for 12V. The system consists of a battery, charger / converter, control panel and many wires.
Do not forget about the external connector for charging the motorhome's battery from a regular power supply (110V or 220V). You can also use it at home by charging the battery during winter storage.
In order to determine how much battery capacity you need, you will have to perform simple calculations. Let's say you would use the following:
- Halogen lamps: 2 × 20W 2 hours a day = 80 Wh
- Refrigerator: 45W 12 hours a day = 540 Wh
The total power consumption is 620 Wh per day. Now divide 620 Wh by 12V and you get 52Ah. This is your daily power consumption. Typically, a 100Ah battery will last about two days of battery life.
Make calculations taking into account the energy consumers you are using. This will help you get the average daily electricity consumption figures.
Gas and electricity are very important issues to consider when building a camper. If you plan to operate a motorhome for traveling far from civilization, autonomy should be maximized. Take your time, think carefully and calculate everything.
Furniture
In this matter, you are also not limited. You can safely realize your dreams. There are many ways to make and install furniture.
Sometimes quite suitable furniture is found at various disassembly, we advise you to search. Quite good offers sometimes appear at online auctions, and furniture is sometimes sold at an affordable price.
You can also design everything from scratch. Some firms sell ready-to-install parts covered with veneer. All you have to do is apply varnish (if necessary) and install furniture. You can also contact a professional who will help you in this matter.
