Been having a gander on the tinternet at interiors for all campers, gauging prices across the board for conversions on most VW's. They do seem to have massively gone up in price or is it just me having expensive taste?!?! Some of them are five grand plus!! I mean after all, it's just a few cupboards and a worktop?! All I'm really after is a cooker pod to house two to three burners and maybe a fridge, but some more storage would be a good move me thinks.
It's not just you! I don't think there are ANY suppliers of interiors that I would class as good value. I've mentioned it before but the prices are high, and imho the quality low. You can fit out a house kitchen cheaper than a camper.
This is true. Labour rates must have gone through the roof! I'm happy to mash something together rather than buy the crap online
Its not just the labour rates, been looking at building my own but look at the price of a fridge, cooker and sink and all related electrics. then add in the cost of lightweight ply at about £ 140/sheet and your at about £ 2k before you start.
@Lardy , It's not a cheap exercise by any means & you're not just paying labour rates, you're paying for the experience of the cabinet maker who quite frankly could make a horses arse out of your materials if he's not skilled and experienced. You may remember what I went through on Chip! It's possible to knock up a self build for not a lot of money but for a pro-look there's a lot of work involved. I had a hand in ours & had the use of a fully equipped workshop & it was still costly for lightweight ply, laminate sheets, adhesives, standard ply for shelving & back boards, fixings etc. etc. etc. Everything was templated first with fibreboard to ensure it fitted and worked before we cut the sheet. That took time! A few years ago I asked a cabinet maker to cost-up replicating the Westy kitchen cabinet found in Berlin's/Campmobiles etc. Just for that one cabinet (excluding hob & sink) he quoted £700 quid. It sounded like a lot until I had a go myself!!
Totally agree and i will be at the end of this year ... Won`t be such a lash up as i`m hoping to replicate what i have already which is basically cut down kitchen base units , sounds a bit gash but it`ll be tidy and hopefully finished well ... Might need a little help from a (yet to be talked into it !) joiner but it`ll be MUCH lighter than the oak offerings , most of which are lovely but weigh a ton and not what i`m looking for storage or appliance-wise . I like having a grill which none of the new stuff seem to have and as for the sink - ridiculously small . Nothing wrong if that`s what you`re prepared to put up with but i`ll be having a grill , fridge , collapsable bowl and lots of storage . I spent a couple of years travelling and living in the van so why change the layout when i know it works ?? Hoping to bring it in at a few hundred quid + a bit of labour if needed
Are any of these firms "craftsmen" though? I'd imagine they're all cnc machined for a start saving time and therefore money. I know some of the stuff is expensive but £9k for a badly fitted interior; really?!
I decided to try and make a rabbit hutch once for my daughter. That there was enough to tell me it was better to pay someone to work with wood. Mine was twisted, cost more than the bought version, and took me age and that was just a hutch with el cheapo materials.
I'm no chippy but I'm happy with my own built interior ,12 mm ply for cupboards and double thickness for worktop ,cost of ply was £50 ,2nd hand fridge from a caravan ,camping cooker built in ,that's twin burner and grill ..overhead locker and rear cupboard in one corner ,bluebird r and r full size bed ,hook up and 12 volt outlets .The whole lot including flooring and curtains ,cushions was about 1k
I like the look of the interiors from http://www.allthingstimber.com/index.php Every time I see them at shows I'm really impressed with workmanship. Not sure what the money is.
You can buy standard ply and timber that is cheap but if you compare with the lightweight stuff there is a massive difference. It all adds weight to an already heavy bus.
Agreed, there's a lot of money being charged for 'generic' interiors that are clearly just variations of a templated theme. Then again, business overheads have to be paid for... I'm about to fit out the syncro with a home-brew 'rough camping' interior. This won't be the pretty bespoke job like in the bay but will have to withstand some abuse. Basic framing bonded with Gorilla Glue mcpu overlaid with 4 to 6mm ply sheet & hard wearing floor varnish to finish. Lightweight and should cost less that £200. It's all the other stuff that's expensive like fridges, etc etc
Here's my home brew. I did get help in mind. No sink as I don't wash up in the van and there is a removable hob Though as I've brought a new fridge which is smaller I imaging that will leave a hole that needs filling somehow.
And then some ... I had a nosey inside a customer conversion on the SJK stand at Volksworld last year . Lovely oak jobbie - but 13k .... Really ?? Didn`t have a grill either .
Another bit of oak faced ply as a fillet strip will in-fill any gaps quite well. I've got some like that kicking around I think & if you let me know the thickness I'll have a look...
