There's been a lot of discussion about DIY RV conversions based on PM vans, and it's made me wonder about potential cost savings. Any ideas or feedback on how much the average project ends up costing?
Since labor is mostly free (assuming you do everything yourself as a hobby), but materials may cost more when purchased retail, it would seem that savings favor simpler builds when comparable in scope. If we tried building a very fancy or more complex van it may end up costing nearly as much. As an example, I'm guessing an Onan generator may cost us as much as it does Winnebago. Same with lithium batteries that don't involve much labor.
I know we can easily build a basic camper a little more functional than a tent for a couple of $1,000s, but can also see spending a small fortune if trying to replicate a Winnebago Travato.
So, any guess what an "average" project ends up costing -- not counting van? Are we talking $5k, $10k, $20k or more? And what does that buy you by comparison.
I know these are highly subjective questions and that's OK. There's got to be a wide range of project scopes.
Since labor is mostly free (assuming you do everything yourself as a hobby), but materials may cost more when purchased retail, it would seem that savings favor simpler builds when comparable in scope. If we tried building a very fancy or more complex van it may end up costing nearly as much. As an example, I'm guessing an Onan generator may cost us as much as it does Winnebago. Same with lithium batteries that don't involve much labor.
I know we can easily build a basic camper a little more functional than a tent for a couple of $1,000s, but can also see spending a small fortune if trying to replicate a Winnebago Travato.
So, any guess what an "average" project ends up costing -- not counting van? Are we talking $5k, $10k, $20k or more? And what does that buy you by comparison.
I know these are highly subjective questions and that's OK. There's got to be a wide range of project scopes.