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Excellent product, fast delivery and a great company to deal with. I will be buying a lot more from them in the near future.
1st order by Tony from NSW
Building your own caravan is not as complicated as some people might think. Caravans can be made with fairly simple construction methods and tools that many practical people already have. It is still a large project, but it can be a very rewarding one if you enjoy planning, measuring, problem solving and steady hands-on work.
Before you start, decide whether buying, renovating or building from scratch is the best choice for you. We cover that decision here: To Build or Not to Build? Should you Just Buy One?.
Over the years I have built at least 12 caravans in my shed from scratch. I have tried different methods and learned a lot from each build. This page gives an overview of the major steps involved, with links to the detailed sections.
Use it as a roadmap. Some projects will skip steps because they start with an existing van, chassis or shell. Others will need extra help from licensed trades, especially for gas and mains electrical work.
The layout is the position of all major fixtures: beds, door, windows, fridge, kitchen, bathroom, cupboards and walkway. This is the fun part, but it also affects weight balance, storage, access and build sequence.
You will need an undercover work area with enough room to build safely and a door opening large enough to get the completed caravan out. You may already own many of the tools, but a few specialist tools can make the build cleaner and faster.
Most of the physical build can be done by a capable owner-builder, but some work must be inspected or completed by licensed trades. Check the legal requirements early so the project is not blocked late in the build.
The chassis can scare people away from a self-build, but it does not need to. You can build, buy or reuse a chassis depending on your project, skills and compliance needs.
This is where the caravan starts to take shape. The construction methods can be fairly simple, but accuracy matters because small errors compound as walls, roof and cladding are fitted.
The internal furniture needs to be useful, strong and light. Weight adds up quickly, so every cupboard, bed base and partition should earn its place.
This is one of the areas where you may need professional help or inspection. Plan these systems before cladding and furniture hide the access paths.
Cladding and corners are where the caravan starts to look finished. There are also design choices here around materials, colours, sealing and service access.
Windows and doors are usually premade, but the installation details depend on the brand, wall thickness, cut-out size and seal method. Measure carefully before cutting.
CaravansPlus sells many of the parts needed for a self-build or rebuild, but not everything. This final section helps with the harder-to-find items and planning where each component should come from.
Building your own caravan is a challenging but achievable project. There is plenty of information available for each stage, and the articles above are designed to help you move through the job in a practical order.
Excellent product, fast delivery and a great company to deal with. I will be buying a lot more from them in the near future.
Very quick to arrive.
Quick delivery Great service