Self Build Guide - 10. Sourcing Components.

Article by Steve Smith - Caravans Plus

Read Time: 3 mins

Ever Wanted To Build or Rebuild a Caravan?

This is part of a series of articles on building or rebuilding a caravan. You can find the whole series here: Ever Wanted To Build or Rebuild a Caravan?

CaravansPlus sells lots of the items you will need to build or refurbish a caravan but we don't have everything. As a general guide we have most things except the materials to construct the shell and chassis base.

This is not an exhaustive list of items we supply, but it should give prospective builders confidence that it is possible to complete a custom caravan or Motorhome build.

General Materials

Steel for chassis construction will come from steel merchants. Hardware stores are generally much more expensive than dealing directly with a merchant. They will deliver to most addresses.

Timber for wall frames and furniture can be sourced from a good hardware store. Meranti or pacific maple is the timber of choice.

Specialist Materials

Ply Wall and Ceiling Panels can sometimes be found at large hardware stores, but ensure you only purchase the type WITHOUT groves, as they greatly reduce the strength. These sheets are about 3mm thick. You may need to source these from a specialist ply supplier, and freight can be an issue, so calculate the total you will need including furniture, then add more.

Aluminium or Fibreglass Sheeting. These are a specialist product and again freight is an issue. For home projects I would recommend aluminium for ease of installation especially where only one person is doing most building. Sheets 300mm high by as long as you want, are used on the sides. 2400mm x 1200mm are used for the front, roof & rear. These may be sourced directly from caravan manufacturers or from wholesale companies that supply repairers.

Aluminium Corner Mould should be available from any caravan repairer.

PVC Sheet Joiners. These will need to be supplied by a repairer or caravan supplier.

Specialist RV Appliances

All appliances must be approved for use in Australian RVs. Caravan Plus offers an extensive range of approved appliances plus spare parts and installation instructions.

These include:

Air conditioners

Stoves, ovens and BBQs

Gas and Electric refrigerators

Hot water systems

Air heaters

Water pumps

12v TVs and radios & speakers

Washing machines

Shop All Appliances & Parts

3301 Products

Plumbing and Gas Fittings

A full range of all components required to install all plumbing and gas installations are available from Caravans Plus. Our connections algorithm ensures all components connect to each other.

Toilets and shower components, sinks and basins are also available. We do not supply a complete shower module, but we do have a range of bases and procedures for creating a custom size shower.

Shop All Plumbing Components

629 Products

Shop All Gas Components

175 Products

240 Volt & 12 Volt Fittings

A full range of lights, switches, power points and circuit breakers, plus the wiring are all available from Caravans Plus. We also offer a range of Click & Connect 240v power circuits that greatly reduces the time a registered electrician is required.

Shop All 12V Electrical Components

169 Products

Cabin Hardware

There are many other specific hardware items including:

Hinges

Catches

Vents

Table legs.

Shop All Cabin & Roof Hardware

293 Products

Chassis Parts

We sell everything that attaches to a chassis, including:

Couplings

Jacks & Stands

Jockey Wheel

Axles

Steps

Shop All Chassis Parts & Jacks

413 Products

Doors & Windows

Doors and Windows are specially made for caravans, they have features such as rounded corners for strength of your walls, non breakable windows, built in blinds and flyscreens. There are a few brands available, all of them good.