DIY RVs and Vans You Have to See to Believe

If you have the money, there are plenty of impressive luxury RVs for sale — but also ways to make your own luxury for less, or just for fun. Some innovative designers have made their own awesome RVs using recycled parts and vehicles, or by building from the ground up. Here are some of the best DIY RVs and van conversions we've seen, including a school bus that has been transformed into a farmhouse-chic dwelling on wheels. Do you have other RV and van mods to share? Let us know in the comments.

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DIYers can repurpose all sorts of vehicles to make their RVs. Ian Dow from Newport Beach, California, got a used Ford E-350 ambulance and turned it into a home. It's still got the flashing lights, siren, and PA system — electronics that proved useful in wiring the kitchen appliances.  

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Inside, Dow built drawers and wine cubbies to hold kitchen utensils, magnets to hold dishes as they dry, a horizontal refrigerator to maximize space, a fold-out dining table, and an L shaped couch that turns into a queen-sized bed. The ambulance also features an outdoor shower.

North Carolina-based Live Simply is a mother-daughter team that converts commissioned school buses into homes on wheels. Cactus is a 2006 International PB105 diesel-powered bus that once ferried kids to and from school in Rhode Island.

The rows of vinyl bus seats are long gone. In their place, you'll find a farmhouse-friendly interior with wood accents, dual sofas that convert into a single large bed, a smart TV, a small kitchen area with a sink, and a portable toilet (but alas, no shower). It's no longer for sale, but new builds called Phillus and Willus were to be made available.

Retirees Jim and Debbie Gadberry have hundreds of YouTube videos about how they converted a school bus into their RV, which they live in and use to travel the country. They replaced the yellow exterior with sheet metal, and the Joy is powered by solar energy and 130-amp batteries.

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Inside that former school bus is a complete home space with kitchen, office, living room with an entertainment center (Samsung flat screen and DVD player), bedroom, and bathroom with shower. Their skylight came from the rear of a 1995 Jeep Cherokee and was covered with perforated vinyl to minimize heat and glare on the TV.

Inside the van, Both has a futon bed, stove in the kitchen and a solar-powered refrigerator. He learned carpentry to make the wood interior himself, and the van is not all work. He installed a home theater, too. When not cooking, Both uses the kitchen as his desk. He didn't install a shower, so he catches those on the road.

Filmmaker Zach Both is on the road a lot meeting with artists around the country, so he needs to take his studio wherever he goes. That's why he converted a 2003 Chevy cargo van into a rolling one, as documented step-by-step in his online guide The Vanual, including learning how to insulate the van as living space and repurposing church walls as a ceiling. 

When surfboard craftsman Ryan Lovelace from Santa Barbara, California, bought a used 1948 Chevy Bus on Craigslist, it had already been converted into an RV by its previous owners. Lovelace knew he'd have to do his own renovations to really live in this former bohemian greenhouse. The VW roof grafted onto the top gave Lovelace more room to work with, but take a look at what it looks like after a year and a half of work.

Lovelace used found materials wherever possible to keep costs below $10,000 in building the downstairs living area. He built an upstairs bedroom for a queen-sized bed and learned to weld it onto the bus. Katie Lovelace was with her husband all the way and painted the floor herself, and the gang gave the roof a new coat of paint to finish off the exterior.

Hay is for horses, and now so are RVs. This Mercedes 814 Horsebox used to carry equestrian animals and, from the outside, still has the barnyard flavor. But the U.K.-based company House Box converted it into a human home.

The boiler is actually a retro marvel adding to the atmosphere of an old-timey barn, along with the hardwood walls, floors, and cabinets. There's a kitchen with wood-burning stove, a bedroom up stairs wrapped around a hawthorn wood column, shower and copper composting toilet for the bathroom, and top-of-the-line entertainment center: a television with a 4.1 surround sound system.

Two Japanese high schoolers built their own camping car for a road trip around Japan from 1998 to 2001. Starting with a Toyota ToyoAce truck, they kept in mind the narrow Japanese roads when adding on two-story house. The house was made with plywood over a steel frame.

With two stories, they were able to fit a bedroom, bathroom (with tub and shower), living room, kitchen (with sink, gas range, and rice cooker) and storage behind the cab. When the collapsible second story is lifted pneumatically, the Japanese-style bedroom maximizes space with its angles and a skylight to let the sun in. All the controls are in the front cab. The stairs connecting the first floor to the bedroom contain storage. 

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The Man Fae 8.136 was a Danish Army truck, but this particular one used to be a German firetruck. Dutch off-roading enthusiast Jan van Haandel put the floor on swings to hold the interior steady while the truck drove and painted the truck white. A diesel-fueled power and heating unit warms and generates electricity for the interior. He even added a hydraulic elevator for loading up portable vehicles.

While the firetruck was originally meant to carry a brigade hanging on the outside, it now comfortably sleeps two people inside. The couple who sleeps there could entertain four in the dining area. A simple sink and two-burner stove make the kitchen, and the bathroom includes a shower. Van Haandel's innovation led him to start OutBound Products to sell conversion accessories to other DIYers.

Back in 2006, Australian photographer Rob Gray's off-road RV was legendary. Then he built a second one. This time using a firetruck, Gray shaved about 2.4 meters of length for maneuverability. While the first model extended in all directions, the Mark 2 is a streamlined steel box. It's solar powered with a generator for backup and a steel frame. 

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Inside, the 360-degree windows could all open and flood the bedroom with natural light. The pine kitchen has a three-burner stovetop, two refrigerators, gas oven and grill, microwave and cabinets hiding bathroom facilities. He fit an entire office into three stacked shelves, and built storage for up to 65 bottles of home-brewed beer.

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Oregon businessman Aaron Wirth said he was inspired by the million-plus-dollar EarthRoamer XV-HD, but built a comparable vehicle for one-tenth the price. (Okay, he had some help from sponsors.) What's more, Wirth's Ram 3500 truck and Lance 825 camper can be separated, so the truck can be used without the camper attached. Wirth designed the aluminum flatbed with nine storage spaces, including pull-out fridge and barbecue.

Inside the Lance 825, Wirth fit a queen-sized bed, dining room, kitchen, bathroom with shower, and plenty of closet space. Aaron and Renee Wirth gave up a few frills, such as an air conditioner, in favor of lighter weight and more storage, and they've hidden plenty of compartments within the frame. The Wirths live, travel, and work in the Overland, and they didn't have to go into debt to buy it.

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It took Ron Onrust of the Netherlands four years to turn a Neoplan double-decker bus into his RV home. First to go were the 90 seats. He still used the two levels, though, with a floor plan he designed on his computer. Upstairs he put bedrooms and a bathroom. Downstairs are the kitchen, dining room, and TV area. He made two walls out of cherry tables and others out of shiny white flooring.

Onrust still had to figure out how to power the home and provide indoor plumbing. He installed a hose to cool the entire bus, and piping for clean water and wastewater. He designed the kitchen and stairs himself but paid for installation. The lights dim for romantic dinners. With two floors and 12 meters long, the Onrusts have more space than many apartments at least. 

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Artist and designer SunRay Kelley in Washington state went mobile when he turned this gas guzzler into a bio-fueled hybrid. Ripping the camper off a 1984 Toyota motorhome, Kelley built a curved-roof aluminum RV. With electric power, solar power, and (bio)diesel generator, Kelley's design has three alternatives to fossil fuels.

The cedar adds to the natural aesthetic, and the bedroom over the cab has a window to sleep under the stars (while protected from the cold). Built for a family of four with room for two sleep areas and a kitchen, Kelley made more Gypsy Wagons based on this model for customers.

Dipa Vasudeva Das, a master woodworker in Eastern Europe, turned a simple van into a mobile home, documenting the renovation in photos and telling his story to international writers. First he hollowed out the van completely, then built a frame for the interior to shape the living space. He built all the furniture out of wood.

The inside can be seen as a bedroom, dining room, or office. It's all three with pull-out tables and seats for quick conversions. He's even got a wood-burning fireplace for cold nights or roasting marshmallows; a chimney pumps smoke safely outside. He's got a fold-down deck outside for outdoor barbecues.

A former Hollywood prop maker, Beck has built four houses on truck beds — the fourth, from 1975, being the peak of his experience. Beck learned how to add length to truck beds to support the frame of the house and reattach the bumper, leaving room for a propane tank under the bottom. He'd also lower the bed so the house would be closer to the ground.

Once the truck was ready, Roger picked up wood and built the house. Handbuilt by himself, Roger manually raised walls and attached to the rubber foundation. Having collected windows with stained-glass borders, Roger built the bedroom loft over the cab with a front bay window and skylights in the roof. He chose redwood siding.

DIY enthusiast "Terry E" didn't trust factory-made RVs or used resellers, so he built his own, according to Wade Shepard, founder and editor of Vagabond Journey. He bought a Penske moving van and cleaned it all out, added carpet, cabinets, and a 32-inch TV. He cut and mounted heavy-duty insulation to the ceiling to beat the heat of the midday sun. He was all in for only $4,500.

Terry's interior plans included a bedroom and kitchen with electricity, but no hot water. He built a bathroom with a port-a-potty and planned to shower at campsites. With granite counters and polished wood, the kitchen looks mighty nice, although the only warm food will come via microwave. Still, it's got all the necessities and a few luxuries of home considering its storage and transportation roots.

Those old VW campers may have given DIYers enough room to build an RV inside, but they didn't offer much traction. To solve that, one DIYer placed a camper atop the tank treads of a WWII Studebaker M29 Weasel. It was painted in military camouflage to go with its new lower half.

Thanks to the treads, this vehicle can go through terrain a VW never could, such as snow, sand, or rocky mountains. It looks like most of the focus was spent on welding the top to the bottom, as the inside looked janky. The original classified ad selling it in 2011 is no longer online, so we'll never know if someone bought it, how much they paid, or even if it actually worked.

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