Absolutely! I thought about including the depreciation expense of the tools in lieu of actual cost and calculated the NBV after the project to discount... BUT I wanted to keep this simple and as easy to understand/follow as possible. Ultimately, I'm looking for net cash flow rather than net book value to compare. We kept the cost of tools separated out so that if you have these tools already, you can easily subtract that cost. And as someone else mentioned, you would probably need some of these tools (impact driver, etc) for the pre-made wall kits as well.
Best video of the series so far! I suspect a lot of watch these videos and think: "Oh, that's a few hundred dollars worth of plywood and a box or two of screws". Knowing the actual costs makes it easier to understand the reality of trying to build a DIY van yourself! Many thanks!!!
As a nerd I definitely appreciate a cost breakdown and comparison. You included the cost of tools in your build but with not the pre-made kit. I assume some of those would have been required to install the pre-made kit, which would have made your build even better, relatively speaking.
Thanks for the break down. Really helps to see whether DIY makes sense. Don't mind the trolls and naysayers they are legion these days. Really like watching your build videos, but you guys do a great job with instructional videos that are still fun to watch!
My build is very similar to this (cabinets are all 80/20) and I think I could have built it with a jigsaw and a drill. The other tools just make things faster or more accurate. I was 54 when I started my build so I had a lot of the tools already from a few decades of home ownership. The only tools I picked up were a track saw to make long straight cuts (I don't have a table saw) and a heat gun for shrink. There's a young couple that just started a van build using a maker space. I saw another couple who built their van using scrap wood and wood from furniture give aways. There's so many people out there building vans is so many different ways and they are all easy to find. I'd try to ignore emails like these.
Hi...watched your video from Europe. Those are big figures your talking - our L3H2 van wall panels cost €1,500. I bought them just to save time and effort....and to avoid making tonnes of mistakes. Nice video - thanks.
Great analysis.. but on your budget breakdown you included cost of all tools?? This was thorough, and I'm glad you included it. But unless you are upgrading a home shop, it is simpler to factor in ENDING value. Comparing the pre made to the diy custom you end up with: Pre-made Walls, and a few handtools and leftover hardware. Vs Custom DIY walls a few handtools and leftover hardware. + Half a shop of new equipment I used to work at a rental tool chain, so now what I tell people on a budget back here in Oz, is to resell these tools on the market to recoup costs. Heck for ANY project it's better to jump on Gumtree (our Craigslist) get the tools second hand, and then resell them. Most of the time you end up "renting" the tools for the whole project for less than the cost of lunch.
Yes, I definitely could've included the depreciation expense of the tools in lieu of actual cost and calculated the NBV after the project to discount... BUT I wanted to keep this simple and as easy to understand/follow as possible. Ultimately, I'm looking for net cash flow rather than net book value to compare. We kept the cost of tools separated out so that if you have these tools already, you can easily subtract that cost.
@@EXPLORISTlife oh yes I agree with you. In a short snappy vid you covered a lot and made it interesting. Maybe something to consider when you break down final budget in more depth though 😉
I definitely find this kind of video interesting. I don't need 45 minutes of in-depth analysis but a 5-minute summary is awesome just to have a rough idea of the costs involved. I think it would be great to do something like this after each major system goes in, with the big recap at the end. Thanks for the amazing videos! :)
Thanks so much for this great video. You are a wonderful analyst. I am building my van in my driveway and it is totally fun. The neighbours are cool and completely helpful when it comes to helping me with some of the heavy lifting stuff. I'm not sure they would come over if I had it in a shop. People like the whole van movement thing - it is inspiring.
Love your videos. We own a pre-made Era and love it. I've completed over 50 upgrades including switching to lithium batteries, something I wouldn't have done without your videos. Thank you for the help and assurance that I could do it. And being a household of two retired CPAs, always love to hear the numbers.
Great video and nice build. I installed an Adventure Wagon kit in My 170 4x4 in two weekends with two people. We chose bamboo panels and no wiring harness. We cut all of our own insulation. The kit is expensive, but to have a working van with a bed in two weekends was great. I would say your team was quick to discount the value of the skilled labor (not your fist van) and all of the design effort. I feel like I would have spent 200 hours just cutting templating, sanding, finishing and drilling the holes in the bamboo ply panels since the engineer in me would vac have over though everything.
Thanks for the cost breakdown. The extra advantage of buying the tools to DIY is when you are done with the project, you still own the tools. Use for free on your next job or sell to recoup your investment. Equity always better than renting.
The other thing to consider is the final quality of the DIY build. You and your Team have much more experience than I would with an end result of a much nicer build. Thanks for the break down.
Just started watching your videos. I like the detail during the build so someone can understand what is happening without getting too deep in the wood. Having said that, DIY brings something to the project that kits don't, the pride of executing your own plan. I just finished a 6 month outfit of a used Class A and am ready to take it on an extended trip across the country. Did I do all the work myself, No. Did I buy a kit and have others execute my plan, no. I thought about what I wanted, made sure to add what I needed and in the end my DIY project is mine and mine alone. That is worth the cost of admission. Keep up the great work.
Great review. Now you have templates and can change out a panel if damaged or cover with fabric or vinyl if you want to change the look. Really like how this van is taking shape. And yes, if you had time, one person could do this with a drill, hand saw or jigsaw and the manual riveter in a parking lot. Circ saw, miter saw and other tools just makes it go faster, add accuracy, and are not terribly expensive. Good tools last a long time and can be amortized over many projects or sold after.
Great information. Your videos give a sobering look at the time and money needed to build something great. Logic says I should run away. But the more I watch the more I want to do it !!
Thank u Steph & Nate Best thing of doing it yourself is u Know it Done right to. I Hope Nate Still Not getting hit By cordless drills Lol See u Next week Guys Take Care Always
I'd definitely like to see both the total cost breakdown at the end, and periodic breakdowns for specific aspects. Great that you included the "from scratch" tools cost and the time estimate as well. Thank you! Regarding this breakdown-- I noticed the Adventure Wagon comparison included Maxx Air fans ($350) and "bump-outs" (~$1500). Your parts and materials didn't mention fans, could you add those please? Also, are the Satsang jams the equivalent of the "bump-outs"?
Maybe a good thing came from a bad thing. Ignore the trolls. But having a cost breakdown like this is very helpful. I wanted to put some L track in my build and was thinking “oh, that would probably be $100 or $200.“ This helps set expectations much more accurately. it also puts the cost of a kit in perspective. Expensive, yes. But it’s not as if DIY will save $11,000 over a $12,000 kit.
Yes please do more cost analyst videos like this! Great to know the material cost and the time comparison between the two. My only suggestion: round all amounts to the closest dollar, but a great to the point video!
Very good update. Thank you. I look forward to the overall budget but this may help people plan for different stages of a build. Well done and thank you for this very detailed series. It is an amazing tool for anyone thinking and planning a build. Have a good week. 🇨🇦
I like these videos because they help me appreciate all the work I've done, you do and they help me mull over I want to do it again or pay Humble Van or other a WAD of cash. My fav option rings in at $250,000 and I'm too humbled to ask if that includes the new Sprinter to build in. Sometimes I just wanna go back to monkdom and live in a cave.
Thanks for detailed breakdown. Seeing this and the wall system video itself has given me ideas on customizing my current van's garage walls to provide better gear anchoring options.
That pneumatic plus nut tool was sweet! I was hoping you’d come up with an alternative to the Transit “black blobs”. Is there any way to hide them and still not compromise the integrity of the airbag system? Thanks for posting. Loving your instructional videos. You make it easy to understand.
$7,000 for walls folks, yep just walls. They are really nice and functional walls, I'll give you that, but these van build costs are just getting crazy - especially for something that will rapidly depreciate in value. I just finished a 9 week, 10k mile cross country trip in a '98 Roadtrek camper van - the entire van cost me $10k :)
Hey there, big guy! I'm sorry you've got so much negativity going on in your life that you have to spend your time coming to my channel to talk shit on my projects. Maybe logging off of the internet for a bit and going for a walk or hanging out with friends if you have any may help. Thanks for watching anyway and I hope your day gets better. 🙂 If you want your money back on what you paid to watch this video, let me know.
@@EXPLORISTlife Well, it appears that I hit a nerve with my comment, although that was not my intention. I was not trying to lambaste your channel nor your van build. My intention was simply to point out that van builds seem to be less and less cost-conscious and increasingly over the top. $200k+ vans are now not uncommon - and given the rapid depreciation of these vans it just seems foolhardy to me to spend that kind of money on a camper van, even for full time use. Building out a quality van - especially compared to what is available from Class B RV manufacturers - is a reasonable goal - but increasingly people seem to be want to build the best van possible, without regard to cost. For a camper van, that approach makes little sense to me. Building a decent quality camper van at a reasonable cost makes much more sense to me than spending whatever is necessary to build the absolutely best van.
Everybody has hobbies. Just wait until you find out how much money grown adults spend to ride bicycles through the woods. Hike your own hike. Your comment comes across as: “I did my full buildout for $4. Anybody who spends more that that is stupid.” If that’s not how it was intended, you need to work on how you word things.
What about the walls that comes as an option form the manufacturer? Mercedes have wall options for the Sprinter and Metris. I know those option are not insulated but for someone that only plans to use the camper Van for road trips in the summer instead of living there stock walls from manufacturer would be a great affordable option I believe.
@@EXPLORISTlife I’m not trying to convince you. I’m just trying to find if there is any flaw to my logic. I would like to get a van and I think getting stock walls would be a viable option. Do you see any major setbacks for manufacturer stock walls and floor?
Thank you so much. I'm not planning to make our van modular like yours, do i need L track? any guess on cost without L tracks? wondering if the L track addition make this more complicated .. again thank you so much, you guys rock!!
I mean... you don't NEED l-track if you don't want to functionality that L-track provides. For pricing... just subtract out the price of the L-track shown in this video for a rough estimate.
The parts list for everything we used in our walls installation can be found on that video (including the tools): ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cf2BjQxMKDI.html
Question , why battle born batteries over renogy batteries I bought renogy 12v 200ah lithium batteries 4 of them in building a custom cargo trailer built 5x12x5 tall as a base camp build
In my experience personally as well as helping out hundreds of people with their systems, Renogy simply doesn't stand behind their products when something goes wrong. Reading the language of each of their warranties for their batteries will tell you everything you need to know there. Battle Born has top-of-the-line customer support for if something goes wrong. Try this... Write up 2-3 questions and then give both Battle Born and Renogy a call and see how each one treats you and answers your questions. Renogy is a marketing company that sells batteries. Battle Born is a battery company that spends money on marketing.
How much weight would have you saved using foam core rather than wood/plywood? Would that even make sense. Would the weight saving which results in less fuel consumption this way make any sense?
No clue. We didn't look into foam core since it's not really readily available 1/4" birch is pretty, light, though. I'd guess that the L-Track and furring strips weighs more than the 1/4" panels.
The Cherry "Brown" switches (or clones thereof) on this keyboard have a great feel and are also quiet enough for an office environment. My main office setup uses a keyboard with these sorts of mechanical switches.
