Custom build, used conversion, or DIY: how to choose

Most UK campervan buyers in 2026 are choosing between three real options. A custom build from a workshop like ours. A used factory or production conversion. Or a DIY conversion they do themselves on a base vehicle they buy.

Each option is right for some buyers and wrong for others. We build custom, so we are not neutral. But we have done all three at one point or another, and the comparison below is the one we wish we had read before our first conversion in 2009.

Custom build

What it is: a workshop designs and builds a campervan to your spec on a base vehicle of your choice, usually new. UK custom builders take roughly sixteen to twenty weeks of workshop time and run waiting lists of six to twelve months.

Cost in 2026: typically £55,000 to £130,000 all-in.

Pros: built around how you actually use a van; high-quality materials that age well; warranty and aftercare from people who know your build; resale tends to hold value if the brand is recognised.

Cons: most expensive option; long lead time; you have to know roughly what you want before you start.

Best for: buyers who plan to keep the van for ten years or more, who care about how the materials wear in, and who have the patience to wait twelve months from enquiry to keys.

Used factory or production conversion

What it is: a campervan built by a production conversion company (Wellhouse, Auto-Sleepers, Bilbo's, and many smaller ones), bought on the used market. The van comes with whatever spec the original buyer chose.

Cost in 2026: typically £25,000 to £55,000 for a three- to five-year-old example.

Pros: cheapest of the three options for a finished van; immediate availability; depreciation is slowest in the first five years, so a used example often holds its value.

Cons: spec was designed for someone else; build quality varies wildly between producers; cabinetry on most production conversions is veneered ply that does not age as well as solid hardwood; warranty has usually expired.

Best for: buyers who want to start using a campervan now, who do not yet know exactly how they will use one, and who plan to upgrade to custom in three to five years if they fall in love with vanlife.

DIY conversion

What it is: you buy a panel van and convert it yourself, either on weekends over a year or two, or by paying various trades to do specific jobs (electrics, cabinetry, paint).

Cost in 2026: typically £18,000 to £40,000 in materials and trade time, plus the base vehicle, plus your own labour.

Pros: cheapest by a wide margin if you do most of the work yourself; you understand every wire and screw, which is invaluable when something goes wrong; the build is exactly to your spec because you are the spec.

Cons: takes one to three years of spare time to do well; the quality of the finished van varies enormously with your skill level; resale value is usually poor unless the build is exceptional and well documented; mistakes in 12V wiring and gas are dangerous, and you are responsible for them.

Best for: buyers who genuinely enjoy the building, who have a workshop or driveway and the time, and who want a van that is a hobby as much as a vehicle.

A simple decision framework

• If your priority is starting now and saving money, buy used.
• If your priority is the build itself, do it yourself.
• If your priority is owning the right van for the next decade, commission custom.

Most buyers who end up commissioning custom from us did one of the other two first. Owning a used conversion for two seasons is the cheapest way to learn what your custom spec should look like. We have written this on our website for years and we do not regret it.