Interior and Cabinetry
Custom Van Build-Out and Camper Conversion in Southern California
Typical range
$5,000 to $80,000+
Shop hours
40 to 400+
Labor rate
$210/hr
The short answer
A custom van build-out converts an empty cargo van into a camper, mobile workshop, or purpose-built work vehicle with insulation, electrical, cabinetry, and seating. Builds run $5,000 to $80,000 and up, or 40 to 400 plus hours at $210 per hour plus materials.
01
What this work actually involves
A van build is a sequencing problem before it is a carpentry problem. Everything that lives inside a wall has to go in before the wall closes: wiring runs, water lines, ventilation ducting, and the backing plates for anything that will later be bolted to that surface. Skip a backing plate and you find out about it eight weeks later when a bed platform has to hang off panel instead of structure. We lay out the full electrical and plumbing plan on paper before a single sheet of insulation goes in, and we photograph every cavity before it closes so you have a record of what is behind each panel.
Weight and axle distribution decide what is actually possible. A Sprinter 3500 has real payload; a half-ton cargo van does not. A build with a 200Ah lithium bank, a 30 gallon fresh tank, a galley, and a fixed bed can easily consume 1,600 pounds, and where you put the water tank changes the rear axle load more than anything else in the vehicle. We weigh the empty van at intake, track the running total through the build, and corner weight it before it leaves so you know your real margins.
Southern California use drives specific decisions. If the van will run the 15 to the high desert or the 10 to the Coachella Valley, roof ventilation and shade matter far more than heating. If it lives near the coast in Long Beach or Oceanside, closed cell insulation and galvanic isolation at every dissimilar-metal fastener matter more, because salt air will find every unprotected penetration you make in that body. Every hole we cut in a roof or a wall gets sealed to a spec, not to a bead of silicone.
Systems and brands we work on: Lagun, RecPro.
Location: All work is performed at our Yorba Linda facility. We do not offer mobile, roadside, or fleet route service.
02
What the job includes
- Full layout design with electrical and plumbing routing planned before wall closure
- Insulation, damping, and thermal break package sized to the intended use
- Wall, ceiling, and floor panel installation with backing plates for future mounts
- Cabinetry, galley, gear locker, and bed platform fabrication in the shop
- Twelve volt distribution, shore power inlet, and inverter installation
- Fresh water, grey tank, sink, and pump plumbing with winter-tolerant routing
- Roof vent, fan, window, and solar penetration cutting and sealing to spec
- Seating installation with structural anchoring and seat belt provisioning where applicable
- Shelving, racking, and equipment mounting for work and mobile workshop builds
- Empty and completed weight documentation with corner weights before delivery
03
When you need this service
- An empty cargo van you intend to convert for travel, work, or both
- A partial build by a previous owner that has to be assessed before continuing
- An existing conversion with wiring that was never fused or sized correctly
- A build where roof penetrations are leaking at the vent or solar mounts
- A work vehicle where equipment is currently strapped rather than mounted
- A conversion that is over its rear axle rating and handles poorly loaded
04
How we do it, step by step
- 01
Use case and design
We start with how the van will actually be used, how many nights off shore power, and what has to be carried. The layout follows from that rather than from a catalog floor plan.
- 02
Intake weigh and systems plan
Empty van weighed with corner weights recorded, then the full electrical and plumbing plan drawn so every run and every backing plate is located before anything closes.
- 03
Shell preparation
Rust treated, penetrations cut and sealed, insulation and damping installed, and every cavity photographed before wall panel goes on.
- 04
Systems rough-in
Wiring pulled on properly sized and fused circuits, water lines routed away from freeze-prone exterior runs, and ventilation ducted before panels close.
- 05
Cabinetry and furniture
Boxes, galley, bed platform, and seating built in the shop and installed to structural anchor points rather than to wall panel.
- 06
Systems commissioning
Electrical loaded and verified circuit by circuit, plumbing pressure tested, and every roof penetration water tested before finish work is called done.
- 07
Final weigh and handover
Completed van weighed and corner weighted against the door sticker ratings, then a full walk-through covering every system and where each shutoff and fuse lives.
05
Pricing and posted rates
| Item | Rate or range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Typical job range | $5,000 to $80,000+ | Varies with extent of damage and parts availability |
| Shop hours | 40 to 400+ | Quoted after teardown, not before |
| Body and paint labor | $210 per hour | 2026 posted rate |
| Paint supplies | $55 per paint hour | Calculated automatically on every estimate |
| Body supplies | $5 per body hour | Calculated automatically on every estimate |
| Parts | 100% markup under $100, 35% over | Special order parts require a non refundable deposit at order |
| Deposit | 50% at authorization over $2,000 | Additional 25% when parts arrive on jobs over $10,000 |
| Sales tax | 7.75% on parts and materials | Labor is not taxed |
Insurance billed jobs may be billed at carrier negotiated labor rates that differ from the posted retail rates above. See all posted rates.
07
Vehicles we do this work on
Vehicle
Cargo Vans
Cargo vans on Transit, ProMaster, Express, and Sprinter platforms carry trade tools, parts inventory, and route freight. Rear door
Vehicle
Sprinter Vans
Mercedes Sprinter vans run last-mile routes, trade service, and camper conversions across Southern California. Sliding door tracks
Vehicle
High-Cube Vans
High-cube vans trade a tall roof and maximum interior volume for a large flat sail area and a roofline that clears almost nothing.
Vehicle
Camper Van Conversions
Camper van conversions are Sprinter, Transit, or ProMaster chassis with windows cut into the sidewalls, a roof full of penetration
Vehicle
Class B Camper Vans
A Class B is a camper built inside a factory van shell, usually a Sprinter, Transit, ProMaster, or Chevy chassis. Because the stee
Vehicle
Mobile Workshops
Mobile workshops carry benches, vises, compressors, welders, and dense tool inventory, which makes weight and mounting the definin
Vehicle
Electric Delivery Vans
Electric delivery vans including the Rivian EDV used by Amazon Logistics have a floor-mounted battery pack, bonded composite body
08
Questions about custom van build-out and camper conversion
Frequently asked questions
How much does a custom van conversion cost?
Builds run $5,000 to $80,000 and up, or 40 to 400 plus hours at $210 per hour plus materials. A weekender with insulation, a bed platform, a fan, and a simple twelve volt system sits near the low end. A full-time build with lithium, solar, an inverter, a galley, plumbing, and custom cabinetry sits at the high end, and on those builds the parts bill often exceeds the labor.
How long does a van build take?
Typically eight to twenty-six weeks depending on scope and parts lead time. Lithium batteries, inverters, and windows are the usual schedule drivers. We build in sequence, so a component that arrives late can hold up everything behind it. We give you a stage-based schedule after the design is locked, not a single delivery date at intake.
Can you finish or fix a build someone else started?
Yes, and we do it often. It starts with a paid assessment where we open enough of the existing work to see what is behind the panels. The common findings are unfused circuits, undersized wire, unsealed roof penetrations, and cabinetry anchored to panel instead of structure. We give you a written list of what has to be corrected before we build on top of it.
Will my van still be under its weight rating?
We make sure you know either way. A full build can add 1,200 to 2,000 pounds and most of it lands on the rear axle, especially the water tank. We weigh the van empty at intake, track weight through the build, and corner weight it before delivery so you have real numbers against the door sticker rather than an assumption.
Do you install solar and lithium systems as part of the build?
Yes. Solar panels, charge controllers, lithium banks, inverters, shore power inlets, and twelve volt distribution are all installed here, sized to the loads we work out with you during design. Roof penetrations for panels are cut and sealed to a spec, which is the difference between a solar install and a future water damage claim.
09
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More interior and cabinetry work
Ready to move on custom van build-out and camper conversion? Bring it to Yorba Linda.