After a year and a half we have finally finished our van build. In 2021 we bought a 2010 Iveco Daily 50C18. We were inspired to purchase and build our own van after travelling through South Australia and Tasmania in an Apollo van. This blog post is about all the features and the specific products in our van build. We plan on doing a break down of the build in another post. You can also find information and videos of our build on our Instagram page @_letsescapetogether_ and Youtube Lets Escape Together
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About our van.
Our Iveco Daily Van is a long wheel base van with a high roof and dual wheels at the back. This is the biggest van on the market you can get before you’re looking at a buses. The GVM can be 5.2 tonnes which is makes it strong and rigid.
When we were deciding on what van we wanted size was going to be a big factor for us. As will be living and working full time in a small space so wanted a van with lots of room. In our Iveco van build we were able to have a shower, toilet, kitchen, dinging area and bed. We have built our own off-grid home on wheels and we couldn’t be prouder. In this blog were are going to share all the features in our van, how things work and include lots of photos.
If you are looking at buying products from My Generator or Caravan Rv Camping for your build, save yourself $20 by using our discount code ESCAPE20 at checkout when you spend over $300.
Our build from first purchasing the van to finishing the van took about 18 months. We were also working away on our FIFO construction jobs and working as photographers/videographers. (hence why it took so long) We made sure to research every little job we had to do on our van build, focusing on being thorough and doing the job correctly. We know that we did absolutely everything in this van build safely and to our best ability, making sure to not cut any corners. We are no way professional van builders and made our van customised to our needs.
Our finished van build
Interior design
The style of our van van build is a minimalistic, coastal, nordic design. Focusing on simplicity, minimalism and functionality throughout the van. We wanted the space to feel inviting, homely and comfortable. It was important for us in our van build to incorporate a lot of natural light into the space, choosing a soft clean palette of colours of white, beige, brushed copper accents and light wood tones. We didn’t want our van build to look like a typical caravan or motorhome. Living in such a small space, it was important to not over fill or clutter areas. We made sure to include lots of storage and designed the shower and fridge in the front corner of the van. This helps to open up the living space and create more room visually inside the van.
Partition Wall
At the front of the van we have built a full insulated partition wall. The wall has an upper storage compartment where we can store our bed linen and other larger items. At the bottom we have a little cupboard where we can store shoes and smaller items. Our wall features a Bunnings wooden arch door which enables access and egress from the cab to the living area in the van. It was a important safety feature to have quick access to the front without having to exit the van. If we very feel unsafe we have access to the drivers seat and we can drive away safely.
Drivers cab area
In the front cab area we have installed a new Sony head unit. It has Apple Car Play which makes certain tasks much easier when driving. Apple car play automatically connects to your iPhone when plugged in our via Bluetooth. This allows you to make and receive phone calls, listen to music and follow driving instructions on the display. You can even do everything all while talking to Siri, so you can keep concentration on the road.
We made sure to install a reverse camera and reverse lights. The reverse lights automatically turn when the van is in reverse and we mounted them on the top of the van.
With our full van tour video below.
A full length Shower was a must for our van build!
We have built a full length shower inside the van. Being able to have the comfort of a hot shower inside the van really elevates being on the road to the next level. For our shower we wanted to create a bold space and seperate itself from the rest of the van. The shower panels are light weight and were easy to install in our van build.
For our shower we chose a Caroma Luna Multifunctional Rail in brushed brass from The blue Space. We love the Luna collection because it’s constructed from light weight soft plastic with a matching paddle style mixer.
The shower base is made our of 304 stainless steel which is corrosion resistant and a superior building material compared to plastic. We had this custom made from our local fabricator in Perth. To stand on we have fitted a teak wooden shower matt which is slip resistant and quick drying. It also allows the dirty water to drain through the without having to stand on it.
Shower Niche
For an extra feature we built a recessed shower niche purchased from Niche Man. It provides the perfect place to keep our shower essentials when not on the move. The Niche adds valuable space and is a creative focal point to the shower design. This little recessed shelf packs a punch for design with its light grey mosaic finish and waterproof LED strip.
The tiles and flexible grout were both purchased from Bunnings.
Composting Toilet
Located in the shower we have made a waterproof hatch door which houses out toilet. We have a Natures Head composting toilet which is easily accessed by opening the door and sliding the toilet in and out on heavy duty 140kg runners. The Natures Head toilet is waterless, and odourless. This works by separating the solids and the liquids into different compartments. The solid waste is mixed with biodegradable peat moss and will eventually turn into compost. The 12 volt extraction fan runs constant by removing odours and only draws 1.7 Amps in 24 hours. When we previously travelled in an Apollo van we hated the cassette style toilets and we had read lots of great reviews of the composting style toilets, Natures Head being the most popular.
The toilet is kept concealed behind a waterproof access door. We purchased the door from Bunnings and on the lip we used sikaflex to glue on a strip of black rubber to prevent any water from dripping into the toilet compartment.
Oven
For all our cooking needs we have the Thetford K1520 combination cooker. This unit has a stove, grill and oven which offers us all the conviemnce to make the best meals own the road. The stove top has 3x gas hobbs and 1x 240 volt electric hotplate. The electric hot plate is handy because if we ever run out of gas we can still cook using our solar. Some other features include a 12 volt ignition button, glass lid and an auto magic shut off valve when the lid is closed.
We had a professional gas fitter install and run our gas pipes. This is essential when doing your own van build. We were given a gas certificate which is required to sign off the van.
Fridge
Our fridge is a Thetford T1090 12 volt 80 litre compressor fridge/freezer. The fridge is installed at eye level offering ergonomic use while taking food in and out. The compressor fridge has internal ventilation which means we didn’t have to cut any holes in the van for ventilation. The fridge runs on 12 volt power using 4amp on day mode and 2amp on night mode.
We also added a push to open slide out bench to add as extra bench space if you’re taking a lot of items in and out of the fridge.
Van Build Kitchen and cupboards
Our Kitchen consist of 2 large wooden oak benches on either side of the van. For our cabinetry we have chosen frame less, European style cupboards to add top the minimilistic look. All up we have 14 draws on sliders and 2 side opening cupboards in our kitchen. We have a large brushed copper 550 mm sink with matching brushed copper mixer from ABI Interiors. Our sink is an undercount sink which makes the bench easy to clean and gives a modern look. We also installed an inline filter into the cold water to ensure the cold water is drinkable and filtered. The left over cut out piece of wood from the sink we recycled and use as a sink cover, chopping board or extra bench space. Complimenting the sink is a matching Brushed Copper Soap Bottle Holder from ABI Interiors.
Our cupboards are made with a mixture of 12mm plywood from Bunnings and 12mm Acacia birch from World Wide Timber Traders. The cupboard front faces are made from 12mm plywood with a white melamine coating from World Wide Timber Traders.
We love these added details
For added detail in the kitchen we have a Brushed Copper magnetic knife rack, a wooden photo frame with a photo from our Tasmanian trip, a fake hanging pot plant and a beautiful dried flower arrangement in a white vase. We feel these few items give our van a homely feel without being to much.
For our Tile splash back we used matt white porcelain Kit Kat tiles with a cream coloured grout. The tiles help to finish of our kitchen adding a clean, trendy look.
To keep all our lower cupboard doors shut we have installed white RV Labs latches. These modern looking latches are designed with a locking mechanism so we don’t have to worry about drawers sliding open when we drive. RV Labs latches has a variety of colours but we went with white which we absolutely love in our kitchen.
Our favourite draws in the van build.
Our kitchen features a slide out pantry draw which we will use for all our dry food and storage containers. We have built a custom 12 volt charging draw with 2 USB’s and 4 USB-C’s. What we love about this draw is that we can charge all our equipment without having to pack it all up when we start to drive. This also helps to keep our bench tops free. Underneath we have a 240volt draw which has 4 power points built in. This draw is where we can charge our laptops and anything else that requires 240 volt power.
For more storage we have built 6 Upper cabinets on both sides of the van. These cupboards are push to open and will be used for clothes storage. In one cupboard we have a small fuse block which fuses our lights and small appliances. In another cupboard we have our Enerdrive Inverter control panel, our Truma Combi D6 control panel, motorised ball valve switch, water pump switch and 2 Maxx Air fan controllers.
Dining/bed area – where we sleep in the van.
For our dining area and bed we have chosen to merge them together creating a convertible bed and dining design. Having the large space through the day makes working on our laptops more comfortable with plenty of table space. Having the U shaped seating area means we have a large sitting area for when we have friends over in our van. Our table is mounted on a lagun style leg and can be halved, making the table smaller by drop leaf hinges. If the table is fully extended this is essentially what slots into the leg area forming the base of the bed. To make our bed we then bring the cushions down flat, add the 5th cushion and then we have our mattress. We just grab our bedding and that’s our bed made, in just a few minutes!!
Underneath the passenger side seating is our Enerdrive Electrical board and 2 batteries. You can find more information on the electrical section of this blog. Under the drivers side seating area is our gas storage box and heater ducting. Here we can also store larger items in this compartment.
Lights
Inside our van we have 6 seperate light circuits.
- Overhead LED strip lights
- Middle roof down lights
- LED runway strip lighting
- Drivers side kitchen down lights
- Passenger side kitchen down lights
- Bed/dining down lights
The reason why we have separated the light circuits is so you can control the lights in any particular area. If you want to work on one side of the kitchen while someone sleeps you can just have those kitchen lights on and not the whole van.
We have a dual LED awning light on the outside of the sliding door. We added this to help give some light to outside the van. There are 2 options- a white light and an orange light to deter insects.
One large LED light bar at the front of the van which is connected to our High beams. This can be totally turned off with a switch near the steering wheel.
Two LED work lights in the rear of the van that turn on when the car is in reverse.
Maxx Air fans and skylight
Because inside the van is a small space we needed airflow to prevent odour build up, moisture build up, humidity and condensation. To assist with air circulation we have installed 2 Maxx air fan deluxe’s. Fresh air is pulled into the van while the other fan pushes out air. Maxx Air fans have adjustable speed and can be controlled with a remote or on the fan itself. The fans come with a rain guard which means they can be used while it’s raining. It’s 0.2 Amp power draw is so small it can run all night without making nay noise or using a lot of battery.
We really wanted incorporate a lot of natural light in this van build. For this reason we have a big Dometic Midi Heki skylight. Its large 700 x 500 mm opening lets us enjoy the natural light and fresh air with an insect screen or a blackout screen. There are 2 lighting options a white light and a blue light. What we love about this skylight is that you can open the hatch at night, shut the fly screen and watch the stars.
We recently purchased two White Sirocco II fans at the back where we sleep to help with air circulation.
Plumbing and Water Tanks
For all our Fresh plumbing we used John Guest 12mm pipe and Push fittings. John Guest push-on fittings are very quick to use and re-use. We have a custom made Fresh water tank that holds 110 litres. This is held up under the van with an aluminium frame with checker plate underneath to protect the tank. The water tank has a breather, inlet for the fill point, an outlet which takes the water up to our Shurflo 4009 water pump and a drain bung which we can undo to empty the tank and clean out.
Our Grey water tank is a Fiamma 70 litre tank that fits perfectly under our Iveco Daily chasis. We added our own inlet which connects to the grey water 40mm PVC pipe, an outlet that connects to a 40mm ball valve that we connect our grey water hose to, a motorised ball valve which we can control inside the van and a drain bung. To help reduce any odours from coming up the grey water hose we have installed Hepvo waterless trap which has very good reviews and is easy to remove and clean.
Both tanks have a 12v tank level sensor installed so we can monitor the levels on our Simarine PICO display.
Heating and Hot water- Truma Combi D6
Our Truma Combi D6 is a combined water and air heater. This diesel powered unit is quiet, compact and has low energy consumption. The heater is controlled from a control panel located on one of the upper cupboards. The Truma Combi D6 is simple and easy to use, firstly turn on the control panel and set the desired temperature for either the water or heating. The hot air is ducted through 4 vents spread out in the van. The vents can be turned to direct the air in the desired direction. It only takes about 20 minutes for the water to heat up which is amazing. We recommend Truma Combi D6 to anyone who wants to have the comfy of hot water or heating while on the road.
We purchased our Truma Combi D6 through My Generator. If you are looking at buying one or anything over the value of $300, save yourself $20 by using our discount code ESCAPE20 at checkout.
Rear van
At the back of her van we have built a slide out table. We wanted to create a space that could connect the inside with the outside. We can to sit on the back of the van or on some stools and use the table. This is our favourite spot to sit if we reverse park and want to enjoy a coffee with a view. We can also use this space if we want to work outside or if we want to cook on a portable cooker. This table doubles as a pull out drawer on sliders. The drawer runners are rated for 200 kg and we can use this draw to store our fold out solar panels, hiking equipment or any other bulky items.
We also installed a adjustable outside shower with a twist on hose. We have this incase we need to wash off our feet, wash any outdoor equipment or to squirt people that walk past.
Insulation and Ceiling
Because of Australia’s extreme weather conditions we had to take that into consideration when building the van. To insulate the vans walls, roof and floor we used Australian company- Car Builders long wheel base pack. First we used their stage one sound deadening mat which reduces resonance and vibrational sounds produced in panels. Stage two is Van liner which acts as a decoupling layer slowing the transfer of heat. This will also prevent any condensation build-up. Stage 3 is called Van Seal. It is a 4mm thick closed cell foam with a reflective face on both sides. It is used to create a sealed inner cocoon, forming a very effective insulation barrier. We highly recommend these products from Car Builders and we can already feel the benefits of not skipping out on insulation.
For the roof we first fixed furring strips to the metal panels then screwed 12mm plywood onto the furring strips. We then had a fixing points for the 12mm pine slats which we cut down from Bunnings pine lining boards. The linear lines set the aesthetic tone and create a unique visual effect. The raw light wood tones helps to give off a bright Scandinavian feel.
Flooring
Our sub floor is made from 12 mm Marine Grade plywood which has greater structure strength and absorbs the effects of water, movement, mould and pressure. We primed the plywood first with Crommelin mould resistant Aqua block paint. If there is an accidentle liquid spill on the floor we have the confidence that the floor will not rot, swell or warp.
For our vinyl floor we used vinyl floor planks which is highly durable and natural looking. It is prone to scratches and stains and is easy to clean. We decided on vinyl planks as it has a more overall natural look compared to vinyl roll.
Electrical system and Solar
Under the passeger side seat bench is where we house our electrical board and batteries. The Enerdrive eSYS-I. This board is designed, built and pre wired by the professional electrical team at Enerdrive.
Having this board already built saves us so much time, has excellent cable management, not to mention the fuses and circuit protection is already wired. Enerdrive offers a 5 year warranty with unlimited tech support only a phone call away.
We have two 200 AMP Hour lithium B-Tech batteries giving us a total of 400 AMP Hours of battery storage. The B-Tech batteries stand for Bluetooth Technology and via the Enerdrive APP we can view information about the batteries such as state of charge, voltage, charge and discharge current.
A DC2DC Battery charger which allows us to charge our lithium auxiliary batteries from our lead acid starter battery under the cars bonnet when driving. A 60 AMP AC charger which charges our Lithium batteries from a shore power like in a caravan park.
A Morningstar TriStar MPPT Controller regulates the voltage and current coming from the solar panels to the battery and prevents any damage from over charging. It allows the batteries to receive power at a constant and safe rate.
Inverter
We have a ePower 2000w true sine wave inverter. This converts the DC power from our solar into AC electricity. This enables us to power our 240v appliances such as our coffee machine, blender, and charge laptops, drone batteries ect.
We also have the Simarine PICO monitoring system. The sleek touch screen display is made of gorilla glass and aluminium. This display provides us with a simple overview of all important details regarding our batteries battery (voltage, current, amp hours, battery capacity in%, battery temperature) and also our Fresh and Grey tank levels.
Solar
On the roof we have 3x 180 watt solar panels and 2x 55 watt panels. Together this is a total of 650 watts of solar.
Having all this solar enables us to live off grid for days without relying on mains power. Thought out the day we can use our coffee machine, toaster, blender, charge our laptops and use all our appliances.
Are you thinking of buying any of these products? Save yourself $20 when you use discount code ESCAPE20 at My Generator or Caravan RV Camping.
Thanks for reading.
Our first van build has been our most ambitious project we have ever undertaken and it would be an understatement if we said it was easy. We initially had a dream and that was to build a house on wheels which would enable us to do what we love and that was to travel.
There were many times when we felt overwhelmed, scared and worried that we wouldn’t be capable of building our van. We broke down each process of the build into small tasks and eventually after each cut and each screw our vision started to appear. Our worries turned into feelings of accomplishment, satisfaction and pride. We eventually made it to the finish line together by encouraging each other that we could do it all by ourselves.
Fast forward 18 months and we can now enjoy the fruits of our labour and omg it’s such a good feeling! We hope you have enjoyed reading our blog and we look forward to creating many more adventures on the road and sharing it all with you.
We are very excited to be travelling around Australia in this van. If you would like to read more about road trips in Australia you can click to read more on our road trip guides on Western Australia South West, Exmouth, Tasmania, Darwin and South Australia.
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