This is the step where it is very difficult to explain in great detail how to do it because of varying layouts and the many different types of materials you can use to build based off of your preferences. If you have any specific questions, feel free to shoot us an email!
Before you get into building any structures it is important to first put up all your furring strips or studs, if you will, on your walls and ceiling. For this step, you can use 1×4’s or wider if you prefer or you can buy a sheet of ¾ inch plywood and rip it down to the width you would like for your furring strips. The plywood is nice because it seems to bend with the curve of the van a little easier. You will want to put these in strategically (the best you can, it may not be perfect) with where the structures will be in your layout, doing this can increase the amount of screws also going into the furring strips. We inserted an example of this to your right!
Then we would recommend getting all of your wires run before moving into building your base structures like your bed frame, shower if you are building one, lower cabinets, benches, etc.
There are many options for building these like we said, we really like working with birch plywood for things. We use a mixture of ¾ and ½ inch birch for these and if you can afford to get baltic birch we would highly recommend but it is very pricey! This plywood gives a great look sanded but also is perfect for paint and we’ve been happy with the end result in both vans we’ve built. If you want more help on how to build these structures, we would be happy to help you or build them for you. Just send us an email and we can talk more specifics.
Another option that is becoming more popular is to use 80/20 extruded aluminum to frame things out in your van. This gives a very durable and easy-to-adjust framing system that will undoubtedly hold up for some bumpy roads. We don’t have any personal experience with this but know it is becoming more popular in the vanlife space, we may try it on the next build but this option is also very expensive. You also still have to cover the framing of this with wood so would only consider this if you have a lot of money to play with.