How to make a mobile home from a minibus. DIY mobile home: how to turn a minibus into a cozy home Converting minibuses into a mobile home yourself

Is it difficult to build a motor home on the basis of a regular car trailer? What materials can this trailer-house-dacha be built from? What are its minimum dimensions? What interior layout will allow you to make the most efficient use of the interior space? Let's try to find answers to this list of questions.

Goals

A small country house is probably the most common hobby in post-Soviet space over the past half century. The area of cities is growing every year, and areas are naturally moving away from the center settlements. Distances are sometimes measured in tens of kilometers; The most comfortable way to overcome them is to drive your own car.

At the same time, not all summer residents are ready to turn a small plot into a place of permanent residence. The maximum that an average city family can decide to do is spend the night on their property once a week. Building a permanent house for the sake of this overnight stay is a dubious idea; sleeping in a car is very uncomfortable...

For summer residents who have basic skills in working with power tools, homemade summer cottage trailers are often the solution.

We have to study one of these structures, getting acquainted with the materials used and design solutions.

Acknowledgment: The photographs used in this article were kindly posted by one of the regulars of the League of Caravaners forum.
The author's work was reduced only to explaining some technical subtleties.

Selection of materials

In most cases, the base on which a compact trailer-dacha-motorhome is built is a single-axle trailer with a maximum load of no more than a ton. Taking into account the weight of household items and a couple of people, our choice is a caravan trailer weighing up to 750 kg.

The weight limitation leaves its mark on the choice of material.

We will make the frame of the building from pine beams with a cross-section of 50 mm.
The walls are made of 10 mm plywood (moisture-resistant or impregnated to reduce the hygroscopicity of the material and prevent it from rotting); the floor is made of 12 mm. It is also used for construction inside.
External cladding is galvanized steel. The sheets are hemmed to the frame bar with self-tapping screws; the overlaps are additionally sealed with silicone sealant. The outer corners are reinforced with aluminum corners - again sealed with silicone.

What to choose as insulation laid between the inner and outer layers of plywood - we will leave it to the reader to decide. Here is a comparative thermal conductivity of popular insulation materials:

A caveat: glass wool will inevitably cake over time.
It is better to use rigid insulation.

Dimensions

A reasonable minimum size of trailer required for our purposes is 2300x1600 mm. Such dimensions will allow you to build a comfortable enough sleeping place for two people inside and leave some space for a table for a washbasin and/or a gas stove.

A two-axle trailer-dacha will provide much more comfort; however, the price of such a trailer will be double or triple. Its dimensions (up to 4.5 meters in length) allow you to build a full-fledged toilet room.

A reasonable minimum height of a structure is generally 2 meters. The height can be adjusted depending on the size of the owners: it is clear that a very tall person will not want to constantly cling to the ceiling with the top of their head.

Construction

So let's get started. How to build a cottage from a trailer with your own hands?

Floor, bottom trim

The sides are completely dismantled. All that remains of the trailer is a flat area. If the horizontal base is sufficiently rigid, floor joists and trim can be attached directly to it; It is better to weld a thin flexible sheet with a frame made of corrugated pipe with a cross-section of 50x25 mm.
Then the lower frame made of timber, laid around the perimeter, is bolted to the base; the side bars are connected by lags in increments of 20 cm (for 12 mm plywood).

As an option, the entire structure can be assembled on a stand and only then pulled to the base of the trailer.

The logs are attached to the frame with a galvanized angle; The block must be soaked twice with hot drying oil.

Tip: instead of drying oil heated in a water bath, you can use cold drying oil.
In this case, after applying each layer, the block is heated with a construction hairdryer.

Insulation is laid between the joists; then the floor is covered with plywood, which is attached with self-tapping screws.

Frame

The instructions for assembling the frame are no different from the construction of the lower frame: the block is connected with corners using self-tapping screws. Before or after assembly, the wood is impregnated with drying oil. Do not be afraid that the frame will not be rigid enough: the sheathing will give the structure strength.

Sheathing, insulation

The finished frame begins to be sheathed from the inside. The plywood is attached with self-tapping screws 32 millimeters long in increments of approximately 25 cm. Self-tapping screws are only galvanized: in damp weather, black steel will inevitably decorate the walls with untidy rusty streaks.

Three nuances:

The holes for the screws are pre-drilled and countersunk so that the caps do not catch on clothing. An alternative is to use self-tapping screws with semi-countersunk heads.

The inside of the plywood must be sanded before varnishing and after applying the first layer. Any moisture will raise the lint on the top layer of veneer, which will make the surface rough.
The amount of work will be quite large, so it is better to use a grinder - even the simplest, vibrating one. If there is no electricity where you are building, there is always a way out: renting a diesel generator for a summer house costs from 1,000 rubles per day.
The outer side and ends of plywood also need protective impregnation. And in this case, the cheapest and most practical option is two layers of hot drying oil.
The insulation is fixed in the grooves formed by the frame and the inner lining, after which it is sheathed on the outside with plywood coated on both sides.

The door is assembled similarly to the walls and hung on galvanized hinges; a regular door lock or a pair of bolts is used as a lock - inside and outside.

The last stage is galvanized exterior finishing. It is fixed with self-tapping screws 25 mm long in 10 cm increments along all frame bars; then the corners are closed with a corner. Don't forget about the sealant: it will protect the corners and joints from water leakage.

The photo shows the trim ready for painting.

Window

If you want your tiny home to have skylights, no problem.

The opening is provided at the stage of frame construction. It is surrounded by a bar with a cross-section of the same 50x50 mm.
An alloy corner is used as an external glazing bead, screwed flush with the outer cladding with self-tapping screws. Seat under the corner is pre-coated with sealant.
A piece of plexiglass cut to the size of the opening is placed on the sealant and fixed from the inside with a bead made from the same duralumin corner.

Internal layout

Our choice is a transformable bed-seat and folding table. The transformation mechanism will be made clear by pictures.

Useful little things

An alternative to galvanized plywood is external cladding made of corrugated sheets.. Country houses from modular containers are often built using a similar scheme.
Do-it-yourself repair of a summer house trailer usually comes down to periodic painting of galvanized steel. Old paint is removed with washes. In those few cases when the wheels, fenders or suspension of the trailer are damaged, spare parts for the trailer camper are purchased at the nearest auto store.

The simplest way to organize ventilation is to provide a pair of hatches covered with a mosquito net in the door (bottom and top).

Conclusion

A motorhome is a special type of vehicle that is becoming increasingly popular. The reason for this demand is based on the fact that a car of this type is both a means of transportation and a place of residence. If you know how to make a mobile home with your own hands, you can get a home that can easily accommodate up to eight people at a time. Each person will have their own sleeping place, as well as a bathroom and a small kitchen.

Most models are distinguished by general design features and design rules. For example, the driver's seat and passenger seats are fully movable. Due to this, the free space significantly increases during the parking period. In the back of the car there is usually a separate room with real U-shaped furniture. In this article you can find out what types of modern motorhomes there are, as well as how to make a similar design yourself.

On this moment There are several classifications of mobile homes. Based on the main design features, the following categories can be distinguished:

trailed;
camper van;
a caravan house connected to transport.

Mobile modern houses can be divided into types not only according to certain design features, but also according to their purpose. This category includes mobile homes that are used as permanent or long-term housing, as well as those that are intended exclusively for travel.

There is another form of classification of modern motorhomes. They can be divided into three main categories:

C – small-sized, used for short trips;
C B – semi-integrated car houses;
B A – fully integrated.

The first ones are made on the basis of a regular SUV; the sleeping places here need to be transformed in a special way. Class B motorhomes are distinguished by a permanently located sleeping area, which is located in the rear of the vehicle. Class A motorhomes are similar in appearance to regular buses. They are quite comfortable and, therefore, very expensive in cost if purchased ready-made.

To save money, you can build a mobile home with your own hands, using photos and special instructions as a guide. If you correctly carry out the main stages of manufacturing a motor home, you can get a vehicle that will have a large windshield, a fixed driver's seat, as well as special retractable partitions that form zones of different functionality and separately located sleeping places.

Below you will find information on how to make a mobile home with your own hands, which can be considered autonomous. The structures can be equipped with generators, have gas supplied and a sufficiently large supply of water.

Stages of building a motorhome with your own hands

If you want to build a motorhome with your own hands, you should carefully follow the instructions provided. Below we describe how to build a motorhome body depending on the base, how to properly equip it and equip it with all the necessary components for living and traveling.

Creating a plan

Homemade mobile homes are quite serious structures. The process of their construction, here, as in any important event, must begin with a detailed plan. It is at this stage of work that the master must think through the most basic aspects of the matter, all possible little details and draw up the most accurate drawing.

When making a motorhome from a trailer with your own hands, you need to strictly adhere to all the points and rules indicated in the plan and drawings.

The total internal space of a building on wheels should be divided into three main zones:

A dining room where you can eat, work on a laptop or read a newspaper at the table. Here you can place a small sofa, chairs and a table. These items should fold easily enough to take up a minimum amount of free space.
Sleeping area. This is one of the important areas, since adequate sleep ensures activity and good mood. For a driver, night rest is very important, since his concentration and attentiveness depend on it, which directly affects the safety of movement during the daytime. It is advisable to equip this area with a comfortable bed, which should easily rise and free up space.
Bathroom with toilet. To equip such an area, you need to install a sink, a shower stall and a modern dry closet.
Kitchen. This zone takes up a minimum amount of space, since most of its elements are built-in. To provide maximum comfort you need to install two burners, a small sink, a countertop, a small refrigerator and an extractor hood.

Due to the fact that the standard room of a motorhome is quite limited, its zones need to be integrated into one another. It is for this reason that a preliminary plan is so important and must be followed carefully.

In the process of drawing up a plan, you need to carefully consider what interior items are really required and what you can refuse.

After this, everything desired, indicating the exact dimensions, is transferred to a sheet of paper. Next, the plan is drawn up according to the following principle:

The estimated area of the motorhome is divided into pre-divided zones. For example, a bedroom needs more space than a kitchen;
the location of the bathroom and options for separating it from other rooms are noted;
All furniture elements are drawn, as well as methods of their fastening and folding options.

In the process of drawing and designating these areas of the room, it is necessary to take into account the dimensions of each element.

Don't forget about free space too. The mobile home should not be littered with things and pieces of furniture.

After drawing up a detailed and well-thought-out plan, after clarifying the dimensions common area and pieces of furniture, you can begin to build such a structure as a mobile home from a trailer with your own hands.

Selecting a base

Among the most affordable budget options that are optimal for everyone who likes to make something with their own hands, we can highlight three of the most convenient designs. You can make a residential trailer with your own hands on the basis of a gazelle, a trailer with a reinforced chassis and an old minibus. Let's look at two of them in more detail.

Minibus

To make a motorhome with your own hands from a minibus, you should begin by thoroughly cleaning the body and removing the upholstery. After this, you need to make special holes for ventilation, under the windows and for gas supply. After these general preparatory works, you can begin special processes related to the arrangement of the residential area. Work of this kind must be performed in the following sequence:

Leveling any dents on the inner surface and priming all metal parts of the base. This will prevent the occurrence of destructive corrosion.
The internal surface - walls, ceiling and floor - are covered with heat-insulating material.
A moisture-resistant coating is laid on top.
Gas and electricity are provided.
Bathroom equipment is being manufactured.
The kitchen is being equipped and furniture is being installed.

It is equally important to get your travel van's engine and chassis in order. Due to the fact that this is a mobile vehicle, its ability to move should be given no less close attention than its arrangement and comfort.

Trailer

Making a camper from a trailer with your own hands is much more difficult than making a camper from a minibus. The main difficulty is that the walls and ceiling need to be built from scratch. An approximate scheme of action in this case will be as follows:

Cleaning the chassis and trailer.
Mounting on the base of the frame of the future motorhome.
Covering the frame with a layer of plywood.
Floor installation with simultaneous use of thermal insulation.
The structure is sheathed with external material and coated with special moisture-resistant compounds.
Roof arrangement.
Construction of a drain, installation of wires to provide the house with electricity.
Installation of door and window openings.

All this is a general scheme for making a house on wheels. Below each stage will be discussed in more detail.

Exterior finishing work

Once the main body of the mobile home is ready, the main exterior work can begin. It is very important to ensure that the campsite is kept as clean as possible. There should be no dust, dirt or significant defects. This is what guarantees the successful formation of the structure. The main points of external work include:

Removal of corrosion and various types of damage.
Making holes.

Speaking about the necessary openings, it can be noted that these are not only window openings, but also those designed for gas outlet, ventilation, and water filler necks.

Openings must be made during the process of arranging the camper. Otherwise, you may encounter certain difficulties.

The external arrangement of such a structure as a do-it-yourself mobile home from a minibus or trailer consists of performing the following work:

Creating partitions between the main body and the front seats.
Arrangement of internal insulation. Here you need to remember that the overall temperature and sound insulation inside the room will directly depend on the quality and proper installation of this material.
Covering the structure from the roof to the floor covering.

There are a huge number of different materials available on the modern market. The choice can be made based on personal preferences, characteristics environment, general financial situation, as well as the type of body used.

Home equipment

The equipment of a motorhome lies largely in its internal arrangement. To make the house convenient and comfortable, you will need to install water, electricity, gas into the house, and also install certain furniture.

Water supply and bathroom

A prerequisite for water supply to a structure on wheels is to ensure the supply of running water. To carry out this process, you need to install a couple of canisters and a compact pump under the sink, which will provide the necessary flow of water to the tap.

Thinking through the drainage of wastewater is the basic rule when arranging a full-fledged toilet. They can be removed using a special hose located in the floor surface. With a little engineering knowledge, you won't have to manually drain water into special portable tanks. Although many people do this too.

As for the bathroom, the best option is to purchase and install a dry closet.

Electricity

One or more special batteries may be entirely responsible for the accumulation and storage of electricity in a wheeled house. These devices can be charged while the tractor is operating or when connected to external sources. When equipping a motorhome with electrical networks, modern inverters occupy a special place. These are special devices that are capable of converting direct current with a voltage of 12 V into alternating current equal to 230 V. Due to this, devices operating from a 230-volt standard can be connected to a 12-volt network without any problems.

Heating and gas

Gasification of the described design consists of simply installing a gas cylinder in the room. To do this, you need to select a separate closed area. In its lower part you need to arrange special holes that go out.

This rule cannot be neglected! The holes will allow gas to escape from the motorhome if it leaks and not cause a fire or poisoning.

To provide heat inside the structure, simply purchase a small heating device. This should be a compact device, powered by a regular electrical network and, if necessary, easily retractable into a secluded place.

Furniture and interior

Furniture for a motorhome must be made by hand. Standard items will not fit in size. Everything should be as compact as possible and at the same time comfortable.

Making furniture yourself will not only allow you to get those items that will optimally fit the area of the structure, but will also save money.

Price issue

The cost of a motor home directly depends on the price at which spare parts for it were purchased, how many people such a car is designed for, and what size you prefer. The general price range here is quite large and ranges from 600 thousand to 1.3 million rubles.

Conclusion

If you build a mobile home correctly, using the diagram presented to your attention, the residential vehicle can be used in the country. If a house has not been built on the territory, if work related to the arrangement is still underway, such a car will be a real salvation. In addition, having a motorhome on wheels is the optimal solution for long and short trips.

Some travelers and outdoor enthusiasts prefer DIY RVs to pre-built RVs. The choice is explained not only by the lower cost of home-made structures - you can think through the layout and arrange the interior according to your own wishes. Before you build a motorhome with your own hands, you should learn more about the process of making motorhomes and decide which option is better: a caravan or a camper.

Original motorhome

Construction of a motorhome and caravan

Regardless of the type, the motorhome must have minimal amenities: sleeping places for each traveler and an area for preparing and eating food.

In addition, inside the minibus or trailer there may be:

wash basin;
gas stove connected to a cylinder;
shelves, cabinets and other storage systems.

In mobile homes intended for long trips, usually there is a bathroom combined with a small shower.

When making a motorhome for yourself, with your own hands, you can provide for the presence of a bathroom and everything else that may be needed on the trip.

Making a motorhome with your own hands

A do-it-yourself mobile home is made on the basis of a van or trailer. Buses are suitable for this purpose - the spacious interior and high roof make them a good candidate for conversion.

Before converting a trailer or van, find out the conditions for registering motorhomes with the traffic police.

Motorhome-bus

The construction of a mobile home consists of several stages:

drafting;
carrying out external and internal works;
communications device;
placement of furniture.

First of all, you need to decide what to use as a basis: a trailer or a van. The first option is more labor-intensive - the van already has walls and a roof, but in a trailer you will need to build them yourself.

DIY motorhome based on a car

To create mobile housing, they use a car or, for example, an old bus. Vehicle for conversion into a house, they are chosen based on financial capabilities and the number of people who will live inside the building.

Depending on the number of residents, they think about the design of the mobile home, as well as its contents. To make work easier, make a plan.

Motorhome based on a cargo van

Before you make a motorhome, you need to stock up on the materials and tools necessary for the work:

grinder;
car paint;
screwdriver;
welding machine;
thermal insulation;
finishing materials (plastic panels, lining or other);
moisture-resistant plywood;
carpet;
fasteners (screws, nails, dowels);
polyurethane foam;
primer;
paint brushes;
sealant;
wire brush.

Exterior works

When the drawing is ready, the design has been thought out, they move on to external work. Required:

Clean the car body from rust and other damage. If the paint on the surfaces has peeled off, clean it off.
Make several holes in the van for windows, if there were none initially. At the same time, cut holes for ventilation.
Determine the location and cut holes for exhaust gases, drain holes and other communications.
Cover cut areas and areas where paint has been removed with primer to prevent rust from forming. Wait until it dries completely.
Paint the outside surfaces of the van.

Van-based motorhome

Interior work

If you plan to separate the cabin from the living compartment. Then the partition is mounted either using fasteners, or the metal frame is welded to the body with a welding machine.

First, the body is covered with heat-insulating material. Any insulation intended for residential premises is suitable. To fix the material on the walls and ceiling, use hardware made of the same metal as the body - this technique will help protect the car from rust.

If the selected insulation does not tolerate contact with water well, additional waterproofing will be required.

Windows are inserted. Moving on to finishing the walls. For cladding we choose moisture-resistant plywood. The sheets must be quite thick to withstand heavy loads - cabinets, shelves, and furniture will subsequently be attached to them.

Work starts from the ceiling. Having fixed the sheets there, they sheathe the walls. Next, wooden beams as thick as the height of the thermal insulation material are attached to the floor, and insulation boards are laid between them. Cover the floor with plywood and attach it to the timber with self-tapping screws.

The living room, in which the kitchen is located, and the shower and toilet should be separated using a frame partition.

Plywood can be painted, varnished, or carpeted. The latter option simultaneously serves as additional thermal insulation. To fix the carpet, special glue is used.

The next step is the installation of communications in accordance with a pre-drawn diagram: electricity, heating and ventilation. Cable, water and gas pipes are laid either on top of the internal cladding, or installed simultaneously with the installation of insulation inside, making holes for the communication outlets.

Furniture

Furniture for a motorhome is selected individually. Necessary furnishings include:

table with bench for the dining area;
bed or folding sofa;
hanging shelves and cabinets for storing supplies, clothes, bedding;
washing.

Since furniture is subject to increased load while the motorhome is moving, it must be of high quality, strong, have reliable fittings and a minimum of moving elements. You should make sure that during a sharp turn the cabinet door will not open and the contents will not spill throughout the cabin.

All furniture must be firmly secured; it is advisable that it be fixed at two points: on the floor and on the wall.

Interior solutions in a motorhome

DIY motorhome from a trailer

Making a caravan out of a trailer is more difficult than converting a car. In this case, you will need to build the base of the floor, walls, and roof from scratch.

For camper construction, single-axle trailers that can withstand loads of up to 1 ton are most often chosen. Therefore, it is necessary to select materials for the frame, taking into account the weight of the future structure.

A camper trailer is erected using a frame:

metal;
tree;
sandwich panels.

The most affordable and relatively light material for making a house on a trailer is wood. It is easier to work with and does not require special tools to connect elements.

DIY Vintage Motorhome Trailer