Hungarian photographer Norbert Juhasz and his fiancée Dora gave up city life in the center of Budapest, turning a 16-year-old van into a mobile home for traveling and freelancing.


The vehicle itself is quite inconspicuous and looks like many other cargo vans.

Juhasz's architectural education helped him develop and implement the most simplified project for a mobile home for two people.

The interior consists of three main pieces of furniture: - sofa

simultaneously serving as a double bed. Below it is the electrical system and storage space - the kitchen

including a gas stove with a cylinder, a sink and a water tank

— An L-shaped cabinet, the lower part of which is a seating area, with a refrigerator inside and storage space at the top.

For maximum thermal insulation, a 5-centimeter layer of polyurethane foam is applied to the inside of the van body.

The mobile home has a fairly complex 12-volt electrical system that can be charged in three different ways: using a 250-watt panel solar panels, located on the roof, from the engine generator and from a 220 Volt network.

It includes 2 batteries with a total capacity of 200 Ampere-hour and a small 220 Volt inverter.

Water and gas supply systems are extremely easy to use. There is an 11 kg gas cylinder connected to the stove and a 70 liter water tank connected to a water tap with a pressure activated pump.

An additional connection point allows for quick showering in the back of the van.

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Making a camper yourself is not too difficult a task for an experienced craftsman. But the timing of such construction can be very delayed due to the constant improvement of the design. To avoid getting into such a situation, you should think through the interior in advance, abandoning obviously unnecessary elements. This is especially important when equipping small cars, for example, when creating a motor home from a GAZelle with your own hands.

A mobile home has undeniable advantages - comfort, coziness and mobility. Moscow is a noisy city that you sometimes want to leave. Trailer owners do not have to look for a place to stay overnight, and travel becomes very economical. If you haven’t had the opportunity to use this original housing before, you should first familiarize yourself with their classification.

Types of motorhomes and their classification

When choosing the type of future mobile housing, you can be guided by its division according to:

  • in appearance - there are trailers, vans, or mobile homes combined with a car;
  • class – there are three classes of comfort for motorhomes;
  • trailer type - there are trailer trailers, hybrid trailers and fifth-wheel trailers.

If everything is clear with the trailer type of mobile home, then the difference between a van and a combined motorhome is not immediately visible. In the first option, the living space is located in the car van and is separated from the driver's seat.

This option is suitable when traveling as a couple, when no one stays at the “house” during the move. Thanks to this design, it is possible to fit in more functional furniture using a blank front wall.

Motorhomes converted from GAZelles or minibuses are precisely combined.

The comfort class can be called conditional. Thus, Class A motorhomes include spacious trailers made on the chassis of large trucks. Outwardly, they resemble a bus, can have folding structures, and inside, in terms of functionality, they do not differ from a small apartment.

Please note that the driver must have a category “C” license to drive this vehicle.

There is much less space in it, but it is still convenient to travel in them. What is important is that you can drive such a car with a category B license if the weight of the car or the total weight of the car with a trailer does not exceed 3.5 tons.

Class "C" indicates the most basic motorhomes. This could be a small trailer or a minibus converted into a camper. There is no separate sleeping place - its function is performed by folding sofas or armchairs. But by equipping such a mini camper with a trunk-tent, a folding canopy and a set of camping furniture, you can get a comfortable stay at a minimum cost.

Such construction trailers are also called hybrid trailers to distinguish them from simple trailers. Separately, it should be noted fivesville trailers, the shape of which is designed for use in conjunction with pickup trucks. Thanks to this, it is possible to reduce the length of the entire caravan, because part of the trailer hangs over the car body.

Mistakes when building mobile homes with your own hands

Prices for mobile homes are noticeably high. It is not surprising that skilled family heads want to save money and do everything themselves. It’s important to be wise and learn from other people’s mistakes:

  • you shouldn’t make everything from scrap materials - you’ll have to live in the house for at least a week and you want to spend your vacation in comfort;

  • serious modifications to the body, heating system, wiring will be required - you cannot do without the skills of an auto mechanic;

  • if you still managed to fit in a shower and toilet, do not forget about the drainage tank - pouring dirty water onto the asphalt or lawn is extremely unethical;
  • It’s better not to forget to make a connector for connecting 220V to campsites, and a converter for 12V from a car battery.

Making your own trailer

If difficulties do not frighten you, and the desire for action is unstoppable, you can try your hand at building a house. And whether to remake a GAZelle or build a trailer from scratch - the choice is strictly individual!

DIY mobile home from GAZelle

To work you will need a grinder, a welding machine, a hand saw for wood and a lot of patience. The gradual modernization of the car looks like this:

  1. The seats are taken out of the cabin, the old trim is removed. All metal parts are treated with a special solution that prevents rust. The walls and ceiling are insulated with foamed polyethylene, and sheets of plywood are laid on the floor. All wiring runs under the floor and wall cladding; this should be thought out in advance.

  2. The frame for the furniture is welded right in the body. If the car cannot be leveled, you can use a pipe as a level, its ends resting against the lower edge of the window openings. After rough welding, the frame is removed and everything is welded, cleaned and brought inside again.

  3. Window openings are covered with carpet. Ceiling panels covered with carpet are also installed. After completing the interior trim, you can attach the slats under the mezzanine and mount the furniture frames.

  4. A swivel mechanism can be made for the front seats. To do this, you will need a front hub, for example, from a VAZ, and part of a rotary strut. The scheme is quite simple.

  5. The final stage is installing furniture on the frame, connecting lighting, installing a pump for the kitchen washstand, covering the mezzanines and minor interior improvements. For cooking, you can put a small gas stove on one burner.

  6. Instead of welding the furniture frame, you can use ready-made sets, reinforcing them from the inside with corners and additional screws. The kitchen also needs to be attached to everything - the floor, the sofa, the wall. This is done to protect the furniture from becoming loose while driving on bumpy roads.

We should not forget that such a modification of the car requires registration with the REO. To do this, you need to write an application and receive a resolution from the technical department of the traffic police and a protocol from the authorized organization.

Stylish plywood trailer house

If your car has a towbar, it would be a sin not to take advantage of the situation and not make a nice “drop” trailer for overnight stays outside the city. For this:

  1. The side walls of the future van are cut and attached to the base. All holes for doors and windows, as well as to lighten the frame, must be cut in advance, so it is better to think through the drawing carefully.

  2. Shelves are assembled from furniture panels and installed on the base. These same shelves will serve as the front and rear walls of the van.

  3. According to the shape of the van, a plywood sheet is bent above the shelves on both sides, and a power frame made of timber is fixed on top. One side is made liftable, providing access to the kitchen.

  4. The top hatch and skylight are cut out. The entire frame is insulated and the wiring is installed.

  5. Everything is covered with veneer sheets on top. Once the door and window openings are cut out, you can begin exterior painting and varnishing.

  6. Doors, an overhead hatch and supply and exhaust ventilation are installed. After securing all the fittings, side lights and wheel fenders, you can safely set off on your journey!

And the video shows the detailed assembly of the motorhome with the installation of solar panels:

A mobile home is a special kind vehicle, which 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 place, 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:

  1. 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.
  2. Sleeping area. This is one of the important areas, since adequate sleep ensures activity and good mood. For the driver night rest is very important, since his concentration and attentiveness depend on this, 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.
  3. Bathroom with toilet. To equip such an area, you need to install a sink, a shower stall and a modern dry closet.
  4. Kitchen. This zone takes up a minimum amount of space, since most of its elements are built-in. To ensure 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 specifying the dimensions of the common room 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, which are optimally suitable for everyone who likes to make something with their own hands, we can distinguish three 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:

  1. Leveling any dents on the inner surface and priming all metal parts of the base. This will prevent the occurrence of destructive corrosion.
  2. The internal surface - walls, ceiling and floor - are covered with heat-insulating material.
  3. A moisture-resistant coating is laid on top.
  4. Gas and electricity are provided.
  5. Bathroom equipment is being manufactured.
  6. 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:

  1. Cleaning the chassis and trailer.
  2. Mounting on the base of the frame of the future motorhome.
  3. Covering the frame with a layer of plywood.
  4. Floor installation with simultaneous use of thermal insulation.
  5. The structure is sheathed with external material and coated with special moisture-resistant compounds.
  6. Roof arrangement.
  7. Construction of a drain, installation of wires to provide the house with electricity.
  8. 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 works

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:

  1. Removal of corrosion and various types of damage.
  2. 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:

  1. Creating partitions between the main body and the front seats.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.