DIY Van Conversion | Bed + Closet

DISCLOSURE:

I am not a van conversion professional or professional handyman. This is a documentation of my experience and you should make your own decisions on how to build your own van, and seek professional guidance if you are unsure. This blog post also contains affiliate links, so if you click a product link and buy from the merchant, I will receive a commission fee. The price you pay remains the same, affiliate link or not. Buying through my product links is the best way to say thanks if this blog post was at all helpful to you.

Bed Frame

I created the bed frame out 4, bracket shaped strips, 4″ wide and 2″ tall. The strips ran the full width of the van and sat on top of the 3/4 wall. I used 4″ corner brackets below and 2″ brackets on the sides to attach to each wall. I then supported the two middle strips with a vertical 2×4. The front strip would be further supported later on, and the rear strip could not be supported in this way because the bike handles would hit the 2×4. I then added 1/2″ ply over the top of it all to create the bed platform.

Additional 2x4s were used on the front support, which would divide this space into two areas for drawers and a slide-out table.

Bedside Cubbies / Closet

Here is my detailed design plan:

I cut 1/2″ ply to be the dividers here, scribing the wall onto one, and using it as a template for the rest. The rear piece is 3/4″ ply, partly because I had a bunch of extra 3/4″ but also because I thought I might want to hang some things here as part of the garage. The pieces are attached to the wall with 20mm corner braces. I also drilled pocket holes on these where they will attach to the face of the cubbies.

I then built a face for the cubbies out of 1x2s. For the bottom, I used a 4″ strip of 3/4″ ply. All attached with pocket holes and glue.

I then cut a large hole in the bed platform in the closet and hung a laundry bag down into it. This space underneath the bed would be really hard to access anyways, so this worked perfectly. I have it hanging on 4 clothing hangers. It is great just stuffing your dirty clothes down in there, and is pretty easy to take out on laundry day. You can see I also added a wooden pole for hanging clothes with the higher hangers.

Under the bed in the opening to the garage we also added clothes hangers for hanging and drying gear.

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