Scandinavian Designed Off Grid Fiat Ducato– 4seasons – High Spec – Internal Shower

We have been designing and building campervan conversions and tiny house concepts professionally for over 10 years. This is a special project for us as it was designed and built to our own specifications for our own use. Sadly with us now living and working predominantly on the continent; still in the overland/campervan field, it is time to sell and buy a left hand drive vehicle.

We decided we wanted to avoid using gas and instead opted for an all-electric solution using Victron generation and monitoring products with 620W of solar and a 190Ah of Lithium leisure battery. The result is an off grid camper where you can cook on induction, watch the snow falling on the rooflight whilst reading your book in bed having had a nice hot shower. Wherever you are, for as long as you choose.

The living area is constructed from lightweight poplar plywood that has been curved to achieve clean lines that flow from the seating area into the bathroom and around to the kitchen and entrance. The floor lights and four spotlights can all be dimmed using the touch dimmers located next to the entrance door.

The entrance area has a plant pot and space to store shoes out of the way below the raised floor area that curves around to the seating area. The two additional rear seats are travelling seats with seatbelts to safely carry a total of 4 people. Once the front seats are rotated and the table is folded out there is space for 4 people to eat comfortably. There are also 230v and USB sockets below the table. The window above the table with curved reveals and a hidden blind brings lots of light to the space. An open shelf with a projector mount and a 12v socket can be found above the table alongside a large storage locker above the cabin area. The rear seats can also be opened to reveal a large storage area.

Behind the seats is the shower room which can be accessed via a sliding tambour door following the curve of the wall revealing a bright clean space with a frosted glass window. All surfaces are waterproofed using a combination of epoxy coating and polyurethane paints in a similar process to the exterior of yachts so no care has to be taken as to where water goes. The hot shower is connected to the Eberspacher diesel heater supplying instant hot water from the 125L inboard fresh water tank. The waste water is then accumulated in the 55L grey water tank, fitted below the van. The Thetford cassette toilet with electric flush is serviced from the exterior of the vehicle and can be swivelled 90 degrees. There is a built in shelf for washbags and another shelf with integrated holders for soap, diffuser etc. The two downlights and extractor fan can be dimmed from the switch outside the bathroom.

On the opposite side of the van is the kitchen where there are four large kitchen draws finished in mint green kitchen paint with brown leather handles. The walnut effect kitchen top matches the adjacent splash back and spice rack. The kitchen is equipped with a 40L Dometic fridge with freezer compartment, a two plate induction hob, a sink with lid, a hot and cold tap and an outside table. There is a 230v socket above the worktop alongside the switches to control the inverter and water pump. The heating is also controlled from a control panel above the worktop where the diesel heater timings and temperature can be adjusted.

The fixed double bed is at the back of the van and can be accessed via the steps integrated into the 4 large drawers that slide out into the living area from underneath the bed, giving you over 600L of storage. The very comfortable mattress sits on a slatted bed frame and sits below a large rooflight where you can lay and watch the stars. The rooflight has integrated black out blinds and a mosquito net. The two side windows with curtains are centered between a pair ofreading lights. At the foot of the bed is a small alcove where a number of books can be kept along with phones next to the two USB charging sockets.

From the outside of the vehicle the garage/storage are can be accessed. The full length drawer on the right hand side measures 1.6m x 60cm and is large enough to fix two mountain bikes with the front wheels removed. The central 4 drawers are linked to the drawers inside and extend fully out of the back aswell giving you access to the other half of the draw and an additional 650L of storage. On the left is the fresh water tank with some additional storage boxes that can be removed altogether to store larger items. The electrical and heating components are all mounted on the back wall of the living area for easy checking and maintenance. A full width shelf give lots of storage space for items that are frequently requires as well as a hanging rail along the top of the back carpeted wall. 

Full Specifications:

Air suspension (assist) on rear axle with separate control of each side from the drivers seat for weight support whilst driving and levelling out without using ramps
Front Light Bar – Can either be manually on, off or automatically turned on with the high beam
Rear Light Bar – Can either be manually on, off or automatically turned on when reversing
Discreet custom one piece aluminium roof rack
2 x 310 W solar panels mounted onto the Aluminium roof rack
Thule Omnistor 4900 3m x 3m awning with leg mounts on the van wall
Dimmable awning strip light underneath the sliding door.
Wind Deflectors on front windows
100mm body suspension lift for greater ground clearance and arrival/departure angles

12mm structural plywood formwork to minimise cold bridging
Closed cell 2-part Polyurethane spray insulation, 38mm on ceiling, 25mm on floor and 65mm on walls, all covered with silver foil bubble wrap
Insulated back wall between the bed area and back doors to further minimise heat loss
3-Layer bespoke window blinds for each window in matching green and white

Internal 125L water tank with manual and hose filling
External 55L grey water tank with isolation valve
Sea flow filter, water pump & accumulator tank with remote on/off switch
Hot water heat exchanger

Eberspächer D5E Diesel heater
Time and temperature control of heating
Heat outlet via heater fan in the living area and the original Fiat heater in the front
Heat recovery of waste engine heat for heating or hot water (there is enough residual heat in the engine for 1 or 2 hours of heating or 2 hot showers without the boiler having to turn on)
Ventilation mode via front fans on hot days
Endless hot water with a 2 minute heat up time via a heat exchanger

190 Ah Lithium battery LIPO4 battery with Bluetooth battery management system. (Lithium cells can be discharged down to 20% as opposed to the usual 50% on AGM batteries and have a life cycle 16 times greater)
620W of solar panels on the aluminium roof rack
Victron 150/45 MPPT solar charger
Victron 1600 VA Phoenix Inverter
Victron Orion battery 12v/12v 30A charger (for charging the leisure battery whilst driving)
Victron 230v/12V – 15A charger(for charging the leisure battery whilst hooked up)
Victron Smart Shunt (for Battery level monitoring)
*all our Victron products can be monitored via Bluetooth on the head unit touchscreen
12v Fuse board
230v Breaker board

Lightweight poplar plywood panelling finished in hard wearing satin white kitchen cabinet paint
Bespoke curved furniture also built from poplar plywood and finished in hard wearing satin kitchen paint
Striped ceiling timber in walnut stained poplar plywood
4 dimmable ceiling lights
Dimmable shadow gap strip light to illuminate the floor
LVT Walnut flooring
Twin travelling seats with seatbelts for additional passengers with 200L storage locker below seats
230v socket and 2 x USB charging sockets below table
Fold out table (also completely removeable)
Storage locker (80L) below rear passenger foot well – keeps cool and dry during hot summer days.
Storage locker with door above the front seats
Shelf with upstand and a 12V USB socket and space for a micro projector to be fitted below (projecting onto opposite window blind)
Black out blinds – integrated above the side windows
Thermal curtains between cabin and living area.
Plant pot hole in curved raised floor with open front shoe storage accessible from the lower floor alongside – To keep shoes out of the way when entering

4 Mint green kitchen drawers with light brown leather handles and copper nails
* lower draw with 30L rubbish bin, 30L Recycling Bin and 10L compost bin
Electromagnetic drawer catches that automatically lock the drawers when the engine is started
Dometic CF40 fridge with freezer box
Storage compartment accessible via top lid above the fridge
Poplar plywood walnut stained and epoxied kitchen top
230v socket, inverter enable + fault light and water pump enable
Twin induction hob
Sink with lid – for more worktop space.
Hot and cold water in tap
Pigeon hole for spices
Pigeon hole for oils and cleaning products
Hanging rails with hooks and holders

All surfaces made from poplar plywood, re-enforced with epoxy and finished in Polyurethane yacht paint
Waterproof tambour door following the curve of the wall
Two dimmable spotlights
Extractor fan with closable vent
Thetford toilet with electric flush – 18L cassette
Shower with water saving shower head, tube and valve in black
5 Decorative soap/candle/diffuser holders in poplar with walnut stain and clear epoxied
Space for laundry basket

Double bed (135×185) with slatted bed frame and a firm mattress with a built-in memory foam topper
Dometic Heki 2 roof light with built in mosquito net and black out blind
Dividing curtain to living area for privacy and to create a cozy atmosphere
Two Side windows
Two Bedside reading lights
Shelfs with two USB chargers
4 drawers below the bed with driving locks totalling 650L of storage
Steps integrated into the drawer tops for easy access to the raised bed area

Fully extendable bike draw measuring 1.6m – perfect for two bikes
Four fully extendable draws totalling 650L
Tunnel below drawers for snowboards (max 148cm)
Plastic boxes on slides above the water tank
Shelf across back wall for storage
230V & 12V sockets in the garage.
Loading lights with switch
Heavy duty hooks
Pocket organiser on the back right door for storing light bits, eg. shoes.

Should you have any further questions or if you would like to discuss any of the above information do not hesitate to call or email and we will do our best to get back to you as soon as possible. References for other builds and projects are available upon request aswell as additional construction photos.
Dominic Planel
+44 7577222362
Frida Svensson
+46 73 069 02 01