Here we have our beloved, and beautifully converted Citroen Relay L3H2…

We spent around a year researching and planning this build, then around 4 months to complete and we’re so happy with it! We wanted maximum work space, as we work from our laptops, and also a kitchen that didn’t feel restrictive. And our kitchen is a monster!

The saddest part of our build was finding out that we would have to sell it. We are relocating to Spain and the new rules stating we must import it when residing there means we can’t take it with us, without a very hefty import tax 🙁

But this means someone else can enjoy it, which makes us happy

Without further ado, here she is…

Outside:

We wanted to have maximum natural light in our van so naturally decided to go with a large slidable window on the side of the sliding door. This is a proper factory bonded window which covers the whole width of the sliding door panel, we thought looks much better than the plastic caravan windows which are often used, and is blacked out for maximum privacy. This also provides ventilation as is located next to our full LPG oven. As well as this we added a 12v fan vent above the kitchen area, to suck up unwanted cooking smells and steam/smoke.

We also added two slim windows either side of the seating/sleeping area so that when working or just chilling inside on a rainy day you can look out and see what’s going on outside.

Above the sleeping area we have a 40 x 40 skylight which gives so much natural light, and is perfect for nighttime stargazing!

1 x Dometic Mini Heki Roof Vent
1 x Bonded black out sliding side door window
1 x Fiamma Turbo 28 vent with 12v Fan
2 x Bonded slim side windows
1 x LPG fill point (same side as diesel fill point for ease when filling both)
1 x 240v hook up point

All side windows have beautiful custom roll up curtains, which really look fab!

Materials and Insulation:

We were really conscious about the impact our build would have on the environment, and for this reason, as well as superior insulation properties, we chose to go mainly with sheep’s wool for our insulation material. We’re so glad we did, as the van stays really toasty when cold outside, and when sleeping we never get woken up by the heat of the sun in the mornings.

We also love the look of cladding, so decided to clad the whole van, the walls being painted white with water based satin, and the ceiling a lovely warm oak satin stain. As difficult as it was, we really didn’t like the look of auto carpeting in vans, but also wanted to cover all the unsightly areas in some form or another. So we clad all areas of the van that needed it, and used Flexi ply and some clever carpentry to cover those areas we wanted to look finished (above doors and back doors), and we think it looks really great!

We really wanted a way to get from the living area to the cab in an emergency, when it we didn’t want to leave the van. So we decided to add a window that we could climb through. This also means you can look out the windscreen when cooking, which is really great. We love distressed paint, and decided to use that effect on all our window sills. Using orange and blue chalk paint, we distressed this and the other sills on the slim side windows, and they look amazing!

Walls and ceiling:
– 50mm sheep’s wool full coverage
– Sheep’s wool in cavities
– Insulation spray foam in really hard to reach areas
– 9mm ply ribs to hold cladding and furniture
– 8mm pine cladding glued throughout (to prevent squeaking when driving), with water based pant and stain
– Beautiful distressed orange and blue window sills, with stained pine edging around (our favourite bit of the van! See pics!)

Floor:
– Treated pine sub floor
– 25mm celotex with spray foam to seal gaps
– Aluminium step edging in door ways
– Durable but soft on the feet, oak effect vinyl flooring

Doors:
– Gaps filled with sheep’s wool
– Clad with pine cladding

Bulkhead:
– Pine cladding
– Sheep’s wool insulation
– Beautiful distressed, orange and blue octagonal window, so you can look out of the windscreen when cooking, and also a way to get to the cab in an emergency, without leaving the van.

Kitchen:

One of the most important things to us was having a kitchen that didn’t feel restrictive. We love cooking, and wanted it to feel like our kitchen at home. As you can see we have this build maximum kitchen space, and used some beautiful solid beech worktops, finished with danish oil, and they really pop!

No kitchen should be without means of cooking pizzas, and so naturally we had to fit this build with a full oven. We chose a full LPG oven with grill and two hobs, and it works a dream.

Our fridge, maybe unusually, is a household 66l Russel Hobbs fridge. Coming from a career in electronics, I spent a while debating the most efficient means of keeping things cold. I ended up using this household fridge, as after calculating the wattage per year, it ended up being more efficient than 12v compressor fridges, at 1 amp DC continuous draw! Now of course you are unlikely to keep the fridge running constantly all year, so the efficiency goes down a bit (as once cold it turns off, turning on every now and again, thus bringing the overall amperage down). But after testing it for the last few months, the draw is around 2-3amps on average, which is the same as a small compressor fridge, but 66L! This runs off of the inverter in the van, which is easily switched on and off as you please. However, I decided to wire in a 12V cable to the fridge location, if at some point you decided to switch to a 12V fridge.

We of course wanted to go with a good looking sink as well, none of those stock metal camper van sinks for us! So we have a mini Belfast sink.

As our splash back we used some lovely white vinyl tiling, finished off with stained pine trim

– Voyager 4500 LPG Oven with grill and two hobs
– Russell Hobbs 66L Fridge with freezer section
– Mini Belfast sink
– Solid Beech countertops
– Drainer grooves next to sink
– Magnetic knife rack
– Spice rack with hooks for utensils
– Small bin on door under sink
– Cutlery drawer with tray
– Pull out spice and food pantry
– Led light strips to light worktop area

Living Space:

Lovely spacious seating area, with stained, and reinforced pine table and leg, striking custom orange cushions with space for 6 people to eat if you want friends over! When this is converted to a bed, there is an extra seat next to the kitchen with a Porta Potti situated underneath, concealed with a removable door.

The living/sleeping area is raised slightly to accommodate more storage underneath and this section is tiled with a beautiful black and white pattern, with stained trim.

We also love plants so added two lovely ivy plants in hanging pots that live by the back doors.

Sleeping:

The seating area converts into a bed by removing the table leg and placing the table and an extra piece of ply between the benches. This is a super comfy bed, and just big enough for me (6’1). However my feet do touch the wall and so I go a bit diagonal when sleeping, so ideally this bed is for people 6’ and under. We have added two reading lights on the end where your heads will be, however we have slept the other way before when the slope of where we were staying was unavoidable.

The bed is 181 x 135cm

Electrics:

All electrics have been installed by myself, a trained electronics technician and so are done to a really high standard. We wanted to go the route of an all-in-one system, as this is just so much easier for anyone wanting to use the system, and understand it without having to learn about the intricacies of electronics!

– 2 x 95ah AGM Halfords Leisure batteries
– 1 x Epever Upower 1000 all-in-one MPPT/Battery charger/1kW inverter (super easy and efficient system)
– Split charge relay (charging whilst driving)
– 2 x 150w flexible solar panels (300w total, run in series)
– Consumer unit for 240v
– 3 x 240v sockets
– 240v site hookup
– 12v fuse box
– Cut off switches for every part of the DC electronics system
– 2 x reading lights
– Led dimmer
– 6 x warm led lights on two circuits, kitchen and bedding area, both dimmable
– 3 x strip lights under overhead cabinet to light kitchen worktop
– 2 x 5v charger sockets both with 2 outputs each

Water:

Our water system is really neat and efficient as well, utilising two refillable and removable 20L containers. These feed into a Shurflow pump and Fiamma accumulator, which goes to a retractable hose type faucet (this can be pulled out of the door to wash feet, or even have a cold shower). The Belfast sink drains into a 22L grey water container, that can be drained from inside the vehicle, or if you wish, removed and drained elsewhere.

– 2 x 20L water containers
– 1 x 22L grey water tank, drainable from inside
– 1 x Shurflow pump
– 1 x Switch for turning pump on and off
– 1 x Fiamma accumulator
– 1 x Belfast sink
– 1 x Retractable faucet
– Speedfit plumbing

Gas:

We wanted to have a gas system that was easily refillable and we didn’t have to buy gas bottles when we ran low, without ever knowing how much gas we had left. For this reason we installed an underslung tank with an electronic shut off and gauge to tell us how much gas we have. As the system is only running the oven, a full tank should last you a very long time.

The system has been fully signed off by a gas engineer, and is working perfectly. The underslung parts are coated in a stone chip paint for added protection, and pipes/cables are protected by conduit.

– 1 x 25L underslung LPG tank with manual shut off knob (we shut it off here for long journeys just to be sure)
– 1 x level gauge with shut off button
– 1 x LPG fill point on passenger side (same side as diesel fill point so its easy to fill both on one stop)
– Shut off point before oven

Storage:

This van has LOADS of storage. As you can see we don’t have a fixed bed, and so no ‘garage’, but as the seating/bed area is raised we have been able to install a super large pull out drawer, accessible from the back, with 80kg runners, and underneath the benches there is a lot of storage space for large items, with only the batteries and diesel heater to share the space.

The kitchen has a pull out larder, upright drawer as well as a very large cupboard for pots and pans, and food on the upper shelf. Next to this we have 5 drawers that we use for clothes. Above there is a large overhead cabinet with two doors, useful for cups and plates. On the end of which you will find 3 hooks for coats or jumpers.

The sink area has a cutlery drawer with tray, an underneath there is a bin attached to one of the doors inside. There is some more space underneath with the water tanks.

Under the separate seat is a space for a Porta Potti 365 which is included.

And above the cab there is a really large shelf which we use for bulky blankets and coats.

Last but definitely not least is an electronic safe, situated underneath the fridge. This blanked off with a piece of ply so is not obvious and the safe will fit a large laptop. Combination and spare keys provided!

Safety:

We have a carbon monoxide alarm and smoke alarm.

Additional Info:

This van is really something special, designed to not only look beautiful and eye catching, but also practical and efficient. We planned to live in it full time in Spain but the costs of importing it were really staggering so with the heaviest of hearts we have to sell her 🙁

Extras and Accessories:
– Collapsible ladder
– Door mat
– Hand soap and tooth brush holder
– Plants
– Non slip matting in cupboards and drawers
– 5l diesel jerry can for filling heater tank easily

Open to offers and can deliver for a small fee once deposit is taken

Thanks for looking!