Next full build slot: November 2023
Smaller jobs sooner
About Brown Bird & Co
Full Time Van Lifers
Hi – we are Laura and Jacqui of Brown Bird and Company. We are professional campervan converters who also live full time in a campervan. We have over 6 years combined experience of living full time time in a campervan so know exactly what you need to have a cosy home on wheels. We keep things simple and highly functional which are built to last whilst also tapping into our previous design jobs to create beautiful campers.
Collectively, we have spent over 4 years travelling around Europe off grid without the need for campsite for power. All our vans are built with the same spec of equipment as the one we live in so you know you will have a van built for ultimate off grid adventures.
Our Conversion Service
We have a workshop based in the North East and we have a small number of build slots each year. We offer 3 different types of commission service:
Option 1: Fully Bespoke Commission
We love to hear what ideas other people have for their perfect tiny house on wheels. We will initially send out a conversion questionnaire so we can understand your requirements and then we can come up with a bespoke quote for you.
It’s difficult to give quotes for the bespoke commissions until you have filled this questionnaire out as the price changes dramatically depending on how much kit you want, the layout and the size of the van. We are more than happy to give advice on any areas you are not sure on once we’ve had a chat about you and the type of camping you like to do.
If you are not sure what exactly you are looking for them we encourage you to take the time to look at other campervan builds and then maybe try the layout before hiring before you get a commission. Our campervan Chamonix is available to hire who is our signature build below. If that’s not the layout you are looking for them take a peek at the vans Quirky Campers have to hire and we are sure there will be some thing there for you.
Option 2: Brown Bird Signature Build
We can offer our signature build in your base van with some areas which we can personalise according to your needs. Our signature build is what you see in all our photos below and tends to work really well in MWB or LWB sprinters and crafters although we can potentially do very similar in other base vans.
Our signature build starts at £23K + VAT.
Laura also works for Quirky Campers helping on board new rental vans onto the platform so has a massive amount of experience in this regard. She has also hired out 2 of her own vans in the past. We know our vans would make great rental vans if you also wanted to earn some extra money when not enjoying the van yourself.
Signature Build Conversion Specification
All our builds only include high quality equipment and fittings that you can rely on for years to come. This includes Eberspacher German Diesel heaters , Maxx Air roof fans, underslung gas tanks, Thetford hobs, live edge worktops and Dometic portable toilets.
In your base van we will do our signature build which is based on our own van Dolomiti that completely maximises the space available. We based Dolomiti on our original van Scafell which was a long wheel base sprinter van and took up the challenge of trying to fit in everything from a LWB to a MWB van. We did this through clever use of storage spaces under the fixed bed and flip up counter tops and pull out beds.
In all our signature build we include the following:
Kitchen
– Solid kitchen cabinets with magnetic catches and handles or your choice
– Live edge solid wood worktop with optional matching flip up worktop extension
– 4 sliding kitchen drawers
– 2 large base cupboards
– Pull out larder cupboard or narrow cupboard with storage shelves
– Stainless steel round sink with handmade copper tap
– 12v electric whale pump (for the tap)
– Thetford 2 burner black hob with electric ignition
– Omnia stove top oven included
– Copper and wood shelves on the bulkhead with LED copper lights
Living Area
– Seating for 2 -4 people depending on which layout style you choose and size of base van.
– Portable toilet which will slide out from under the bench seat/s
– Pull out table with solid wood top
– Under bed storage cupboard
– Under bed pull out fridge/freezer (which lives in the garage space but pulls into the living space)
Bed
We create 2 different bed styles:
– A width ways bed with 2 large storage cupboards under the bed (great if you need as much storage space as possible)
– A width ways bed which you can convert into a length ways bed upon request which may suit tall people. The foam for the pull out bed is stored in a storage cupboard under the bed.
Electrics
–Solar power to your spec (we recommend 300 watts minimum)
– DC to DC charger
– Victron battery charger
– Lithium battery to your spec
– Pure sine wave inverter to convert 12v into 240v power for items requiring a 3 pin socket e.g. charging laptops, blenders, hairdryers etc.
Lighting
– Mood LED lighting around bedframe with light feature (we can discuss any ideas you have)
– Bespoke LED copper ceiling light
– 4 x Bespoke LED copper kitchen downlighters
– 3 x Bespoke LED copper down lights that come on when the van doors open
Ventilation
– Maxxair fan deluxe
– 2nd vent or fan upon request
Gas
– 20-25 litre underslung gas tank
Heating
– Eberspacher diesel heater which will be plumbed straight in the fuel tank so you don’t need to use extra space for a separate diesel tank.
Water
– 60 liters of water which is comprised of 6 x 10 litre jerry cans. This is the system we use in our vans as it offers ultimate flexibility in filling up (we often fill up from fountains in Europe and streams etc). 20 litres are kept in the kitchen area with 40 litres in the garage should you need it.
Garage Area Under Bed
Huge garage space under the bed which will house:
– Electrics cupboard
– Pull out water box which will have 4 x 10 litre water containers in
– Open storage space for extra equipment such as skiis, climbing gear , inflatable kayak etc.
Shower
Either:
– Pop up shower which used inside using a USB shower and plastic boxes or you can use a pop up tent and shower outside.
– Joolca HotTap hot water shower which is gas cylinder fuelled
Please note: We do not install fixed shower cubicles for a variety of reasons – we can discuss these with you.
Insulation
– Celotex/Kingspan insulation – 50mm on walls and 25mm on floor and ceiling along with spray foam and wool in the hard to reach areas. There will also be a silver bubble wrap vapour barrier.
Van Exterior
We not only concentrate on the interior of the van when creating a campervan for somebody – we also make sure the exterior looks the part too. We can carry out the following work as required:
– Fit a ladder so you are able to access the roof easily. It’s important to keep solar panels clear of snow in the winter to make sure you maximise power.
– Bespoke roof rack
– Respray/refurb wheels
– Treat any rust spots and minor damage
– Full valet using Autoglym
– Upon request we can fit a rear door wheel carrier. These make the van look rugged (See Dolomiti & Blencathra) but also make changing the spare wheel much easier.
We also make sure the side bumper trims are sealed and holes all cleared out to prevent any water damage underneath to the bodywork and inside insulation. See more about this on our blog here
OPTION 3 – Part Conversions
Are you happy to do certain parts of the build but not others? We can help you with the scary bits that you don’t want to do (or don’t have time for)
Drop us a line with your requirements and we can go from there.
