I need someone to help me convert my empty high roof cargo RAM Promaster van to a camper so I can travel with my wife and our two young children.
I need a generally handy person that knows how to use tools and build things. You don't have to have done a van build before, but you do need to know how to do a lot of stuff.
I have the tools and space and know how to do everything personally. I just don't have the time to do it all, as my wife and I are raising two young children. I can put in six hours daily during the week (8:30am to 2:30pm), but I am hoping to find someone that can put in 40 hours a week until the project is done. I want the van done by June of 2025, but I don't know if that means it will take that long. Once the van is done, the contract employment would be over. I am not running a business and only need one van.
Here's a partial list of what needs to be done.
Paint, insulate and install floor
Install sheep wool insulation in walls
Install skylight
Install roof fans
Install Starlink internet dish on roof
Install solar panels
Install bed
Build shower stall
Build and install kitchen cabinets and counter
Build and install bench for seating
Install LED interior and exterior lighting
Install gasoline fueled heater
Install Mitsubishi mini-split heat pump
Install video surveillance cameras
I'll most likely hook up the electrical system and do the plumbing since it's pretty complicated and I enjoy that work. Mostly Victron gear and batteries. But if you can help, all the better. I have all the crimpers, equipment and tools, and all the Victron stuff.
You don't need to do all these things in my list above, as I can do the ones you don't know how to do. But I hope to find someone that could do all of them. I don't want someone to just come in and do everything however, because then it wouldn't be my van build anymore. Building the van is part of the fun for me, and I do not want to outsource it. That's why I am not looking for a van conversion company to just turn the van over to.
Also, van conversion companies generally don't make vans that can run entirely from solar. My van will be exceptionally well insulated and able to run the air conditioner 24 hours a day from solar alone if parked in the sun. There are probably thousands of other RVs out there that can do the same, but they were all custom modified by their owners to do this. No commercial RV or van can do this. I will have about 1,000 watts of solar and the mini split uses only 100 watts on low and a few hundred watts on high, so I think what I plan is likely to work.
I have a garage in SF with a large collection of tools, including a SawStop table saw and a bunch of Dewalt and Milwaukee cordless tools.
But lots of work will be in Albany where I have a spare room and fewer tools, but where I am during the weekdays. No Saw Stop in Albany but enough tools to be productive, including a Makita track saw. I can bring most of my tools from SF to Albany, except for my heavy tools and my big welder and CO2 tank. Mostly the van interior will be bolted, not welded, though there is a need for welding, which I will do. I have a smaller portable welder to use in Albany.
Note you will have to wear normal protective equipment as you would on a job site at a company. I'll provide it.
I would imagine 90% of the project would be in Albany and 10% in SF.
This is the first time I have hired someone for this kind of work. I don't really know what the going rate is. I am offering $40 an hour and I'll see how the replies are at that rate. I don't want the person I hire to feel cheated or underpaid. I want a productive person that is enthusiastic and is willing to work towards my June 2025 deadline.
I don't have any professional experience with building, but I know how to do a lot, having been building stuff since I was a kid. I have also watched a ton of YouTube videos on van and bus conversions. I am a certified welder since I took a class at community college. This van will not be a poorly done van. I am using the best materials and the interior frame will be steel, not wood, so the van won't disintegrate if there is ever a collision. Yes, I have multiple metal cutting bandsaws and cobalt drill bits. If I don't have a tool we need, most likely I will just buy it. I am not trying to economize.
I want this van done by June. Note I prioritize function over form. I am not trying to win an interior design award. The look will be rather ordinary. But under the covers, I am striving for an 8 out of 10. So I don't need someone capable of building fine furniture as I am not going for that level of quality for the finishes, even though I have the tools to pull it off. If I did go for Prevost Marathon level of finish, my kids and our Border Collie would mess it up by the end of the summer of 2025. That's a lot of living in a van. But it's also why I need good climate control and equipment, to keep us comfortable as we explore.
You would be my employee and receive a normal W2 paycheck with taxes withheld. You will be covered by Workman's Compensation insurance. If selected, you must show the legal right to work in the US and have a Social Security number. There is too much risk to do things under the table, sorry. Again, this is a contract employment position that ends soon, not a job that will last for years. I don't plan on building any more vans after this one.
Ideally, I'd like to employ someone that loves the van life dream and can appreciate my enthusiasm and dedication to doing this job right.
Thank you for reading my long post.
If you reply, I would enjoy reading why you want this job and why you think you are the right person for it. Please demonstrate you read and thought about my post, and that you are aware you'd be working with me directly, outside, on a van parked on the street, with people walking by curious as to what's going on. There is parking for your vehicle nearby at no cost, and the bus stops close by if you take public transit. You don't need to provide any tools, materials or have a vehicle.
