The short answer
There are three ways to build with Timber, and they share the same CNC-cut components: buy parts and build your own layout, buy a DIY kit and assemble a complete interior over about thirty evenings, or order a full conversion from $31,485 installed. The space-saving design is the same in all three — a telescoping bed, wheel-well and overhead cabinetry, and tanks shaped to the van rather than to a box.
People arrive at van life from very different places. Some want the project. Some want the van. Most want something in between — to do the parts they enjoy and hand over the parts they do not.
So we built three paths to the same interior, rather than three different products.
What makes the design space-saving?
Before the three paths, the thing they have in common. A van is roughly 60–80 square feet of floor. Every design decision is a fight for inches, and four choices win most of them.
The bed moves
This is the big one. A fixed bed permanently decides how tall your garage is. A telescoping bed changes that dimension on demand — short for bikes standing up, extended for sleeping, somewhere in between for a full load of gear.
One moving component buys back an entire dimension of the van. It is the single highest-leverage space decision in a camper, and it is why it is standard rather than an upgrade.
Tanks are shaped to the space, not to a catalog
An off-the-shelf water tank is a rectangle, so a builder has to build a cabinet around the rectangle, and the gap between the rectangle and the van wall is dead volume forever.
Because we manufacture our own, our tanks are shaped for the space they occupy and the weight distribution we want. That reclaimed volume is not theoretical — it is the difference between 20 gallons and a cabinet you can also use.
The wheel wells become storage
Every van has two intrusions nobody wants. Wheel-well cabinetry turns the most awkward volume in the vehicle into the most accessible drawer in it, because it sits at exactly the right height to reach from standing.
Vertical space is not free space
Overhead cabinetry and an optional headliner shelf ($695) use the volume above head height that otherwise does nothing but make the van feel tall. A slide-out tray ($1,295) does the same for the depth of a cabinet you cannot reach into.
Path 1: Buy the parts
Best for builders who already have a layout in mind, or who are partway through a build and need one system done properly.
Components are sold individually and organised by chassis — Sprinter, Transit, ProMaster — and by system: cabinetry, panels, kitchen, water, heating, and L-track.
You bring: the layout, the labour, and the decisions.
We bring: CNC-cut parts that fit your chassis without modification.
Path 2: The DIY kit
A complete interior, designed as one system, shipped free across the Lower 48. Every cabinet arrives CNC-cut, pre-drilled, and labelled, so the work is assembly rather than fabrication.
Realistically, that is about thirty evenings and weekends for a first-time builder with a day job, using ordinary tools. No fabrication skills required.
Best for: people who want to understand their van from the inside out, and who would rather spend weekends than dollars.
Price it on the kit configurator.
Path 3: The full conversion
We build it. The Camp starts at $31,485 and the Rambler at $34,485, professionally installed by Titan Vans or an approved builder. Both include full electrical with 200W solar, 20-gallon fresh water, galley, marine-grade fridge and freezer, telescoping bed, heater, and fan, in Baltic birch throughout.
We can also source the chassis for you, so you never have to hunt dealer inventory. Details in conversions that come with the van.
Best for: people with a trip on the calendar.
Which path is right for you?
| Parts | DIY kit | Conversion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your time | Highest | ~30 evenings | None |
| Your cost | Lowest | Middle | From $31,485 |
| Layout control | Total | Guided | Configured |
| Skills needed | Real | Basic tools | None |
| Chassis sourcing | You | You | Optional — we can |
| Installed by | You | You | Titan Vans |
Why the same components across all three
This is the part that matters in year eight. Whichever path you take, the cabinet in your van came off the same file as everyone else’s. So a replacement part exists, a phone diagnosis is possible, and an upgrade you buy in three years still fits.
A kit builder can add a conversion-grade upgrade later. A conversion owner can buy a single part. Nobody is stranded in a product line of one.
Not sure which path fits? Call 720-282-5075, or visit 1901 Central Avenue, Boulder, weekdays 8–4 Mountain. Open a cabinet, and we will talk it through.
Frequently asked questions
What are the ways to build a camper van with Timber?
Three: buy individual components and build your own layout, buy a complete DIY kit and assemble it yourself in about thirty evenings, or order a full conversion from $31,485 installed. All three use the same CNC-cut components.
Is a DIY van kit cheaper than a full conversion?
Yes, because you supply the labour. A kit trades roughly thirty evenings and weekends of your time against the cost of professional installation, while using the same components as the installed conversion.
How do you save space in a camper van layout?
Make the bed move rather than sit fixed, shape water tanks to the space instead of using rectangular off-the-shelf tanks, turn the wheel wells into cabinetry, and use the volume above head height with overhead cabinets and a headliner shelf.
What is a telescoping bed in a camper van?
A bed platform that extends and retracts, so the garage height underneath changes on demand — short for standing bikes, extended for sleeping. It lets one van serve loads that a fixed bed would force you to choose between.
Can I start with a kit and upgrade later?
Yes. Because all three paths use the same components cut from the same files, parts and upgrades bought years later still fit, and the service team can diagnose and ship the exact right part.