Campervan conversion – one or two sliding windows?

As above. I’ve bought a medium sized panel van to do a DIY conversion (DIY because I want a project to do and want to keep costs reasonable). I’ll be putting privacy windows in both sliding doors and both rear doors. Sliding windows are around £100 more than a fixed window. I’m definitely putting an opening window in the near side, but is it worth having a sliding window on the O/S or should I save £100? Does anyone have one opening window and wish they had two? Or have two and only use one?

No doubt there will be another van conversion thread coming soon, seen as I know how popular they are on here 😁

All the opening windows.

Double glazed stop the condensation and mesh roller blind keep the bugs out

Those eBay cut in flush mounted windows are nae very good.

I went for 2 sliders in mine, purely because I had the cash at the time. One mate went for one slider and one fixed, another went for two fixed. That doesn’t help much does it?

We all have windows from these guys – https://camperglass.co.uk/

There’s a number of companies that break motorhomes – I’d investigate windows from those as they’ll open and have builtin fly screens and blinds.

Use two windows, more or less opposite each other, so that you can create some airflow when it’s hot and get rid of moisture when cooking.

An opening roof light is also a very good idea.

Flush fitted -cause I like they way they look keeps my white van looking stealth, at least thats what I tell myself. One slider (drivers side) one fixed (SLD), no windows in the back doors, two roof lights 40x40cm but wish I had put a 3rd one in – large over the “dining” area. Windows are 80% tinted, great in the daytime but after dark if the lights are on inside you see everything!

I’d 2nd/3rd rooflights too – great for extra light and leaving open a crack at night for ventilation.

Aye make sure the sliders are fully opening and no those tiny little square ones.

I have two. If I were doing another conversion, I might only have one if money was tight. Whilst it’s useful being able to open both sides and create an airflow, you can create the same effect by opening the sliding door a bit if you have a slider on the non opening side.

A opening roof vent is critical – normally this is all we use.

Other than a small hole for cable to the solar panel I don’t want to cut any more holes in the roof, so roof vents/lights are out.
Windows will be bonded/flush fitting with curtains/blinds for night time (and maybe fly screens).
I’m probably leaning towards a pair of opening ones, not fully decided

“Other than a small hole for cable to the solar panel I don’t want to cut any more holes in the roof, so roof vents/lights are out.”

I understand your POV however I have a campervan without a roof light and privacy glass in the sliding doors & rear barn doors. Actually I wish I did have a roof light as it would make the back of the camper less dark & gloomy.

If I were to do do conversion or buy another, I definitely would have a roof window and actually probably one above the bed for looking at the stars at night…

If it’s a proper conversion then you want the offside sliding not the near side, assuming kitchen stuff is going down there. Both mine open but it’s only the offside I use when cooking etc. If I want air on the near side I just open the door. Obviously depends on your layout.

It’s just another thing to leak.

Word of advice. I’m a member of a self build camper van group on Facebook and there are a lot of reports in recent weeks of the DVLA clamping down on change of type applications. Despite meeting all the criteria from the DVLA, loads of people are having their application declined because it doesn’t look enough like a camper from the outside.🙄

Based on that I’d go for as many windows as possible. Seems they are really getting tough due to the massive increase in self build conversions

Other than a small hole for cable to the solar panel I don’t want to cut any more holes in the roof, so roof vents/lights are out.

Reconsider that. Rooflights let in most of the light, even more important if its a hightop as otherwise the area above the windows will not get any direct light. Also useful for ventilation at night without leaving an easily accessible side window open to everyone. I’d rather have rooflights and fixed windows, rather than sliding and no rooflights, no contest 🙂

I got mine registered as a motorhome a couple of years ago, however, in all honestly it really doesn’t make any difference unless you are specifically worried about the 50/60 limits on single and dual carriageway. It doesn’t affect the MOT class and I’ve never had trouble insuring, I used both my vans for a few years before getting around to reclassifying them with the DVLA.

Other than a small hole for cable to the solar panel I don’t want to cut any more holes in the roof, so roof vents/lights are out.
Windows will be bonded/flush fitting with curtains/blinds for night time (and maybe fly screens).
I’m probably leaning towards a pair of opening ones, not fully decided

To be honest no roof vent is something you really should reconsider. They let in lots of light and make the vans feel less dingy – but most importantly they ventilate the van (as they have trickle vents) – you don’t want to leave your windows open all the time. Also heat rises so having a chimney for it to go out of is a good thing if you don’t want to cook in summer.

Making it not leak is fairly straightforward – just use stixall (or whatever) and pvc strips to build up a level surface (if the van roof is corrugated) and then use lots of caravan non setting mastic stuff. Mines been fine for 3 years now.

Another vote for reconsider and fit a skylight, they are so much better than windows, not too hard to fit if you size one to fit between the roof reinforcing spars and give way more ventilation then any side window. To support this I’ve just retrofitted two more in addition to the one I already have in my crafter.

Any recommendations for rooflight suppliers??? (T6)

Roof lights seems a good addition but some of us dont like the thought of cutting holes in the roof. I have a vito conversion and recently fitted solar. It broke my heart to have to drill a hole in the roof for the cables.

I have twin side doors too. Both have sliders and I wouldn’t be without. Depends on your van size and layout but if you plan to have the cupboards down one side and r &r on the other it can be a lot easier when in bed to open the window away from the cupboards and sink. Simple things can make lots of difference. I use mine with my daughter and she always sleeps on cupboard side. I always want window open so I can do so without her waking up.

But you (or the window fitter) cuts holes in the side of the van before bonding in the windows. And if you are DIY, at least if you cock it up you can weld or fibreglass and tragic measure twice errors!

We have four opening windows and three rooflights. Airy 🙂

Roof lights seems a good addition but some of us dont like the thought of cutting holes in the roof. I have a vito conversion and recently fitted solar. It broke my heart to have to drill a hole in the roof for the cables.

I have twin side doors too. Both have sliders and I wouldn’t be without. Depends on your van size and layout but if you plan to have the cupboards down one side and r &r on the other it can be a lot easier when in bed to open the window away from the cupboards and sink. Simple things can make lots of difference. I use mine with my daughter and she always sleeps on cupboard side. I always want window open so I can do so without her waking up.

Thanks for this – sounds like 2 opening windows is the way to go. Mine is a Mk1 LWB Proace (same as Citroen Dispatch/Peugeot Expert) so probably similar size to yours. I’m less worried about cutting holes for the windows because every window is going in an opening door (so not terminal if it goes wrong).
The first thing I’m going to do is fit the windows and remove the bulkhead. If it seems gloomy in there I’ll reconsider fitting a roof light before I start the insulation (I’ll take some detailed measurements before insulating so I can retrofit if needed).

Both windows sliders if you can. Or at least the driver’s side. I did a panel Van with just the driver’s side and would have preferred to have one in the slider for the kids travelling and creating airflow at night.

No way would I do a roof light. Hateful things.

That said I put a pop top in the new van. Which has been excellent.

Yeah, just make one hole in the roof and fit a pop-top.

Space, light and ventilation.

I’d love a pop top, but the cost is prohibitive at the moment – it’s probably 50% of what I paid for the van. And not being a Transporter, I’m not sure how much of that I’d ever see back (not that residuals is much of a concern).

I’m going down the pull-out bed route, though I may swap that out for a proper M1 crash tested rock n roll bed if I find I need more than 3 seats in the future. I’m hoping to get the full conversion done for around £3k, but am expecting that might turn into nearer £4k.

Well it’s easy to see who’s had their roof lights fitted by cowboys in this thread.

The fear is strong but an opening roof lights trumps side windows afaiac as the door already opens.

an opening roof lights trumps side windows afaiac as the door already opens.

i dont drive with teh doors open. If you have passengers an opening window is nice for them when its hot and you are driving a decent distance. I know i like the one in the front!

Been waiting for Kiravans to restock thie sliding windows but no ETA and I want to crack on with the build of my LWB T6 so looking at “Camperglass” and “Vandemon” does anyone have any views on relative quality. Tending towards camperglass as they are a slightly familiar name to me.

I assume nothing more to say regards fitting other than measure twice…..?

Also I fitted a Ctek split charging system over the weekend. pleased with how it went really and lots of good advice on the net.

Anyone have the Van Demon sliding windows??? Before I press the button……….

Also, before you ‘press the button’: Have you seen the latest DVLA guidance on conversions?

(As of this week)

The new rules want two windows on the same side of the van. One on the nearside and one on the offside wouldn’t do.

But then the DVLA are saying that the v5 is almost entirely irrelevant anyway.

Don’t know about VanDemon but I’ve just bought a full set of windows for my Trafic from VanPimps.
Arrived in 2 days, currently they are sitting in my garage.
Am hoping to get them fitted this weekend if the rain holds out…

You can read the guidence in two ways – I interpreted it as two windows in total. Various ‘people’ on Facebook group phoned the DVLA and git different answers!

If you’re going to Scotland a mesh would be handy and we find the blinds that pull up from the bottom are great for privacy and light, ours have a pull down mesh that clicks to a pull up blind , so we can have nothing, mesh, blind or a mix.

The new rules want two windows on the same side of the van. One on the nearside and one on the offside wouldn’t do.

On a t6 you could glaze every panel… it still wouldn’t classify as motor caravan as you’re needing a high top.

Oh.. and those motor home graphics down the the side..!

That motor home graphics rule… It’s like they want to discourage self builds by forcing them to look hideous!

Interestingly the wording seems to have changed on the conversion rules, I’m sure it used to say something about registering as a camper being mandatory if that’s what it was used for. This seemed to leave kind of a grey area if they rejected your application but that’s still what you used it for.

Anyway in the spirit of the thread, what’s the go-to rooflight? I might use a couple for the build I’m working on just now.

That change on rules – the roof thing seems ridiculous given that you can buy new Californias with pop-tops. Does this mean they are no longer sold as Motor Caravans? And does it put insurance back to being a grey area? I know some companies aren’t too happy about conversions unless they’ve been re-certified.

I read that as meaning that it wasn’t necessarily something that automatically made it a ‘camper’ so you couldn’t just stick a pop top on an otherwise unchanged van and say it made it a camper.

Does this mean I have to put one of those terrible “Transporters Campers In Disguise” stickers on my van?

No way José

Also..

The body type does not affect the insurance category of the vehicle, or have any effect on speed limits

???

As a vaguely related update, I fitted my Van Pimps windows today.
No ideas with the glass itself. Fitting kits are excellent and include everything including a ore cut nozzle for the mastic.
Mastic very hard to pump (probably a bit cold) so that was a workout!
Cutting  the van itself was straightforward. Drilled pilot holes, opened up with step drill, cut out reinforcing ribs with recip saw all from inside and then cut panel itself from outside with drill mounted nibbler.
Swarf everywhere so Henry got a workout!
Hardest part was fitting the knock on trim neatly (oh, and pumping the mastic of course!)

Things I learned:

If you fit ‘blind’ windows (I did as I had them but I’ve got storage both sides at back of van) it’s probably an idea to paint the panel black as with sunlight on it you can see the panel behind. I left a gap in the mastic in the bottom of the blind ones as I’d seen in a video online to let any condensation out

It’s worth fitting both windows that are next to each other one after the other so you can shift both about to align them.

Even if you do that, if your sliding door rollers are a bit worn and you are parked on a slope, the back of the sliding door may not pop out enough on its own to clear the new glass next to it, as I found out! That was a bit scary as I thought I’d need to remove the rear panel, but on the flat it’s fine and the other side slider which hasn’t got worn rollers works just fine .

Kit cost £300ish for all round fixed windows and all fitting stuff. Took me about 4 hours start to finish including tidying up