One of the biggest challenges we have as a small business is explaining to clients why we need to know your budget. When it comes to pricing, what it really boils down to is 3 main points: building what we can with your budget, trust, and the amount of work involved in a custom build.

Your Budget and Why We Need to Know

At Ventura Van Builds we accommodate your build according to what you can afford. For example, let’s say we have 2 different clients Carol and Susan. They both have the same exact van and want the same exact modules (let’s say a kitchen and a bed) but Carol has a budget of $6,000 and Susan has a budget of $20,000. We can make both builds happen but they will look and function very differently.

Susan’s more expensive build will have artistic feel and use higher-end materials like a live-edge countertop with an epoxy design. Because her budget allows for more labor and higher quality materials, we can also make her sink recessed and collapsible to save space with a cutting board that fits in, a filtration system, and under-mount lighting. She might also want a hydraulic bed that moves up to the ceiling for more walking space below.

On the other hand, with Carol’s tighter budget, we can still build what she’s looking for but in a much more basic and less-versatile way. We use cheaper materials like butcher block for the countertop and since she can’t afford the labor for more space-saving or artistic features, she’ll opt for a standard box bed and basic kitchen. Her build won’t have the bells and whistles but for some minimalist clients that’s how they like it and we can still bring that dream into a reality.

The truth is that some people want to splurge and spend $500,000 on an Earth Roamer and others want to spend $5,000 on their classic Chevy G-Series. Whatever your circumstance is, we know it’s unique and different from anyone else's' and that’s why we're in the business of building everything custom so that anyone can enjoy their life on the road the way that they can.

trust

We understand that giving information about your budget to a company is usually associated with unpleasant memories of bad sales experiences but with a small business like ours, we need to operate on the basis of trust and collaboration with you. The best way we can serve you and deliver what you’re looking for is if you allow us to work with you within the confines of your budget. We always encourage our clients to shop around in the van build or construction market to look at prices of labor and materials so they have a better understanding of what is involved in pricing out modules. What it comes down to is you trusting our experience and expertise so that we can listen to what you want and work with your budget to build it.

Understanding What’s Involved in a custom Build

Many of our clients are curious about what is involved in build outs and why it can be costly and a lot of work goes into building the actual component, but much of the work happens in preparation for it. We’ve spent years researching the highest quality and fairest priced materials to use on our builds. We have tested out and installed multiple different electrical and solar systems and we’ve even built our own to get the best understanding of the pro’s and con’s of each product. And with the custom nature of our business, everything is collaborative. We work tirelessly with you to design a layout that will suit your lifestyle and hobbies seamlessly. And every step of the way we communicate with you to make sure we’re all on the same page. We even have our clients take their vehicles out mid-build so they can get a feel for everything and bring us feedback before we’re done! 

The vast majority of van building companies now use templates and fabricated models. They use the word “custom” but that usually only means their clients can pick out colors or choose from 1 of 4 layouts. At Ventura Van Builds, our builds are 100% custom meaning no single build is the same as any other. That also means we are not mass-manufacturing anything. Each and every piece of your van is put together by hand and very few people work directly on your vehicle, meaning less room for mistakes and an easier fix if something goes wrong. So much work and love is involved in creating this vehicle of your dreams but it’s all worth it when we hear from clients that are off-grid, enjoying their new life with their perfect home.

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