Build a Camper Van Conversion Planning App

1. 1

   Map the build as a dependency graph, not a checklist

   The costly errors are sequence errors: insulation before wiring runs, flooring before tank mounts, walls before the fan hole. Model the conversion as stages with dependencies for the common vans, so the app can warn that the choice being made now forecloses one planned for later. This is the insight a spreadsheet cannot give.

2. 2

   Make the electrical calculator the flagship

   Electrical is where fear and budget concentrate. Users list appliances and usage hours; the app computes daily draw, battery bank size, solar and alternator charging, wire gauges, and fusing, with conservative math and a plain warning that a licensed electrician or certified installer should review high-amperage work. Do this one calculator excellently and word of mouth follows.

3. 3

   Build parts compatibility as community-verified data

   Compatibility is the folded-in superpower: does this fridge fit that cabinet cutout, does this inverter match that battery chemistry, does this fan fit the common roof rib spacing. Seed from manufacturer specs, then let builders confirm fit per van model, with verified badges. The data set compounds into the moat.

4. 4

   Track budget against reality

   Builders start with a number and blow through it silently. Tie every planned part to a price, show committed versus spent versus remaining by stage, and let finished builders share anonymized real budgets, because the honest range is content nobody else publishes.

5. 5

   Monetize the plan and the parts list

   A free layout sketcher converts to a paid plan (one-time for one build, subscription for tinkerers), and every plan produces a parts list carrying affiliate links to retailers builders already use. Affiliate revenue scales with trust, so recommend by spec fit, never by commission.

6. 6

   Grow inside the community that already gathers

   Van build forums, subreddits, and YouTube comment sections are dense with people at the exact moment of planning. Partner with build creators who want a tool to send their audiences to (revenue share on referred plans), and publish free calculators as the search-traffic front door.

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