There is a lot more behind finished custom built campervans than you might realise. By the time you see the completed cabinetry, comfortable seating and neatly fitted equipment, many hours of work have already taken place behind the scenes.
At Free Spirit Campervans, our custom-built campervans are created at our extensive workshops near Chichester in West Sussex. From working with the base vehicle to making cabinetry and bringing the different elements of the interior together, it all happens here.
So, what does a campervan look like before it is ready for its first trip? Let’s take a look behind the scenes.
Summary:
Free Spirit’s custom-built campervans are converted at our Sussex workshops, where our team has been working with campervans for more than 20 years. Our conversions combine carefully selected base vehicles with handmade cabinetry, practical storage, sleeping space and equipment designed to make the most of the interior. Behind every finished campervan is a workshop process that customers rarely get to see.
It All Starts With the Right Base Vehicle
Before the cabinetry, kitchen or sleeping arrangements can take shape, there needs to be the right vehicle underneath them.
Free Spirit specialises in three models: the Nissan Elgrand, Mazda Bongo and Mercedes Viano. These vehicles start life as people carriers rather than traditional commercial vans, providing a comfortable and manageable starting point for a campervan conversion.
Each offers something slightly different, which is why choosing the base vehicle is an important part of creating a campervan that suits its eventual owner.
Once a vehicle reaches the workshop, however, you begin to see just how much needs to happen before it resembles the finished campervans displayed in our showroom.
Inside Our Sussex Campervan Workshops
Customers usually encounter a Free Spirit campervan once everything is neatly installed and ready to use. Behind the scenes, the picture looks rather different.
Our Sussex facilities are home to the practical side of Free Spirit, with campervans at different stages of their conversions and the equipment and materials required to complete the work.
This is where the experience built up over more than 20 years is put into practice.
It also means that our custom-built campervans are not simply vehicles sourced elsewhere with a completed interior already fitted. The conversion process takes place here, giving our team direct involvement in creating the campervans our customers eventually drive away.
For visitors, seeing this part of the business can provide an entirely different perspective. A finished campervan might look relatively simple and streamlined inside, but achieving that finished result involves considerably more work than is immediately visible.
From Sheet Material to Handmade Cabinetry
One of the clearest examples of this transformation is the cabinetry.
Before there is a finished kitchen unit or a row of useful cupboards, there are sheets of material in the workshop waiting to be cut, shaped and turned into the components needed for the conversion.
Campervan cabinetry has an important job to do. It needs to provide useful storage and help create a practical living area without overwhelming the relatively limited interior space.
This is why the cabinetry in Free Spirit campervans is handmade as part of the conversion process.
Seeing it before all the finishing touches are added makes it much easier to appreciate how much goes into something that can look effortless once the campervan is complete.
Doors, cupboards, work surfaces and storage spaces gradually take shape until what began as individual materials becomes a recognisable campervan interior.
Making Every Part of the Campervan Work Together
A campervan interior has to perform several different jobs within one space.
It needs somewhere comfortable to sit during the day and somewhere to sleep at night. There needs to be storage for the things you take away, alongside space for preparing food and the equipment required for time on the road.
Free Spirit conversions can incorporate handmade cabinetry, integrated kitchen facilities, a custom rock and roll bed, storage and a pop-top roof, alongside other conversion features and optional equipment.
The challenge is bringing those individual elements together without losing the sense of space inside the vehicle.
Rather than thinking of each feature separately, the conversion needs to work as a complete interior. Where one unit finishes affects the space available elsewhere. Storage needs to be accessible. Seating needs to transform when it is time for bed. Equipment needs to have a logical place.
The result should feel straightforward to use, even if creating it was anything but.
Creating Space for Living and Sleeping
One of the cleverest parts of a campervan conversion is how dramatically the purpose of the interior can change.
During the day, you need somewhere to travel, sit, eat and relax. At night, that same area needs to become somewhere comfortable to sleep.
A custom rock and roll bed allows seating to perform both roles, while the pop top creates additional space above the main living area. The raised roof also provides standing height when the campervan is being used on site.
Storage then has to fit around those larger features rather than compete with them.
This is particularly important in a smaller campervan. There may not be huge amounts of unused space available, so cupboards and storage areas have to make sensible use of what is there.
It is one of the reasons the finished interior can look so different from the campervan that first enters the workshop.
Customising the Finished Campervan
The practical structure of a conversion is only one part of creating a campervan.
There is also the question of what you want it to look and feel like.
Free Spirit customers can choose from different materials, finishes and seating options, allowing the finished conversion to reflect their own preferences rather than every campervan leaving the workshop looking identical.
Some people prefer a lighter, contemporary interior. Others favour warmer wood finishes or different upholstery choices.
The important thing is that those visual decisions sit alongside the practical ones. A campervan still needs to work effectively regardless of the colours and finishes selected.
And if you’ve been following us for a while, you can certainly see how those tastes have changed over the years.
We’ll explore some of those earlier conversions in our next blog, including a few colour combinations that definitely belong to a particular era!
From the Workshop to a Finished Campervan
Eventually, the tools, materials and work in progress disappear from view.
What remains is the part customers see: a finished campervan with its cabinetry, seating, sleeping arrangements, storage and equipment all brought together.
That contrast is one of the reasons we wanted to share more photographs from inside our workshops. The completed vehicle only tells the final part of the story.
Behind it are the materials, people, equipment and stages of work required to turn a vehicle into somewhere that can be used for weekends away and longer trips.
After more than 20 years of conversions, plenty has changed at Free Spirit, from the campervans themselves to the colours and finishes our customers choose. But our Sussex workshops remain at the heart of what we do.
If you are considering one of our custom-built campervans, you are welcome to visit Free Spirit near Chichester, take a look at our current vehicles and see where our conversions come together.
Call us
Tel: (01243) 649087
Email us
info@fscltd.co.uk
Opening Times
Monday – Friday: 09:00 – 17:00
Saturday: 10:00 – 16:00
Sunday: CLOSED
If you enjoyed this blog, try Is a Compact Campervan the Right Choice?
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are Free Spirit’s custom-built campervans made?
Free Spirit campervans are converted at our facilities near Chichester in West Sussex. This is where our team carries out the conversion work and creates the campervan interiors.
Which vehicles does Free Spirit use for its campervan conversions?
Free Spirit specialises in the Nissan Elgrand, Mazda Bongo and Mercedes Viano. These people carriers provide the base for our campervan conversions.
Is the cabinetry handmade?
Yes. Handmade cabinetry is a key part of Free Spirit’s campervan conversions and helps make practical use of the available interior space.
What can be included in a custom-built campervan?
Depending on the model and chosen conversion, features can include an integrated kitchen, handmade cabinetry, storage, a custom rock and roll bed, a pop-top roof, a leisure battery and other optional equipment.
Can a Free Spirit campervan sleep more than two people?
Sleeping arrangements depend on the particular vehicle and conversion. A rock and roll bed provides sleeping space within the main campervan, while suitable conversions can also use the pop-top to provide additional sleeping space.
Do Free Spirit campervans have standing room?
The pop top roof creates additional headroom when raised, allowing the campervan interior to provide standing height while being used on site.
Can I choose the interior finish?
Free Spirit offers choices across materials, cabinetry finishes and seating, allowing customers to personalise the appearance of their campervan.
Can I visit the Free Spirit workshops?
Yes. Free Spirit is based near Chichester in West Sussex, where customers can visit, explore the available campervans and see the facilities behind the conversions.
