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Basic DIY skills would definitely help but are not essential. If you don’t have much DIY experience, you’ll soon learn all the practical things like how to cut straight and how not to snap drill bits – although I still struggle with that one sometimes.

A van conversion doesn’t require a lot of skill in any one area. Instead, it requires just a little bit of skill in many different areas, which is much easier than becoming an expert, whilst still making you look like one. You don’t have to be a plumber, joiner and electrician all at once, and in my opinion it would be overkill to hire any of these people.

I had no DIY experience in the sense of home DIY, but I wasn’t new to making things – using my hands, working things out, visualising and researching how to do things. If you are naturally that kind of person then you’ll have no problem. Everyone probably has at least some transferable skills that will help when converting a van.

I really think the successful outcome of a van conversion relies more on motivation and dedication to the project, rather than having the right skills from the start.