11 January 2022
 Categories: , Blog

Van life is an increasingly popular living option. College students as well as people wanting to travel on a budget enjoy the options van remodeling and living offer. The similarity between van living and tiny home living is found in the rebuild a van goes through. You may face van roof repair, insulation upgrades, and upgrades for sleeping as well as eating. All of these aspects of the van lifestyle can be accomplished with aluminum. Here are some of the benefits of using aluminum instead of steel for your van life upgrade or build. 

Light Weight

One of the leading benefits of using aluminum instead of steel for a van life upgrade or build-out is the weight. Steel can become very heavy very quickly. This is primarily due to the amount of steel you use and how it is used. For example, you may have thick-cut pieces of steel used as stabilizer joints for upgraded dividers in the van. This can cause the van to become heavy in specific areas and possibly increase the chances of the van flipping. With aluminum, you are dealing with a lightweight material that will take many applications before it begins to affect your roadworthy weight or overall weight of the van. 

Corrosion

A concern for the metals you use in your van life build may be corrosion. If you plan on traveling in various weather conditions, you will want a metal that does not yield to corrosion easily. Steel can corrode and have various related issues with the finished metal or finished product. This corrosion process is not an issue when it comes to aluminum. You can place the metal on the inside or outside of the van without concern about the weather causing corrosion issues, rusting, or other related problems. 

Sustainable

If you are looking for a budget-friendly and sustainable building option, consider aluminum. Aluminum can be easily recycled and can be purchased as a recycled product. This can reduce the high fees associated with metals that are difficult to find as scrap or used. When you are done with the aluminum, you can either put it to use in another aspect or send it to a recycler for the recycling process. 

These are just a few of the benefits of using aluminum instead of steel for your van life build and upgrades. When you are ready to begin on your van build-out, contact your contractor. They can help with the building plans and with suggestions for ways aluminum can be used depending on the specific additions you want. They can also answer questions about pricing and build time.