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Difficulty:

Labor:

- hours

Cost:

$0

We recommend completing the prerequisites before continuing your journey through the steps:

Rough idea of your layout to make sure you aren't placing the window in any areas that might get covered (I.e Bed, cabinet). We wanted the windows for extra ventilation, rather than for natural light, so we decided to put ours as far away from the fan and doors as possible, since this is likely where the extra air will be needed
Avoid any flares or lips in the van that might cause uneven install and create air gaps
Check the weather for rain – most of the glue used will require at least 24 hours to dry (this was a rough one living in Seattle).
Install windows prior putting in insulation and the sub-floor that way...
Debris from cutting doesn't get stuck in insulation and floors
If there ends up being a leak in the window when you water test you won't get the floors and insulation wet
Check that your window has weep/drain holes and avoid covering these in any way! Particularly when you are gluing it during install (can you tell this might have come with experience?).

TEMPLATE:

Create a template of the window by tracing the inside of the trim ring on a piece of cardboard & cut
Play around with the template & determine where you will want the window to go.
Once you've decided, ensure that the location will line up on both the inside and the outside
Tape the cutout to the inside of the van window location
Drill two holes, horizontally from each other, into the template and the van
Take the template to the outside of the van and align the two drill holes in the template to the two in the van.
Determine if the location works for the outside as well and make any tweaks necessary
Once content, tape the template to the outside of the van
Trace the template on the outside of the van and remove.

CUTTING:

If you're using a jigsaw or any sort of wider cutting tool, now is when you will want to tape the edges of the traced outline to avoid scratching your van while you cut.
Drill a starter hole above your cut line – use a drill bit large enough to let the blade through.
Insert your tool to the starter hole and begin cutting across the traced outline.
Note: The more you cut, the flimsier the metal will get making the last of the cuts a bit harder to stay precise. Just be ready for this and stay focused.
Tip: As you near the end, watch out that the metal cutout doesn't drop, cutting you or the van
Insert the window to test
Trim and adjust as needed
Once you determine that it fits how you want, file the edges down
Paint with primer to avoid rust
Clean and vacuum up any stray shards

ADHERING:

Screws: See manufacturers user guide, or another van life guide. We did not use screws so we can't speak to the best practices here
Glue:

Prior to gluing on your window, practice squeezing out 1 continuous, even line. If there are gaps and holes the water will steep in
Once you're comfortable, execute and add the glue around the window.
Insert the window to the van cutout as accurately as possible and press and hold.
Tape the window to the van to act as a support as the glue dries.
Check the glue label to see how long it takes to dry and wait...
Water test once complete

LEAKS:

If you water test and get some leaks, don't bother freaking out yet! This could be for various reasons that have various ways to fix. Check out [this] blog post for more info.

Tape below where you are cutting to help catch metal shards so you don't track them throughout your van and/or home
The parts of the van that get cut can get extremely sharp so you'll want to wear gloves whenever you can and be careful when handling any part of the van that has been cut
Cut the top part of the window first, and before moving to the bottom edge of the window be sure to add a few strips of tape to hold the window in place so it doesn't fall as you cut it out.
- If you have a second person, they could use pliers to hold the edge while you cut.

Work Experience

June 2025 - April 2026

July 2024 - May 2025

January 2023 - June 2024

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