The most common question we receive is about our van build windows.
People want to know what brand they are, where we got them, and how much we paid. Since we’ve hit the road, we’ve been mainly posting about where we’ve been and what we’ve been doing. Ta-da! Here is our first official “informative” blog post since being on the road full-time. It’s a lot of information but bear with us, as it will be in your favor in the end (if you’re planning on buying/installing these van build windows).
One thing to keep in mind while reading this is that we have a 144″ wheelbase cargo Mercedes Sprinter with the high roof.
The van came without any windows so we had plenty of options regarding what we wanted to install. Ours is a 2016 and all the windows discussed in this post work for a 2007 or newer model. If your sprinter is older than 2007, you can usually find the same van build windows for an older model on Amazon as well.
We ordered all our van build windows on Amazon…surprise, surprise. All windows are CR Laurence windows, sold on Amazon from a distributor called DK Hardware Supply. Please see below on why we went through Amazon instead of buying directly from CR Laurence.
Amazon prime has singlehandedly provided about 90% of the materials used in our conversion, including our van build windows.
The large t-vent window we ordered for our sliding door can be found here. This van build window was $497.73 when we purchased it in 2016, not including shipping (free for prime members, if my memory serves me correctly).
Finding the right sliding van build windows can be tough.
NOTE: with the sliding windows, you have to be VERY careful. There are different size trim rings for the same sized windows, so we would recommend making sure that the window you order has the correct size trim ring in the title when you check out. We ended up ordering the wrong trim rings for one of the sliding windows and it was a PAIN to order the correct size since it was a custom order and DK Hardware is only a distributor, not a manufacturer (CR Laurence will not sell directly to buyers, only to distributors).
When ordering van build windows online, for your sake, please be careful at check out.
NOTE: we’ve seen the smaller trim ring size in other builds and people just shoved blocks of wood between the trim ring and the wall to fill the empty space. We chose to replace the trim ring instead for a cleaner look, meaning that the trim ring was large enough to lay flat against the wall without the need for any filler, such as wood.
We bought one smaller sliding windows for a rear panel, link is here. This cost $209.70 and $14.49 to ship to Oregon.
We bought two larger sliding windows for the kitchen area and another rear panel, link is here. Cost is $217.53 per window, plus $13.99 for shipping to Oregon.
For the sliding windows with the trim rings, I’d recommend making sure that the trim ring size is 2-1/4″.
These trims rings are reversible to 1/4″ if you need. We originally got a 1-1/2″ trim ring size that was WRONG for our van build – it was way too small. We did dynamat, reflectix and recycled denim batting for insulation, then did cedar tongue and groove boards so we needed the larger trim rings to make sure our windows sat flush in the frames we built them.
Additionally, the sliding windows (not the t-vent) have weep holes to drain water so the windows never let water in. We ended up plugging the top two weep holes of each of the sliding windows to avoid leakage, but we’ve also seen vans that didn’t do this (we originally had a small leak before we plugged them). I would recommend you do some more research on this and ask around to see what your preference is.
I know this is a lot of information but this was a PAIN when we made the mistakes.
Ordering custom replacement trim rings took us almost 3 months, then set us back in the build. I’d hate for somebody else to have to experience this as well. Please let us know if you have any questions! You can always email us at the “let’s touch base” section of this blog. We kept notes on everything we bought and used for the build, including items we ended up returning/exchanging after finding things we thought worked better.
