There are plenty of reasons why you might be tempted to make your own DIY van shelving using plywood. In addition to the save in costs, building your own system from scratch can be rewarding. Woodworkers and engineers get especially crafty and brush up on their skills in the process. But regardless of your ability, it’s rarely a good idea.

 

WHAT'S THE PROBLEM WITH DIY SHELVING?


Despite guaranteeing a lower initial cost, there are a number of long-term financial implications to consider.

 

Time to Install

A custom build project can clock up a lot of hours. It isn’t something that can be done over an afternoon. With dimensions to measure, materials to source and assembly and install, a DIY system can take several days, especially if something doesn’t quite work right when you test it the first time around. Wasting days on a build is an annoyance to anyone, but to a tradesperson, that’s time that could be spent earning.

The bott Smartvan site has pre-curated equipment that’s already guaranteed to perfectly fit your van, and the equipment is quick and easy to install.

Longevity

Ply obviously doesn’t last as long as metal racking, but possibly more importantly to the average tradesperson, you can’t move things around easily. If you go 3 months with your racking and decide that you actually want the cubbies for your batteries by your side door instead of the back one, you can’t easily accommodate this with a DIY solution. With bott Smartvan racking, you can rearrange accessories in just a few minutes.

Resale Value

Drilling into the interior of a vehicle, even when done properly and in non-critical areas, can affect the resale value of the vehicle by up to 15%, up to 30% if not properly done. Esthetic damage like dings, dents, and scratches can affect resale value anywhere from 5 – 30%. DIY racking, which typically uses self-tapping screws can severely reduce the value of your van.

bott Smartvan installs using brackets that extend to pre-existing factory drilled holes in the vehicle, no drilling required. The equipment is designed to protect your investment.

Fuel

The amount of plywood it takes to create a custom solution adds up, and ply is heavy. The more weight you have in the back, the less MPG you get. Because the weight of your tools and materials already adds up, you don’t want to waste more on heaving shelving too.

Our racking is specially designed to be lightweight. While the frames are steel, the accessories have combinations of metal and rigid plastic to maintain a lightweight but sturdy profile.

Accidents Happen

While DIY racking may be a tight fit and secure when first installed, the daily vibrations from driving paired with the weight of the tools and equipment in the shelving rattle self-tapping screws loose, which also happens to make a whole lot of noise. Even if this wasn’t the case, in the event of an accident, ply shelving simply splinters. It’s just the nature of the wood.

All bott Smartvan racking and accessories are crash tested to ECE R17 standard.

 

YOU CAN STILL MAKE OUR VAN RACKING YOUR VAN RACKING. 


You’re not sacrificing modularity with bott Smartvan. We have a wide variety of accessories to choose from, and they can all be adjusted, moved around, and swapped out at any time in just minutes. You can use our design guides and frame maps to make a truly customized solution perfect for your tools and workflow.

You can select from pre-built trade packs for your trade, build your own system from curated modules, or build 100% from the ground up using our design guides and frame maps. Feel free to contact us to walk you through it.