History of Custom Design Campervan

Having developed a passion for VW campervan conversion, Tom would talk to Cousin Paul, and brother in law Brad about the highs and lows of custom build campervans. They would both come down to Tom’s unit and use their skills to help with his latest VW campervan conversion. 

They soon realised that their skills complemented each other, and between them, they could not only do a full conversion, but also build the spec to whatever the customer desired. 

Over the next 3 years they worked on many campervan conversions together, trying out new ideas, and making their customers dreams a reality. They worked for some of the larger Camper Conversion Companies, and saw that there was a huge demand for top quality VW campervan conversions. In September 2019, with a wealth of knowledge under their belt, they felt ready to officially go into business together, and Custom Design Campervans Limited was born.

Meet the Team

Custom Design Campervans is a family business founded by three Campervan enthusiasts, each with their own special talents to ensure your Campervan is well-made and of the highest quality.  Their mission is simple one – to deliver a custom camper van that supersedes all expectations with supporting quality service that they would expect their own family members to receive. They are driven to ensure the reputation of Custom Design Campervans is synonymous with outstanding service and Campervan finish, where most custom comes from recommendations.

Thomas Busst

Director

Custom Design Campervans Limited

Tom started his working life as a plasterer and worked perfecting his craft for a decade but the excessive amount of sweat and dust took its toll and he then moved onto a maintenance role for the local council. Rather handy, Tom is one of those annoying people who can fix pretty much anything. Neither job was truly enjoyable, however with a young family to provide for, Tom worked as many hours as he could. 

As the children got older, Tom brought a VW Caravelle to use as a family vehicle. He fitted a pop top roof and the Busst family started to enjoy their regular camping holidays. During this time Tom developed a passion for the VW lifestyle, bought another van, and attended many courses such as coach building.

Over the next 18 months he converted his first vehicle and started hiring it out to friends and family. Within 12 months his first business Capital Campers was born. 

Tom’s favourite conversion to date was the first one he did with electric seats, in his words ‘it’s a total game changer’.  It’s important to Tom to be able to offer a wide variety for the customer to choose from… a Campervan is a big purchase for most people, and he wants to help ensure they get the most they can for their money. Making owning a Campervan affordable is Toms long term goal. 

Tom has been with his long-term partner 18 years and they have 2 wonderful children together. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family, kayaking and playing poker. He has even played with a professional tennis player, and a popular soap star. 

Customer satisfaction is Tom’s number one priority, he wants you to love your custom design Campervan as much as he does. He spent many years in a job he didn’t enjoy and now feels truly blessed to be building a family run business, doing what he loves and helping people to become part of the Custom Build Campervan family.

Paul Hennessy

Director

Custom Design Campervans Limited

After leaving school Paul did a 3-year apprenticeship at Bryant Homes (Taylor Wimpey), and qualified as a Carpenter.  He spent 2 more years on the domestic side before joining MK Contractors as a Carpenter/Joiner.  During this time, he worked on a fire segregation update at the University of Birmingham and had to replicate original work due to the nature of the building.  Paul was one of 3 joiners who hand build these cabinets, and the work was eventually selected to win several awards. Having shown himself to be a talented individual with a great work ethic, Paul worked his way up the ladder and eventually became Projects Manager. Paul’s organisation and attention to detail ensured he was successful in this high-level role. 

When this role came to a natural end, Paul went back to his joinery roots when Cousin Tom asked for help to design a brand-new kitchen layout for a campervan conversion he was working on. The timing was perfect and within 6 months Paul was part of the campervan conversion team, designing and building brand new campervan kitchens. 

Over the next 3 years Paul worked on countless campervan kitchen conversions, every single one was individual to the customer, and he was able to bring their ideas to life. No two days were the same, and his designs were proving popular amongst the customers.  Paul has the vision and the skill to design a campervan kitchen to suit any taste and budget.  He can also recommend a kitchen design that will work with any chosen campervan colour scheme. 

Paul married long term partner Annamarie in 2014, and they have 2 beautiful children together. When he’s not building campervan kitchens, he enjoys watching football, playing golf and socialising with friends and family.

Paul’s is driven to have the reputation of Custom Design Campervans synonymous with outstanding service and to run a thriving family business where most custom comes from recommendations.

Brad Drinkwater

Director

Custom Design Campervans Ltd

After leaving school Brad trained to be a carpenter at South Birmingham College.  His first on site job was at Taylor Whimpey, and after several years he qualified as a carpenter and gained his NVQ Levels 1, 2 & 3.  After a couple of years the work went quiet, so Brad looked at different avenues he could pursue. 

His next role was as a roofer/bricklayer, and after 2 years in that trade he moved into a role in security.   This new role was very interesting for Brad as he was used to being more hands on at work, and now he has more administration to deal with.  During his time working security at Sainsburys, Hams Hall, he went from a security officer, to a DLPM in just 18 months.  One of the reasons he was so successful in this role was his people skills and organisation.  He was becoming more confident at a desk, but still missed his hands-on approach. 

After 3 years in this role, his brother in law Tom asked him for help on a conversion he was doing for his new business Capital Campers.  Having rented campervans in the past, Brad was familiar with the VW community and relished the opportunity to work on an actual conversion.  What started out as Brad just helping at weekends, soon became a full-time job, and before long Brad had joined Tom at Capital Campers.  Brad really complemented Paul and Tom as he not only had the physical skills to help with the conversions, but he was also able to take on the administration side of the business, as well as deal with the many customer enquirers.

Now that Custom Design Campervans is officially trading, Brad is more focused than ever on customer satisfaction and offering the customer value for money. Making owning a campervan affordable for many is one of Brads long term goals.  

Brad has been with girlfriend Jess for several years and they have 2 gorgeous son’s together.  In his spare time, he loves watching/playing any kind of sport – rugby and football in particular he is very passionate about. 

Moving forward he would love to see Custom Design Campervans establish themselves as one of the market leaders for custom build campervans, opening more forecourts around the West Midlands.  The genuine enjoyment he gets from this new venture puts a spring in his step every morning.  Like the others – doing what you love, with family, is priceless. 

Visit us in person: Tib Hall Farm, Foul End Lane, Atherstone, CV9 2JN.

Email us: info@customdesigncampervans.co.uk

Call us: 0121 679 2528