If it feels like I’m yelling at you…I am 🙂 I’m so excited that you were so excited about our new vintage travel trailer and I can’t contain my feelings or my volume. I think I may have just yelled at the lady in drive thru. Then again…that could have just been because I need my breakfast burrito like NOW. Mild picante sauce please.
So our vintage travel trailer is one of the scariest adventures that we have undertaken…for whatever reason we are hesitant to ever start a project without knowing the full scope of what is in store. And this is no ordinary oh-we-change-out-a-light or gut-a-kitchen. This involves moving components of a vehicle, plumbing, electrical, heating, a/c, waterproofing, bathroom, kitchen, storage, AND THEN the normal giving-a-space-a-makeover thing. It’s very involved.
Our plan is to keep true to the let’s go camping vibe. We want to make it easy to clean and easy to look good even if it’s less than very clean. We also realize that this is probably not gonna be for us forever. I said that before. It’s a starter project and hopefully one day we get to make over an Airstream that will fit our whole family. That’s the dream anyway. But that’s not to say we don’t want to make this puppy dreamy. We do. We should have named it McDreamy. So here is the plan…
It’s very outdoorsy and calm and full of texture. It reminds me of Fixer Upper style if they ever took on a cabin in the woods. And that is what we are going for….a happy and dreamy spot that people who love the outdoors will feel comfortable. Let’s talk about the design part before we go back to some of the very basics.
First, we want our color scheme to be grays/whites/muted navy and rustic wood. It will have little details of stainless steel and tiny pops of gold. The key here is to mix a whole lot of textures in a small space without overwhelming it. In such a small area, things can feel cluttered fast…so knowing that we have to be less intense about our use of fabric pattern – we will be using them sparingly.
The other key component is to not add too much weight…the trailer does have to move. We do have to add some weight back in….like with a generator and an air conditioning unit, adding a rock guard and incorporating a small amount of tile. But we hope that removing some initial weight….like the old appliances, building better kitchen cabinets, and tweaking some storage will offset it. It’s a trade off. And the key is to not get it too heavy!
That being said – our flooring will be a great way to keep weight down. We want to go with a durable vinyl that will run throughout the entire space. We hope to add a few light fixtures – one in the bathroom and a couple of sconces in the dinette area. And then use lightweight items like wallpaper to trick you into thinking it’s real planked walls 🙂 I was really inspired by Ana White’s tiny houses and have gone back to the drawing board on how I can get use out of every square inch. It’s gonna be challenge because well…I am no Ana. DUH!
But before any of the design stuff can start, we have to protect this baby before we start repairing any exterior. I am 99% sure I’ve convinced Jeremy to buy a carport….
And we took it to a local RV place to check the propane….it all needs to go. So basically the plan is to take EVERYTHING out. The cabinets, the kitchen, the seating, the floor, it all gets gutted and then we go through for water damage. Any dry rot needs to be assessed repaired, the leaks need to be sealed, the roof will get recoated and then we start with the walls of the exterior. The aluminum pieces that need replaced on the shell will go, the caulk needs to be completely scraped and any rivets need sealed. It’s a common thing to say that all travel trailers leak…the key is to get yours to a point where it isn’t causing damage.
That is when we start on the heating/cooling elements. An air conditioner MUST be installed…we live in GEORGIA. Yes. Yelling again because the thought of the heat makes me sweat. And then we get to the heart of the transformation…electrical, insulation and plumbing. This is where things start looking bad. The pictures will be awful. Our sanity will be gone. It could cost a buttload of money. In my mind, I’m planning for the worst…but it could be not as bad as a membrane strip. We won’t know until we get in there.
After all of the basics are done, we start putting it back together. We will be doing the walls first and then probably the builds for the kitchen. The cabinets will need completely new ones because we won’t be keeping the existing stove and fridge. The cabinets above the dinette will be salvaged hopefully and those can be painted. The bathroom will need to be overhauled…the tub recoated and tiled, the sink built out and more storage incorporated. Then comes the rest. The rest seems daunting all by itself.
We figured that we don’t want to do solar power on this baby because of the cost…so we think that going off grid will rely on a generator. We talked to some people at the Tiny House festival in GA and some of them use these Ryobi generators which of course makes us happy. We can always use it in our house too if the power goes out 🙂
And then there comes the budget. Ideally – I would love to stay under $5000. I mean…but that’s the dream. But realistically it’s probably closer to $10K. Here is the breakdown….
- TRAILER STUFF – tires, exterior, wood rot repair, rock guard, propane stuff, jack – $2500
- PLUMBING – possibly new tanks, all new plumbing, sink, faucets, composting toilet, etc. – $2000
- ELECTRICAL – all new electrical, generator, new lighting, new a/c – $1500
- INTERIOR – cabinets, counters, reupholstery, flooring – $2000
- OTHER – all of the unknown. scary category. – $1000
All in….somewhere around $12,000. That’s a big number…and it might be tight…it definitely means getting help from some brands (yes, we will definitely be reaching out to get a hand with materials that we would love to use!) and it hopefully will be a lasting little travel trailer that will be fully renovated. WHEW.
As far as timeline…this will take us all summer. I just know it. I wish I could say 6 to 8 weeks….but seriously, we have four little kids. Brushing my teeth takes 30 minutes. So hopefully we will be DONE by September 1. That’s my goal. I’m putting it here for all of the internet to see. THAT part should be doable. I mean…that’s five months away. And just in time for some fall camping. After that…well, I can’t wrap my brain around after that. Okay guys…send us some energy mojo! We need all the red bull for this one 🙂
Oh my goodness! This looks like such a fun project.I look forward to your updates!
Happy decorating! 🙂
are you guys building your own cabinets from scratch? our friends did their airstream up with a lot of IKEA pieces. good luck! can’t wait to watch you re-build.
I wonder if you’d thought about the amazing trees wallpaper from Cole & son in lieu of the wooden paneling wallpaper? https://www.wallpaperdirect.com/us/products/cole-son/woods/25709?gclid=CJ3voIqTytICFV25wAod5PYONA
very best of luck! this will be fun to watch play out.
i saw the white panel wood pic in the moodboard and i’m guessing from reading that it’s a wallpaper but just in case- from experience – i would definitely steer anyone away from using manufactured white wood floors where there are “grains” in the wood. dirt gets into them, they look gross, and they are a NIGHTMARE to clean!
I think you know, reasonably, surely, I’m-begging-you, in your heart of hearts, how REMARKABLY ABSURD it is to spend 10K on this. I mean, whatever for?? It’s clearly not at all something you give a damn about. Let’s be real. If you’re going to dump your money on the “cutest little vintage camper”, my quote, as least add some pops of red. #theyreallgonnalaughatyou
LOL at could be not as bad as a membrane strip. I hope for your sakes it isn’t, but if it is…just like a membrane strip the end result will be worth it!
Soooo fun! Can’t wait to see what you guys do with it. Love the moodboard (and I’m gulping along with you on the budget/practical fixes)!
will your garage door accessories (speaker, fan, cord) work with the generator? I see there are some ports, but can not tell if they are for the modules. that would be a great bonus if so!
I’m excited to see this all go down. We have a ’69 Volkswagen van that someone “renovated” years ago to include storage cabinets that had a stove, etc. I redid them two summers ago to eliminate the stove because the propane was leaking and we liked cooking outside better. One thing I realized when installing the cabinets again – there’s a lot of movement from all angles when you drive. I know it’s probably much more intense in something like a van than it would be in a trailer, but it’s definitely something to factor in when making decisions about materials. I’m wondering how the tile will hold up with that flex, and know that tile isn’t something that’s typically included in most RV’s. I’m guessing it’s for that reason? Just wanted to throw that out there to think about.
I’m so excited to see this project happen- it’s such a fun departure!
But I must warn you about those drawer pulls from Anthro- stay FAR AWAY! They are cheap and will drive you totally nuts (pun! because it’s a trailer!) We bought some for our bathroom reno, and it’s hard to explain, but they don’t lay straight- they all looked crooked! So when we went to remove and return them, two of them crumbled in our hands! Such a nightmare and waste of money 🙁 (obvs in a first-world-problem way)
Super excited to follow along on this! And even more excited that maybe next summer, you and your fam, might be able to come out to beautiful Colorado Springs, CO with Big Red!! Me and my boys would LOVE to show you around our beautiful city!!! Am I jumping too far ahead?!?! 🙂
http://www.greatamericancountry.com/shows/flippin-rvs
Hi Katie! What a fun project. I love watching Flippin-rvs, the couple on there are so sweet, and didn’t know if you’ve seen it or not, and might enjoy it. Can’t wait to see how this all comes together! Have a great weekend! xo
I’m way behind on blog reading, and was very excited to see this post today! We bought a small travel trailer when our kids were small. (12 years ago!!) It has developed a leak somewhere that will require a full gut to fix spongy floors, much like yours. Your inspiration board is EXACTLY what I want to do when we put it all back together! We hope to work on it over this summer or next winter. You will love it, and the memories your family will make. We’ve towed our trailer all over the Pacific Northwest, and two years ago we took a two week road trip from WA thru Utah and saw all of the amazing national parks. We hiked, mountain biked, swam….it was awesome! Our trailer has potty trained our youngest, housed family for reunions, and provided a bed during many a mountain biking trip. I am excited for you and the fun memories you will make, and can’t wait to watch the progress of your project as we start ours! (And can’t wait to see where you source your materials!!) 🙂
Excited to go on this journey with you and learn for when we get ours. I am sure, however, that ours will be a lot newer because the hubby won’t be willing to do all of that! I still need it to be pretty, though!
I’m sure you’ve come across it but, The Pop Up Princess is a good resource. Obviously yours isn’t a pop up but some of the materials and how to’s with flooring might be helpful.
I love your mood board! It’s going to be amazing 🙂
haha! Deal! If we ever make it that far, I am definitely looking you up 🙂
xo – kb
That’s a good question…I don’t think they will but I will definitely look into it.
xo – kb
Yeah…I think we will either do it really in a small space (like think maybe six square feet) or less. I’ve seen it in other trailers but that’s a good question to ask!
xo – kb
This is so exciting! Cannot wait to see the process.
Shonee
I’ll second that. Big disappointment in Anthro’s door pulls
No way I will ever buy a trailer, but I look forward to living vicariously through you! I love the plan!
Have you seen the movie, “The Long Long Trailer” with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez? You might want to watch it before you make your final choices as to what to add back into your trailer. 🙂
And besides, it’s a really good movie.
My wife runs her own business and we have to buy tents (like the carport you show) and such for festival season. Just as an unsolicited recommendation, AceCanopy (www.acecanopy.com) always has great deals and their products are very good, as is there customer service, and no I’m not affiliated in any way. Just thought I’d share how we save hundreds of dollars on tents and carports. Side note you can stack most of there special offers and they often have free shipping.
Thank you! That’s an awesome recommendation!
xo – kb
I mean…I HOPE it’s not gonna be that much…but I’m a realist. Renovations of rooms and houses and even campers always costs more than you expect. And I do give a darn…I like tackling projects and making things more beautiful…so this is a new adventure for us. And I said before that it’s a start for us…we eventually want to make over a different camper that will fit our whole family…so this is a good starting point. And I do believe I can make my money back on it…as long as I don’t bust that $12K limit. Oh and as for the red…I hope that we can do that on the outside! Wouldnt’ that be cute?!
xo – kb
Hey Katie! Just wondering if there’s an update on Big Red? My husband and I are about to start the same project!
We are done with most of demo but waiting for the rain to stop so we can start repairing the outside and sealing it up!
xo – kb