Want to take a peek at our recent RV remodel?
2 months ago we sold our 1800 square foot house and moved into a 27 foot RV. We were planning to move anyway and thought that in between real houses it would be the perfect time to travel around the US and experience the tiny home movement for a few months.
As far as income, you can stop by our online income reports to see the entire picture but the blog supports us more than full-time and we are able to work from anywhere because of it. You can also check our how to start a blog tutorial, where we walk you through the steps so you can replicate the process yourself and spend more time with your family because of it!
As far as the RV, I thought it would be fun to give you a sneak peek at what it looks like living in 200 square foot home with 2 kids!
Related: How to prepare for living in an RV fulltime
RV Remodel
First, we spent a few weeks scouring RV lots, Craigslist and Facebook groups for the best deal on an RV. We knew whatever we found we would likely remodel to make it feel more homey.
Finally, we found one that was a steal 3 hours drive from us, we negotiated the price down even more and went to check it out!
The RV was perfect, it had everything we were looking for:
- It was a fifth wheel, which is what we were wanting.
- It wasn’t too long, 27 feet is on the smaller side of what fifth wheels come in.
- It had an electric slide out for a little extra wiggle room.
- It didn’t have any water damage, which is a huge deal when it comes to RVs.
- It had a great floor plan perfect for younger kids.
Once we bought the RV, it was time for the remodel!
RV Remodel Progress Photos
We removed the dinette to create more floor space for the kids to play.
We painted the cabinets white to make the space feel bigger, happier and more homey.
I use the term “we” loosely, since Corey actually did most of the work but I did help with some of the sanding and design ideas, which are both very important. 😉
Painting the cabinets was no easy project – we bought a more expensive paint but it still took 3 coats of paint!
The carpet had to go, with 2 kids and all the traveling we were going to be doing, I wanted something that would be easy to sweep and clean!
Corey even went the extra mile and installed a gorgeous backsplash, it does’t get any more homey than that!
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RV Remodel After Photos
Come on in, guests are always welcome!
The kitchen is tiny, so I try to do a lot of one pot meals. I’m not a big fan of microwaves so we replaced it with this large toaster oven that fits a 9×13 casserole dish. I also bough an Instant Pot because I heard it was all the rave in the fulltime RV community and am loving it so far.
We put a cubby/TV stand where the dinette used to be, this way we created storage space and we still gained tons of floor space. We eat meals around the little chest/coffee table. My 3 year old has a little stool she pulls up to it and my 10 month old sits in this collapsable high chair that is perfect for RVs. We’ve also thought about buying a tray table or two but haven’t gotten around to it yet.
Using the chest for the coffee table gave us extra storage which I use for all my blog paperwork, personal bills, and some craft supplies for the kids.
The spot where the TV is “suppose” to go was too small for our TV, not to mention it’s at a really awkward angle from the couch, so we used the spot to store all our kitchen appliances instead. It worked out perfectly because there was no way I was going to be able to fit these in my tiny kitchen.
And every RV needs a junk drawer or basket, the black basket on the right is ours.
Appliances pictured left to right: Instant Pot (Rice maker, slow cooker, pressure cooker and more all in one – huge space saver!), Coffee Pot, Ninja Blender (my favorite blender to make smoothies and salsa in).
RV couches are awesome because they have storage underneath and they turn into a bed when needed but they are not necessarily the most comfortable thing out there. Instead of investing in a new couch, we decided to get some really comfy pillows, I love these ones from Minted.com, not only are they adorable and add some fun color to the space they are also the perfect size and supportive enough to serve as great arm rests!
For a final touch, we also got a few photo art prints from Minted for the walls, they instantly helped the place feel more homey! We used these wall hooks to put them up.
Head up the stairs and you’ll be in the only other “big” room in our house, our bedroom.
Our baby sleeps in the bed with us, so we have this bedrail to keep him from falling off. And during the day he sleeps in a swing that we set up in the hallway between the shower and bathroom.
Our three year old sleeps in a little nook right next to the bed but more often than not ends up in the bed with us. Corey cut a piece of a foam for her little mattress and she loves how cozy the spot feels.
The shower and sink is in the bedroom with us and the bathroom is right across the hall in it’s own little, tiny room.
The entire remodel cost us around $500, which is not bad at all when you consider we did the cabinets, walls, floors and backsplash.
I absolutely adore how it turned out! The space is small but it’s well utilized and it’s freeing to have a home on wheels and go wherever our hearts desire.
Perks to RV Living
1. Cleaning is Quick and Easy
One of the best parts about a small space is cleaning only takes a few minutes. The space is smaller so it’s faster to sweep and clean. And with our RV, I can literally just sweep my pile straight out the door.
2. Extra Family Time
There’s not a lot of personal space when it comes to a tiny home, so we spend a lot of time together!
We do try to be intentional about giving each other segments of personal time so we keep our sanity. Personal time is either taken in the bedroom with the door shut, outside, or I’ve even snuck away to sit in the car a few times.
3. Less Obligations
We have the added benefit of less obligations since we are living on the road. But I’ve noticed that even those that are stationary are more intentional about the time they do have, what they say yes to and what they say no too.
4. Save Money
This is kinda an obvious one but it’s still worth mentioning. In a tiny home utility bills are much smaller, obviously. Since we’re staying at full-hookup campsites, a lot of our utilities are built right into the cost of our RV spot and even if we did have to pay them, electric would be nearly nothing compared to what our house was.
A surprising place we are saving money, that I wasn’t expecting, is our grocery budget. There is only so much space in the fridge, so I have been very intentional about meal planning and grocery shopping which has been saving us a lot of money on groceries.
Here’s a peek at some of our travels so far…
Related:
How to prepare for living in an RV fulltime
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This was a great post! Thank you for welcoming us into your home 🙂 This is incredibly inspiring… not something I could do at this time, but maybe in the future!
I love your comment April, you never know what your future holds, the possibilities are endless.
The RV definitely looks cozy! It’s amazing you were able to do everything for $500.
Thanks Kecia! It definitely helped that my husband has the knowledge and skill and was able do it all himself so we didn’t have to hire out for flooring or backsplash.
Love it! Really looks homey! Question: where did you get the camper magnet on you stove hood?
Isn’t it the cutest? I love that little magnet! We picked it up in a little shop downtown Durango, CO! Been trying to pick up little souvenirs here and there that don’t feel “souvenir-y”. 😉
Thanks for some great ideas. My 25ft 5er has nearly identical floor plan as yours and have been trying to stretch the storage to the max. Really like the kitchen treatment.
Am retired and full timing with my little Yorkie so room to move about is important, and treat storage is important. 😉
That was fun!! Thanks for sharing. Love how you are honoring you (and your family’s) hearts desire!!
Thanks fof sharing! How are the repainted cabinets and refrigerator holding up? We are in the process of redoing one ourselves. 🙂
They’re holding up great!! Except for the expected wear and tear, we haven’t had any paint peel off! That’s so awesome that you’re redoing one as well! Share pics when you’re finished 🙂
Hi, and what a great story! You might not see comments from a post this old, but just in case, I was curious about 3 things:
How is heat and a/c supplied? And do you find yourself staying warm enough in cold weather?
Sometimes RV ceilings feel low and make it feel cramped. The bedroom ceiling here looks a little low but the LR area ceilings look “normal” height. Does that make it feel less crowded?
If you’ve come across any tiny houses on your travels, what are your thoughts?
Thanks!
Hey Terry!
We followed the warm the weather so that it never got too cold for our RV to keep up. There is heat and a/c in almost all RVs!
Our RV is a 5th wheel which has a higher living room ceiling than a pull-behind. My husband is 6’5″ and he didn’t feel cramped. He had to duck in our bedroom but most the time spent in the bedroom is sleeping! 😉
We love the idea of tiny houses but we went with an RV because we wanted it to be more mobile. Most campsites don’t accept tiny houses at this time.
I Just discovered your blog and I loce it! I loved seeing this post all about tiny home living because I have also wanted to travel the U.S in an RV. Thanks for sharing.