Introducing my next big DIY project: Our DIY Camper 2.0

Come take a tour of the used fifth wheel RV camper we bought earlier this year and see the budget-friendly renovation plans I have for it!

I was humming & hawing about sharing this next RV renovation journey with you (or even starting it altogether) because of the state of our world at the moment. We also don’t even know if we’ll use this new-old camper this year because of campground closures and social distancing rules.

But, when I asked you on my YouTube community tab and on my Instagram profile if you wanted to come along with me as I renovated this camper, the feedback was a resounding “YES”!

Your encouragement, teamed with a few other motivators, made me decide to go ahead with this renovation and chronicle the whole experience here and on my YouTube channel.

I explain everything in this video of Our DIY Camper 2.0 where I share a “before” tour and my renovation plans:

The RV is a 2007 Jayflight by Jayco 30.5 foot fifth wheel that we bought off of Facebook Marketplace. 

We started looking for a new camper when the water damage in the hitch area of our first DIY Camper got so bad that we had to remove some of the exterior (see it in the video above). That paired with the fact that there wasn’t enough room for our 3 kids to sleep comfortably made us excited to upgrade to something bigger and newer.

We’re unsure if we want to sell the old camper because of safety concerns, but either way I’m going to be re-using some of the finishes from the old camper in the new one. Things like handles, the table top, blinds, and the organization racks can all be re-used for budget friendliness! Either way, we got a ton of use out of our first camper, and we hardly spend any money on it at all. You can see our old camper renovation right here.

 

We loved this camper when we first saw it on Facebook. It had the exact layout we wanted with a pull-out and a bunk room with four bunks for our daughters:

It also has a fabulous master bedroom over the hitch area with a bathroom and a separate sink:

This RV is 15 years newer than our first camper, and it’s definitely a lot roomier. We are hoping to do longer camping trips with our family now that we know we love it so much, and this fifth wheel will be perfect.

As far as renovation plans go, I had hoped to almost completely gut this RV and put in all new furniture and flooring. Now that our budget and material sourcing is cut, I’ll be doing a “phase 1” renovation that’s a lot more budget-friendly, and then a second phase later this year or next year that will be more involved.

For this first phase, I want to share the magic of paint with you (cue the gasps from those of you that think painting over honey oak wood is a crime)! Paint is always a wonderful way to completely transform a space on a budget, and this one will be no different.

Like our first camper renovation, I’ll be painting lots of this camper white to help open up the space. This time, though, I’d love to infuse a pop of colour with paint and give this camper a vintage glam vibe that’s happy and fun.

Here’s a design mood board with the basic colours and textures I’d love to see in Our DIY Camper 2.0:

Some of the products featured in this vintage glam camper mood board:

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• brass caged globe light
• gold + lucite bar pull
• pink parsons chair
• brushed gold faucet
• floral rug
• blush pink cement tile
• marble contact paper
• marble hexagon peel + stick tile
• mint microwave

I’m so excited to take you along this budget-friendly RV renovation journey! Whether we camp in the mountains or in our own backyard this summer, it’s going to be a blast. Stay tuned as I share the process on my blog and YouTube channel over the next several weeks!

Now tell me: What would YOU do to this RV to give it a facelift on a budget?!