Find out how to Renovate an RV

Is it really cheaper to purchase a used RV and renovate it than to purchase a brand new RV?

Many aspiring RVers ask this very query. So we talked to of us who’ve accomplished RV renovation tasks and requested about their price range, plans, how they discovered their RV to renovate, and way more. 

Right here’s a have a look at methods to renovate an RV – and the price range concerned – to provide it a recent really feel earlier than your subsequent tenting season. 

Renovated RV Concepts

Even skilled planners want to begin with a imaginative and prescient for his or her accomplished renovation. Listed here are a number of the coolest renovated RVs we’ve seen: 

Listed here are extra dramatic RV renovations.

Find out how to Discover an RV to Renovate

Can’t wait to launch into an RV renovation challenge however want a canvas to showcase your creativity?

Tenting World presents 1000’s of used RVs prepared on your DIY goals. Many of those are completely suited on your renovation challenge. Butt listed below are different advantages of shopping for a pre-owned RV, equivalent to cheaper upfront prices and doubtlessly decrease insurance coverage funds. 

Store Tenting World’s number of pre-owned RVs good for a DIY renovation.

Plus, Tenting World’s Design Facilities will make your renovation tasks enjoyable and straightforward. Convey the household that can assist you choose new furnishings, fixtures, home equipment, and extra. Our design consultants will provide help to visualize the way it’ll all tie collectively inside your RV. 

How A lot Does it Value to Renovate an RV?

RV renovations are available all sizes and styles, massive and small. For instance, utilizing a wallboard equipment to revive your RV’s inside partitions can price little greater than $200, however bigger DIY RV renovation tasks can simply price you 1000’s. 

RVers which have accomplished renovation tasks report spending anyplace from $2,000 to $7,000+. But it surely all depends upon the scale of your RV and the extent of the renovations undertaken. 

Listed here are a couple of ideas that can assist you lower prices on your RV renovation: 

• Renovate in phases. Break up your challenge into 3-4 phases to unfold out the work. I like to make use of Demo, Prep, Set up, and End for my phases, serving to me visualize what the area will appear to be on the finish of every stage and offering time to earn a couple of extra paychecks earlier than protecting the prices of the subsequent stage. 
• Creatively supply supplies. After I redid the flooring in my Fleetwood Bounder, I discovered a neighborhood couple with additional laminate RV flooring from a accomplished renovation challenge. I bought it from them for considerably lower than I’d’ve paid at a retail retailer.
• Mark retail gross sales in your calendar. RV retail websites like Tenting World usually provide seasonal promotions. Mark them in your calendar so you possibly can decide up renovation provides, new home equipment, and different RV equipment at a reduction as you prep on your renovation challenge.

How Exhausting is it to Renovate an RV?

Like price, renovation issue varies from challenge to challenge. It may be as simple as unscrewing previous knobs and screwing in new sq. knobs to clean up the look of your RV cabinetry. However it may be as troublesome as you wish to make it.

Flooring is usually a tough RV renovation challenge as a result of many producers construct RVs from the body up, that means the flooring is put in in a singular sheet earlier than base units are put in on high of it. 

A base set is the cabinetry and framework that creates rooms in your RV – loos, bedrooms, kitchen, and many others.

Eradicating worn RV furnishings can be difficult, as some producers set up sure gadgets earlier than the outside partitions are set into place. This implies you will have to deconstruct a worn couch as a substitute of merely eradicating the bolts securing it to the ground and carrying it out your RV’s door. 

Listed here are a few of our favourite simple RV renovation tasks: 

Find out how to Plan an RV Renovation

There’s no substitute for experiencing what it’s wish to stay in an RV earlier than beginning a renovation. 

Misty took this strategy: 

“I lived in it for a 12 months and discovered what can be useful and make life simpler. I put cabinets within the closet the place there was wasted area. As an alternative of giant open cupboards, I added dividers and cabinets. I eliminated and put in a brand new eating desk to make getting round simpler. Then, I put in lights I favored, and now I’m able to take away and exchange the bathe door.”

Others take a extra systematic tact, like Barbara: 

“We made a listing of things we favored about our rig, gadgets we didn’t like or needed to alter, and issues we actually wished we had. Then we drew up a floorplan detailing the place issues had been and the way they might change. Then began tearing out the previous and placing within the new. We eliminated the complete kitchen and adjusted it to suit our wants – particularly since I’m quick and higher cupboards are practically ineffective for me. We removed the oven as a result of, in 11 years, we had solely used it as soon as. We eliminated the tub for a similar motive. We altered the footprint of the bed room to accommodate my 6’+ tall husband. Then we put in new flooring, cupboards, counter tops, and many others. We began with a laminate flooring we cherished and constructed the coloring round it.”

Find out how to Renovate an RV Inside

When renovating a whole RV inside, work from high to backside, addressing gadgets like putting in a brand new roof vent fan or reviving worn cabinetry earlier than progressing to upgrading furnishings or putting in new flooring. 

Some RVers additionally begin with their most urgent want, like Treatment: 

“Our first journey trailer had no seating. So took out the queen mattress and closets on either side. Constructed platforms for twins and put bolsters like a daybed. Used the closet doorways for storage beneath beds. Mounted a TV on the wall. It has a cubby for an previous tube TV, so now that’s additional storage. Additionally put in a small window unit for the reason that unique A/C was so loud.”

Preserving it easy can also be an incredible thought in case your RV simply wants a modest improve, like Frances’:

“We eliminated the little jack-knife sofa and changed it with 2 rocker recliners. A lot better! We like every little thing else simply how it’s!”

If you happen to’re like Touring 8 Pack, although, a little bit extra effort could be value it: 

“We took out the U-shape dinette and unique sofa in the lounge of our 2019 bunkhouse so we may put in a sleeper couch, desk, and benches. Then, we lined the window with pic on the aspect of the slide and ship-lapped wallpaper.”

Try their completed product!

Find out how to Renovate an RV Bed room

A great snort and a protracted sleep are the very best cures within the physician’s e book. 

– Irish Proverb

Apart from full-timers, most of us plan RV journeys for journey, rest, or some mixture of the 2. Your RV’s bed room should really feel peaceable and cozy if you wish to keep away from feeling simply as drained or burnt out as you had been previous to the journey. 

All of it begins with the mattress, so learn our recommendations on methods to make your RV mattress essentially the most snug mattress ever earlier than you progress. 

Past a cushty mattress, think about your RV leisure system choices, closet storage options, nightstand entry, and anything you get pleasure from in your residential bed room. 

Listed here are a couple of of our favourite RV bed room renovations:

Find out how to Renovate an RV Kitchen

Many campers spend most of their time within the kitchen and front room of their RV. If this area isn’t working on your RV life-style, it’s time for a makeover. Does your RV really feel a bit too cave-like? Many older RVs featured darker cabinetry, so it is smart to begin right here if you wish to brighten up your area. 

Genesis makes a whole cupboard revival equipment that’s accessible in eight completely different colours. It offers a way more cost-effective different to tearing out and changing cabinetry. Plus, it’s simple to use and has sufficient peel-and-stick materials to cowl as much as 150 sq. toes of cabinetry. 

Try Tenting World’s full number of Genesis Cupboard Revive Kits.

Past cabinetry, there are extra in-depth renovations like putting in a brand new kitchen sink basin, upgrading your cooktop, and reviving worn kitchen counter tops. DIY tasks like these are a bit extra intensive, and also you’ll profit from contacting a Tenting World Design Middle that can assist you plan and execute your renovation. 

Discover a design middle close to you.

Listed here are a couple of current RV kitchen renovations which have caught our consideration: 

Find out how to Renovate Sidewalls of an RV

Wallboard kits are arguably the simplest approach to revive your RV’s inside sidewalls. They arrive with the provides you’ll want to full the straightforward peel-and-stick utility, they usually’re accessible in a number of colours and trendy designs. 

They’re nice for renovating older RVs with ominously darkish wallpaper or eccentric patterns which have gone out of favor. Genesis makes a number of the greatest kits for RV inside wall renovation, and their kits can be utilized in your RV’s front room, slide-out, kitchen, bed room, lavatory, and anyplace else you wish to give the partitions a facelift. 

Store the entire number of Genesis RV renovation merchandise at Tenting World.

Typically, uplifting the sidewalls fully modifications the texture of your RV’s inside. Simply ask Charol: 

“We did a makeover to our 18′ Starcraft camper. All the cupboards had been darkish brown, together with the toilet door, and the partitions had been beige. The video is the way it appears now.”

Find out how to Renovate an RV Rest room

An RV lavatory renovation could be so simple as putting in a extra snug RV bathroom. I’d quite not inform you what number of occasions I’ve needed to take away and exchange one in every of these. It’s by no means fairly, however issues get a lot simpler (and cleaner) as soon as accomplished. 

You may as well get artistic to fulfill a novel want, like Leigh: 

“I added a 2″ duct hose from the heater plenum underneath the bathtub and exited with a small vent to blow warmth into the toilet. I used to be my spouse’s hero to provide her some heat ought to there be a nighttime want.”

Different, extra enticing lavatory renovation concepts embody: 

For extra inspiration, right here’s every little thing you’ll want to improve your RV bathe.

Find out how to Promote a Renovated RV

Flipping an RV could be profitable, however promoting privately comes with baggage. We’ve detailed our suggestions for methods to promote a used RV right here, however the best path is to consign with Tenting World.

Then, make the most of the sources accessible at your native Tenting World dealership for cleansing and photographing your RV, itemizing it on our nationwide market, and offering 24/7 buyer help to reply the questions of potential consumers. 

We’ll present your RV on our lot, negotiate financing by native or nationwide banks, fulfill excellent loans, deal with the paperwork, and write you a verify when the sale is closing. You’ll be free to concentrate on different issues, like procuring on your subsequent RV!

Study extra about consigning your RV with Tenting World.

Find out how to Hire Out Your Renovated RV

As soon as your RV renovation is full, you don’t must be the one one to benefit from the newly-renovated area. Whenever you’re not utilizing your RV, renting it out is a good way to earn additional money and develop your wet day fund for the subsequent renovation or RV buy.

It additionally offers curious of us the chance to expertise RV life with out taking the plunge of shopping for. You by no means know who you’ll encourage to hitch up and hit the open highway after they get pleasure from their keep in your renovated RV. 

With Good Sam RV Leases, you possibly can simply checklist your RV for hire in your area and earn as much as $1,485 per week (relying in your RV make and mannequin). This system solely takes out 10% of your earnings as fee charges, and payouts for rental earnings could be initiated in as little as 24 hours.

Whenever you hire by Good Sam RV Leases, your RV is protected with 24/7 Roadside Help protection and as much as $1 million in rental safety protection. Learn the way to checklist your RV and begin incomes in the present day.

Your RV renovation challenge has begun upon getting the imaginative and prescient in your head. Listed here are a couple of extra articles that we hope encourage your subsequent DIY renovation: 

Have you ever renovated an RV? Do you’ve any ideas? Share your expertise within the feedback under.