RV Remodel or Custom Built What Can You Afford?

Doing an RV Remodel is the Frugal RVing way to get what you want... and still have some money left to use your RV!

We've drug our 30' Jayco Fifth Wheel from Arizona to Wisconsin... and New Mexico to the Olympic Peninsula... with Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Nevada, Idaho, and many other points, in between.

I've pulled it into the high mountains west of Esterbrook, Wyoming, with the truck in four wheel drive, to be able to get up that slippery forest road, with that Ol' Cummins a Roarin'... to the shock of the people in that lil' back road campground we pulled into that dark Wyoming night! :-)

... and I've towed it into soft, warm, camps on the Mogollon Rim in Arizona.

The rig has served us well. Though worn after somewhere well in excess of 50,000 miles; it remains in serviceable condition in spite of bein' drug over bad roads into tight lil' camps its builders hadn't thought about much when they put it together.

So, It was time... time for a Cowboy Carved, RV Remodel!

The carpet was worn and faded... traveling with two dogs and a cat much of the time worked it hard!... the couch was starting to show wear, and to be honest...

... after using our 5er for all these years; living in it full time a couple of times for months at a time... before we finally went full time, we found a few things we would change on a new rig.

Now, rather than goin' through the work and difficulty of an RV Remodel, a fella could do that. Just run on down to the nearest RV Dealer and order up exactly the RV he wanted; Brand Spankin' new, custom built...

...with all the rv gadgets, add-ons and gee gaw he can think of already installed when they deliver that beautiful Yonderers' Fantasy to his door...

... and wouldn't that be Sweet?!

There ain't one dang thing wrong with that either. The RV Manufacturers sure need the business, their employees sure need the work to keep their jobs, and I have to admit, shopping for a New RV Rig is my idea of a good time!

How-some-ever, reality is a requirement for guys like me... at times.

We considered tradin' out to a new rig in times not so far past... but the reality of the past few years is that our finances have took a whuppin'! :-)

So, we'll do what is an equally good thing. We'll take our loyal Ol' Jayco... and give it a lil' tender lovin' care, doing an RV Remodel or RV Renovation... RV Restoration... or Whatever else you might want to call it.

However you want to think of it... We can take this old rig, and with a little Frugal RVing in mind, we can shine it up and renew it to be our own 'Custom RV' that will serve us for years to come.

Here's a short wish list of some of the RV Renovation work we'd like to be able to put into the old rig;

    ~Replace the mini blinds
    ~Rebuild the Bed Platform
    ~Remove the Carpeting and Install Hard Flooring
    ~Replace the Desk with my Antique Oak Desk
    ~R&R the Couch with improved seating
    ~R&R the incandescent fixtures with LED
    ~Put in a Fantastic Fan
    ~Install a "mounted" TV for our Theater in the Woods!
    ~Replace the factory CD Stereo with an IPOD DOCK style
    ~Renovate the Shower Stall in the Bathroom
    ~Paint the Rig with a Full Body Paint job
    ~Add at least two Solar Panels to our Solar Power Array
    ~Add a Wind Generator to our Power Generating System
    ~R&R the broken window frame in the Bedroom area
    ~R&R the Entry Door Window
    ~R&R the cracking Plastic Fender Skirts with something more durable

... and many more 'fuzzy', floating-around-in-the-dark-recesses-of-my-head ideas! :-)

Doing a well thought out RV remodel, making RV improvements in the right spots and in the right ways can radically change the livability of your rig. I'm not saying you can bring the space of a 3 bedroom house into an RV but with a well thought out RV remodel you can darn sure make things work better.

The simple fact is, enough space can usually be found in your rig to store all of the gear you really need without looking too hard. You just need to find it and put in the proper RV modifications to allow you to utilize that "found" space with reasonable convenience.

Sometimes these areas are simply walled off, wasted space. Frequently you can find these hidden areas above or below existing RV cabinets. There was one whole "cabinet" hidden behind a panel above the pantry in our rig.

The stairs were one of the places we have found space in our own rig. Stairs up into the bedroom areas of many fifth-wheels are hollow and can be remodeled to hold small items. We now have three new compartments.

Frequently, much of the existing storage space is very poorly layed out. With the addition of some properly arranged drawers, shelves or containers of some sort you can do an RV remodel and make that space work a whole lot better for you.

About now is probably a good time to plant a lil' seed for you to think on!

Most, if not all, of us (me especially included!) tend to haul a whole great collection of "stuff" we just don't need and rarely use. Fact is, if you haven't used it in the past year the likelihood is it won't get used in the next year either.

Consider putting it in with your stored possessions (if you are storing some) or just sell it or give it away (Better yet!). What you get rid of you won't need to find storage space for! The cheapest RV upgrade of all!

A word of warning. You may want to exercise a little discretion! Get carried away, put in RV add-ons that are too efficient, and you might just force yourself to buy a bigger truck!

P.S. Don't let your wife know I gave you that little secret! I've never known a guy who really minded being "forced" to buy a new truck!

OOPS! Didn't realize it was her that was reading this ............. some day I'll learn to keep some things to myself!

Below are the remodeling jobs we've done since we've had the rig.

To do an RV Remodel you have to do the RV Demolition First!

RV Storage Stairs are the first CONstruction for this RV Project

Installing our Allure by Trafficmaster Vinyl RV Flooring

Cellular RV window blinds are a better choice for our RV

Flipping our Axles

Converting a bathroom door from slide to swing

My Cowboy Designed Motorcycle Carrier

Converting the Motorcycle carrier to a Cargo Deck

Converting our Dinette to an RV Desk

A collection of RV Improvements we've done to improve the livability of our Rig

A Bead Storage cabinet for my Beadaholic wife

Remodel your RV bed for improved storage

Build an RV Pantry upgrade

Get Organized with an RV Closet Remodel