Making Our RV a Home: Why We Renovated a Brand New RV

By Robin Goudeau-Baxter

My husband, Warren, and I have been RVing full time since 2017, and we love this lifestyle of traveling and experiencing new adventures. We had owned tents, travel trailers, and a Class A before, but never a fifth wheel.

When we began our journey to find the perfect rig, we were amazed by fifth wheels and how many different floor plans they offer—the possibilities were endless! We were downsizing from a large home to about 400 square feet, so we really needed our new space to feel like home.

We initially bought and renovated a Keystone Montana 3790RD, and learned a lot in that process, but we eventually needed something bigger as our family started visiting and staying with us. We shopped for different options, and we kept coming back to the 2020 Keystone Fuzion 427, a toy hauler. The Fuzion provided an extra half bath, private sleeping area, ample living space, and storage in the main living area. With my real estate background and my passion for decorating, I was ready to get to work.

We laugh because even though we’ve been married for 37 years, we had very different visions. Warren is all about sports, TVs, man space, and functionality, where I’m all about glamping, office and craft space, and ripping things out. After finally agreeing on the Fuzion 427, we needed to make some decisions.

Before

After

The toy hauler met all our basic requirements, but like most toy haulers, it felt very temporary, industrial, and dark inside. The color scheme also wasn’t to our liking—the walls and cabinets were a cool gray and the floor was a warm brown with white streaks. To keep a happy wife, the option was either replace the floor or paint the walls white. Warren put his foot down on replacing the flooring, so we enlisted our family and had a painting party.

After painting the walls white, we both fell in love with the flooring. Changing the wall color brightened up the space. With natural light through the windows and from the open patio area, it was beginning to feel like a home. Plus, since we were already doing renovations, it was easy to make more changes.

Before

After

As we began to look for elements like a desk and storage cabinets, I had the brilliant idea to use the toy-hauler space for a She Shed. Don’t worry about Warren—he has three other TV options and likes to hang outside. Slowly but surely, I created my She Shed that was light and airy with feminine touches. We added a small desk, two lightweight cabinets for storage, and a small futon to provide extra sleeping space for guests. Decorating the bathroom was fairly easy—we added a picture, a rug, and towels.

After

After

After

Then came the patio area—by adding lightweight patio furniture, an area rug, plants, and a few other items, we created what we call “The Porch.” We love reading and having our morning coffee on the porch, as well as hanging out there with friends and family in the evening. Our motto is, “The Porch is Always Open.”

We are often asked, “Why did you purchase a new rig and then renovate it?” We feel we enhanced what was already there. We started with the basic structure we wanted, but just like purchasing a home, you always make it yours. It doesn’t have to take a lot of work or be expensive—just do whatever makes you feel at home. It’s amazing how far trailers and RVs have come with so many “sticks and bricks” amenities.

Inspiration is endless with social media, but Instagram is our go-to. We take inspiration from home renovation bloggers and downsize it to fit our rig. We love Trina and Steve @rvfixerupper because their work is amazing!

Warren and I have the same love for light, airy, spaces that are pretty yet functional with modern country flair, and starting with a neutral color palette that can be transformed with the seasons. One of the beauties of living in about 450 square feet is that you can change your color scheme or tweak just a few things to create a mini makeover. One of our dreams when we settle down is to flip RVs and share with others what we have learned. Decorating has always been a passion of ours, so it feels good when you walk into your tiny RV home and it feels welcoming. ■

Follow Robin on Instagram @parents_unleashed