DIY Couple Transform Damp Caravan Into Stunning Space For £1,000, Saving £25,000
- Alice Rayment, 35, and her husband Dave bought an old, damp and dated caravan on Facebook Marketplace for £4,000
- They set about transforming the caravan, which they named Connie, on a strict budget of just £1,000
- The couple used budget materials, such as DC Fix vinyl, sticky back tiles and carpet offcuts
The popularity of caravan holidays boomed over the pandemic, but buying a new one can set you back tens of thousands of pounds.
One couple keen to go on caravanning adventures didn’t let the prohibitive price put them off though.
Alice Rayment, 35, a wedding stationery business owner and mum of two from Somerset, and her husband Dave, bought an old, damp and dated caravan on Facebook Marketplace for £4,000.
They set about transforming the caravan, which they named Connie, on a strict budget of just £1,000.
Using budget materials, such as DC Fix vinyl, sticky back tiles and carpet offcuts, they got Connie looking gorgeous on a seriously impressive budget.
Alice told money-saving Facebook group DIY On A Budget UK: "Having always enjoyed camping with friends, especially at festivals, it was definitely something we wanted to carry on once the kids arrived.
"After a few trips setting up the tent with the kids in tow, though, we realised we needed something sturdier for our adventures.
"With the cost of living crisis and the pandemic, holidays abroad were less and less viable for us, so buying a caravan felt like a great choice for us.
"With a strict £5k budget to achieve our dreams, our biggest expense was the caravan itself, coming in at £4k from Facebook Marketplace.
"Once we’d bought our Avondale Dart 556-6, now affectionately known as ‘Connie’, next came the daunting task of tackling the dated decor, soggy walls and smelly carpets.
"We began by having Connie serviced, as well as inspected for damp and water ingress, as there was no point papering over the cracks, so to speak.
"We identified several areas that needed urgent attention, such as water ingress and rot around one of the windows, and tackled them first. Luckily, Dave is very handy being a plumbing engineer, so we were able to do a lot of the work ourselves.
"Once Connie was structurally sound, we began on the cosmetic work. I removed all of the cupboard doors, sanding them back to the original pine wood and staining them for a rustic look.
"I popped out the inserts and replaced them with cane webbing for a more modern look. I painted the cupboard units in a hardwearing wipeable paint from The Little Greene Company.
"We created the worktops ourselves, using 18mm chipboard flooring, and covered it in sticky back vinyl from the DC fix range.
"The herringbone tile effect was achieved using sticky back tiles we found on Amazon, and on the walls we used regular household wallpaper to give the caravan a modern and up to date feel.
"The upholstery took a lot of thought. Originally we were quoted £1,200 to have them recovered professionally, which was simply out of our budget.
"So after a lot of research, trawling Instagram and YouTube for more budget-friendly DIY options, we discovered you could easily do it yourself for a fraction of the price.
"The lounge area and the dinette area were covered with the IKEA TIPHEDE rugs, which come in at only £10 each - a bargain! We used eight in total.
"For our flooring, we used offcuts of carpet we had leftover from re-carpeting our house, so it didn’t cost us a penny! Even if you don’t have such things lying around, carpet shops sell offcuts for £20 to £30, so this is a great option if you can’t afford a caravan specialist flooring company.
"My top tips for anyone looking to do something similar is not to be intimidated! With a little research, chipping away bit by bit, and a lot of elbow grease, amazing things can be achieved. We were total newbies to this before we gave it a go.
“I’d also say you should reuse and upcycle anything you can get your hands on.
"Our curtains, for example, were hand me down sheers from my Mum. We repurposed them for the caravan and they’re perfect.
"Don’t be afraid to go bold in a small space, if it feels right and feels like you then go for it!
"Connect with others doing a similar thing- there’s a thriving caravan renovation community on both Facebook and Instagram. Everyone’s so friendly, and always happy to share experience and lessons learned.
"Now Connie is finished, we’re looking forward to a summer of weekends away on the coast, and festivals with the kids (she’s coming to Glastonbury and Farmfest with us!).
"The reno has cost £1k, which is within our strict budget.
"A new caravan can cost up to £30k, or much more depending on the spec, so we saved tens of thousands doing it this way.
"We’re over the moon that we were able to achieve our dream caravan at such a fraction of the price of buying brand new.”
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: “This is a masterclass in careful planning and very efficient money-saving.
“It would no doubt have been less hassle to buy a caravan brand new, but who wants to spend £30k when you can spend £5k instead?!
“Hats off to Alice and Dave for having the vision, insight and patience to pull off this project, which I have no doubt they will enjoy for years to come."
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