A family of 4 turned a 400-square-foot trailer with rotting floors into a mobile home with 2 bedrooms and a rock wall. Take a look inside.

Christian AxnessJun 10, 2023, 20:00 IST

My family has lived on the road since we sold our house over six years ago.Christian Axness

I gutted a 400-square-foot trailer and renovated it into a full-time home for my four-person family.
The RV was on sale when we bought it because its floors were rotting. We replaced them ourselves.

When my family embarked on a yearlong RV trip around the United States in 2016, we had no idea it would snowball into a lifestyle. More than six years later, we're still traveling full time.

The longer we were on the road, the stronger our desire to nest grew. So in 2019, we looked for an RV that would be a more suitable home and landed on a fifth-wheel trailer. At 400 square feet, it had ample storage for our mountain bikes, backpacking gear, and paddleboards.

We found the exact rig we wanted on sale, but there was a problem: About 20% of its flooring had completely rotted. Knowing this, we lowballed our offer and decided to repair the flooring ourselves.

My partner and I wanted to renovate the RV anyway, so we were actually excited about the opportunity. Shortly after buying the trailer, we got to work and completely gutted the inside of our new home.

In the RV's front room, we installed vinyl-plank flooring and replaced the dated furniture with a stylish couch.

We also added white window treatments to this room.Christian Axness

Once we got rid of the pleather love seats, we built two lofted beds for the kids.

The kids share a room and a half bath in the RV.Christian Axness

The kids' room has personalized touches, like a rock wall for my son and a private craft nook for my daughter.

We keep clothes, shoes, and more underneath the kids' beds.Christian Axness

We upgraded the master bedroom by adding open shelving, IKEA roller shades, and bedside outlets.

The master bedroom is at the far end of the RV.Christian Axness

In the bathrooms and kitchen, we swapped wallpaper for subway tiles.

The laundry station is tucked into the full bathroom.Christian Axness

My partner and I added high-quality appliances and more open shelving in the RV's kitchen.

We put mugs, bowls, and plants on the kitchen shelves.Christian Axness

Renovating our 400-square-foot trailer has made the vehicle feel like a home on wheels.

Small touches, like lighting fixtures and window treatments, make a huge difference in tight spaces.Christian Axness

I paid $700 to fly round trip on a semi-private airline. It was worth every penny to save time and avoid the hassle of major airports.

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