An 11-year-old girl bought an old camper for $400 and turned it into a chic tiny house on wheels — here's how she did it

Frank OlitoAug 26, 2020, 23:53 IST

Lauren Nelson in front of her camper.Courtesy of Aimee Nelson

Lauren Nelson, an 11-year-old girl from Attica, New York, bought a $400 camper and renovated it.
She purchased the camper using money she saved up from past holidays. Lauren's mother gave her money that was meant for her summer camp to renovate the vehicle.
Lauren painted the walls, installed new flooring, bought new bedding, and added flowers from the garden.
She uses the camper as a playroom, but she has also rented it out to a family for $50. She hopes to use it as a dorm room in the future.

The tiny house movement has a new participant: an 11-year-old girl from Attica, New York.

Lauren Nelson bought a camper with money she has been saving from past holidays. With the help of her mother, Aimee Nelson, she and the family completely renovated the camper into a cozy tiny house for Lauren to play in.

Keep reading to find out how Lauren did it and what her camper looks like on the inside.

During the coronavirus lockdown, Lauren Nelson wanted to build a fort or clubhouse on her family's property, but she learned it was too expensive.

Lauren Nelson. Courtesy of Aimee Nelson

Lauren decided to set her sights on buying a camper that she could convert herself, so she turned to the money she had been saving.

Lauren's three envelopes. Courtesy of Aimee Nelson

Incredibly, a neighbor down the street was selling a 1988 Sunline Sunray camper in July.

The camper. Courtesy of Aimee Nelson

Lauren was excited even though the camper was filled with junk from the previous owner.

Junk left inside. Courtesy of Aimee Nelson

The camper was even filled with mice, but that didn't stop Lauren from continuing her renovation.

There were mouse feces everywhere. Courtesy of Aimee Nelson

After getting rid of the mice, the family had to do a deep clean of the camper.

The bunk area with dirty mattresses. Courtesy of Aimee Nelson

Once the camper was completely cleaned, Lauren's favorite part started: the redesign.

Lauren painting the camper. Courtesy of Aimee Nelson

The family put in another $500 to help Lauren completely renovate and redesign the van.

Lauren and her family painting. Courtesy of Aimee Nelson

Lauren stuck to her budget by shopping around the house, too.

Items she bought and found for her camper. Courtesy of Aimee Nelson

After just two months, Lauren completed her camper renovation and loves to use it as a playroom.

The renovated camper. Courtesy of Aimee Nelson

The kitchen has an oven, sink, and refrigerator.

The kitchen. Courtesy of Aimee Nelson

There are four bunk beds at the back of the camper, which is where Lauren loves to take naps during the day.

The bunk beds. Courtesy of Aimee Nelson

Since finishing the camper, Lauren has already rented out it out for $50.