DIY Mum Transforms Damp Caravan Into Amazing Space For Under £3k, Saving £1000s
- Kelly Whyton, 37, was keen to renovate her existing caravan rather than buying new
- She transformed the damp vehicle into a chic, modern space
- She saved thousands, managing to achieve the whole project for under £3k
Caravan sales have shot up in the era of the Covid-19 pandemic, but one DIY-savvy mum was keen to renovate her existing caravan rather than buying new.
Kelly Whyton, 37, a teaching assistant and mum of two from Kent, discovered damp in her caravan.
She worked hard with her husband and dad to totally transform the caravan, not just getting rid of the damp but also turning it into a chic, modern space.
By doing it all themselves, the family saved a fortune, spending under £3k on the renovation, which included an expensive combi boiler.
Kelly estimates that to get professional builders in would have cost £5k, while a secondhand caravan upgrade would have cost £14k.
Kelly told money-saving Facebook group DIY On A Budget UK: “We used to go camping then upgraded to our caravan in 2019.
"This year we looked at getting a new caravan but the prices have been pushed up so much over the last couple of years we decided it would be good to try and redo ours as we loved the layout so much.
"We had decided to add a combi boiler to the caravan as it had no heating so that's what started it all.
"As we started to pull out the old heater we noticed a leak around the window.
"This is when we discovered damp and after watching videos on YouTube we discovered how devastating it can be.
"We tried to find vinyl wrap to recover any damage but it was impossible so I suggest maybe we should just completely renovate it instead.
"We stripped back everything, removed all the doors and removed all the rotten wood, treated the wet wood and changed all the window gaskets to stop the leak.
"Once that was sorted I started sanding everything lightly using 240 grit.
"Then I washed everything down and left it to dry.
"I took all the doors home to sand, prime and paint in the loft and picked out new handles for them.
"I decided I wanted grey and white as we hadn't long done our hallway and I loved the colours together.
"I chose Dulux Night Jewels 4 in eggshell and a white Dulux eggshell.
"I started in the bedroom area.
"After the first coat of primer went on, I was thinking 'what have I done?’
“It was when I realised just how much work it would take.
"After it had dried, I did a second coat of primer and suddenly it looked 100 times better and I was already visualising it finished.
“For the cupboards, I used Ronseal wood filler to fill any dents and the old handle holes, then sanded them off, primed and painted them.
"I ended up doing two coats of primer and three coats of the Dulux eggshell, and a few places needed lightly sanding in-between.
"With the door, I decided to spray that as it would be more durable when opened in the rain.
“My Dad was happy to help with that.
"I added a new black bin and sprayed the blind surround.
"I sanded everywhere and then used Ronseal All Surface Primer to undercoat everything.
"I used Dulux Eggshell White paint and the same for the grey but I had it mixed to Night Jewel 4.
“My main tips would be to do two coats of primer and three coats of emulsion.
“We wrapped our worktops, which cost £21.
"The flooring and blinds came from ebay and all the accessories were from IKEA and Dunelm.
“I also had my sofas professionally covered which cost £700.
“The paint cost £150, the handles cost £30, the flooring cost £130, the blinds I had already, the LED lighting was £20, the accessories, cushions, plants, bedding and rug were £250, the tap was £40, the timber cladding was £30, and the new gaskets were £100.
“We put in a new combi boiler and internal pump which was quite expensive at £1,500 but it has made such a difference not using fan heaters.
"It would have been very inexpensive without the boiler and pump.
"I would like to add a big thank you to my husband and my dad as they're always on hand when I have these ideas!
“It's taken five weeks to complete, mainly on weekends.
“Me and my husband work full time so we only had weekends and a few evenings during the week.
"Luckily it's turned out amazing. I absolutely love it.
“It cost us under £3k to do ourselves.
“It could have been achieved a lot cheaper if people who want to do it don't add a new combi boiler.
“It would have probably cost at least £5k to pay a professional for the labour and materials.
"To go and get a decent upgrade we were looking at £14k so this definitely worked out cheaper. That was for a 2012 van - prices are crazy at the moment.
“I’m very pleased that it looks so beautiful and we didn't have to spend a fortune paying someone or buying newer!”
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: “The popularity of caravanning has shot up since the pandemic, but buying a new or even secondhand caravan can cost a fortune!
“Well done to Kelly for taking the time to carefully and lovingly renovate her caravan.
“She’s saved a fortune compared to getting builders in or buying new, and you can really see the dedication in her renovation: the space looks absolutely fantastic!"
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