Home: Adventures in RV remodeling

This is the chronicle of our remodel of a 1998 Winnebago Warrior motor home. We purchased it knowing we would be putting a lot of work into her, but for us this is half the fun of owning an RV - making it truly ours with all the decor and options we want, not what the manufacturers think everyone wants!

This is by no means our first RV. Over the years we have owned or driven mini-motorhomes, travel trailers, 5th wheels, cab-over campers, even a 1966 Ford bus RV conversion! We have owned RV's both well used and brand-spanking new: In 2000 we purchased a new 28' Mallard 5th wheel at an RV show. It was beautiful, and we hauled it from Washington to Alaska to Texas and beyond. We spent nearly two years full-timing in that rig with two teenage boys and a dog! So we have a pretty good idea what we want in an RV.

This time around we decided to go with a small Class A. Smaller rigs have lots of advantages, they fit better in small Forest Service and State Parks campgrounds. They handle better in city traffic. They usually fit in friends and relations driveways! They use less fuel. It is much easier to get in and out of the store, gas station and favorite fishing spots in a smaller rig and it will even go on the ferry without needing to win the lottery first. You can whip off the road into just about any decent size wide spot to get a better look at that awesome scenery.

All very good reasons to go with a smaller rig.

Since we plan to drive this rig to Alaska and beyond it is important to us that it be comfortable, functional, provide an attractive and inviting living space and be efficient enough that all of our money is not going into fuel and repairs. This 23' Winnebago fulfills all of those criteria nicely except one - the "attractive and inviting living space" is not quite there.


Since we have a whole six months to kill before that Alaska trip.....and because I am not happy unless their is some daunting project to be conquered I am spending my winter remodeling the entire interior to be that beautiful, inviting space we envision!