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

With the rig stripped down to its bones, we began implementing all the ideas we'd drummed up over the years.

We trashed all the pontoon-boat furniture that came in the RV and brought in more residential furnishings, trading overstuffed recliners for an actual sofa.

After installing durable vinyl-plank flooring, we rolled out patterned area rugs to give the interior a warm feel.

In an effort to brighten the space, we sanded and painted the cabinets; replaced the chrome hardware; and swapped the dark-brown, contractor-grade products with more colorful, high-quality alternatives.

With the rig stripped down to its bones, we began implementing all the ideas we'd drummed up over the years.

We trashed all the pontoon-boat furniture that came in the RV and brought in more residential furnishings, trading overstuffed recliners for an actual sofa.

After installing durable vinyl-plank flooring, we rolled out patterned area rugs to give the interior a warm feel.

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

Our last RV lacked personal space and privacy, but the new one has two bedrooms and two separate bathrooms.

The room in the front of the RV was originally a den with two dark-brown love seats. We removed the pleather pieces and used the space to build each of our two children an elevated bed.

Underneath the beds, we have plenty of room to store toys and stuffed animals. Each child also has their own floor-to-ceiling wardrobe, where we keep everything from shoes to homeschool curriculums.

I finished off each lofted bed by painting the plywood, taking inspiration from Japanese capsule hotels.

Our last RV lacked personal space and privacy, but the new one has two bedrooms and two separate bathrooms.

The room in the front of the RV was originally a den with two dark-brown love seats. We removed the pleather pieces and used the space to build each of our two children an elevated bed.

Underneath the beds, we have plenty of room to store toys and stuffed animals. Each child also has their own floor-to-ceiling wardrobe, where we keep everything from shoes to homeschool curriculums.

I finished off each lofted bed by painting the plywood, taking inspiration from Japanese capsule hotels.

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

I built a rock-climbing wall around my son's bed, along with a custom Lego desk that allows him to save his creations instead of breaking them down before each travel day.

While removing a veneer wall, I found a hidden space in the nose of our RV. I transformed the area into a small craft nook for my daughter, complete with a chair and desk area.

I built a rock-climbing wall around my son's bed, along with a custom Lego desk that allows him to save his creations instead of breaking them down before each travel day.

While removing a veneer wall, I found a hidden space in the nose of our RV. I transformed the area into a small craft nook for my daughter, complete with a chair and desk area.

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

While renovating this area, we removed a wall of cabinets and replaced it with open shelving so we could display items from our travels.

I removed all of the bulky, upholstered valances from the windows and replaced them with simple, light-blocking roller shades from IKEA.

We gave the bedside tables a face-lift by replacing their laminate tops with stained wood. As a finishing touch, we added outlets on both sides of the bed.

To reach both bedrooms, we have to climb sets of three stairs, which we realized were completely hollow during the remodeling process. I replaced them with live-edge oak and added hinges to the steps to create a hidden storage space inside of them.

While renovating this area, we removed a wall of cabinets and replaced it with open shelving so we could display items from our travels.

I removed all of the bulky, upholstered valances from the windows and replaced them with simple, light-blocking roller shades from IKEA.

We gave the bedside tables a face-lift by replacing their laminate tops with stained wood. As a finishing touch, we added outlets on both sides of the bed.

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

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

One of the best parts about our RV is that it has a full bathroom directly off of our bedroom and a half bath off of our kids' bedroom.

We upgraded the half bath, full bathroom, and a few kitchen walls by ripping off the textured wallpaper and installing subway tile.

One of the best parts about our RV is that it has a full bathroom directly off of our bedroom and a half bath off of our kids' bedroom.

We upgraded the half bath, full bathroom, and a few kitchen walls by ripping off the textured wallpaper and installing subway tile.

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

It's no secret that many RVs have subpar ovens and other appliances — my wife had pretty much given up baking sourdough in our old kitchen — so we installed a bougie German steam oven during the renovation.

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

When we transitioned from a traditional house to a home on wheels, we knew we'd be spending a lot more time outside.

However, my family didn't want to completely sacrifice comfort or live in a cramped space. Our new RV allows us to travel almost anywhere a car can go, and we were able to customize it to create a space that us feel right at home.