A TikToker renovated a 200-square-foot camper into a stylish tiny home for less than $1,000. Here are 6 ways she stayed in budget.
- Last November, Heather McLarry purchased a 2015 camper off of Facebook for $7,500.
- McLarry told Insider she had a colorful vision for the renovation, but only a $1,000 budget.
Heather McLarry never grew up traveling. Today, she travels full-time in a camper.
Heather McLarry was finishing up college in Texas when the pandemic hit. She didn't have a job lined up and was struggling to afford her rent.
"I didn't really know what to do with my life," the 22-year-old told Insider.
That's when she remembered watching Dean Unglert from "The Bachelor in Paradise" a few years ago share his van-life journey.
She realized it was a lifestyle that might work for her. It was cheaper than renting an apartment, she could work seasonal jobs, and a van would allow her to explore the US — something she had never done before, she said.
"I never really traveled — at all — before jumping into this tiny-home, living-on-wheels lifestyle," she said.
So in 2020, McLarry purchased a minibus for $3,000. After 15 months in the so-called skookie, she was hooked and decided she upgraded to a 2015 Shasta Oasis camper.
McLarry upgraded a 2015 camper she found on Facebook Marketplace for $7,500.
McLarry's bus allowed her to see new parts of the world, meet incredible people, and learn about herself.
While she loved living on the road, her bus was unreliable since she bought the cheapest vehicle she could find to test out the lifestyle.
After about 15 months in the bus, McLarry said she was ready for an upgrade. She started "digging on Facebook Marketplace day and night," she said.
At the time, McLarry said she was open to purchasing a camper, RV, or another bus. Her goal was to find the newest possible home within her budget.
So when she saw a 2015 Shasta Oasis camper listed for $7,500, she said she immediately knew it would be her future home.
McLarry said she reached out to the owner three minutes after he posted the listing. A week later, at the end of November 2021, she purchased the 200-square-foot camper, along with a truck for towing her camper.
McLarry set a renovation budget of under $1,000.
The moment McLarry saw the camper, she knew she wanted to make changes. It was "bland," "ugly," and "brown," she said.
"Everything was in great condition, but everything was hideous in my opinion," McLarry said. "It needed an upgrade."
She said her goal was to spend less than $1,000 on the renovations, which also included fixing the camper's water pump.
The cost of renovating campers, RVs, and vans can vary greatly. Insider previously reported on renovations costing anywhere from $2,000 to $100,000.
With her minimal budget, she tuned to simple changes that would create the colorful, homey feel she envisioned.
Cheap purchases, like a can of paint, completely transformed the space, she said.
With no design background, McLarry said the renovation was a bit of a trial-and-error. She used Pinterest for inspiration and started by picking colors that she thought matched. she said.
The first step was painting all the cabinets sage green.
While it looked great in the kitchen, McLarry said the sage-green cabinets in her bedroom didn't match McLarry's terracotta-colored bedding.
She reevaluated and repainted the bedroom cabinets black. "It looks fantastic now," she said.
Luckily, a can of paint wasn't too expensive, so she was happy experimenting with different colors, she said.
She hunted down furniture and decor from thrift stores and Facebook Marketplace.
When it came to filling her camper with furniture and decor, she turned to Facebook Marketplace again. McLarry said she's become obsessed with the platform because she can find cheap and unique items.
While scrolling through pages of decor, home appliances, clothes, and furniture, she found unusual pieces, like a rattan chair, that complemented her camper's colors and space.
And since it was all used, McLarry said the items were affordable, which helped her stay within her budget.
McLarry used contact paper to give the countertops in the kitchen and bathroom an updated look.
McLarry said she didn't have a ton of renovation experience, but knew she wanted to change the bathroom and kitchen countertops.
Rather than replace the countertops in the bathroom and kitchen, which would have cost hundreds of dollars, McLarry used contact paper to transform her space for just a few dollars.
In the kitchen, she purchased a white marble pattern, and for the bathroom, she found a wood look.
McLarry said the paper, which sells for $11 on Amazon, completely transformed the rooms and helped both spaces feel updated and newer.
Stick-on tiles helped create the colorful atmosphere McLarry envisioned.
Once McLarry saw how simple and affordable the contact-paper countertops worked, she decided to take a similar approach to her kitchen back splash.
Using peel-and-stick tiles she bought on Etsy, she filled the space between the kitchen counters and the overhead cabinets.
McLarry said she opted for bright, mismatched tiles to add more color to the otherwise neutral kitchen.
Floral wallpaper behind her bed transformed her room.
McLarry opted for a darker color palette throughout her bedroom.
The camper's room came with built-in cabinetry around the bed, and in the open space, McLarry added stick-on floral wallpaper she found on Etsy.
McLarry said she wanted her bedroom to seamlessly transition into the living space, so she also incorporated some of the same wallpaper into her living room.
Plus, stick-on wallpaper is easy to replace, which will allow her to continually change and update her home, she said.
Finally, McLarry focused on updating details like knobs and lighting.
When McLarry first received the camper, the cabinets had polished silver knobs that didn't match her vision.
So she replaced them with natural, wooden knobs in line with her earthier color scheme, she said.
McLarry also said she wasn't the biggest fan of the camper's overhead lighting. Replacing it would involve an electrician, which could be pricey, so she hung string lights she found on Amazon for $31.
She drilled in a few hooks throughout her home, hung them up, plugged them into an outlet, and turned them on. McLarry said the new lights created the softer light she wanted.
McLarry said her camper now feels like home.
This month, McLarry will finish major renovations and set out to travel full-time again. Long term, she said she has plans to continue her updates and replace faucets and sinks.
While she is not completely done with renovations, she said she's thrilled when she sees the before-and-after pictures and how much her camper has changed.
"Looking at it now, it's so colorful," McLarry said. "I walk in there and it feels like home."
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