We’ve shared some amazing caravan renovations with you recently, and it’s now time for another…
Vicky Hibberd, 25, bought a caravan for £750 on Facebook Marketplace and was able to completely transform it within five days – for only £198.
Vicky said: “Me and my fiancé are long term campers, and we’ve been wanting an old caravan or camper van for a long time, but all of the ones I’d been seeing were full of damp.”
“We had a camping holiday booked for two weeks – a week in Somerset and a week in Newquay, Cornwall.”
“The Sunday before we were planning to go away, my mum sent me the link to this caravan on Facebook Marketplace.”
“We went to have a look and it was solid: a 1995 ABI two-berth little caravan for a bargain of £750!”
Despite its age, the caravan was clean, but after picking it up on the Sunday, there were only five days to get it prepared before heading off on the Saturday.
To update it, she bought two tins of Frenchic Swanky Pants, which came to £18 each, along with a tin of Frenchic Dazzle Me, which was a further £18. 20 handles were found on Amazon, costing £25 too.
New accessories breathed fresh life into the interior, with throws, cushions and some fake plants coming to £80 – these were bought from B&M and The Range. To refresh the flooring, a carpet off-cut was purchased from Carpetright for £19 too.
To start things off, she gave everything a thorough clean with sugar soap and got the wallpaper off the cupboard doors by soaking it.
After giving the surfaces a light sand, the next step was to make sure the paint would stick by keying them, before more sugar soaping to remove the residue.
Several coats of Dazzle Me White were used on the ceiling to freshen it up, while Swanky Pants Grey was used on the woodwork.
Vicky said: “My main tips would be to find a solid caravan – be careful of damp.”
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: “There are some amazing bargains to be found on Facebook Marketplace – and you really don’t need to be a pro at DIY to make them look better. Some paint and some affordable accessories, as Vicky proves, can go a long way!”
Are you looking for a tourer? Then be sure to take a look at our best caravan round-up, where we pick out the top models currently on the market.
Or maybe you’re looking for a towing vehicle? If so, our round-up of the best used tow cars is full of great suggestions.
Future Publishing Limited, the publisher of practicalcaravan.com, provides the information in this article in good faith and makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. Individuals carrying out the instructions do so at their own risk and must exercise their independent judgement in determining the appropriateness of the advice to their circumstances. Individuals should take appropriate safety precautions and be aware of the risk of electrocution when dealing with electrical products. To the fullest extent permitted by law, neither Future nor its employees or agents shall have any liability in connection with the use of this information. You should check that any van warranty will not be affected before proceeding with DIY projects.
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