By Gail Marsh
I’ve seen them all. Well, almost all of the do-it-yourself videos, Pinterest posts, and online blogs about ways to modify your RV. Most tips look and seem like great ideas! The problem? Taking that first step. Getting started can be difficult, especially if these three common obstacles stand in your way.
Fear of mistakes
It takes guts to drill a hole in your camper or rip off the RV wallpaper. That’s because fear of mistakes can paralyze an RVer. What if I drill that hole in the wrong place? What if I’m unable to cleanly and completely remove the wallpaper? The fear of mistakes can derail the very best plan in a hurry.
Overcoming atelophobia
Atelophobia (the fear of making a mistake) is fairly common. Often, a person who fears making mistakes is worried that the end result will not be perfect. This unrealistic expectation of perfection causes some folks to avoid taking risks (or making mods) because they worry about failure.
Here are some suggestions to help overcome atelophobia:
• Know your limitations. Be realistic about your skills. Ask for help if you reach your ability limit.
• Do your research. Watch and rewatch videos that demonstrate how to make the modification you want.
• Use the right tools. Ask your handyman or big box store about the best tools for the job you plan to tackle.
• Talk to others. Ask RVing friends for advice about your plan. Talk to your local RV service techs for tips and tricks to help make your modification successful.
Resale value when modifying an RV
A second roadblock to making modifications to your RV is concern about resale value. Few folks plan to RV forever. Especially if you hear the clock ticking down toward the time you plan to resell your rig, you may hesitate to make any major changes.
Overcoming the resale value roadblock
If concerns about how modifications may impact the resale value of your RV hold you back, here are ways to move forward:
• Be realistic. Chances are if you are modifying your coach to improve your RV experience, your RV’s next owner will enjoy the improvements you’ve made, as well.
• Undoable. Perhaps the changes you want to make are quite specific to you and your family. If that’s the case, see if you can somehow make your modifications temporary or reversible. If you believe your modifications may negatively impact your RV’s resale value, explore ways that your mod can be changed back into its original form.
• Talk to professionals and other RVers. Run your ideas past a trusted RV salesman and fellow RVers. Consider their advice and weigh it against your current needs. You probably aren’t the first RVer to modify your rig in the way you want.
• The worst? Ask yourself, what’s the worst that could happen? You might lose a potential buyer. It may take longer to find a buyer. You might not ever find a buyer, but perhaps you can give the RV to your children or neighbor or friend. In the meantime, you’ll enjoy your RV because it’s just the way you want it.
Fixer’s remorse
This is the third stumbling block that can keep folks from making a modification to their RV. You might be thinking: What if I don’t like the new cabinet color? What if different curtains won’t block the light well enough? “What ifs” can certainly derail a modification.
Fixing fixer’s remorse
To overcome fixer’s remorse, try these tips:
• Take your time. Do not rush headlong into a modification without first testing your plans. For example, if you plan to repaint cabinets, go to an RV dealer. Tour a white or gray RV kitchen or model home’s kitchen to see how you like it.
• Samples. Grab the largest fabric or floor samples you can (if they apply to the modification you’re planning). Or tape several small color samples together to form a larger sample. Check how the colors look inside your RV at various times during the day and night.
• Do-overs. Remember that practically any RV mod can be readdressed. Cabinets can be repainted, right? You can cover a regretful choice of flooring with rugs. A professional service tech can patch a hole or rewire lines if you can’t figure it out on your own.
You might also enjoy…
- How to make a DIY RV slide-out drawer for basement storage
- DIY resealing an EPDM roof on your RV. If I can do it, so can you!
- How I learned to navigate the language of RV maintenance and DIY repair
##RVT1159
We make modifications based on our needs, not trying to anticipate the next owner. So far, added in-dash navigation system, towel rack in bathroom, secure shelves in bathroom, leather front seats. We are now recovering the dinette with marine grade vinyl.
It’s yours to enjoy.
In our 1st RV (Class C MH) we replaced the broken RV refrigerator with an apartment sized residential refrigerator. It was a perfect fit and actually helped the resale of the unit.
$3800 remodel, furniture, fixtures, cabinets, countertops, back splash, window treatments, flooring, paint…everyone that’s come into the rv says “this doesn’t look like an rv”, glad to hear it and that’s what we were aiming for cause it’s our full time home.
Lots of ways.
Added spring controlled struts to horizontal hinged cabinet doors so they stay up when opened
Added an Ethernet jack to the connection bay – allows wired internet connections without pushing a cable through a window or slide seal
Added a pet-proof panel to our screen door, along with closer springs and a cross bar
Added an extension to the bathroom roof vent knob so shorter people can use it without a step stool
Added a remote switch for the bathroom vent fan for the same reason
Converted the single dual-purpose thermostat to two dedicated thermostats – with a temp offset, the RV automatically switches between heat and A/C (great if have pets inside and you are gone)
This past season, ripped out all the fabric covered wood window trim and installed conventional current rods with valance curtains (kept the accordion shades). Added color to the neutral decor and the space feels more open.
Thank you, Gail! 🙂 No, we have not done any make-overs or renovations of RVs #1 or #2. DW has bought and affixed a few decorative pieces to horizontal surfaces of RV #2 with museum putty (e.g., https://a.co/d/9dRl4rf), but nothing more. She had a fair amount of latitude in determining the interior appearance because we ordered it, so she lacks motivation to do anything significant. Thanks again and safe travels! 🙂
I’ve made extensive modifications and added features to our Class A motor home; too numerous to mention here in this small space. In fact, from the instrument panel, Tv’s, bedroom, bath, liting and ceiling upgrades I changed the Winnebago designation of
“Vectra” to “Vectra LE” complete with chrome name plates inside and out! (Found the chrome Vectra name plates on EBay – there is/was a car made in Argentina by GM/Chevrolet known as the Vectra! PS: I am just a do-it-yourselfer and an Rv is a great hobby to work with as well as travel; and it’s all ours!
OutdoorsRV ’19 21RBS. We decided that the interior was too dark, so we got a bunch of paint chips from Sherwin Williams and decided on “Colony Buff’ for only the kitchen/back wardrobe area. I did the work in June, 2020 while Jan recovered from hip surgery. It took me about 22 hours to remove the drawer fronts and cabinet doors, sand the carcasses and fronts, apply one coat of primer and two coats of paint, sanding lightly between primer and each coat. I used a 3/8 in. nap roller. I posted pictures of my work on our ORV Facebook page that December and received 215 ‘likes’ and 82 comments, mostly positive.