Vintage RV Was Renovated Into a Gorgeous, Affordable Tiny Home on Wheels With a Loft Bed

Meet Summer and Ryan, the owners and converters of this 2001 Shasta Freeport Class C RV. It's built on a Ford E-450 chassis, sports a 6.8-liter V10 engine, and measures 29 feet (8.8 meters) in length. As soon as you lay eyes on the rig, you can tell it was refurbished. The couple redid the exterior by removing the old decals and painting it black and white.

Like most RVs, this vehicle has various exterior storage compartments, the largest of which is a pass-through toward the rear. The duo stores a cooler, guitars, and more in this compartment. Another compartment holds a diesel generator and RV batteries.

Step inside, and you definitely won't feel like you're in a 23-year-old RV. Summer and Ryan did an amazing job with the interior redesign, giving the living space an open layout with a bright aesthetic. You'll notice white cabinetry and a white ceiling paired with various wooden accents.

I'll start the tour with my favorite part of this interior: the front. And I'm not referring to the driver's cabin but rather to what's above it. You'll see a loft bed surrounded by windows on all three sides.

Other notable features are a shelf that holds a record player and all the couple's records, a tiny garden with five herbs, and an LED sign depicting a banana. Moreover, the loft bedroom can be separated from the rest of the mobile home via a huge black-out curtain.

Next, we have the living room. Summer and Ryan replaced the RV's original dinette on the driver's side with a long couch, making the space roomier. It houses the rig's diesel heater and provides some extra storage space. The couple can also use an electric heater imitating a wood stove as an alternative heating solution.

Above, you'll discover a tiny shelf and multiple overhead cabinets, one with a mirrored door.

On the opposite side, the couple replaced the RV couch with a long table with two chairs. It's the perfect spot to eat or work on your laptop as you enjoy the views through a huge window behind the desk.

Walk deeper inside the RV, and you'll be in the L-shaped kitchen. It features a cute sink, a full-size oven/stove combo with a vent hood above, and a large fridge/freezer. The couple kept some of the original amenities, such as the fridge and sink, but made them look a lot better.

The final part of the interior is the bedroom, where you'll also find the bathroom and shower. The bathroom is on the driver's side of the interior and boasts a countertop holding a tiny sink, a round mirror, some storage spaces, a vent fan, and a toilet.

Opposite the bathroom, you'll find a setup that's quite uncommon in mobile homes. It's a shower located in the corner of the bedroom. It has a semi-enclosed space – the original shower panels in the corner are still there, but the side of the shower closest to the bedroom is just partly covered with two cedar half-walls.

To be frank, I dig this setup. It looks cool, especially since it's complemented by copper touches, such as the bar holding the curtain. What's more, it makes the bedroom feel a lot more open.

And finally, the very rear of the interior is where you'll find a queen-size bed. I love that the couple has room to walk around it, as well as various storage spaces, including two overhead cabinets and two large closets. Other notable features are a wall-mounted TV, a tall mirror, and two reading lights.

If you're curious about how much this rig cost, here's what you need to know. The couple purchased the RV for $8,800 (€8,209) and invested about $4,000 (€3,731) into the renovation. That brings the total cost to a mere $12,000 (€11,194) - that's a fantastic deal. Some builders spend this much on the power system for their mobile homes.

The last thing I'd like to discuss is utility systems. The power system's highlights are two 12 V deep-cycle batteries with a total capacity of 160 Ah, a 1,100 W inverter, and a charge controller connected to a 100 W solar panel on the roof – it's a straightforward setup, but it does the job. Regarding plumbing, the couple fitted a 40-gallon (151-liter) freshwater tank underneath the bed.

All in all, this tiny home on wheels looks really good, considering the meager budget it was built for. It also packs numerous creature comforts, making it suitable for full-time living. I'm especially fond of the bedroom shower and the loft bed.