Woman Renovates a 1978 Motorhome On a Budget With Gorgeous Results
The transformation is really something!
When a young woman name Jessy Muller saw an ad on Craigslist for a very well-priced vintage motorhome, she jumped at the chance to buy it. The 1978 Dodge Commander was hot on the market at the low price of $1,900 and with only 54,000 miles on it. Muller had been looking into buying a camper and had resigned herself to buying a less-than-attractive 1990s model before coming across the motorhome she would eventually call “Mander”.
Muller then spent then 15 months renovating the RV, doing much of the work herself or getting friends and family to help. Jessy demoed out the horseshoe dining area (which originally converted to become another sleeping area) since she didn’t need to accommodate guests and wanted a more open plan. This made the area feel much more spacious and is now the location of a pop-up table and the litter box for her two cats who travel with her.
A single bed is hidden above the cockpit, which is why Muller felt that the extra bed near the kitchen wasn’t needed. One interesting thing is that in the driving area Muller kept the original shag carpeting which definitely makes it feel more vintage.
All over the camper there are little touches that add a sense of home, like crocheted bunting, many plants, and faux tin tile backsplash in the kitchen which nicely covers cosmetically damaged walls. But, the motorhome also has a new solar panel which Muller says works out well since she doesn’t use that much electricity on a daily basis.
Of the process of fixing up the motorhome Muller said that in many cases she just “went for it” and made mistakes since she feels she’s someone who just prefers to do everything her own way.
The bedroom has a magical feel to it with those lights over the bed!
Even the bathroom looks great, but this was another area which Muller changed dramatically. She expanded the size of the bathroom, changed the doorway, took the toilet out of the shower, and generally updated the whole space.
Muller has said that she has always loved old vehicles, so being in a vintage RV was a natural fit once she got over the intimidation factor. Muller lives in her Commander RV full time, traveling wherever she wants.
Since taking the motorhome on the road, she has had to make a lot of repairs. However, she’s also seen the country and has since written a guide about the process of RV traveling called Vanlife: Your Guide to Becoming a Modern Nomad.
You can take the full tour of this cute home by watching the video below.
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