Family Reinvents Their Life & Travels the U.S. in Renovated Motorhome
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Ashley Mann spent three years living full time in a 38-foot, 5th-wheel RV with her husband Josiah and their cat, Kitty. Her favorite thing about RV life is the challenge of finding the perfect way to organize a space, and she loves seeing all the creative and clever ways people come up with to customize their RVs.
In this article, I want to share with you some RV renovation inspiration by showcasing this beautifully renovated 2008 Fleetwood Terra motorhome.
But before I share RV makeover photos, I'd like to introduce you to the Yeske family, who has called this RV home during their travels across the U.S.
Answering the Call to Adventure
When I asked Nate Yeske what led his family to travel the U.S. in a motorhome, he shared the following with me:
The short is that we were feeling lost in the hustle and bustle of life, watching our kids grow up before our eyes and feeling like we were missing so many moments because of work, life, keeping up with the jones and the pressures of what everyone thought was “the only way” or “the American dream for families.”
But after climbing that mountain of success, we quickly realized…that we were craving freedom from it all. We were craving a space to truly find who WE are as a family. And not just who we are in light of our immediate family or upbringing, but to truly uncover who WE are and be able to say “THIS IS US.”
One day my wife and I were talking and the question came up: “What’s something about you that I don’t know already?” (We’d been together for 15 years and married for 9 of those years!) I was thinking it would be something small like, “I secretly hate the candles that you keep buying me,” haha, but instead she said, “Ever since I was a little girl I’ve dreamt of traveling the country one day with my family to all 50 states!”
The way I saw her glow when she said it, the way it felt like some incredible movie was about to begin…that moment I knew something bigger than we both imagined was just around the corner.
From that moment the search began! We began following accounts like The Bucket List Family, Gone with the Wynns, RV Inspiration and every RV Instagram account known to man! We started counting the cost of what it would take to renovate [an RV] just the way we wanted & to design our dream “Getaway House”.
There was so much tension, so much talk of “Are you sure?”, “What if we’re wrong?”, and “What will they think?!” It may sound ridiculous, but we cried, fought, and battled to finally take the leap of faith to leave for the unknown, set sail on an uncharted path and find what we’ve been searching for as a family. The day came where the bank said yes, the RV seller said yes to the price we needed, and, still scared, we said YES and haven’t looked back since!
Since then, we have freshly started our daring adventure, on across the country to find what family means, to make more moments that count, and to be fully present for the adventure all around us. Since then, we have lovingly named our journey “@YESKESONTOUR” and are coming out with our YouTube show documenting our adventure to secretly leave behind a “Digital Road Map” to life and adventure for our 3 little world changers (currently under 5 years old), and in hopes of inspiring other young families to take the leap toward adventure even if it just means leaving their “safety” or “comfort zone” to live a little more.
If a trip across the country in an RV seems extreme for you, start by getting away for a weekend! But for those like us who keep hearing the “sea calling me” (shout out to Disney and Moana!), maybe, this right here, to you reading this blog, is a sign that you needed to take the leap.
As our story unfolds, we are sad to part with our “Wonder Palace” (our fun-loving name for our fully renovated “RV Blogger Style” Fleetwood Terra), but the next leg of our journey and some special news to come calls for us to part with “Wonder Palace” and give her a home with a new loving family or couple looking to have the priceless freedom of RV adventure with the beauty of a modern Bohemian style apartment on wheels in the comfort of their own yoga-pants.
There are so many stories to be written and adventures to unfold, so I hope whoever sees this may realize this was the RV or sign they were looking for!
The Renovation Project
The Yeske's completely renovated their motorhome to turn it into a beautiful home for their family as they traveled the country.
Several changes they made that are very doable for most people really made a huge impact in this RV. The biggest ones include:
- Replacing the old flooring with new premium click vinyl flooring.
- Painting the interior walls and cabinets.
- Replacing the cabinet hardware (a minor detail, but it makes a huge difference!)
- Removing the trim around the slideouts and replacing it with pine boards stained to match the flooring, creating a rustic modern look.
Motorhomes with this floor plan often have a recliner in this spot, but replacing the recliner with a folding saucer chair and a cube storage shelf with woven storage baskets is a way to add storage without losing the extra seating.
Painting the RV Interior
One of my favorite unique details of this RV is the dark teal color used to paint the kitchen cabinets. By painting the rest of the RV white, the bright color really pops without overpowering the space.
Replacing the Furniture and Decor
Many RV owners are removing their dining booths and replacing them with a table and chairs from Ikea, but the owners of this RV decided to keep one of their dinette benches (and the storage underneath!) and just add two chairs. This does add quite a bit more space between the couch and table since the chairs can be pushed in, and makes for a more open, spacious look visually.
Neutral curtains give the room a warm, homey look and tie in with the beige sleeper sofa while keeping the space clean and bright.
The Bedroom Makeover
The queen bed in the master bedroom looks too comfy to ever want to leave!
Painting the bedroom cabinets white to match the walls goes a long way toward making the bedroom feel brighter and more spacious.
Redecorating the Bunkhouse
Pull-down shades replaced the original window treatments in the bunkhouse are, and the decor ties in with the rest of the RV.
In addition to the interior makeover, the owners also did some mechanical upgrades, including resealing the roof; even though they didn't have any water damage, they wanted to make sure there wouldn't be a problem in the future.
Though they loved their time traveling in this motorhome, this growing family needed to upgrade to a larger coach, so they eventually decided to pass on their home on wheels to a new owner to enjoy!
For more RV renovation inspiration, check out my RV Renovations & Decor Resource Page!
Hello, wondering what size sleeper sofa that is and how you got through the door? Looking to do something similar, your door is only 25 inches wide.
Hi Cathleen, this isn’t my RV – I just wrote about the family who renovated it – so I don’t know for certain the answer to your question. However, many RVers who put residential furniture in their campers, myself included, order their furniture online so it arrives in a box and then they assemble it inside the camper.