Corner Bunk to Office Space: A Step-by-Step RV Bunk Bed Conversion
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Converting the Corner Bunkhouse of a Travel Trailer into a Mobile RV Office
Many RV owners work from their camper or motorhome, making a mobile office space an essential. Full-time RVer Susie Crabtree works as a remote bookkeeper and needed a designated office space in her 2017 Sportsmen travel trailer. With the help of her son, she removed the RV bunk beds that were located in the back corner of her camper and converted the space into a wonderful mobile office. She generously shared the process of her RV bunk bed conversion to inspire other RV owners to make their own mobile office.
Planning the Corner RV Bunk Bed Conversion
This is what the bunkhouse area looked like before the RV bunk bed conversion. Just a typical corner RV bunk with full-sized beds and a weird notch cut out of the mattress. Since Susan and her husband didn’t need the extra sleeping space, the bunks had become little more than glorified storage shelves. Susan knew there had to be a better use for this valuable square footage in her travel trailer than simply collecting containers and unused items, especially since she needed a dedicated workspace for her remote bookkeeping business.
Removing the Corner RV Bunk Beds
Demolition is in progress!
The bunks were secured to the walls with long staples and weren’t too difficult to remove with pliers. For removing most furniture in RVs, all you’ll need is a screwdriver and pliers.
Navigating Challenges in the RV Bunk Bed Conversion
Susie and her husband purchased this particular model of travel trailer planning to remove the bunkbeds and convert the space into an office.
They knew they would have to account for the water heater and electrical box, but they did not anticipate finding an exposed pipe in the way of their plan.
Coming Up with a Solution for Hiding Exposed Plumbing and Electrical Components
First, a box was built using materials left over from the bunk removal to cover the hot water heater and electrical wiring. Both boxes can be easily disassembled if repairs are needed.
Next, in order to avoid having to reroute the plumbing, a pony wall was built to enclose the pipe using more salvaged materials (including leftover wallpaper strips to cover the seams), along with an added post.
Finishing Touches for Susan’s RV Office Conversion
Some cushioning was added to the top of the wall using a faux leather piece which was salvaged from the bunk demolition. This helps the project look like it was original to the RV instead of looking like a DIY project.
The wooden post, painted to match the rest of the wood in the RV, was attached to the ceiling using a disk cut from a piece of salvaged plastic. This was screwed to the top of the post and to the ceiling.
Susie says this post is the sturdiest thing in the whole RV.
Installing a Built-in Travel Trailer Desk
The desk was handmade from a sheet of plywood cut to fit the space, finished with paint and varnish, and mounted with metal braces on three sides.
Here’s a view of how it was mounted, including a hole cut for electrical cords:
Powering Mobile Office Electronics
Since there were no electrical outlets in the bunk area, Susie uses extension cords to power her computer.
Following the advice of her “I.T. guy”, she uses an industrial-grade power strip mounted under the desk.
She then ran a flat extension cord along the wall, which she plans to hold in place using Command hooks or cord clips.
Since the cord runs under the carpet of the slide on its way to the wall outlet, it has to be unplugged whenever the slides are brought in.
Here is where the extension cord plugs into the outlet.
Susie uses a Progressive Industries RV surge protector to protect her electronics in the event of a power surge, an RV accessory we highly recommend for every RV owner.
The Completed RV Office Workspace
Here is Susie’s office after 11 months of almost daily use.
The larger monitor is mounted to the desk with a heavy-duty articulating mount. It can, as Susie says, “withstand the mini-tsunami that occurs inside a towable on moving days.” The laptop connects firmly to a docking station which is attached to the desk using heavy-duty Velcro.
The constant traveling killed Susie’s printer. She replaced it with a lightweight one that is fastened to the desk with Velcro as well.
With the construction completed, Susan finally had the perfect workspace tailored to her needs. The corner bunk conversion maximized every inch of available space and provided a dedicated office area that was both functional and comfortable. Not only could she now work efficiently from her travel trailer, but the custom-built solution also blended seamlessly with the rest of her RV’s interior, making it look like it had always been there. This RV bunk bed conversion proves that with some creativity and planning, even awkward corner spaces in an RV can be reimagined into practical areas that truly support the full-time RV lifestyle.
Read Next: See Another RV Bunk Bed Conversion
Every RV is unique, and if you undertake an RV bunk bed conversion project you may encounter different challenges form the ones Susan faced. For example, you might remove your RV bunk beds only discover pipes, cords, or electrical components that you weren’t expecting.
To read about another RV bunk bed conversion where another RV owner turned the corner bunk in his travel trailer into an RV office, read this article: Converting a Bunkhouse to an Office in a Travel Trailer
For more ideas and photos of the creative ways RV owners have added an office to their camper or motorhome, check out our article about Ideas for Adding an Office to an RV, where you’ll find photos of slideouts turned into offices, built-in desks, and more.
Ashley Mann founded RVinspiration.com in 2017. She handed off the website to new owners in 2022 to launch a new business as an online entrepreneur coach, but she still helps out as the blog editor. Ashley 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.
I came here from Pinterest, looking for more pictures. Unfortunately half of the pictures won’t load. 😔