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quoteFrom new curtains to new seating – refurbishing a second-hand caravan is a great way to breathe new life into your tourer.
For some it’s a labour of love, spending hours tinkering and replacing different aspects of their caravan, and for others it can be simply adding a bit of a modern twist to some tired furnishings.
In last month’s community poll, we asked caravanners if they would consider giving their pride and joy a refurb.
Here’s the results…
With nearly 300 votes, a huge 70 per cent said yes!
Just 11 per cent gave the thumbs down to a caravan refurb but 18 per cent said they might consider it.
A small one per cent said they already had given their tourer a make-over.
Many caravanners would probably only change their curtains, cushions, carpets and upholstery, rather than a major structural facelift or tinkering with the electrics.
Your comments
Some readers, like David Pauley and Paul Francis, admitted that their caravans were in need of some TLC.
And Roy Birch has already given his 2001 Bailey Ranger caravan a major refurb.
“I have replaced all the seating with new, replaced all the skylights in the living area, kitchen and toilet and fitted a new access door to the side,” he said. He’s also removed the old carpet and replaced with stick down flooring and new removable carpet; replaced the caravan decals and changed all the lighting to modern LED lights. “It looks like a new van,” he added. “Loads of people do not believe how old the caravan is.”
John Knox has also changed carpets, re-covered the seats and made new curtains – but nothing structural or electrical.
Philip Nicholson’s caravan is 11-years-old everything and he said everything was still in excellent condition. “One thing I would change is to replace the sink and four burner hob with an integrated sink/hob with just one or two burners, creating space for a microwave,” he said. “But it seems too complicated especially with gas being involved.”
Remember, if you’re looking to refurb your tourer you would need to make your insurer aware of any major modifications and it’s always worth calling in the professionals when dealing with gas or electrics.
Over to you…
What do you make of the results? Please feel free to comment in the box below. And look out for a future article with some top tips on giving your caravan a refurb.
led lights are food for thought colour change type would be novel.
We have a 7year old Swift Charisma and have not considered a refurb. Sounds a worthwhile proposition if you are able to DIY. No mention of cost if done professionally. However, my interest is in replacing the fixed bed mattress. We are on a 6 week holiday in the South of France asI write and for some reason my body has taken a serious objection to the bed. I have aching bones all over and have actually considered returning home.Will try a topper when home. The mattress has always felt too hard. Ideas welcome.
This is pretty uninteresting stuff.
However, led lights throughout are the best thing I’ve done. Get the bulbs tolerable voltage type as your charger may be at 14volts or so.