Renovated an old 70s Millard caravan from scratch with a Penguin Classics book theme.
Hard work, but well worth the results of a Xmas Holiday project!!
Congratulations @Peggers. That looks absolutely brilliant. I'm sure your fantastic work will inspire other Workshop community members.
Have you renovated caravans before?
Let me also extend a very warm welcome to Workshop. Although I see it's been a while since you joined the community, it's fantastic to see you make your first posts today. It looks like you have a lot of skills and creativity to share with our members. And I trust you will receive a lot of great advice and inspiration from other Workshop members in return.
Thanks again for sharing.
Jason
Very cool @Peggers. Love the retro vibe.
Was anything from the interior salvagable or did you completely gut it?
Nice job @Peggers. Is it to add an "extra room" to the house or do you plan on going the full Kerouac and taking it On the Road?
I had to completely gut it. The only thing that stayed was the single bunk and cupboard at one end, but even that needed repairing and new doors. It was essentially just a shell.
It's actually up for sale now. I think it would suit someone better as an extra room than for on the road as it's pretty big. I towed it with a Holden Captiva, and it was fine. But it's a big van.
Thanks Jason! I've done 4 other caravans with a mate, but this is the first one I've done on my own. I love doing vans because it involves so many different skills and design styles in such a small space. Bedroom, kitchen, living area, exterior, in 8 square metres!
Thanks again @Peggers. You've obviously got great skills. I hope you can share those other caravan projects with us.
Wow, it looks amazing. Well done @Peggers.
Are they dents on the outside of the caravan? Did you have to do anything to the outside other than paint? And what kind of paint do you use?
@Kellie Yes, there are a few dings on the outside of the van. The van is over 40 years old. I filled a couple, but left some. In terms of paint I used a roller rather than spray, with a decent full gloss enamel paint. I also added turps and penatrol to the mix so that it settled and gave a spray look.
How did you trim out the window frames to your new wall panels?
Hey It looks great. can you help me I don't know where to start. I read somewhere that some structures inside are support for the van. How do I know what to remove and not weaken the structure. cheers deb
I actually just put the wall panels around the window frames and then filled and gapped around the edges to give a reasonable smooth finish. Not perfect, but once you paint over it, it looks pretty good.
@deborah Most vans are pretty robust and an aluminium box in their own right. You can remove most stuff. I do tend to leave in all the upper locker cupboards as I don't want to damage the roof and cause leaks. But anything lower down can come out. I think you'll get a feel for what is flimsy and not supporting anything and what is integral to the structure.
Just a heads-up to visitors of this discussion that @Peggers has shared photos of a couple of other caravan renovation projects he has worked on.
Thanks again for sharing your great work.
Hi @Peggers. Your caravan looks amazing. I'm just stating out renovating my first caravan. It's an old Millard I'm hoping to permanently live in when she's finished. Her names Peggy. Just wondering if you have any tips or advice for someone starting out on the renovation? Thanks.😀
Hi again @beckyboo,
I've tagged Rob in your other discussion post so I'm sure he will respond there as soon as he can.
And do check out the recent interview we did with Rob as it contains some caravan renovation tips which might help get you started - https://www.workshop.com.au/t5/Blog/Physical-creativity-on-the-road/ba-p/17663
Thanks,
Hi @Peggers,
Great to see the popularity of your caravan renovation project on Instagram today. Congratulations!
Looking forward to seeing your next project.
Hi @Gail1,
I see you made a blank post. Please let me know if you need a hand with anything. I am happy to assist.
Let me also extend a very warm welcome to the Workshop community. Feel free to post whenever you need help or have something to share. We have many community members sharing their experience and knowledge and who would love to assist with your projects and plans.
Hi @Peggers
I’m in the process of doing the same caravan Reno atm wondering what you used around the windows as trim?
Or if you have any suggestions?
I lined the walls with mini orb in mine
Thanks Karon
Hi @karonF,
Thanks for joining in the discussion. I've alerted Rob to your question and hopefully he'll be able to get back to you soon. It would be great to see your caravan - perhaps you could share some photos of what you have done?
Let me extend a very warm welcome to the Workshop community. We're really pleased you could join us and look forward to reading all about your projects and plans. Feel free to post whenever you need a hand or have something to share.
@karonF Hi there. I didn't add any trims, just sanded the windows well, then sprayed them with silver paint which brought them up really nicely.
Looks great. What paint did you use? Thanks
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Stellaj. It's fantastic to have you join us and many thanks for jumping into the conversation.
Let me mention @Peggers so he is notified of you kind comment and your question.
I suspect Rob has most likely used several types of paint for different elements on the caravan. Perhaps it was the exterior or interior paint you were interested in knowing about? If you could let us know I trust that will assist Rob in answering your question. You should find Rob's series of step-by-step tutorials helpful: How to renovate a caravan - Part 1, How to renovate a caravan - Part 2 and How to renovate a caravan - Part 3. In part 2 he mentions what paint to use.
Do you have your own caravan renovation project in the works?
We look forward to seeing what projects you have going on around your house and garden and would encourage you to let us know anytime you need assistance or had something to share. I'm sure you'll find loads of inspiration here as our creative members are contributing their amazing projects here every day.
Mitchell
Dear Jason
I have my father and mother's old Franklin caravan and I am interested in renovating it. How much did you spend on your project. How much do you sell it for? Wanting to make my mum and dad proud and to revamp it as well.
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @JoanLes2021. It's fantastic that you've joined us and many thanks for your questions.
Let me mention @Peggers, so they are alerted to your questions, and hopefully, they can shed some light on the cost of renovating a caravan. I suspect it will largely depend on whether it will be a full gutting of the interior or just a cosmetic renovation. Perhaps you might like to show us some images of your caravan, so we know what you'll be working with.
I look forward to hearing more about your project and would encourage you to let us know if you ever need assistance or would like to share it with us. I trust you'll find loads of inspiration within the community as our amazing members contribute various projects here every day.
HI @JoanLes2021, I've renovated a few caravans and the budget can vary depending on the condition - the very minimum I've spent is $900 for a van that just needed a bit of a lift. But I've spent $5000 on some vans - although that would include fridge. cooker, new windows, new curtains, cushions, everything!
