Spenser and Libby Behrens went straight from trade school into RV life and have been living on the road for 10 years. They follow Spenser’s work as a journeyman lineman across the country, often moving with little notice. As their family grew, they upgraded to a larger fifth wheel and renovated every inch of it — transforming a standard RV into something that looks like a tiny cottage. The before-and-after photos are stunning.
Images via @behrnecessitiesrv
Living Room: Before and After
Images via @behrnecessitiesrv
Images via @behrnecessitiesrv
Images via @behrnecessitiesrv
Images via @behrnecessitiesrv
Kitchen: Before and After
Images via @behrnecessitiesrv
Images via @behrnecessitiesrv
Images via @behrnecessitiesrv
Images via @behrnecessitiesrv
Images via @behrnecessitiesrv
Master Bedroom: Before and After
Images via @behrnecessitiesrv
Images via @behrnecessitiesrv
Bathroom: Before and After
Images via @behrnecessitiesrv
Images via @behrnecessitiesrv
Images via @behrnecessitiesrv
Images via @behrnecessitiesrv
Clever Conversions: Closet, Kids’ Bunks, and Laundry
Some of the smartest moves in this renovation were the repurposing projects. A second powder bath became a sleek closet with hanging storage. The kids’ bunk area gained tons of extra storage. A dark vanity space became an adorable corner. And the standout: the outdoor kitchen was converted into an on-site laundry room — something Libby says had never been done before and always surprises their campground neighbors.
Images via @behrnecessitiesrv
Images via @behrnecessitiesrv
Images via @behrnecessitiesrv
Images via @behrnecessitiesrv
Images via @behrnecessitiesrv
Images via @behrnecessitiesrv
Decor Details
Images via @behrnecessitiesrv
Images via @behrnecessitiesrv
Images via @behrnecessitiesrv
Q&A with Libby: 10 Years of RV Living
How long have you lived in an RV?
10 years! We went from college and trade school to immediately living tiny and traveling. This is all we have ever really known.
What does Spenser do for work?
Spenser is a journeyman lineman. A dangerous job that requires us to live and travel full-time in our RV as we follow his career around the country. I am raising our two-year-old son Axel on the road.
Why an RV instead of a tiny house or a bus?
We have to pick up and move regularly, quite often at the drop of a hat. An RV was the best option for our lifestyle.
What is your decorating style?
A mixture between modern and bohemian where minimalism, functionality, and simplicity are key. I love the juxtaposition between masculine and earthy while playing with a primarily neutral aesthetic.
What are the biggest benefits?
Debt-free living is a huge benefit. The freedom to travel where you want, when you want. And the closeness of family — the proximity of your living translates into the intimacy of your family, and that is truly something beautiful.
What about challenges?
Having to constantly leave the friendships you have made and the people you have met along the way. It never gets easier to say goodbye.
Favorite part of your home?
Transforming our outdoor kitchen into an on-site laundry room. It had never been done before and I am always flattered by the response we get from our neighbors when we open the door to do some laundry.
Advice for others?
Give yourself patience and grace when transitioning into tiny living. Welcome the challenge and appreciate the experience. Reflect on what is really important in your life and do not be afraid of living outside the norm.
Learn More
Explore More
- Family of 3’s Debt-Free Tiny Home with Split Loft Bedroom
- Joy, Austin & Baby in Their Oregon 5th Wheel RV Conversion
- From 2,700 to 314 Square Feet: Family’s RV Travel Lifestyle
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Natalie C. McKee
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This is beautiful. Nothing I don’t like. Cutting boards are real nice, the kitchen looks usable. White walls make it look bigger and it is very clean. Classy.
What a beautiful home! On my list of the top five! So well planned and decorated! Assuming Libby did the decorating, in which case she should do it professionally!
She did it! And it’s awesome.
The whole house is beautiful, but that washer/dryer conversion takes the trophy for amazing ideas and use of space. Very clever!
Right? How brilliant!
Yeah… but they’ve lost the outdoor kitchen… oh well, trade offs. Agree with the comments about the planning & decorating… but a bit hard to work with a customer base when you’re moving around the country so much.
I really enjoyed the tour from when to now
Nicely done
RV manufacturers should take a cue from this transformation! Seems like every RV I’ve ever been has been some form of drab wall colors and weird fabrics. I mean, who picks those terrible fabrics? Probably a man because no woman…or anyone with any taste at all…would think they were attractive. *Nothing against men, mind you, but my experience has taught me that they are less concerned about esthetics than economy and speed and will choose whatever will give them that…and only that.* This renovation is fresh and so very livable! Love the daybed instead of that ordinary sofa! And I would agree that the laundry addition is remarkable…life changing, really. I hate laundromats so having the full-size washer and dryer is, well, remarkable…and life changing!!!! Beautifully done!
Have to be careful of stereotypes, any design that is particularly appealing to one person can be considered ugly by another and vice versa.
Thing is any business has to follow what sells the most, but that just may not be what some of us think it should be as what we like may only appeal to a small percentage of the population and actually make it harder to sell the product.
That said, you may see some change soon. You can check out one of the first female CEO’s of a RV company, Geneva Long, who is the founder and CEO of Bowlus. An ultra-luxury RV company featuring modern technology and exterior design with art deco roots from the 1930s… Mind, the original Bowlus was the first all Aluminum trailer manufacturer and have a very distinctive aerodynamic design, more so than Airstreams, and it’s the high class luxury RV’s that you’ll see more selection of materials and design optimizations… It just may also come with a strong sticker shock but that’s the RV industry for you… but basically, she’s bringing it back and looking to change the course of, and face of, the RV industry while doing it…
I suppose there might be some who like the paneling that is generally used in RV’s and they might like the fabrics, too, and I don’t disparage them their likes or dislikes. Most of the people I know would much rather have the plainer walls and fabrics so they can customize it to their personal tastes and consumers shouldn’t have to buy high end RV’s to get that. Don’t get me wrong, those luxury RV’s are fabulous and people with money to spare can choose those high end materials but toning things down a bit shouldn’t have mean higher prices. I would think that basic materials could mean lower priced materials. I could be wrong. I agree that any business needs to cater to their market and a lot of people are looking to have their RV’s…and tiny homes…be calm sanctuaries and most of the interiors I have seen don’t deliver that. Based on so many of the comments I see here on a variety of tiny homes, the ones that get the most reaction are the ones that give people white walls, natural wood and classic cabinets, all with less than luxurious materials. Again, most consumers want affordable products. At least offer a choice and if people don’t want uber “smart” homes, let them skip the elaborate technology, too. Basics…quality basics…are appealing to many and that can include just basic technology. Choice is always welcomed and when it isn’t offered, people move on to others who might offer that.
True but it also depends on the nature of the market as choices can come at a high cost. Most of the market for just about any product these days is dominated now by almost generic mass produced products because they can be offered at up to a tiny fraction of the cost of a custom built product. Phones, vehicles, and even most houses, etc. the choices are usually limited and that has become the norm for most markets.
You can look at examples like furniture, you can get complete furniture from companies like Ikea that mass produce them for less than just the hardware or raw materials would cost a custom furniture maker.
Similarly, in the RV industry, custom usually starts at a premium which can be over $100K for 5th wheels, over $300K for Class B’s, and over $500K for Class A’s. There’s some travel trailers and adventure vans that can be customized for much less than $100K but they tend to be more basic designs focused more on a specialty use.
On the other hand, Tiny Houses are one of the rare markets where custom dominates the market with custom starting as low as $25K and sometimes a little lower for commercial builders and up to much lower for DIY’ers…
But RV’s are for recreational usage, which means people won’t be as invested in them as they would be a home and thus much less likely to splurge on customization when they can just get another RV if they want something different. Versus Tiny Houses that can be something people will be more invested in and thus more likely want to personalize beyond basic options and personal renovations. While it does help that customization for Tiny Houses typically starts lower than comparable product markets.
People do generally want options but they also want what they consider affordable or at least a price range they would prefer for what value they put on the product they want to have. While options don’t necessarily have to be full custom to be considered good enough, especially for products that will eventually be replaced. In most cases, with all the disposable products we have today, people are fine with just having a selection even if that selection is limited as that’s what they’re used to…
There are always trade offs, people are just not always aware of them until they want something that isn’t available, and options are often dependent on what’s popular with the majority, but as long as people are free to renovate and DIY, those pitfalls don’t have to be crippling and prevent people from getting what they want…
And most women are more concerned with aesthetics than operational practicality ?. “ooh, look a lovely picture on the wall”. Only joking?
I looked through all of the photos again just so I could enjoy and appreciate what they have accomplished and I got to thinking. Not sure if you can do this but could you order it with a different kind of wood? Though the dark looks beautiful with the white walls, wouldn’t it make it look oh so Scandinavian if the wood was lighter, like maple or birch? I’d like to at least see one done that way. Either would be so much better than the drab things the manufacturers put out. Great job and kudos!
Well, when renovating, like they did here, you can do whatever you want to it and just depends on your budget and how far you want to take it. Maple is nice but it’s also expensive when using a lot of it…
While there are services and certain manufacturers that will do custom orders but they typically charge a lot and is why you usually only see these done by their owners with a renovation/remodel…
The concept of ‘expensive’ is relative.
2003, we converted a 1997 Ford CF8000 commercial truck to our concept of an ExpeditionVehicle.
In our 7 x 12 box, I finished over my massive insulation with clear-coated maple (veneer) plywood.
After nearly two decades of full-time live-aboard, our cost-per-use is next to nothing!
Irregardless, we are looking at that Behrens worsher-dryer set-up, and picturing a way to fit it in our rig…
Well, the problem is presently material prices are much higher than normal. Lumber, especially, has skyrocketed, though, it has eased off presently during the winter months but is still higher than historic average. So it would cost more to do now than years ago…
Otherwise, yes, relative is definitely true, you can get around some costs by going for things like just the appearance of something. A lot of times it’s just a question of how real someone wants it to be or whether it’s enough to just have the appearance of something, and there’s ways to provide faux appearance of just about anything like granite, marble, brick, etc.
However, there are always trade offs, veneers are only a thin layer and other faux products are usually also not as durable as the products they’re replacing and if damaged can be harder to repair, which can ruin the appearance over time and long term maintenance and repairs can end up costing more. Versus the benefits like lighter weight, more stable (like avoiding real wood also means avoiding wood movement), usually lower cost, and easier to replace and renovate.
Caveat being anything well maintained, can last a long time and things like less durability may not be an issue in all environments. So YMMV as well, but there are many ways to choose to do it…
I hope you can figure out a way to do it! It looks very handy.
I would love to see a Scandinavian one!
This transformation is wonderful – I agree that too many RV’s are just too dark! Did you have to pre treat walls etc before painting? My Husband says that since our trailer is not used in the winter and here in Michigan it gets very cold, painting cabinetry/walls that freeze and then thaws is iffy and likely will peel – is he just getting out of helping me or is this true? We have oak cabinetry so it isn’t dark, just dated with glass inserts in some doors.
You can just paint over existing paint but otherwise you’d typically apply a priming layer before applying the paint to ensure a strong bond to the surface. Otherwise the paint layer may not be that durable and long lasting. Also, the priming layer can help mask any imperfection of the surface for a smoother finish once the paint is applied. Plus primer creates a barrier between wood and paint that prevents the tannin in the wood from bleed-through, which oil-based primers (like the paints) do a better job penetrating and sealing the wood and block tannins more effectively than water-based primers.
While real wood moves as temperature and humidity levels changes, and extreme environmental variations would result in the most movement… So yes, it could be a issue with paint that the movement can cause peeling and cracking over time but it also depends on the paint and what it’s rated for in temperature and durability/flexibility.
There are more durable paint options, including paint specifically made to better handle cold conditions but plywood or MDF cabinetry would be more stable and make it easier for the paint to handle the extremes… But you can apply a sealer over the finished painted wood surface to help protect it and make it more stable and resistant to changing conditions.
The main problem is any flaw in the coating, scratch, etc. will allow the moisture to reach the wood and induce wood movement. So it’ll have to be something maintained and monitored over time.
How will school for their son work? Will they home school? If so, is there a home school program that is country wide or will they have to pick a particular state curriculum?
There are hundreds of home school curriculum options out there, from religious ones to play-based ones to Montessori-inspired ones. There is no country-wide home school curriculum that I’m aware of (unless you were to implement Common Core, but at home). And perhaps some states have curriculum you could teach at home but I’ve never researched it.
After revisiting this post, I am wondering where their child sleeps and plays – babies can sleep in parents rooms in a pack n play for a long time but a permanent area is needed and renovations seem to have filled all spaces – any updates?
Check their Instagram page…
There is a bunk room for the baby. They took out the bunkbeds and have a crib and dresser storage.
I also live in a 5th Wheel. So LOVE the laundry area!!! We have an outdoor kitchen as well and I’d really like to copy your idea. How did you plumb the washer drain?
Would love to know how they changed the shower door