If you've been keeping up with my blog, then you know we moved from a nice newer home in a "sardine subdivision" (houses close together, tiny backyards) to an older trailer on 12 acres. When Brandon and I were newly weds, we lived in a single-wide, three bedroom trailer, and once we moved out, I was sure we'd never, ever live in a trailer again.
Hear that?
It's God laughing.
This place had carpet throughout (even in the bathrooms and kitchen), but was well-cared for and in great condition. The carpets were ripped out before we moved in and replaced with an inexpensive laminate wood flooring throughout, except for the bathrooms where a peel-and-stick tile that you can grout was put down.
Three bookcases/cabinets were the focal point of the livingroom (see photo on far right). Those were removed, as was a little bar/cabinet that extended out from a bookcase separating the dining and living rooms (see second photo, that piece is missing).
The trailer has factory-sealed wallpaper- the kitchen and bathrooms are, um, particularly lovely, but the other rooms' wallpaper is more simple and not as ugly. Brandon and I have tossed around ideas on how to deal with the walls, and will do various things depending on the room. It just takes a lot of time and effort... and money, so it will take a bit to get done what we want. In the meantime, we have tried to make the home as comfortable and cozy as possible.
Sunday we reupholstered the cornices in the living room, and Monday I purchased new curtains to replace the blinds.
Before
After
The curtains were about $14 a pair, and I bought three pairs (each window has three curtains, one for each side, one for the middle) and I think we spent $25 on the fabric for upholstering the cornices, so for under $70 we brought a lot of warmth and coziness to the living room just by redoing the window treatments.
The two chairs in the living room were free. They were in a lobby of a business who was getting rid of all their furniture and getting new stuff! Brandon asked for two of the chairs, and so, viola! They aren't something I would have picked out, but they do blend well into our decor and, hello, were FREE so I'm not complaining!
Brandon and I are planning on removing the vertical strips that are so common in trailers (which fill the gap between sheets of drywall). We will tape and float the seams, and then do a thin coating of drywall mud on the walls to create a consistent texture. We'll do that in the living, kitchen, and dining areas since they are a priority and the main spaces of the home. I'd like to put up bead board in the bathrooms rather than paint over or texture the wallpaper.
Remodeling a trailer is actually pretty fun. I'm thankful that my husband is very handy, and we're able to do all the work ourselves. Brandon has some connections since he works in construction, so we may hire some things out.
Little things can make all the difference, like replacing the dated brassy/goldish cabinet handles with beautiful brushed bronze ones. (I have yet the replace the brass hinges, which show, but it's not a priority. I will probably end up doing a special paint treatment on them rather than buying new ones.)
I really love this place. I don't mind that it's smaller, and the kids haven't complained about sharing one bedroom. It's been fun to work on our home little by little and dream about what we want to do and the best, most inexpensive way to do it!
