A COUPLE who bought a mouldy caravan for £500 revealed how they transformed it into their dream home using bargains from The Range and Matalan.
Hayley Rubery, 33, and her partner Ben, 40, stumbled upon the 1989 Van Royce caravan for just £500 on Facebook Marketplace.
With a vision, a small budget, and a lot of determination, they transformed this damp-riddled old caravan they named Joyce into their dream tiny home.
Hayley, a full-time influencer from Norwich, said: “We’ve always loved the idea of van life.
“But with the costs of a new camper van or a big renovation project easily reaching £20-£30K, it just wasn’t feasible for us.”
The couple managed to transform the caravans interior using cheap products bought from The Range and Matalan.
Hayley said: “Most of the decorations we used were bought from budget shops such as The Range and Matalan.
“It was a labour of love, but the finished look is exactly what we wanted.”
The caravan was originally listed for £1,500 and came with its fair share of issues, most notably significant damp damage.
Hayley messaged the seller asking if they’d consider £1,000, but when they mentioned the damp, the DIY enthusiast managed to bring the price down to £500.
“She was beautiful but in some need of some serious TLC,” the influencer admitted.
“Before we could start painting, Joyce needed a serious deep clean, so the first thing we did was pressure wash the entire caravan.
“We also used a mould remover spray to tackle any remaining grease or mould spots. It was essential to start with a clean slate, especially given the extent of the damp issues we were dealing with.”
Hayley and Ben spent hours ensuring every inch was spotless to ensure the paint would adhere properly and that they weren’t just covering up problems that would resurface later.
The pair then had to focus on prepping the caravan for its new coat of paint.
The couple made a trip to B&Q to pick out the perfect colours for Joyce.
With the paint and spray gun in hand, the two got to work.
“The spray paint gun we ordered from Amazon for just £27 was surprisingly easy to use,” Hayley explained.
“I only had to apply one coat of the white paint because the coverage was so good.
“Joyce already looked a hundred times better, and I hadn’t even started on the green yet.”
After the painting was complete, Joyce was almost unrecognisable from the damp caravan they had purchased just a few weeks prior.
Hayley excitingly said: “Our 34-year-old £500 caravan had a new lease of life.
“It’s surprising what a difference you can make with a small budget and a lot of elbow grease.
“The paint was gifted, but to give you an idea, the total came to around £150 for two cans of white and one of green, which was more than enough to cover the entire caravan.”
In addition to the exterior paintwork, Hayley and Ben transformed Joyce’s interior, infusing it with country vibe.
Hayley explained: “We originally planned to keep and paint the existing cupboards, but the damp was worse than we thought.
“We ended up having to remove all the cupboards and the ceiling, which were too damaged to save.
“Determined to restore Joyce from the ground up, we resealed the caravan both inside and out, adding an extra layer of waterproof butyl tape for good measure.
“We wanted to ensure Joyce was well-protected from future leaks or dampness.”
The ceiling posed another challenge.
The couple reboarded it using a mix of thin plywood and hardboard.
“It turned out to be a bit of a patchwork job, but since we planned to fill, paint, and cover it, we weren’t too worried about the aesthetics,” Hayley said.
“We used a spacer to ensure even gaps, glued the slats with Gorilla glue, and added tacks to secure them to the ceiling.
“We also transformed the kitchen for just £60 using stick-on tiles and leftover paint and the flooring using vinyl adhesive we bought for £20.”
The couple is now looking forward to their first adventure in their newly renovated caravan.
Hayley said: “We’re hoping to take Joyce on a road trip to Scotland for some wild camping.
“We’ve created something special here, and I can’t wait to enjoy it for many summers to come.”
