How I turned a horrible little 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom into a cute and cozy, updated retreat.

When I say "horrible" I mean horrible. I was looking for a new residence when I found this little 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom fixer-upper. Well, actually it was more like a burner-downer, but at the time I was naive to the "trailer home" market, so it didn't look too bad at first glance. I now know to take a second, third and fourth glance before buying such an endeavor, but hind sight is always 20/20.
Here is the trailer, as it was when I bought it, in a trailer park in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Before: The living room. (The front door is immediately to the camera's left) Now it hasn't been determined if the previous owners were in fact color blind, but yikes! The living room features dark wood paneling and a bright pepto bismal wall!

After: A warm color on the walls, featuring the entertainment center I designed and built myself...going with the whole "less is more" philosophy. I also replaced the two windows on the left with new insulated glass windows and got rid of the second window on the right.
Before: The kitchen (You can now see the front door on the right) and another hideous color choice. The room feels cramped and is very outdated. And look! Another lovely bright pink wall. Yeck! The dark wood cupboards over the island were only 20 inches off the counter, leaving hardly any usable room and blocking the view from the kitchen to the living room.

After: For me the room with the biggest transformation was the kitchen. First removing the dark cupboards above the island and after that?...The sky was the limit!

Before: The kitchen and end of the house with the air conditioner blocking the right window. Until I could fix the window and remove the air conditioner I would leave the blinds down, blocking the horrible view of raw wood. At first glance I had someone remark (from a photo) Oh! You have marble counter tops! But no, that is actually contact paper, covering the laminate counter, that once uncovered was all scratched and chipped from age.

After: The same view as above, after remodeling. I replaced the two small windows with one large custom picture window. The warm wall color and updated vinyl counter tops give the house a fresh and inviting look. I refinished all the front of the wooden cupboards with a dark cherry stain and replaced the hardware with updated nickle handles.

The house is now located on 40 acres of pasture grass with a beautiful view of Bear Butte, SD in the distance! That picture window was the best decision I ever made with this house.

Before: Yes, that is an avocado sink with mint green walls. The small storm window above the sink leaked in the winter and was drafty in the summer.

After: After: New window, new stainless steel sink, fresh paint and stained cupboards...what a difference!
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The BathroomBefore: Peach sink and toilet, shiny white walls, lack of any color or coordination were what this room told me.

After: A soft cream wall color, sheer curtain instead of blinds, new sink, new toilet, new counter tops, new floor...















Before: I would have loved to put in a pedestal sink, but that would have taken away much needed storage space.

After: New white sink with a new faucet, new stone tile counter tops, a dark chocolate paint on the cupboards with new hardware...
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The Master Bedroom

Before: This room felt small even without furniture. The dirty walls were a light wood paneling and those are the dark wood closet doors on the floor propped up against the wall. The carpet is a light tan color.
After: (showing a Queen size bed) Drywall and a warm color on the walls, painted the ceiling and basic furnishings really makes this room feel relaxing and enviting.

(another view of the master bedroom)







Before: The master closet was dark wood paneling with odds and ends of shelving.


After: I lined the back of the closet with cedar and it now has a closet organizer that makes sense!

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Sam's Room

Before: The smaller of the two bedrooms had dirty white walls and a small window that was completely closed off with an air conditioner. There was a large dark paneled closet in the back right corner, making the room feel smaller and only leaving one option for a bed.

After: A light khaki color on the walls and moving the closet to behind the door really opened the room up.
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The Hallway


Before: This view of the hallway is standing in the doorway of the Master Bedroom looking toward the living room. This was all dark wood paneling with the same dingy and stained cream colored carpet as the living room. Thanks to my shepherd mix, Kee, ripping a section up one winter it later became nothing but subfloor (bare plywood) for almost a year!

After: Above, same view as the Before.


After: The Hallway
Now it is a nice, neutral vinyl tile pattern that matches the bathroom.
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The Laundry AreaBefore this was another section of dark wood paneling. The dryer came with the house, the washer is one I added later. This is located at the end of the hall before you get to the master bedroom.