Technically, The Happy Camper House was “road ready” on the day we picked it up, as you may have seen in my previous post, Walls, Windows and Wood Rot, I tore her up real good before putting her back together.
Now that she is liveable once again, it is time to add all of the details that will make this a tiny home on wheels! {I’m being honest, most of these details would have not been missed by anyone else in my travel party. But I think each of them adds to the functionality of our space.}
I knew the cushions would all need to be recovered to match my theme, but after I brought them into the house and tried to clean the marine vinyl with a baking soda paste, it suddenly became pretty clear that no matter how clean I made the vinyl look, the smell of mildew was overwhelming. This prompted me to cut open the long cushions that would be my bed for the summer, and found additional evidence of mold spores, and knew I needed to start fresh.
The quality of your sleep will determine your attitude, and I wanted to be sure that we all get good sleep. For the dinette seat/bed I decided to go with a 5” high density foam that can be found at your local craft store, covered in a Sunbrella outdoor fabric to protect against spills and accidents.
For our bed, Mama and Daddy need REALLY good sleep to keep up with three kiddos! I decided to go with an 8” memory foam mattress. I’m sure there are some great companies that would have made a custom mattress, but let’s go back to my itty bitty budget. So, after many, many Google searches, I learned that not only did I need a memory foam mattress, but I needed one that did NOT contain hidden fiberglass, which would become a health risk when opened and cut. I was able to find this Lucid 8 Inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress in Full size for about $200 shipped.
Once it arrived, I removed the two outer covers, and used this Black and Decker electric carving knife to cut through the mattress like butter. After the mattress was cut, I resewed the covering around the outside of each piece before covering with a couch cushion slipcover. 
Though the 8” memory foam mattress is a dream to sleep on, the one function that has been removed, is the option to use the back bench as a couch as you could when only a 4” mattress was used. I think this was a smart trade off. 
One of the only original pieces left in the camper is the Coleman stove and oven. It’s avocado green certainly does not go with my nautical theme, but the process of painting it seemed not only complicated, but also felt wrong. Fortunately, three of the four burners seem to work, unfortunately the oven does not work at this time, which is ok with me, since I use it as storage for my pots, and don’t think I would be baking many cakes on the road anyway. 
Refocusing on the avocado eyesore, I knew I needed to do something to make it blend in. The easiest thing to do would be to add a hand towel, however, I instantly realized there was no opening in the handle like you would find on a regular oven. I found a piece of red PVC and blue and white clothesline rope, and made my own swinging towel bar around the existing oven handle.
One additional eye sore of the oven was the stainless steel backsplash on the stove. It was very rusted, and I figured eventually I would replace it. Turns out there was no need. Anyone else love Bar Keeper’s Friend? 
If you have ever traveled with three children, then you understand that they need to eat. All. The. Time. The small amount of storage didn’t allow much opportunity for pest free food storage. {I am terrified of mice, but that is a story for a different day!}
I had a desire for my food to be air tight and visible at all times, because apparently it would be better to see the mice right away, rather than let them feast in peace. I had a shelf above my stove that would allow clear pantry type containers. The problem was that I only had 7.5 inches of depth on my shelf. Most of the containers available in the US are 9 inches deep. Can you imagine the happy dance in the kitchen organization aisle at IKEA when I realized that the 2 quart IKEA food storage containers measured only 7 inches deep? Add a little self adhesive hook and loop to the bottom, and a large bungee cord across the top of the entire set up, and you have a beautiful, mouse free, dry food storage system.
It is important that I have space to spread out and write once the kiddos go to bed. Having a desk area that could be extended only when I needed to write was important to me. I was able to use these retractable brackets and a piece of scrap plywood to create a desktop that would flip up and down as needed.
Since the only bathroom we have is this Porta Potti, I figured 14 feet would get really cozy real fast. I wanted some sort of track system for one curtain panel to hang from the ceiling and slide away unless someone needed some privacy. IKEA VIDGA to the rescue! 
Vowing to use every possible square inch of space, it just so happened that the IKEA TRONES shoe storage was the perfect narrow fit in the entrance of the camper. It allows the kiddos a place to store the endless collection of shoes that they seem to need to take with them on our adventures, as well as a little catch all shelf for flashlights and toothbrushes in the evening. 
For the most part, after a summer of daily use, our modifications work perfect for our family. Now tucked away for her long winter nap, I can continue to dream up new {quick} modifications for our next 70 day adventure!
