If this is the first time you’re visiting, I’m making over our new to us pop-up camper on a 6 week time frame as part of the One Room Challenge.
What started as a fun, camper makeover project, quickly turned into a time-sucking camper rebuild project. If you’re more interested in the redecorating that the rebuilding, you should head over to see how the inside of it looked when I bought it, and my plans for our little home away from home in my week 1 post.
You see, when I bought this 1990s pop-up camper over the summer. I knew there was some water damage at one point in time in the roof, and I knew there would be some repairs needed. What I didn’t know was that the entire roof and side roof panels were completely water-logged, and the entire roof needed to be rebuilt.
Yep, here’s what I found when I started peeling back the aluminum panels. And this was the “good” side.
Thankfully, it was dad to the rescue again, who took a look and commented something like, “Oh yeah, when I bought our old pop-up camper I had to rebuild the roof.” Perfect, that’s one more pop-up camper roof rebuild under his belt than I had under mine.
We actually worked on rebuilding the roof in September, because I knew there would be no way I could finish the rebuild and all the cosmetic work in six weeks.
I’ll be detailing the entire roof rebuild soon, but basically we used the side panels as templates, and cut new pieces of wood and aluminum for the frame.
Once all was built, we installed the roof sides back on the camper, and attached the roof back onto the sides.
I sealed it up to hopefully prevent any more water from leaking in, and now the fun of redecorating can begin!
I like lists, but I especially love crossing things off my lists. In fact, sometimes I add something to a list that I’ve already finished, just so I can cross it off. Which is precisely why I’m sharing this list with you today: so I can cross the worst project off the list.
Rebuild roof, put it back together, and seal everything up- Prime and paint cabinets
- Install peel and stick vinyl floors
- Build new counters and tables
- Sew slip covers for the cushions
- Build and install a DIY backsplash
- Install ceiling panels
- Install new lights
- Make throw pillows
- Paint exterior?
- Decorate with finishing touches
Be sure to head on over to see how all the other rooms are coming along at Calling it Home.
Like what you see? I’d love for you to follow along!
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I make lists and add many many steps so I have things to cross off!
Haha – yes!
Hi I was wondering what you used in your roof rebuild on your pop up. My husband and I found oout the one we have bought has pretty much the same damage. Actually our looks a lot like yours right down to the tesl coloring.
Hi Becky. I actually am in the process of writing a post about how we rebuilt it, but I don’t think it will be published for a couple of weeks. In short, took off the entire roof from the lift supports, removed the side walls of the roof and used them as templates to cut out new sides from plywood. We decided to just buy a new roll of aluminum skin and glued that to the new roof sides. We repaired any of the rotted braces in the roof top, but kept the foam and most of that top part as is. We attached the new roof sides to the lift supports, and then flipped the old roof top back on the camper and screwed the sides into the top. From there, it was just putting all the metal molding pieces back in place. I’m not sure if that makes much sense, but I will have a post with images in the near future. Good luck. Once that top is repaired, it will be so much fun to put it all back together!
Where did you find the roll of aluminum to replace the very top of the camper??
Hi. Sorry for the late reply. They sell aluminum rolls (also called aluminum flashing, I believe) at any home improvement store, usually in the roofing area. I hope that helps!
No…. I used the flashing for the sides on the roof, worked perfect.
Was talking about the wide top of the camper, the roof… where did you get that aluminum??
Thanks in advance. 👍🏼😉
Oh, I see. (I’m sorry I’m just now replying.) That was the old aluminum roof. I just patched up the places with holes with Eternabond tape, which is still holding strong 2 years later!