Our second project started out not as a project but a purchase for some hard to get awning parts. When we first looked at the camper we really only wanted the awning frame for another camper we had. The 2001 Salem 24’ fifth wheel was what most would say was beyond repair. Not only was the roof completely rotted and being held up by 4×4’s, it had a smell that just said take me to the landfill. We ended up making the purchase for $200.00 and figured we would make a little money since the refrigerator, heater and A/C unit were all functioning and could probably be sold for a profit.
The drive home; however, changed everything. When I was towing it, I was amazed at how well the fifth wheel pulled behind my Dodge. The sway feeling I got with my pull behind was not there and it just seemed lighter. Needless to say, Julianne and I got to talking and thought it couldn’t be any worse than restoring our last project, so by the time we got home, what we thought would be a little bit of a money maker purchase, became a new hobby.
The first order of business for this camper was to fix the sagging roof and get it dried in.
Now this turned out to be a lot more work than I thought and there was many times when I was cursing myself for taking on such a task. It was in part that, and I was doing this in the middle of winter, outside. The short daylight hours meant working a lot in the dark and cold. Back to the task. We ended up not only having to take off the roof, but also having to take apart the whole back end and reconstruct the walls.
We did this using 2×2’s, screws and a little bit of liquid nails. The roof was a little more involved, as we had to build all new stringers and did this using 1×2’s and 2×2’s.
Once the stringers were done, we started to move a little quicker, got the roof on and got to work on the interior (the fun Stuff).
With the interior, we completely gutted it except for some wall cabinets. There was some minimal floor rot we had to fix, and we replaced all the wall panels that were rotted. After the wall panels were replaced, we got to work on painting. We painted as much as we could before the flooring went in. Once the flooring was in, it was time to build the cabinets that needed to be replaced.
This was done by using a better grade of 1×2 and 1×4’s. When the cabinets were completed we then worked on the custom countertops. (See my article or Youtube video on how to complete this project.)
After a majority of that work was done, it was time to start really customizing. Lighting in this camper is one way we did this. I will admit, at first I was a little annoyed at Julianne for wanting pot lights, but that now may be one of my favorite parts of the camper. So yes, we added pot lights, as well as a few other different kinds of lights. I feel this touch helped modernize and give a homey feel to the 2001 Salem. To go with more customization, we added a bar, some Stainless Steel accents, wall paper to the bathroom and various closet organizers. (Check out this article on Space Saving Ideas).
Overall this redesigned renovation took about six months to complete and we ended up having about $4700.00 into it. Here are six before and after photos.
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My question to you: Was it worth the $4700.00? Let me know what you think in the comments below. Also you can check out the video walk through of this camper on my Youtube channel here. Thanks!
