Every home renovation has a moment when the plan meets reality. For one single mom, it came when a couch fell on her head and a family of mice had clearly been living inside it.
The mom, who posts as coramonster on Instagram, bought a 10 year old RV trailer so she and her daughter could live in it full time. She is parking it on her family’s property, which means no rent and a lot of help close by.
Her first project video starts with a simple goal. Pull out all of the old furniture and make sure no critters are hiding anywhere inside.
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Mice Made A Bed In The Couch, “Which Proceeded To Fall On My Head”
She describes the trailer as a little dated but in pretty good condition for its age. The one unwelcome surprise is that it came with mice.
When she started taking the furniture apart, she found that the mice had tried to make a bed in the couch. As she tells it, the couch then “proceeded to fall on my head.”
Anyone who has bought a used camper, a cabin or even a house that sat empty for a season knows this feeling. Rodents love the dark, quiet spaces behind cushions, under benches and inside walls.
“I Don’t Really Know What I’m Doing, But I Did Grow Up Watching HGTV”
She is refreshingly honest about her experience level. “I’m not gonna lie, I don’t really know what I’m doing, I’ve never done something like this before,” she says.
Her qualification, as she puts it, is that she grew up watching HGTV. “It can’t be that hard, right?” she asks, and promises to learn as she goes.
Her first lesson came quickly. She notes that the amount of screws holding the furniture in place is “absolutely insane.”
She figures it makes sense, because a trailer is built to bounce down the road. Her trailer, though, is never going anywhere.
A Parked RV Means She Can Decorate However She Likes
That is the upside she keeps coming back to. Because the RV will sit still on her family’s land, she says she has far more freedom with the furniture she chooses and how she decorates.
She admits that living in an RV is not the most conventional choice. Still, she lists what she gets in return. She will not pay rent, she will have her own space, and the trailer is big enough that her daughter has her own room.
“I feel like this is actually the best case scenario,” she says. She adds that living super close to her family will be nice, and as a single mom she will “take all the help I can get.”
Then she laughs at herself. She actually hates asking for help, which is why she is tackling the whole project on her own.
Content Creation Is “Not Paying The Bills,” She Says
The video also gets real about money. Her daughter is not in regular school yet, so she says she cannot hold a full-time job. She does what she can to earn money.
She says people assume that a decent following online means a nice income. In her experience, that is not the case.
The video she posted that got over a million views, she says, made her a “whopping $40, I think.” She is grateful for it, but she points out that life is expensive, a kid is expensive, and this project is expensive.
So she gives her followers a heads up. If they see her doing brand deals in the future, she asks that they like, comment and support. She promises there is much more to do, including redoing the floors and painting the walls, which is what her caption says comes next.
What To Check Before You Move Into A Used RV
Her project is a good reminder that a camper can be a real, affordable home, but only if you go in with your eyes open. Here are a few general things worth doing before you settle in.
Start with water. Leaks are the biggest enemy of any trailer, so check the ceiling, the corners of windows, the roof seams and the floor near doors and sinks. Soft or spongy flooring is a sign that moisture has been getting in.
Next, deal with the critters for good. Mice can squeeze through gaps about the size of a dime, so look for openings where pipes and wires enter the trailer and seal them with steel wool or a sealant made for the job. Traps, a thorough cleaning and removing anything that smells like food will do more than any single trick.
Think about the rules on your land, too. Even on family property, many counties have regulations about living in a trailer full time, including requirements for septic, water and electric hookups. A quick call to the local planning office before you spend money can save a lot of grief.
Finally, plan for the seasons. Trailers are often thinly insulated, so winter heat, summer cooling and keeping pipes from freezing all need a plan. Small upgrades like better skirting, window coverings and a good dehumidifier go a long way.
Why Her Attitude Is The Real Lesson
Notice what she is not doing. She is not waiting until she has the perfect budget, the perfect skills or a crew of experts. She picked a place her daughter could call home, got to work and invited people along.
That kind of practical courage is something many readers will recognize. Most of us learned our best home skills by doing a job badly the first time, then a little better the second.
Her approach is simple. Take out what is broken, get rid of what does not belong, and build something that fits your family and your budget. With the floors and walls next on her list, plenty of people will be rooting for her to finish the job.
One thing is certain from her video. A mom who can laugh while a couch full of mice lands on her head is probably going to be just fine.
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