A woman bought a $3,000 camper trailer from the 1970s and spent $2,000 transforming it into her 'perfect little house'
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Andrea Heap was saving up for a house when she found Fern — a 1979 Fleetwood Wilderness Camper Trailer.
While living with her parents in Denver, Colorado, Heap said she drove by the green-striped camper every day for about a year until one Sunday she saw a "For Sale" sign on it. Heap told Insider she owned the trailer by the following Wednesday.
"I was drawn to it," Heap said in a phone call with Insider. "I loved that it was old, it looked to be in pretty decent condition, and I liked the size of it."
Then she spent a year and a half restoring the tiny home with her dad, Paul.
My dad is extremely patient and methodical," Heap told Insider. "Anytime we'd run into these mishaps, he said, 'here's a chance that we can make this better.' And we ended up making it better every time."
They started with the roof, which needed to be sealed to prepare for the winter.
I bought it in October, so winter was right around the corner," Heap told Insider.
Heap and her dad had to make sure there were no leaks.
"We spent the first month basically redoing all the vents," Heap said. "We cleaned, caulked, and painted a sealant on the roof. "
After sealing the roof, Heap was altering some shelving when she found water damage on the underside of the roof.
Heap said they had to restore the entire corner of the ceiling.
"One thing always turned into something else," she said.
Heap and her father transformed the bathroom next, where they found more water damage.
Heap said the wallpaper that was in the shower wasn't waterproof, so she and her father added fiberglass to the shower.
While she added modern features, Heap said she preserved everything she could from the original camper.
Heap said she kept all of the original hardware, light fixtures, and cabinetry to maintain its "vintage flair."
After restoring the bathroom, Heap organized and painted the light fixtures and hardware, followed by the kitchen cabinetry.
Renovating the bathroom taught Heap that organizing pieces of hardware can speed up the process.
"I labeled each cabinet 'A' through 'double-Z' all over the camper, and that organization was my saving grace," she said.
After a few more detailing projects, like tiling the bathroom wall, it was time to sand and paint the walls.
Heap told Insider that restoring the camper has made her a more confident problem solver, and she's no longer afraid of power tools.
"My dad is handy and mechanically smart, and I was able to find out that I was too," Heap said. "I had never exercised that skill until I had to."
In the kitchen, they added brighter countertops and a new backsplash.
Heap kept the trailer's original oven, stove, sink, and refrigerator.
A friend of Heap's made new coverings for the trailer's original cushions.
Heap said they also reboarded the ceiling and walls and rescreened every window and door. She built and installed this table with her friend who makes furniture.
Almost a year into renovating, Heap put a mattress in the trailer.
It's a custom mattress to fit the space.
Heap and her dad built and installed a sliding door to separate the kitchen from the bathroom.
They also updated all the electric outlets in the trailer.
After getting a new toilet for the trailer, Heap and her dad got to work on the flooring.
They chose a greyish faux wood and finished the floor in August of 2019.
Heap left the outside of the trailer as it was, aside from getting new tires. She named her trailer Fern, inspired by the green stripes.
"I always refer to my camper as Fern, and everyone in my family refers to my camper as Fern," Heap told Insider. "It's become like a person."
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