2000 Dutchmen Lite 26QB Renovation (Update 1) –
My daughter and son-in-law purchased a used 2000 Dutchmen Lite 26QB camper in order to travel across the United States during their summer breaks from college. They did not pay a ton for this camper, and they knew it was going to require some degree of camper renovation. A camper that old is bound to need some work. They could tell the floor was soft in a few places. However, they weren’t quite anticipating what they actually found when they began to tear up the old flooring.
Those of you who have been following know Mr. and Mrs. Merica were married in high school. They like adventure and traveling, so about the time they were celebrating their six months of marriage, they came across this camper on a resale site.
They purchased it for a really good price. Yes, we still believe it was a good price! They have big dreams to outfit it in Americana decor, thus earning it the name Merican Camper. But first, they needed to make what they believed would be some minor repairs to the floors. Those minor repairs are turning out to be a little bigger than expected.
Fortunately, they have until May to complete this camper renovation. Or is this a demolition? You be the judge!
We would like to send out a special thanks to our neighbors for all of their help and the use of their barn for the past couple of weekends. It would have been impossible, as you will see below, to tear into this camper without protection from the weather. We are incredibly blessed with neighbors who lend a helping hand.
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Damage to the Bedroom
They knew about the water damage in the bedroom. The seals on the outside access hatches had failed and been leaking. They planned to tear out the floors and walls that were affected by that. The damage was more substantial than imaged.
Damage to the Kitchen
They also knew there was significant damage near the front entrance which initially appeared to be from a leaky door. This is what the front entrance used to look like. At least all the cabinets are in great shape, right?
That damage turned out to be a completely rotted floor and frame where the water heater had busted.
This is what the entire camper looks like now. Check out the video below for more pictures.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Do you think they’ll be able to put it all back together? This camper is going to be held together with fervent prayers and a whole lot of Flex Tape.
Check out the full video slideshow with lots of before and after photos!
http://https://youtu.be/znzwe21EoyA
You’ll have to subscribe to find out if they can really do it. The final outcome is a mystery to all of us right now!
Latest Update: The next progress report on this 2000 Dutchmen Lite 26QB is now available.
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WOW! It’s awesome to be able to do that type of rebuild. That’s awesome!
Hopefully, we’re all still thinking that when it’s finished.
Holy cow! This is a very big project! It looks like it needed to get done though. It’ll be interesting to see what it looks like once it’s finished.
Haha. Yes, it’s a much bigger project than I think they imagined. It’s good they’re young and optimistic.
Oh how awesome! My husband and I would love to do something like this one day. We have considered a camper or fixer upper beach condo. Not sure which one will win out but putting your personal touches, sweat, and hard work into the project makes it all the more gratifying in the long run. Can’t wait to see after pictures.
They’re learning so many good skills. I’ve actually been amazed at what they have been able to accomplish.
This is a very interesting adventure and it’s so nice to hear all the people that are involved in helping this new married couple. What a great community!
Thanks! We really do have great neighbors.
WOW! We just re-did a 2004 Keystone Outback bunkhouse this past summer. We had some unexpected water damage on the floor, but nothing like this! I’m glad you still think it was worth the price. I will be excited see the finished product! 🙂
Do you have pictures of your camper on your blog? I looked around for some but couldn’t find any. I love to see camper walkthroughs. They seem to be popular videos on YouTube too. I loved the story about the teenage boys at the campground. I hadn’t thought about how much the meaning of the word “savage” has changed. Savage is cool now, cool in a tough way. The boys thought what your daughter was doing with the bike and the water bottle was a good stunt. They were impressed by it. I’m sure it was confusing for her though, since savage means something totally different to everyone but teenagers. I’m glad you were able to speak with the boy, and each was able to see it from the perspective of the other.
We haven’t completed all the projects, so a post about the updates and modifications we did is on the list of things to do sometime in the spring before we head off on a 1+ year trip around the United States. Here are some (premature) before & afters I posted on my Instagram to satisfy the curious: https://www.instagram.com/p/BX_EpPdB7nH/?taken-by=momming_in_freedom
It looks amazing! I love the backsplash.
Wow now thats a project! Good luck! Cant wait to see after pictures!
Believe it or not, it’s actually all back together today. I was having some doubts, but they have pleasantly surprised me.