Making Our Park Model Feel More Like Home

Closing day has come and gone, and we are now the owners of a park model at Towerpoint RV Resort!

While we're excited about this new chapter, it's no secret that our new place is showing its age. Built in 1995, the home has good bones, but there are definitely a few features that remind you of its vintage.

The good news is that we've never been the type to simply move into a place and leave it exactly as we found it. Even though we know this won't be our forever home, we still want it to feel like our home.

One of the first things we noticed after moving in was how much the interior still felt like a trailer rather than a home. After all, park models are manufactured homes, and some of the design choices from the mid-90s haven't exactly aged gracefully.

The wooden trim strips which appeared every few feet along the walls were at the top of our list for removal. They may have served a purpose at one time, but to us they just made the walls feel busy and dated. Another feature which quickly caught our attention was the decorative wall cornice above the dining room windows. Let's just say it wasn't our style. Both of those items were among the first things to disappear.

As we looked around the house, it became clear that the kitchen would require the most alterations. Not surprisingly, it's also the room we use the most. The cabinets were functional, but definitely due for a refresh. Painting them was high on our project list, and we decided replacing the countertops would give the entire space a more modern feel.

Of course, those won't be the only updates. Like most renovation projects, we'll tackle improvements as we go and see where our inspiration leads us.

One tool that's been surprisingly helpful throughout this process is artificial intelligence. We've been having a lot of fun using ChatGPT and other AI-powered design tools to experiment with ideas before picking up a paintbrush or opening our wallets. By uploading photos of our rooms and asking the software to show us different design options, we've been able to visualize changes that might otherwise have been difficult to imagine. It's a great way to test ideas, compare styles, and avoid costly mistakes.

We'll leave you with a few of those AI-generated images that show our vision for the space. Whether the finished product ends up looking exactly like the renderings remains to be seen, but they certainly provide plenty of inspiration as we begin transforming this 1995 park model into a place that feels a little more like home.

Stay tuned—there's much more to come as our renovation adventure continues on our road of retirement!

The Next Chapter: Trading Wheels for Walls

For the first time in nearly 15 years, we don't own an RV. It’s a strange feeling, and it’s led many of you to ask: What now?

Well, the next chapter is already unfolding, and it involves something we swore we’d never do again: buying property. After over a decade on the road, we were convinced that renting was the only way to go. But life (and the economy) had other plans. 

When we first set out, we only intended to RV for two to five years. Fast forward 15 years, and the rental market is unrecognizable. When we finally decided to hang up the keys and settle in the Mesa, Arizona area, the math was impossible to ignore. Between the astronomical rent prices and our desire for the same resort-style amenities we enjoyed while traveling, buying a "park model" simply made the most financial sense. It’s actually cheaper to own a home that depreciates than it is to pay current rental rates.

It wasn’t a perfectly smooth transition, though. We were originally set to buy a place in Mesa Regal RV Resort, but the seller backed out at the eleventh hour. Fortunately, things happen for a reason.We are now the proud owners of a park model in Towerpoint RV Resort! The best part? The purchase price was almost exactly what we made from selling the RV. We even walked away with a few thousand dollars to spare, which we’re already putting toward renovations. 

Our new home is a 1996 model with an upper Arizona room; it’s had some updates, but we have plenty more planned to truly make it ours.We’ve been here about a month now and have already tackled some big projects. I can’t wait to show you the progress as we navigate this new version of on the road of retirement...