Our New Home!!!

We have outgrown our old home in Skagway. Some of you may or may not know how small our old home was. We have lived in a 30-foot travel trailer for the past 4 summers. We are not talking about a luxurious travel trailer, with pop-outs, bunks, or anything fancy. It was a simple, inexpensive place…and it fit the bill for the 2 years we lived in it. Ella would sleep on the couch in the living room/kitchen, and Maiya slept in her tent in the only place a little tent could fit. We had about 5 feet down the hallway to our room, which was divided by an accordion screen door. The shower was itty bitty…about a 1/4 size of a normal bath. Jared had to bend down to take a shower–he was too tall for the short ceiling in the tub. The bathroom had just enough room for 1 person to stand in it. Amidst such tight quarters, the importance of vents became increasingly evident.

So, how did this new home come to be, you ask? (Okay, so you didn’t…but I’m telling you anyway…)A few months ago a fellow business owner called us and begged us to rent out our trailer (we were looking for a buyer for ours, but weren’t having luck). She made a financial offer that we couldn’t refuse, and therefore, we went on the hunt for a new, more family-friendly travel trailer.

As we embarked on the search for our new travel trailer, we quickly realized that wall paint would play a crucial role in transforming our living space into a warm and inviting home. After living with the bare, basic walls of our old trailer, we were excited about the possibility of adding a splash of color to our new digs. We explored various options, from calming blues that remind us of the ocean to cheerful yellows that mimic the sunlight streaming in through the windows. The right color can make a small space feel larger and more vibrant, and we wanted to create an environment that truly reflected our family’s personality.

Once we settled on the perfect shades, we discovered that drywall finishing would be essential in achieving a polished look. The previous owner had made some DIY repairs that needed a professional touch, and we knew we wanted a clean finish that would complement our chosen colors. It felt liberating to invest in this part of the renovation process, knowing it would not only enhance the aesthetic appeal of our home but also make it feel more comfortable and cohesive. As we began painting, we could already envision how our new space would come together—filled with laughter, warmth, and memories to cherish for years to come.

We found a trailer that seemed like a perfect fit, and it arrived just 2 weeks ago. We didn’t see it in person before making the big purchase, but we were relieve when it arrived to learn that it was exactly what we had envisioned! We feel like we are living in the lap of luxury, now!

We now have a Cherokee 40DL, made by Forest River. It is 40 feet long, has 2 bedrooms, a king bed, 3 bunk beds, 1.5 baths, 2 lofts, 2 huge pop-outs, a full-size fridge, and super-high ceilings! We suddenly feel as if we’re living in a “cabin,” and not a tiny trailer!!

With our new spacious Cherokee 40DL trailer, the possibilities for decorating and making it feel like a true home are endless. We’ve been exploring different themes and styles to complement the cabin-like feel of our expanded living space, including the addition of large marble tiles to bring in a modern, polished contrast.

From rustic charm with wooden accents and cozy rugs to modern touches like sleek furniture and minimalist designs, each corner is coming together beautifully. We’ve found that incorporating luxury homeware pieces, like elegant throw pillows, plush bedding, and statement art pieces, adds a touch of sophistication while maintaining the comfort we cherish.

It’s hard to take photos of small spaces (however large they may seem to us!). So here’s a random assortment of photos:

Maiya at our larger dinette:

Our pop-out in the living room/dining room has sunroofs!! Wohoo! Natural light!!

Turning right, you head into our bedroom, which has a large sliding wall door, or an optional small door next to the front entrance. I know that doesn’t make any sense…so I’ll explain more later. In this far corner is our 1/2 bath…our private sink and potty! 🙂 Not to mention a his/hers wardrobe, and drawers we’ve never had!

Our king-sized bed!

Our couch, and the sliding wall door leading into our bedroom is open.

The “optional” small door to the right of the large sliding wall (making sense, yet?). Notice the ladder going up? That goes up to our large storage loft! We also have sliding glass doors for our entrance. Lovely!

My kitchen that doesn’t require me to be standing on top of children while cooking! (Much safer this way). And a sweet full-sized fridge that I have yet to fill. One thing about going vegan…you eat fresher, and therefore don’t use nearly as much fridge space! But more kids just means more food…right? Oh, and I made cool magnet spice bottles to keep my spices accessible and out of the way (cupboard space is smaller than our old place):

Here we are, looking back on the master bedroom (now do you understand the large sliding door/wall concept, as well as the smaller door near the entrance? AND…the 32″ flatscreen attached above the door was a total bonus. We didn’t know it was even coming with that! We recently had some door repair and replacement done, which really enhanced the functionality and aesthetics of the room. Unlock the convenience of Peninsula Mobile Screens‘ security door repair and replacement solutions.

Looking the opposite direction is the kid’s playroom/loft…with stairs! Have you ever seen a trailer big enough to have stairs? Neither had we!! Straight ahead on bottom is the girls’ bunk room, and the full bathroom on the left. Homeowners who would like to upgrade their bathrooms may hire reliable bathroom renovation specialists in Northampton for modern upgrades.

Ella modeling her playroom.

Ella modeling her bedroom with the fold-down couch, and fold-down upper bunk on the right. This is where I should start apologizing for Ella’s lovely outfit, and lovely bed hair. She was straight of bed when I took these photos.

The girls’ bedroom has a large entertainment center/drawers on the left, which has a large bunk bed on top–Ella’s bed!

Ella modeling the bathroom. Oh, and Jared can stand up in this shower…in fact, he can’t even reach the ceiling! We have a nifty “Fantastic Fan” that has proven to live up to its name! We can’t even reach the fan to open it, so it has a “fantastic” automatic switch which opens it, and turns it on! Oh, now you know what excites me 🙂

The tub is also twice the size as the old one, and we have a 10 gallon water heater, as opposed to a 6 gallon heater, so we actually get warm showers/baths, now! To keep everything running smoothly, consider comprehensive plumbing services in Sydney. They can ensure your water system is optimized for comfort and efficiency, making upgrades like these even more enjoyable.

Our MUCH larger bathroom…you could probably fit 4 adults in here all at once! Not that we’d want to…hahaha!!

And we now have the COOLEST EVER washer/dryer combo in ONE!! Yes, that’s right folks—put in your wash, and it will dry it when it is done washing! You don’t have to take anything out until it is ready to hang up in your closet!! It is very small…so you can only do itty bitty loads…but you can easily do 1 or 2 a day without hassle!!

And now I need to get back to hanging the metal embossed work (from Mexico) in our store. It is 8pm, and I’d really like to go home!!

Thanks for joining me on my new home tour!!