Our Tiny Park Model is a 1994 12-wide park model that has really good bones, but needs an update – big time! The mauve carpet and rose-etched glass cabinets have got to go. Bobby and I really want this to be a place that is comfortable for our family and for us. We’re doing this revival to make this place our very own.

The first step… New floors!

Before Pics Slideshow

A Work in Progress

Picking the new floors became more and more stressful as time went on. Remember, Bobby is a BIG researcher. He knows what he’s talking about before we even walk into the store. After hours of research, we decided on a product from Menard’s by Mohawk. It was a gray vinyl plank. It was supposed to be the answer to everything we needed. However, the ratings were low and we discovered that it doesn’t take well to drastic temperature changes. So it was back to square one. Let me explain…

Our Tiny Park Model is situated in a campground & resort in the northern part of the Midwest, where winters can be extreme and so can the summers. Our temperature range could be anywhere from -30 degrees in the winter to 100 degrees in the summer. Our campground is open from May to October each year. In October, the water access is turned off to all of the campsites and each home is winterized so the pipes don’t freeze. Since there’s no water, it’s pretty inconvenient to visit the Tiny Park Model, so we turn off the electricity and leave our Tiny Home behind until the new season begins. While we’re living our life back in the big city during the winter, our little place is sitting up north with no water, no electricity and no climate control at all. With flooring, this becomes very interesting!

When we were making the decision about which product to use, there were a lot of things to consider. Wood flooring wasn’t an option because of the kids who leave their wet towels on the floor because “they forgot” to hang them up. We’ve all heard that one! Carpet wasn’t an option because of all of the dirt and clean up that comes along with having a vacation home in a campground with a beach and a boat and a pool and 6 different parks… It can become quite messy and sandy! We knew we needed floors that were easy to clean. So our final decision was to go with a different vinyl plank flooring! We went to every major home improvement home and guess where we ended up purchasing the final product? We went right back to Menard’s!!! LOL!! The one we chose had a higher rating overall as well as a better temperature tolerance rating. The product we used is called Urban Cafe’ in a gray/wood color called “Espresso Oak”. It’s very warm and comfortable. We also used a moisture barrier to protect the plywood floor as well.

Pulling up the carpet was interesting… We found not 1, but 2 layers of carpet, plus padding, plus carpet tack strips and about an inch of sand. Needless to say, it took us a little while to remove all of that. We did find a couple areas of water damage, but they were very small and not even big enough for us to document. The leaks are all fixed with caulk and we’re good to go! We were so fortunate to not have any major issues.

We started in the living room. As we moved into the kitchen area, we ran into a stumbling block… We couldn’t easily remove the stove. It’s wedged in so tightly we can’t budge it without disassembling it. So we stopped laying the floor in the kitchen and moved into the bedroom. We laid the floor in the entire room, since it will “float” on it’s own. It looks so nice! I can’t wait to decorate it, but that room will have to be last.

Now, we’re looking for a new stove to install so we can muscle the old one out of the opening it’s squeezed into. Keep watching as we continue to work on our Tiny Revival!

Still To Do:

Kitchen:
- Remove Old Stove
- Remove Refrigerator
- Purchase New Stove
- Finish Kitchen & Bathroom Floors
- Paint Cabinets
- New Hardware
- Install Backsplash
- Install Appliances
- Create Office Space in Dinette Area
Bedroom:
- Purchase Box Spring for the Bedroom
- Possibly Paint Cabinets
- Decorate
Bathroom
- Paint Cabinets
- New Hardware
- Contact Paper to Cover Bad Wallpaper
- Baskets for Storage Affixed to the Wall
- Purchase Towel Bars

IT’S FINISHED AND IT’S FOR SALE!!!

We finished the Tiny Park Model’s Tiny Revival and it’s absolutely gorgeous! There are a few more things I would have liked to do to it, but it turns out, we’ve decided to sell it. This is a beautiful place. It’s larger than the one we’ve purchased to spend the upcoming summer in. The lot is heavily shaded and really pretty on a hot summer day. But, unfortunately, there aren’t that many hot summer days in this region, so we found ourselves always wishing for more sun. We’d wake up in the morning and it would be chilly and we didn’t want to get moving to experience the fun of the campground. The kids were sleeping until noon! Not cool!! So we found another lot in the Meadow that had a newer RV parked on it and we bought it! Now we’re out in the open sun and enjoying every minute of it. We’re not sure how long we’ll stay here, though. We really want to travel. Later on that one… 😉

Anyway, the Tiny Revival is perfect for a couple, a family or even a single person. We’re really happy with the classy outcome of our design and are thrilled that someone is going to be able to enjoy it for many years to come. Check out our finished photos!