I installed maple floors in the main area, and black and white marble mosaic in the entryway. The ceiling is a real metal tin ceiling in gold tone. The curved transition area between the wall and ceiling is real 20k gold leaf, which is lit by LEDs hidden in the molding. Custom curtains were made from antique kimono fabric from Japan. Some of the windows are covered in mulberry shoji paper, but some have small tears now. Easy to remove or fix.

Windows on the driver’s side of the RV are day-night shades custom made to size, with magnets to keep them in place.

I bought tatami mats and sized them to fit the bed platform so that I can roll it up and have a tea room. I now build tea rooms everywhere (Vegas, building island this summer), and you can own the first one I built.

The countertops were custom fabricated from high end Brazilian granite. A deep sink with new faucet was put in. The cabinet handles were replaced with brass and all cabinets were painted.

The desk is a custom made tigerwood desk with a low-profile drawer. Under it is a 100 year old persian rug which I will include if you want it, but would like to keep if you don’t really care.

The closet was converted into a cedar closet, as was one of the drawers.

You get a fully automated light system that I coded, which also controls stereo and fan. The interface is basic, but it has powerful capabilities which you could expand). It runs off of a raspberry pi and GC100 IR/relay controller. I’ve installed LED strips just about everywhere in two different zones that can be independently controlled. I made two little art lights to shine an LED spot on the wall where I hung art. The desk lamp is also controllable. My software allows you to white balance lights, create scenes, fade over time, etc.

There’s also a backup set of lights that you can control just by pushing buttons.

The head unit for the stereo is a Clarion with a flip out screen. It has full navigation with lane changing, is satellite ready, has an installed backup camera, etc. It’s paired with an Alpine amplifier and upgraded speakers. I also built a custom subwoofer enclosure into the bed which has a JL 12″ subwoofer. This system sounds amazing.

Mounted overhead is a small projector which projects onto an easy-to-deploy screen in the middle of the RV. You can turn the captains chairs around and watch like it’s a movie theater, or you can flip the image and watch from bed. The power switch is mounted in the wall.

Over the desk is a 27″ TV that I use as a second monitor. An HDMI switch allows you to output your laptop to either the TV or the projector. The 27″ TV is on an extendable arm mounted to the metal frame of the RV so that it can be fully extended.

The fridge is a Dometic DC fridge which runs off batteries and uses an average of 10W throughout the day. It even has a freezer that’s cold enough to make ice. The range is a household two-burner gas range. I forget the brand, but it’s a high-end unit meant for real cooking and has far higher output than most RV stoves.

Above the range are a bunch of magnetic spice boxes that adhere to the curved tin ceiling that comes down to the wall.

The sink is deep and includes a pullout faucet. It also has a cutting board that fits into it. Beside the regular sink is a second tap for filtered water which goes through a large three stage filter.

On the roof are two 200W solar panels with low profile mounts. The solar controller is a Blue Sky 3024i MPPT controller with a monitoring panel and a shunt for measuring the power. The inverter and battery charger is a Xantrex Prosine 2.0. I custom wired everything so that you can use all of the outlets on either the inverter or shore power. This system is ridiculous overkill that would be more appropriate for a cabin than an RV.

The batteries are both dead and should be replaced. You could go really cheap if you don’t plan on being off-grid, or you could get lithium ion batteries that would last a week without sun.

There’s also a SeeLevel monitor which shows battery charge, LP gas levels, and fresh water levels down to the exact percentage.

The RV comes with an Olympian Wave 6 propane heater with auto shutoff. This feels like a fireplace and gets really hot if you put it on high. It has a flexible house and a quick-detach mount point in the kitchen.

Also installed is a 400W ceramic panel. Unless you get lithium ion batteries, you should run this only when you’re plugged in. It’s silent and located under the desk so you can be toasty while you work.

In the ceiling is a MaxxAir vent fan with variable speed control and reversible direction. It can be controlled by remote with thermostat or by my system. For some reason it’s very hard to close now, so I just leave it open all the time.

I think that the AC in the car part of the RV might not work. I haven’t used it in a long time so I don’t remember.

I replaced the old plastic toilet with a porcelain RV toilet with wooden seat and cover. It was virtually impossible to find one that would fit. The shower was modified to eject water outside (it used to go into the gray tank which would fill very quickly). The showerhead was replaced with a high-pressure low-flow oxygenics head.

Also included is a propane water heater that I never installed. The built in one uses electricity.

The skylight was recently replaced with a brand new one, but it doesn’t have trim around it.

There’s a viper alarm with window break sensors and extra remotes. A friend tried to test it for me and said it didn’t do anything, which I believe is because the remote batteries are dead.

I replaced the RV door with a brand new one with deadbolt and extra key.

Installed is a wireless router that can pull in other wifi signals and rebroadcast them within the RV.

I’m sure I’ve forgotten a lot of things about the RV as well as things that I’m throwing in because I bought them for the RV. Maybe there will be some cool surprises for you.

The RV is owned by a Wyoming Corporation and registered in South Dakota. I am actually selling you the Wyoming Corporation, not the RV. The practical implication of this is that you don’t have to pay transfer tax since the owner of the RV is staying the same. South Dakota is the most common place to register RVs because you never have to get them smogged or inspected, and annual registration is low.

Please note that most of these issues have been fixed since Tynan wrote the original post. As mentioned above, the following improvements have been made: “new tires, including the spare, getting new spark plugs, tuning it up, and changing the fluids.”—Pablo

I basically never drive the RV anymore because I have such a good parking space. I move it around a bit to dump the tanks and it always runs just fine. A year or so ago I drove across San Francisco to fill up the propane. But even though I don’t know about any issues, it hasn’t been seriously driven in years so I’d personally get it tuned up before any long trips.

The drawers are a little busted. I have a repair kit but haven’t gotten around to installing it. The driver’s side door doesn’t open from the outside for some reason.

The RV is pretty dirty on the outside, but clean on the inside.

I did a lot of the work myself and while I’m competent, I’m not a finish carpenter. So maybe just decrease expectations for fit and finish by 10% and be pleasantly surprised in some cases.

• Specs
• Brochure
• Floor plan

• These young SF professionals choose to live in RVs, SFGate
• The gambler, pick-up artist, blogger and Rialta, WinnebagoLife