Severe water damage: Reno or sell?
Here we go... I recently bought a 2004 Salem camper from a dishonest seller and later found severe water damage throughout. We are on the fence about gutting it and renovating it or just selling it a...
Forum Discussion
Consider whether have you a place to work on it...Water damage comes from the outside in, so the right repair will have you taking off siding and possibly peeling back the roof in places, so the trailer needs to be covered and stay dry while you are working on it. If you don't have a barn or building it will fit in, you'll need to tarp it or have a temporary structure to keep it dry.
Remember that everything will be worse than what you expected and will take longer than you expected. Like the tip of the iceberg, you only ever see 10% of water damage, the other 90% s hidden.
I would make an overall assessment on the camper, ie, what will I have when I fix the leaks? Are all appliances in good shape especially the a/c and fridge? Axles/brakes/suspension/running gear all in good shape? Will the outside clean up nice or is it too far gone? Cabinets and upholstery in good shape or need replacing?
Repairing one of these is not that hard but takes time, with the added bonus that you can change the floor plan and customize it just the way you want it. You'll wind up with a trailer that is distinctly yours and that you could never buy. The downside is that it's easy to overspend in the process.
Remember that everything will be worse than what you expected and will take longer than you expected. Like the tip of the iceberg, you only ever see 10% of water damage, the other 90% s hidden.
I would make an overall assessment on the camper, ie, what will I have when I fix the leaks? Are all appliances in good shape especially the a/c and fridge? Axles/brakes/suspension/running gear all in good shape? Will the outside clean up nice or is it too far gone? Cabinets and upholstery in good shape or need replacing?
Repairing one of these is not that hard but takes time, with the added bonus that you can change the floor plan and customize it just the way you want it. You'll wind up with a trailer that is distinctly yours and that you could never buy. The downside is that it's easy to overspend in the process.
