Lockdown has inspired a lot of us to learn or do something new. Whether it's taking up a new hobby, writing that novel you've been thinking about for years, or, as was the case for this 11-year-old girl, transforming a derelict RV into a tiny home.
Lauren Nelson, 11, was inspired by an American Girl doll magazine to transform an old camper van into a gorgeous mini home and has spent two months in lockdown turning that dream into a reality.
Take a look inside the tiny home below:
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In an interview with local news outlet WKBW, Aimee Nelson, her mother, said: "She showed us a $650 little VW bus that they sell. My husband was like, 'That's ridiculous, you could buy your own camper for that price.'"
Lauren then began to save up in the hope of finding an appropriate camper van, and she finally got lucky when she saw a "For Sale" sign on a neighbor's RV. "She squealed the whole way home," her mom said.
When the 11-year-old approached her neighbor, she discovered that the RV was being sold for $500. She only had $400, but she managed to negotiate the price down.
The pictures below detail the van's impressive before and after and exactly how much the transformation cost.
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"It wasn't very hard. He said '$500,' and I said '$400,' because that was the money I had in my bank account, and he said, 'Sold,'" Lauren recalled.
When the 11-year-old finally got her hands on the camper, the first step towards its transformation was a deep clean. "It was a process," said her mother. "We brought home a family of mice. So there was a lot of deep cleaning."
However, despite the huge task ahead, Lauren was motivated to put in the hard work required to have a place of her own and pulled it off with the help of her family, friends, and inspiration from HGTV's Tiny House Hunters.
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As these pictures demonstrate, the van's once drab interior now contains an airy, teal-hued working kitchen that's complemented by an all-white base that's got splatterings of color from decorations like pillows, flowers and patterned sheets on the bunk beds.
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Lauren searched Pinterest for frugal design ideas which resulted in the entire renovation, which includes a bedroom and a bathroom, costing just $400.
"I was very motivated with this camper, I really wanted a place where I could hang out, like my own house," Lauren said.
After completing the lockdown transformation, the 11-year-old dubbed her new hangout "Camp Hygge", which is a reference to the Scandinavian concept of coziness, and spends the majority of her time in the camper.
"She now says she's part of the tiny home nation," said her mother.
"If you're looking to have some big plans in the future, you should go out and do it. Make it happen," Lauren said after the family was inundated with people who were inspired to do similar things.
The 11-year-old hopes to pursue a career in home renovation - and judging by her amazing work here, she's more than capable of it!