This Texas Family Flips Used RVs into Stunning Retreats
RVing is about more than weekend adventures in the summer. It’s about bringing your home on the road as you travel the country.
That’s what camping “quitter” Casie Tomaz said as she explained how her growing family switched from adventurously backpacking to glamping with four kids.
Like so many other families, Casie and her husband, Igor, bought and renovated their first RV in 2020 as a way to still travel during the pandemic. But they were astounded by the adoring reaction from others online over the final project.
The gorgeous renovation looked nothing like the RVs off the lot. This trailer looked fresh off of HGTV. With a line of people suddenly wanting to rent and buy their newly remodeled home on wheels, a new business was formed.
We sat down with Casie to hear about how their family turned renovating RVs into a business, her favorite remodels ever, and her best advice for tackling your own RV renovation.
How did you get into renovating RVs?
This was not the game plan, but we tend to embrace life to its fullest and this gave us the ability to help others find their tiny homes and live simply. We bought our first RV when COVID-19 hit. We had three kids and thought, “How else will we vacation?”
The RV was so ugly. We watched some YouTube videos, went on Pinterest, and thought we could totally do this ourselves.
She was a 2011 Keystone Cougar that had water damage, and we decided to renovate it modern farmhouse style.
As a joke, I posted it online for sale, and we had a line of people willing to buy it! So we, of course, went and bought two more, and the rest seems to be history.
I always see your family on your Instagram videos. Do your kids really help with your remodels?
Yes, for all of it and all of them.
My oldest is able to take off all the hardware, remove the cabinet doors, and sand down everything. Our six-year-old is my painting guru. He knows the difference between a good primer and a bad primer and he can tell you if it didn’t adhere well!
Even the little ones help with the shop vac and cleaning out things. They all love taking stuff to the dump with us.
It’s definitely a family affair, and I am proud to say my kids can all spot water damage.
You share so many helpful videos on your Instagram that I reference as tutorials. What is one of the biggest things you would advise someone who is in the middle of renovating their RV?
My biggest advice to anyone renovating an RV is to pause, take a step back, and know that it will be finished. If you’re overwhelmed, just focus on one area you know you can complete so you feel that sense of accomplishment.
It can become overwhelming, and I always want people to know they can reach out to us on Instagram. Send us pictures and we will offer advice. That’s the biggest part of who we are is always asking, “How can we help?”
What is your favorite renovation you’ve ever completed/the one you’re most proud of?
Our biggest completion, that’s so hard to say!
We’ve done a spaceship. That RV pushed us to our creative limits from the epoxy ceiling, counters, tables, shower pan, new ACs, LED lighting to the max, and balancing space with class.
We did two trailers that went to Dubai, which was just crazy in itself. (Yes, it was cheaper to buy and renovate two RVs here and then ship them to Dubai for our client than buy a trailer over there!)
But I always think the best one was our very first client, Gary, just because it was the first time we had kind of an outline of what they wanted. You have to gauge what you think your client will like and then try to create something that’s gonna blow them out of the water. When they picked it up, they cried, and for me, that moment has set the bar.
Is it worth it financially to renovate an RV? They are known to not hold their value over time.
In my opinion, it’s always worth making something your own. So if you’re weekending and even doing the smallest thing to bring you comfort, go for it.
If you’re living in your RV full-time, I always say jump right in with whatever’s gonna make your life better. So if that’s changing the layout, adding some cabinets, or just making it your own so you feel like it’s your home, absolutely it’s worth it.
What renovations make the biggest difference in an RV?
Biggest difference you’re going to see in renovating is painting.
This changes the whole illusion of your space. It makes it feel brighter, which automatically makes it feel homier.
The biggest misconception is that you also have to paint your cabinets. We didn’t in our latest reno. You can just paint the walls and this will have a dramatic change.
And then, to add the icing on top, change your curtains.
Tell us about your latest reno. It was so fun to see this one being renovated at the same time that the Barbie movie was making headlines.
This is Barbie (and she’s currently for sale!)
We were invited to Tiny Fest California, an expo celebrating RV and tiny house living, and when we envisioned bringing RV to southern California, we thought, “Obviously, it’s gotta be Barbie.”
We tried to think 1970s Barbie. A little chic and very classy. So we tried to use as much epoxy—AKA Barbie plastic—as we could! She has an epoxy fireplace, epoxy side tables, epoxy dinette, full waterfall, kitchen, tables, and then a custom stand-up shower. Finally, we took out the bunk beds and added an epoxy desk.
The best part is we went fully solar on this. Her solar is so large it runs the air conditioning all day. I wanted someone to have an RV they could take anywhere, especially the beach or boondocking, but also have that bougie flare.
Where can people see more of your renovations?
Instagram at @tomazcoasttocoast and Facebook are great places to find us. We always love to help!
For advice on your own renovation, reach out to Casie and Igor and learn more about their projects here.
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