RV Renovators Create a Mobile Dog Rescue Haven & Work-From-Home Space

RV renovators are like dream weavers — far-sighted professionals who gather clients’ visions, transforming otherwise dated, worn and damaged RV interiors into well-defined spaces, complete with the proper styles, patterns and colors that serve a variety of purposes.

Take Alice Zealy, owner of rain2shine ventures, for example. Zealy and her team worked on a mobile dog rescue RV remodel called “Woof Way,” which began when her clients reached out about a Class C motorhome that had been gifted to them. They own a farm in eastern North Carolina, and in their small town, stray and abandoned dogs are heartbreakingly common.

“Over time, they started taking in these dogs, giving them food, care and shelter on their farm. But as the number of rescues grew, they quickly realized they were running out of indoor space,” Zealy says. They needed a creative solution — somewhere the dogs could comfortably stay, a better way to transport them and a welcoming space to showcase them for adoption events.

As Zealy explains, they wanted to create a calming environment for the rescue dogs, while also incorporating practical elements such as a small workspace, a dog-washing station, refrigeration for medications, a pantry for food storage and even a dedicated loft area where their own rescue pup could comfortably travel alongside them.

The overall design aesthetic was clean and highly functional — intentionally created to serve both the dogs and the humans who care for them. Zealy and her team kept the color palette soft and soothing, with pale mint walls to promote a sense of calm and contrast against the darker cabinetry for depth and balance. The finishes are durable and modern with streamlined lighting and durable luxury vinyl plank flooring designed to withstand heavy use while maintaining a warm, homelike feel.

“Artwork and playful touches like the colorful dog portraits, paw prints and rescue quotes bring in personality and joy without overwhelming the space, and [make] it attractive for adoption events,” Zealy says. “Every design choice balanced practicality — ample storage, a built-in workspace, a washing station that doubles as an exam table — with the goal of creating a space that feels bright, uplifting and worthy of the life-saving mission it supports. Some fun, noteworthy details include the dog bone cabinet pulls and the hooks for leashes and towels in the shape of tails wagging.”

This project quickly became one of rain2shine’s most ambitious undertakings to date — not because of the wish list itself, but because of the condition of the RV.

“Beneath the surface, we uncovered extensive water damage that required a near-complete rebuild. After completing the demo, I even offered to help the clients locate a replacement RV in better shape,” Zealy says. “But since this motorhome had been gifted to them, they chose to move forward, and we committed to restoring and transforming it into something both beautiful and functional.”

The structural repairs were significant. On the passenger side, they removed the exterior siding and what remained of the interior wall, which had rotted beyond repair. They also rebuilt the framing, added new insulation, reran wiring, and installed fresh paneling inside and out before reattaching the siding.

The loft over the cab presented one of the most challenging repairs. Years of leaks from the front window had left the wood saturated and the steel cage rusted.

“We opened the loft from the exterior — watching water pour out — then removed every compromised piece,” Zealy says. “A new [resistant-to-rust] aluminum cage was fabricated and installed, along with new boards, insulation and paneling. We also eliminated the front window entirely, patched the opening and added new exterior skin to prevent future leaks.”

The roof required a full rebuild as well. Once complete, rain2shine reinstalled the AC, fans, vents and thoroughly sealed every seam.

At the rear of the RV, Zealy removed rotted wood, rebuilt the structure, reframed and replaced the window, and installed new insulation, paneling and exterior siding.

“Beyond these major areas, we also rebuilt nearly every window frame throughout the RV, replaced most of the windows, installed a new subfloor and addressed multiple areas of delamination,” Zealy says. “By the end, only the chassis, engine, cab and select sections of siding and windows remained original.”

In addition to the structural restoration, rain2shine incorporated features tailored to the clients’ mission.

“We also added new electric doorsteps and an awning for accessibility, rerouted and updated the plumbing systems, and installed a custom dog-washing station that doubles as an exam table,” Zealy says. “These upgrades, combined with the extensive rebuild, transformed the RV from a water-damaged shell into a safe, functional and welcoming mobile hub for rescue work.”

Multipurpose Solutions

Renee Tilby, RV renovator and co-owner of The Flippin’ Tilbys, recently renovated an RV for a client who had been using their motorhome as a tour bus/team living quarters for their YouTube channel. The motorhome had been heavily used over the course of multiple cross-country film tours and was in need of a complete interior overhaul.

One of the main reasons their client wanted to have the RV renovated was that he was getting married and wanted to use the RV as a guesthouse before the wedding, a green room for the performers at his reception and as a newlywed suite for their honeymoon road trip. He also planned to use it for traveling the U.S. filming for their channel after the nuptials were over.

“We worked to create a design that matched his vision and needs; a modern and sleek interior that could act as a tiny house on wheels for him and his soon-to-be wife, as well as transform it into a tour bus and living quarters for a full film crew when they needed it,” Tilby says. “We were going to need to fit a lot of functions into a very small space.”

The chosen design aesthetic for this RV remodel was modern Scandinavian, with a fairly monochromatic color palette and an abundance of warm woods. The Tilby team was going for clean and modern, while also feeling homey and inviting.

“We worked very closely with the client in all of the design choices, and many of the decisions were made with the couple’s two big dogs in mind,” Tilby says.

When the Tilbys first saw the RV, it was dark, worn and, like their client lovingly stated, “looked like the lumber department of a Home Depot.” As Tilby explains, the client had modified the RV to fit the people and supplies they needed, and most of their modifications had been done with raw 2-by-4 or 4-by-4 planks.

“It was utilitarian and fit what they needed at the time, but it was lacking any sort of form and a fair amount of function as well,” Tilby says. “Our entire design plan was not only about making it look nicer, but also — and arguably, primarily — about maximizing the usability and functionality of the space. We believe strongly that renovating RVs is not just about making it look good, but about making a space that feels good to use.”

The expanded list of projects included new flooring, new paint, custom hardwood countertops, new trim work, new fridge and complete reconfiguring of existing fridge cabinet, a complete rebuild of the ceiling, five new windows (adding in ones that didn’t exist and making existing ones bigger), two custom couch beds (in the living room and bedroom) with specialized compartments for film gear and other specific usages, a custom dog feeding station, new upholstery, new custom curtains, exterior repairs, the addition of solar on the roof and many more smaller projects.

“There was no part of the interior of this RV that we did not modify in some way. Except for the shower. We didn’t touch the shower. The shower surround was in good condition and was a nice neutral cream color, so we kept that,” Tilby says.

While the Tilbys typically try to reuse and repurpose as many items as possible in an RV renovation, most of the material in this RV needed to be replaced. The two captain’s chairs were in decent condition, so they had them reupholstered and replaced some of the hardware that had become worn.

“Reupholstering and repairing the chairs was much more economical than replacing them. About half of the cabinets were the existing ones, with the other half being additions, custom builds or reconfigured,” Tilby says.

The renovation team used warmer tones of black and white, in hues that complemented the wood tones, and selected lighting with tones that also worked well with the other elements.

“Light can sometimes pull pink, green, blue or yellow, making paint colors that you tested in the daylight look completely different,” Tilby says. “Taking time to make sure all of my major elements worked well together — no matter the light — went a long way in making the completed space feel cohesive.”