We’ve added 10 cool DIY fifth wheel modifications to make our RV interior living in tight quarters easier and more functional.
Have you noticed that RV manufacturers seem to be missing the mark on simple necessities in their builds? Simple necessary items such as paper towel, bathroom towel bars and toilet paper holders in their motorhomes, fifth wheels, and travel trailers are mysteriously being left out of their build inventory.
Well, we had to change that.
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When we purchased our Landmark fifth wheel, we wanted to live in it for a few months before making any fifth wheel modifications and upgrades. That way, we’d have a good feel of what is really necessary.
As we’ve found, everything in an RV, with exception of very high end custom coaches, is comparatively speaking, what regular homeowners call “contractor grade”. Some were extremely inferior in quality and some were just installed haphazardly or in the weirdest places. And some, like those toilet paper and paper towel holders aren’t included at all.
So, after months of working through them, we decided to get to work. We’d pour ourselves into others’ blogs and YouTube videos to see their RV modifications. But, as we all know, each RV floor plan is different. And every RV owner has different needs and desires.

10 DIY RV Interior Fifth Wheel Modifications
In this article, most of our fifth wheel modifications to our RV’s interior took less than an hour to install. By doing these custom improvements ourselves, we didn’t spend a whole lot of money.
But some of them became tedious because RVs are not constructed like homes. There’s no such thing as 16″ on center in a motorhome or camper. In fact, really there is no rhyme or reason as to some of the build quality (or lack of). But, I digress.
We’ve succumbed to accepting that customizing anything in our RV will take twice as much work. I laugh when I say that measuring anything in an RV will be tenfold. Nothing is or will be square or plumb.
FIFTH WHEEL MODIFICATIONS: Pre-Installation Information
If you install anything onto walls or cabinetry in your RV, you need to make certain that they are secured to endure the rigors of RV travel. If you’ve not traveled the roads in the United States yet, you’ll soon find out quickly what I’m talking about. That means, you may have to make sacrifices on feature locations.
For example, most toilet paper holders are customarily installed onto a wall next to the toilet. However, that is not always feasible in an RV bathroom simply because they are so tiny. Which probably explains why RV manufacturers don’t even install them. So, since most of us use toilet paper, we have to find a remedy. We’ll get to those later.
You will also need to be aware that there may be electrical wires, cables or plumbing behind the bulkheads. We recommend contacting your RV manufacturer for a schematic that shows where plumbing and electric may be (or SHOULD be). Good luck with that! (*humor*)
Also, RV wall construction is not like a sticks and bricks home. As I mentioned earlier, nothing is built to strict building codes (like the 16″ on center requirement). RVs are studded with aluminum and interior walls that section off rooms are constructed with wood studs. So, if you’re thinking you’re going to find a stud to hang your wall art on an exterior wall, think again.
And lastly, you need to accept what would typically take a matter of minutes to install something in a regular house, will take a twice to three times more in an RV. You may also need special tools.
Also accept that you’re going to get frustrated because you will be working in really small spaces. You’ll master contortionist positions. You’ll also make a modification on top of another modification. You may swear a lot. And, make sure Advil is within reach. But alas, you will get your toilet paper holder!
Now, onto showing our 10 cool RV interior modifications in our fifth wheel!
FIFTH WHEEL MODIFICATIONS: LIVING AREAS
Screen Door Handle
Typically, RV towable RVs (travel trailers and fifth wheels) have a main hatch door and a separate screen door. The screen door however, has no grab bar or grab handle. Several times, the wind would whisk the screen door right out of our hands because there was no handle to grab.
So, we needed to find a screen door bar handle specifically designed for camper and RV screen doors. This was actually an easy install. Dan measured where it needed to be installed, drilled a couple holes, and screwed it in.
Oh, and this is a multi-function goodie! It’s not only is a grab handle, but we also hang our dishtowels to dry.
This RV screen door handle only cost us about sixteen bucks and took less than 15 minutes to install.
Lighting Globe Shades
We completed this simple RV modification on both, our Heartland Cyclone pendant lights and Heartland Landmark sconce lights.
Our Cyclone pendant lights had down-rods with cheap beige frosted glass globes. We wanted to replace them with something a little more interesting and eye-catching. These beautiful red marbled glass shades were exactly what we were looking for. While they were a tad bit more expensive, sometimes we end up spending a few extra dollars to get the exact ambiance we’re looking for.
In our Landmark fifth wheel, we completed the same mod for our aft sconce lights on either side of the big picture window. The original OEM pewter finish sconce lights came with standard fabric lampshades. While they were simple and gave off decent lighting, we wanted something a little more custom. This time, we opted for an amber color.
We found these globes in the lighting section in Lowes. Dan had to modify the lighting fixture so the glass light globe would seat securely. Now they give our coach a custom look which sets it apart from others of the same model.
This lighting modification took less than 30 minutes for both installs. The globes cost us about thirty bucks for the glass light globes.
FIFTH WHEEL MODIFICATIONS: RV KITCHEN
Glass Stemware Racks
One thing we couldn’t part with was our glass stemware (i.e. wine glasses, beer glasses).
Instead of mounting our stemware rack under the cabinet where they would get get dusty and dirty, we mounted them inside the cabinet. You can read about how we keep them from breaking during travel days, check out our Top 20 Cheap RV and Camping Hacks on a Dime.
This installation RV modification took about 15 minutes to install. Both stemware racks cost less than twenty bucks.
Hidden Trash Can
Since floor space in our fifth wheel is premium, there isn’t a lot of space to put a trash can. And personally, we prefer that our trash to be out of sight anyways.
We found this kitchen trash can slide-out that fits perfectly in our RV kitchen island cabinet. Dan reinforced the cabinet floor with a wood plank. He, then, mounted the slide-out mechanism per manufacturers’ instructions.
This trash can slide-out modification and installation took a little over one hour. The trash can slide-out ensemble and supplies to reinforce the cabinet floor cost about forty-five dollars.
Paper Towel Holder
I can’t stand our paper towel roll being out in the open. And I’m not a fan of countertop paper towel holders either. So, I asked Dan to mount a paper towel holder inside the same kitchen cabinet that we installed our trash can slide-out.
He first, reinforced the galley cabinet door with a small slab of wood. This would keep the screws from going all the way through the cabinet door. It also added a little more bite for the screws to secure the paper towel holder.
Just a quick RV tip for travel days, push a straight pin into the roll so it doesn’t unroll.
This RV modification took about an hour to complete. The paper towel holder and cost about fifteen dollars.
Don’t forget to check out our RV Upgrade: Our Fifth Wheel Kitchen Faucet
gFIFTH WHEEL MODIFICATIONS: BEDROOM
Decorative Wall Shelf
At Hobby Lobby, we scored this attractive two-tier metal rack in the clearance section. I knew exactly where it would go in our fifth wheel.
This was an easy home decor mod. Dan carefully installed dry wall fasteners for reinforcement. He then screwed the rack screws. That’s it! No modifying anything. We’ve had that rack up for almost three years and its still as secure as it was the day he installed it.
This simple RV decor addition only cost us ten dollars and less than ten minutes to install.
Wall Jewelry Organizer
I am still a girlie girl even though we live in a shoebox on wheels. But having tons of clothes isn’t conducive to full-time RV living. So, Jewelry it is! And because jewelry is small, I buy whatever I want. But I didn’t want to store all of my pretties in a jewelry box where they are forgotten. I can match my clothes with my jewelry with one glance.
So, this fifth wheel modification was my own DIY project. Our bedroom came with pre-installed ugly wall art. But since it was already there, I figured out a way to recycle it.
I unscrewed it from the wall and took the frame apart. I spray painted the frame with a metallic dark copper paint; allowing it to dry thoroughly.
The artwork (if that’s what you call it?) was mounted on a piece of foam board. So, I dry-fitted a piece of 1/2″ thick upholstery foam and medium weave fabric and cut both about 1/2″ bigger than the foam board. I then sprayed adhesive onto the board and positioned the foam onto the board. Since the spray adhesive dries immediately, I repeated this step but with the fabric.
After I was happy with the placement, I took my glue gun to reinforce the edges. I then trimmed the fabric and foam to the exact measurements of the board.
I reinstalled the fabric foam board to the frame and screwed the frame back into the wall. VOILA! Now my fish hook earrings poke right into the fabric and foam staying secure. And, I stuck in long decorative floral pins to hang some of my favorite necklaces.
This fifth wheel modification took about 2 hours to complete. Supplies to complete this project cost about $20.
FIFTH WHEEL MODIFICATIONS: BATHROOM
Bathroom Towel Bar
Like I mentioned earlier, there’s sometimes no rhyme or reason why some important features are omitted from the RV manufacturing process. In our fifth wheel, our bathroom lacked a towel bar AND a toilet paper holder. So, we had to install both bathroom accessories.
Being apprehensive about screwing heavy duty brackets or dry wall screws into our fifth wheel’s walls, we decided to mount our new towel bar from the bottom of the cabinet above the commode instead. But also, there wasn’t ample wall space to mount a towel bar anyway.
Our bathroom towel bar project took less than a half hour to complete. It cost less than twenty bucks!
Toilet Paper Roll Holder
Ah, we saved one of our best fifth wheel modifications for last; the toilet paper holder that I told you we’d get back to. Seemingly, some manufacturers must think people don’t use toilet paper. Hence, the reason why toilet paper holders are left out of the manufacturing build list.
Like our bathroom towel bar mentioned above, we didn’t want to start screwing or nailing in the exterior wall of our fifth wheel.
So, Dan reinforced the inside sink cabinet door with a slab of hardwood. And then, mounted the toilet paper holder onto the hardwood as to not put added stress onto the actual cabinet door. As well, the added thickness of the wood slab added a better adherence for the screws. Our toilet paper holder installation took about an hour to install and about fifteen bucks.
Final thoughts on our fifth wheel modifications
So, that about wraps it up for our 10 fifth wheel modifications to our RV’s interior. As you see, these are just a handful of inexpensive one-hour-or-less improvements we’ve made to our fifth wheel making it more of a home to us.
We hope this gives you great perspective and even some ideas to add to your own RV; whether it be a fifth wheel like ours, a motorhome, travel trailer, or even truck camper or caravan!
Our Other RV Fifth Wheel Modifications and Upgrades
Our Fifth Wheel Toy Hauler Interior Makeover
Fifth Wheel Kitchen Faucet Upgrade and Installation
Our Fifth Wheel Flooring Upgrade and Installation Guide
Anderson Kantleak RV Water Service Panel Upgrade and Installation Guide
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Thank you so much for all the space saving idea . . We have a 26″c class with very limited space
I’m finding be organize is the only way to go . Thanks again
Welcome Linda!
Yes! YES!! Organization is the key. And anyone who tells you that you won’t ‘loose stuff’ in your RV hasn’t really LIVED in an RV. Even as organized as we are, we sometimes seem to lose a set of keys or something. Oh wait, that has nothing to do with RVing LOL more of ‘getting older’ LOL. But yes, get containers, baskets and holders for everything. And every 6 months or so, weed out. I found cold medicine that was 4 years old from when we started RVing!
Smooth roads ahead for you! Happy trails!
-Dan & Lisa
Thanks for the good info!! We have a 2017 Winnebago Trend. It has pretty limited storage options. I noticed you had 2 kayaks lashed to the back of your RV. How did you accomplish that?? Any ideas on external, add on storage compartments? Our Trend has a 1 1/4 inch trailer hitch. I saw one fellow fabricated a storage box which can be mounted to the coach via the hitch receiver. Any thoughts on this. Thanks.
This was very helpful.!
Thank you Renee! We enjoy sharing tips, tricks and ideas with our audience. We hope you stay tuned into our blog by subscribing to see more! Happy day! -Dan & Lisa
Thank you for sharing these tips; some are very creative and useful. Living full time in an RV is an adventure like none other. Please keep these tips and ideas coming, i can use all the help I can get.
Mike & Diane, so glad our tips help! Keep following – we love sharing them as we experience them on our own or with others. Safe travels! -Dan & Lisa
My husband and I are thinking of living in a RV after we retire. Can anyone tell me if they live in theirs, and if they have any advice for me. Looking forward to the adventure, but a little nervous about living in a RV.
Thanks Kelly
Hi Kelly, we live and travel in our 5th wheel RV full-time. What kind of info are you looking for? Make sure you check out our menu bar and follow the blogs. You’ll find some helpful articles and incite of our 4 year experience. There are also a lot of social media groups you can join. Best wishes on your dream! -Dan & Lisa
I have lived in my 5ft wheel for 2 years now. I was very fortunate to find a used one that has the living area next to the kitchen. I have looked at a lot of models where the couch is facing the kitchen sink. Not too homey. I like to go into the living room area to relax.
Do you have trouble with the baskets in your two cabinets sliding out during transportation?
Hi Cindy, so glad you have joined us by reading our blog. We have no issues of our baskets sliding out during transit because there is a 1/2″ lip on the shelf they sit on that keeps them from sliding out.
Take care and keep being awesome! Safe travels! -Dan & Lisa
How did Dan attach the board to the cabinet doors before hanging the towel rack? Glue, nails?
Hi Ann, thank you for reading our blog post. Dan attached the small piece of wood with liquid nails. HTH’s! -Lisa
Hi Dan and Lisa,
Very helpful blogpost. I love reading about how you live and travel. We also have a View D. I’m wondering where (and how) you keep office supplies like notebooks, paper, correspondence, pens/pencils, business books, and the like. Do you still use a set of basket drawers? Thanks so much.
I added motion detection lights …. These are by the bathroom door and the coach door going outside. It’s great for security reasons. Also it helps for late night bathroom trips to the inside bathroom or to use the RV facilities when coming back to the motorhome for security and navigating to the bedroom. I used the rechargeable magnetic USB (AAA batteries rechargeable are available).
Great idea James! We tried that but with our nocturnal roaming kitties in our motorhome, that proved humorously disastrous for us in our motorhome. I think they ‘knew’ they could turn them on and off just with a flick of their tail. Thanks for reading and your great suggestion (for non-cat owners). Safe travels!