Wild West Wagon: Before and After

Ever since I was a child, I have been in love with Romani vardo or “gypsy wagons.” We have some space on our property that needed a little structure that was useable but not permanent and after searching through Craigslist and Tiny House Listings for years, I found a handmade wagon that I could fix up myself without taking up all my time.

The original unfinished wagon had wild colors, carpet and old furniture.

Located in a nearby town, the wagon was built with leftover wood and scraps the owner had lying around from other projects. Built on a 6×12 trailer, the wagon caught my eye right away with its sun window in the door and old fence wood used as siding.

I started the restoration in the middle of winter.

After the builder delivered it over the mountains to our property (in the middle of winter), I started to clean it up, insulated it with rigid panels, added old redwood siding to the ceiling and the shorter walls and beadboard to the longer walls. I painted over the bright rainbow colors with more subtle colors that reflect the high desert where we live.

The ceiling was paneled with old redwood siding and the walls with beadboard.

I continued to use old fence wood for the siding, added TrafficMASTER Allure vinyl plank flooring in Pacific Pine on the floor (it looks a lot like old fence wood without the splinters), and installed a platform under the bed made from redwood panels I saved from a neighbor’s bathroom demo.

The interior now has a new vinyl floor and a full bed.

The original chairs were covered with an old denim skirt.

The “western window” is trimmed with fence wood and faux tin backsplash.

The platform under the bed is made with leftover redwood from the walls of an old bathroom.

I turned the back window into a very western themed space with faux tin backsplash panels, galvanized metal, fence wood trim and even a Texas star. The rest of the little wagon has an elevated full bed, solar shed lights, a sideboard with a small campstove (for use outside), and a tiny picnic table. I covered the original chairs that came with the wagon with a denim skirt from a thrift store. The little freestanding deck will soon be painted.