My RV has water damage. Should I remodel it or walk away?
Short answer
Fix it if the damage is local, the roof and frame are sound, and the repair costs less than the RV will be worth afterward. Walk away if the rot runs through several walls or the roof structure. Assume the damage is about twice the area you can see: iRV2 owners call it an iceberg. Repair quotes swing hard, with one forum owner quoted about $12,000 at a dealer for a job another did for about $5,000 at an independent shop.
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Assume it is bigger than it looks
On iRV2, the story repeats: someone finds a soft spot by the kitchen, starts pulling paneling, and the rot keeps going. Owners in those threads describe damage that turns out about twice the area they expected. Mold often comes along with it.
Water travels along framing and under flooring before it shows. The soft spot you can feel is where it ended up, not where it started. The source is usually higher: a roof seam, a vent, a window frame, a slide seal or the cab-over on a Class C.
Check it before anyone quotes
Buy or borrow a moisture meter and go around every window, roof vent, skylight, slide opening, corner and the cab-over. Take readings at the same height inside and compare them. High readings in a pattern around one opening tell you where the leak is and how far it spread.
Look outside too. Delamination shows as bubbles or waves in the fiberglass sidewall, where water has gotten between the skin and the luan plywood behind it. An iRV2 veteran put the repair range as "from a few dollars to exceeding the value of the RV". A small bubble near a window may be a local fix. A whole wall gone wavy is not.
Push on the floor in front of the sink, the toilet, the entry door and every slide. Get on the roof and check every sealant line.
Dealer vs independent shop
In a Good Sam forum thread, one owner got a dealer estimate of about $12,000 for a soft kitchen floor on a fifth wheel. Another owner said a similar job, including the slide floor, ran about $5,000 at an independent shop.
That gap is common enough that you should always get at least one independent quote. Ask each shop to write the scope as line items: what gets removed, what framing gets replaced, what the new floor or wall is made of, and how they will stop the original leak.
What a remodel on top of the repair costs
Once walls and floors are open, many owners do the remodel at the same time. Published shop prices give you a scale. OCRV Center lists $8,500 to $18,000 for kitchen and bath and $19,000 to $38,000 for a full interior gut and rebuild. Custom Way prices its cosmetic package by length, from $12,000 for 20 ft to $24,000 for 40 ft.
Structural water damage repair comes before any of that. Our RV remodel cost guide breaks the tiers down by class.
Run the resale math
Add up the repair quote, the remodel you want and a contingency for the damage you have not found yet. Then look up what your year, make and length sells for in good condition. If the total spend is more than the finished RV is worth, you are paying to own it, not investing in it.
That can still make sense if the chassis is good and you plan to keep it for years. It makes no sense if you plan to sell in two. If the roof structure or several walls are gone, the honest answer is often to sell it as a project and buy a dry one.
To get comparable repair and remodel quotes, describe the damage and the RV on Trailer3D. Up to 4 shops that serve your area send quotes, free for you.
Questions
How much does RV water damage repair cost?
It ranges from a small local fix to more than the RV is worth. One forum owner was quoted about $12,000 by a dealer for a soft kitchen floor; another paid about $5,000 at an independent shop for similar work.
Is it worth fixing water damage in an RV?
Yes if the damage is local, the roof and frame are sound, and total cost stays below the finished RV's value. No if rot runs through several walls or the roof structure.
How do I check an RV for water damage?
Use a moisture meter around every window, vent, slide and corner, press on floors near sinks and doors, look for bubbles in the sidewall, and inspect every roof seal.
What is RV delamination?
Water gets between the fiberglass sidewall and the plywood behind it, and the skin bubbles or waves. Repair can be minor or can cost more than the RV, depending on how far it spread.
Sources
Describe it once and up to 4 verified builders who serve your area send quotes. Free, no obligation.
