Janelle Payne

Welcome! My name is Janelle, but most people know me as Nailgun Nelly! You can always find me building something on our property here on the beautiful Central Coast of California. I have always had a passion to create unique and fun spaces. Even as a child, I would talk my mom into taking me to the local hardware store so I could build my own four post bed out of PVC pipe and design my room into different “themes”. Designing was always a passion of mine. Well, as luck would have it, I married the love of my life, Chadwick, a fellow critical care nurse, who shared the same affinity for building on a budget. We ended up remodeling two homes and shortly after were blessed with two boys. I then scaled back and focused on being part time at the hospital and a stay-at-home mom. And just like that, I had more time to focus on my true passion, building and designing with my two boys in tow. Fast forward to 2019, Chad and I built a chic studio apartment to house fellow travel nurses when our community was devastated by COVID-19. From that, we fell in love with building and designing small spaces, and you guessed it, that's where our love for restoring retro travel trailers came from. Since then, we have renovated several vintage trailers and even built out a camper van that our little family called home as we drove across the gorgeous southwest. From stationary tiny homes to off grid rigs, you could say we have turned into experts for anything trailer/tiny home related. If you have ever dreamed of restoring a vintage travel trailer, you will find that it is more than a renovation project; it’s a journey back in time infused with creativity and craftsmanship. Throughout the process of stripping down its worn surfaces, you are bound to think “you are in too deep”! But with the help of the many guides throughout this book, I hope it will be a great resource to give you the confidence to tackle anything that may come your way. I promise an extremely rewarding outcome is at the end of this journey you are about to go on. With attention to detail in every fixture and finish, from customized appliances to retro furnishings, your trailer will transform into a timeless retreat on wheels. In the end, as you tow it onto open roads, this restored gem not only fulfills dreams of adventure but also preserves a piece of cultural history, offering a second life that honors its storied past while embracing a future filled with new experiences and memories for you and your family. Let this book be your guide through this process. These renovations will take a little elbow grease, try your resilience, but that’s what makes any adventure worthwhile. So, pick up this book, turn the page and join us in the adventure of a lifetime.