Airstream Remodel Episode 1: Purchasing, Pulling up Subfloor and Deep Cleaning
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As we considered buying and renovating an Airstream, one of the resources we found most useful was when another Airstream blogger chronicled their renovation. This helped us sketch out a timeline and general order for the work that needs to be done. In the spirit of paying it forward, I’ll be doing my best to give a brief rundown of the work we do each week, the supplies we purchase, and the next stage we’re planning in the hope that future Airstream renovators will have a little clearer idea of what’s ahead of them. A huge shout out to the Tiny Shiny Home for their blog, which was invaluable to us in the early planning stages.
Step 1 - Buying an Airstream
We found our Airstream on Facebook Marketplace. The seller had bought it to remodel into a tiny home, just like us, but had some other responsibilities arise and wasn’t able to finish it. This ended up being great for us, as he had already done a lot of the prep work. The old furniture and fixtures had already been removed, and he had resealed all the seams and installed a new A/C and three new Fantastic Fans. This is what she looked like when we picked her up:
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a vintage Airstream in possession of a certain age must be in want of some water damage repair. Our girl is no exception. There was clearly a leak in the back, under the rear window and another near the front door. In case there were any more leaks lurking beneath the surface, Jared’s first job was removing the subfloor and old fiberglass insulation. This turned out to be…eventful.
Mid subfloor removal
Several hours into the removal, I went inside the house to grab some tools. Suddenly, I hear the door fly open behind me and turn around to see Jared slamming the door closed as if Attila and his Huns were hot on his heels. To add to this confusing picture, he started stripping off his gloves and respirator as if they were burning him. After a full body pat-down, he finally turned to me and gasped,
“Wasps.”
In an effort to remove a particularly stubborn board, Jared had sent his hammer straight through it…and into the massive red wasp nest below. Luckily, he has very quick reflexes, and as soon as he saw the little swarm beginning to stir, he high-tailed it out of there and into the house. By the grace of God, he did not get stung. Several cans of Raid later, he was able to continue working, with me standing over him with an electric fly-swatter. It was like a high-risk game of ping-pong where the goal is to electrocute your opponent, who also happens to be the ball. Total body count with the fly-swatter: 17.
Other fun discoveries of this process included three rodent nests, which had mercifully already been vacated by their occupants, and a snake skin! In case the point is not already abundantly clear: if you renovate a vintage travel trailer, remove the subfloor. You do not want to discover any of these delightful surprises after you’ve already poured your heart into a remodel.
Once we had the floor removed, we took dish soap, a hose, and a push broom and SCRUBBED out the inside of the belly pan. Sure, this isn’t technically necessary since it will all be covered by the new subfloor, but there was something unsettling about the idea of sealing all that grime back into our home. When we finished our scrub, we used the Shop Vac to suck up most of the water and left some fans running to dry it out. The finished product was a huge improvement, not least because it no longer smelled like rat droppings.
While Jared was working outside, I got started on repairing a couple of the double pane windows which had accumulated some moisture between the panes. That project is still ongoing, and this post is already getting too long, so here’s a quick list of what we’ve ordered and what we’re working on next.
Next Steps
Grinding off rust
Welding weak points in the frame
Applying rust converter
Painting the frame
Resealing the bellypan
Installing new wheel wells
Replacing freshwater tank
Running plumbing
Running electrical
Ordering
Grey water tanks
Exterior aluminum polish
Double pane window gaskets
Rivet gun (*This has not been an amazing product. It has jammed and stopped working several times. For the price, it might still be worth it, but purchase with caution.)
Rivets
Replacement wheel well covers
Wall insulation
Floor Insulation