This Airstream was gutted and refurbished to live in while constructing our house on site. We lived in it for almost a year. We cut the pipes to the propane appliances and made it all electric because electricity was already at the property. Propane can be reestablished by a professional, if needed. The propane tanks are still installed on the tongue and have the new code connectors.
The futon couch, double bed, microwave, toaster, hotplate, fire extinguisher and refrigerator will remain. ALL are FREE-STANDING. My Pa also built a kitchen counter (without the sink) and a cabinet for storage over the wheel well. Neither cupboard is fastened down, but can be if necessary. Remember, this trailer was used for living and was parked for the full eleven months, so modifications to build-in were not necessary.
There's a large unit in the upper kitchen cabinet that was used to monitor the holding tanks and other stuff - we disconnected this and have no idea if it is still usable.
A new subfloor was laid over the old one for support. Previous water damage (which we also fixed) had made holes in the old flooring. I also installed carpet.
The air conditioner was broken, we had a Carrier representative fix it properly and it cools great now. In times of VERY HIGH humidity, the A/C sometimes leaks if you overuse it. This only happened three times last year (we ran it for over 8 hours per day). To prevent the leak, we discovered that if you turn it off for an hour, it will defrost and be fine to turn back on. The AC has an outside winter cover for insulation.
All walls are painted, except the bathroom.
I made new duck fabric curtains for all the windows. I put up standard rods for easy off/on to clean.
The screen door is now reinforced with a patterned cut-out steel mesh because our dogs kept destroying the regular screen mesh.
A new 10 gallon Sears water heater replaces the old 5 gallon one. There is a cut-off switch inside on the bathroom wall to turn it off. It can also be unplugged inside. The weater heater is larger than the old one, so I made a temporary wall of foam-core so it would still look nice in the bathroom. The wall is removable for service. We replaced the old toilet, too. The shower had a crack which the former owner repaired. The repair has held up nicely and we've had no problems with it.
Phone and cable were run inside for landline telephone/dialup computer and satellite TV.
An extra electric box with a separate outside connector was installed into the living area so I could run a heater during the winter months, without compromising the rest of the appliances and lights.
The full length front awning comes down easily, but has a small tear about 8 inches long at the rear end. Its never been a problem to all-over use (we just make sure to roll it back up if there's wind). The awning over the back window was never used, due to broken struts before we acquired the Airstream.
Only one outlet doesn't work and that is by choice. It was retro-installed and wire was run across the room under the couch, which was a fire hazard. We cut and capped the wires. Power can be restored by a professional electrician. One of the bedroom lights has a short, the light will go on sometimes and not others. Needs an electrican to look it over before use.
We are fairly certain the holding tank has a leak ON TOP. If lines are clogged, it will create a small wet spot on the rug in the hallway. To alleviate this, flushing the black water tank for 20 minutes on a daily basis (in the evening) worked wonders. The lines remain clear and water flows easily. A few teaspoons of Rid-X once a week kept the anaerobic bacteria happy, too.
I replaced the plastic fan caps, the bathroom light cover and the kitchen light cover.
All the rivets have been caulked and as far as I know, nothing leaks. There is condensation between the panes of the front window, but not inside or outside.
This Airstream is fully habitable now - it would make a nice parked unit on your camp or vacation property. It can also be used as a nice hunt "shack" on your hunting lands. If you are a person who wants a restoration project the hard work of gutting it has already been done.
Price: $4,800.00
This Airstream is located in the Midwest and you will have to pick it up. It is being sold in an "AS IS" condition.
If you are interested, leave a message in the blog comments section with your email address written out like this to avoid spambots: johndoe at aol dot com.
