The Bathroom

In the beginning I considered keeping much of the original bathroom.  This is the first picture I have of what was the original bath - this is actually after I had started demolition.  I decided to replace the cabinet, then found a crack in the base - replace the base, toilet's broken - shower line in an awkward place....  Long story short, I had a relatively blank, very curved canvas to conceive a brand new bathroom.

Existing condition after a fair amount of demo work.   Just wow.

At one point, I was considering keeping the fixtures - maybe just a little paint?   What a joke.

Here you can see the basic cabinetry and shower base.  Ultralight MDF used here, added about 30 lbs. to the back of the trailer.  (will need to add some weight to the front for balance.)  Need a solid base for the tile installation.

Re-used the shower pan, sloping to drain (replaced).  The white iradescent paint you see is actually an adhesion primer  to prepare the attachment of the foam backer board.

What you see here is straight brilliant.  This is a lightweight foam backer  (used instead of cement board - and about 50 times lighter.)  The foam has bithuthene on the back of it to adhere to the adhesion paint seen in the previous picture.   I screwed the foam sheet to the walls every 6" o.c.   

Here is the rest of the cabinet base.  Getting the previous toilet out had to be the most heartbreaking, disgusting thing I've ever done (was putting it of for weeks.)  

Red-guard adheres to the foam backer to waterproof the shower and surround.  Check out the tile!   Very thin (1/8" thick) glass tile that is 100% recycled.  The tiles are only 3/4" wide to minimize any cracking.

Here's the tile before the grout.  I moved the shower controls to the wall (upper right.)   Learned to saulder at this point - which is actually quite fun.  I'll take a picture of the rats nest of copper tubing I created to get the plumbing up to this location.  Really hoping my sauldering skills are up to par - but expecting a few (or more) leaks to repair.

Toilet's in!  Vessel sink with countertop mounted faucet bring the apparent height for sink up about 8" - the countertop could only be so high due to the window here.   Strand woven natural bamboo countertop - significantly sealed for water resistance.  The edge banding of the counter is beautiful.  I laminated two sheets of the bamboo plywood together at the edges to give an apparent thickness of 1-1/2" and cut down on weight.  Removed the old medicine cabinet - need to find a very narrow (12") but tall, mirrored cabinet here.

Grout's in - bath is not quite finished, but darn near close!  Need to consider a light fixture for this space.   I would really love to put a 3-form style door to the bathroom - a pricy element if i decide to do it!  

Temporary Home

Downtown Santa Barbara, a commercial work yard in the FUnk ZonE.  My neighbors are:  One old trailer where a gentleman lives and makes custom sketchbooks out of dried hickory; three 25-30 foot boats; several bands that practice and record in shipping containers; a local artist sculptor (he just submitted an artpiece on the hollywood walk of fame (big guitar sculpture.)

Here's a picture of the work yard.

Clear coat Stripping

With the ultimate goal of polishing the outside to a mirror like shine, I found that a very thin and stubborn animal lay in my way.  Before I can even touch the aluminum skin of the trailer, I have to remove what amounts to a factory option clear coat finish (to protect the aluminum over the years.)  It just makes it look dull.  

After trying some nasty gnarly products from the local home improvement store,  I found a product off the internet that is NON TOXIC (wow) and environmentally friendly - seems I don't even have to wear gloves.  It goes on with a brush in the evening, and sprays off with a hose in the morning.

The clear coat removal product applied to the entire side of the trailer.  

I decided to take off the red and white pin-striping on the sides.  Going for an all aluminum, no frills finish :) 

This stuff is amazing.  

Removing the side decals.  You can see the improvement in shine already around the window.

With the rock-screen off.  Doesn't she look a bit naked?

Plans

Here's a 3-D cutaway of what the airstream would have looked like back in 1978.  This is essentially how it was the day I first saw it except for the front had a built in dinette from a previous owner.  (much of what you see here was in pieces.

From a 1978 sales brochure for the Tradewind.

What to do...

There is a large wall with an accordion door separating the kitchen/ living area with a semi-formal bedroom area - this will be the first thing to go.  I plan on opening up the interior, using simple, light colors to make the space light and clean.   

There's a lot of DARK wood inside.  This successfully makes the space smaller than it is.  A nice speckled vinyl is on all the walls - yellow from the 30+ years.  

The kitchen has absolutely no counter space - just sink and stove.  

Most of the space stinks to high heavens (pit bull storage space :)  

Plans for renovation.  Keeping the layout of the floor plan but changing the concept of the interior space.
Click on the photo to see an enlarged version.

Think big.  Think simply.  

Lots of white - natural materials influenced by the aluminum skin.  Taking a cue from Santa Barbara, will probably use blue for a splash of color.  Think Nantucket.  

Interior - The beginning

The main living area after I had done some demo work.  A dividing wall that separated the kitchen and bedroom areas with an accordion door has been removed.  

The prior owner had installed a dinette in the front of the trailer.  The original configuration had a convertible gaucho up front in this location.  

Where the kitchen sink and oven were located.  The furnace is completly rusted out - I doubt it works.  

Bathroom original condition.  The prior owner explained that a pit bull had lived in the trailer for some time. Under each panel I remove, i find a thick coat of dog hair.    I'm wondering if i'll ever get this smell out.

Shower pan is cracked in several locations - this will have to be replaced - To what degree, i'm not yet sure.  Note a temporary water line repair job just under the shower pan.  I'm noticing that I'll have a lot of plumbing work to do.

Day One

I purchased the 1978 tradewind (not yet named) from a private party in Los Angeles.   Rained all the way home and opened up to sunny skies when I rolled in the parking lot. 

Mom came over to check out the new find - a quick Vanna White for the camera.

Awnings on both sides.  Outside in rather good condition - wait till you see the inside :(

Welcome

This is a blog about my dream to purchase, renovate, and ultimately live in a vintage Airstream Trailer. This page will be dedicated to the adventures I encounter while trying to realize this dream. My name is Matthew Hofmann; I am a 27 year old licensed and practicing Architect in beautiful Santa Barbara, CA. Feel free to comment or question if you find something that intrigues you.

Welcome and Happy Airstreaming.

Matthew