Changing Floor Plans??

[rcloeffler]

Has anyone heard of changing the floor plan during renovation? I know it sounds extensive, but I was interested moving the bedroom to the rear with a double or queen berth and moving the bath on the sides. I know these ships were designed for weight balance and I was interested if anyone knows if this would work. My current floor plan has the rear bath, middle bedroom with goucho on one side and double hanging closets and double drawer closets with counterspace above on the other side and overhead tambours on both sides.

[Foiled Again]

I don't do Airstream renovations. I love to watch from a safe distance on the forums. I'd look at the vintage site to see all the layouts that were used in your year and length, pick the rear bedroom you prefer, then ask yourself ONE question.

Would I be better off selling this one, and looking for another one with a rear bedroom, or would I be better off renovating this one?

Do what your head and heart tells you is best, but if you DO find the factory layout for the rear bed model, you'll have a pretty good guide for doing the changes if you decide that route is better than a sell/buy strategy.

Paula

[mello mike]

I asked the exact same thing after buying my Sovereign. I was told to forget it due to the extensive changes required in the plumbing. After analyzing the facts, I agreed. If that's the floorplan you really want, then buy a trailer that has that floorplan. JMHO.

[bobkelly]

Welcome---Welcome to the forums. Another resource to ask is a shop that specializes in renovating airstreams.

[katzklaw]

we changed the floorplan of our trailer. the '64 overlander didn't come with a rear bed/side bath option, but its a more logical layout... so we stepped off into the unknown and changed it up. we used the layout of the current 25' Safari as a guide and layed everything out on grid paper. i won't lie to you... it wasn't easy, and it isn't for the faint of heart or the only somewhat handy person... but we're happy with the outcome.

for more info on what we did, you can check here or here.

good luck with whatever you decide to do!

[CaddyGrn]

Hello,

Lots of folks have gutted their 'streams and completely made them over! With a trailer of your vintage you may want to go ahead and make it the way you want it! This is much easier to do when doing a complete rennovation. If you remove the shell, replace the floor, etc. you will likely re-plumb and re-wire so your only requirement is to watch the weight distribution. My hubby beefed up our frame a bit as we added a little weight to our little 'stream.

If doing a complete rennovation remember to take care of the safety issues first, comfort and style later. When the day comes to part with your 'stream it is the safety and soundness of your systems [water, sewer, electrical, etc.] that will be a big factor in purchase price. Everyone changes the decor to match their own preferences anyway. Remember, you will likely not get back what you put into it [$$$] other than the many years of enjoyment and satisfaction of a job well done!

Have fun!

Mrs. NorCal Bambi (traveling in S Tardis)

[safari57]

We did this on our '51 Flying Cloud. Left the front end dinette and kitchen area basically stock until the following year and tackled the rest. Converted to rear twins, side bathroom (toilet only so far with shower to come). It was a lot of work given we also had sold our other trailer and were not going to not go camping as soon as spring hit. About 5 months of most nights and all weekends but it has made the trailer a perfect fit for us. It wasn't the cheapest thing to do but it was less expensive than buying something prebuilt to our specs, we had fun doing it (mostly), and we have no fear of continuing to evolve it as we use it more and determine what else we like. I've done a lot of handy man type of work on cars, trailers, houses, etc. but this one really was fun as there were things I'd just not done before and learning how to do them and seeing the positive results has been a great experience. I'd not hesitate very much to do it again, but only if I have more time and it will have to be an addition to the family - the Flying Cloud is our baby.

One thing I did do was to make sure I balanced the weight appropriately and we made many trips to the local RV sales lots looking at new rigs and how they were set up. It's worked like a charm.

If you do decide to do this there's a ton of folks on this forum who have undertaken everything from a few mods to complete frame offs so play with search and you'll have a lot of knowledge readily available.

Barry

[rcloeffler]

Well, it's good to know that it isn't impossible. I appreciate all of the input. I will browse around the web to see what I can find. I was talking with PizzaChop about the rear floor replacement and thought while I have it all apart, I might as well look into it. We have already done some other sizeable projects on our Overlander (new axles, black tank pan & frame, inverter & power cord, curtains, upholstery, gaskets) so why not kick it up a notch...BAM! I know our AS intimately now, so I think we'll keep her. I'll keep you posted.

[safari57]

Originally Posted by rcloeffler

Well, it's good to know that it isn't impossible. I appreciate all of the input. I will browse around the web to see what I can find. I was talking with PizzaChop about the rear floor replacement and thought while I have it all apart, I might as well look into it. We have already done some other sizeable projects on our Overlander (new axles, black tank pan & frame, inverter & power cord, curtains, upholstery, gaskets) so why not kick it up a notch...BAM! I know our AS intimately now, so I think we'll keep her. I'll keep you posted.

Hey, if you have been handling that black tank pan and frame then you do need to keep that trailer. Once you go that far with one it's my impression that you have made a commitment.

It has been my impression that one of the key components that made Wally's trailers different and desirable is that he was asking those who traveled with their trailers what worked and what needed to be changed and adding those comments to his own back at the factory as the trailers evolved. There's no reason for anyone to think they are stuck with what they have just because that's the way it came from the factory. That was just the starting point for the owner to then personalize it. No one said there's a limit that I'm aware of. Keep us posted.

Barry