Taking out the Bathroom to turn into a bedroom

[Stephie34]

Hello!!! I am just getting started on my airstream adventure!! It is a '66 Overlander. I have ripped up the carpet in it and my next step is going to be taking out the bathroom to turn into a bedroom. My question is how hard do you think this will be Nd will there be anything that I'll need to know about before I start??? Thank you so much.

[A W Warn]

Welcome to the Air Forum! I see this was your first post.

When your start adding back bedroom stuff, remember you have to retain balance of weight. You can't much weight to the rear, behind the axles, without affecting how the trailer will tow.

[Foiled Again]

Ditto first.response.

No bathroom plus extra bedroom? Even if it is going to be permanently parked in your back yard this might be a bad idea. Having to run into the house? At might? In the rain?

If you campground camp, the facilities might be several hundred feet away, or just not nicely maintained.

Traveling - you can't pull into every gas station or fast food place, only those with large parking lots and more than one driveway. Being able to pull into a rest stop or a store parking lot knowing your restroom is clean - priceless.

Suggest strongly that you read a few full restoration threads before you proceed.

[smithcreek]

Originally Posted by Stephie34

Hello!!! I am just getting started on my airstream adventure!! It is a '66 Overlander. I have ripped up the carpet in it and my next step is going to be taking out the bathroom to turn into a bedroom. My question is how hard do you think this will be Nd will there be anything that I'll need to know about before I start??? Thank you so much.

As far as taking stuff out goes, there probably is not much you "need to know". It's the putting stuff back together part where that helps! JK! Good luck with your trailer!

[drbrick]

WOW! I have a slightly used Porta-Potty from my old T@B camping days I can sell you cheap

[fwjumper]

Where will the bathroom be?

[n2916s]

If you remove the bathroom you will have reduced the resale value to near zero.

[skyguyscott]

Congrats on your new-to-you Airstream! Fixing them up is loads of hard work, but also FUN! I would agree with all my fellow AS owners who have given you some words of wise caution.

What should you know? First, what do you want, exactly? Most anything is possible, few are easy, some are inadvisable. Removing the bathroom makes good sense only if you are taking the travel out of your travel trailer, say turning it into a permanently parked office or spare bedroom (and even then...)

Having a bathroom available is a key reason most campers upgrade to a TT from a tent. A nice kitchen with running water sheltered from the elements is a distant second, along with the perception that set-up and tear down will be faster or easier (not always true, but...)

Relocating the bathroom has been done, but it is far from easy due to the necessity of rerouting all the plumbing and black tank, which is not only a major undertaking, but you can run into weight and balance issues, as well as matching tank and frame (i.e., the black tank may not fit in the frame where you want you new toilet to be)

You should give the subfloor and frame a good inspection to look for rot and rust -- common issues in vintage trailers. You can replace the floor and repair the frame, but this is expensive and/or time-consuming, depending if you DIY. This should be one of the FIRST things you establish -- if it was a house, you need to fix your foundation before picking out paint colors.

Perhaps you have already done all of this work, if you give this community forum more details, they will be happy to share with you many lessons learned (some, the hard way!) and help you along as best they can.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by n2916s

If you remove the bathroom you will have reduced the resale value to near zero.

Originally Posted by fwjumper

Where will the bathroom be?

Welcome to the forum, Stephanie!

Please comment about the two primary concerns above, and provide more details about your plans in general.

Thanks,

Peter

[FL Crackers]

Originally Posted by Stephie34

Hello!!! I am just getting started on my airstream adventure!! It is a '66 Overlander. I have ripped up the carpet in it and my next step is going to be taking out the bathroom to turn into a bedroom. My question is how hard do you think this will be Nd will there be anything that I'll need to know about before I start??? Thank you so much.

I did the same thing to a '77 Tradewind with a rear bath and rarely regretted it for the six years we camped in it. Took it on an 8,500+ mile trip from Florida, north to the Upper Peninsula, west to Yellowstone, south to Big Bend and home again. Sure, we stayed in CGs (mostly state parks) with facilities, but we do the same now with our newer, self-contained 2012 27FB.

The fact that our '77 had floor rot under much of the bathroom had a lot to do with our decision to remove the bath. You may find the same and it is a challenge to replace that floor. Check the framing back there too if you take the floor out. I had rusted components that needed to be replaced and beefed up.

You will face some plumbing issues since you're removing water and waste lines to three fixtures. There is also a stack vent that you will have to seal off, under the floor and above the roof most likely. I removed the black tank because I damaged it disconnecting the toilet. I would rather have connected the grey and black water tanks together for more grey capacity, but...

Once you get started, be aware that it's hard to stop. The wall and door to the bath needed to come out in our case because any bed (even sideways) wouldn't fit in the bathroom footprint. Then the twin beds forward of the bath came out. Then the cabinets for the kitchen. You get the idea. In our case, I ended up gutting the entire interior and rebuilding, including a dinette that converted to a full-size double bed.

And for the record, I sold mine for almost twice what I paid for it, after six wonderful years of enjoyment. I didn't profit on it, but pretty much covered my expenses (absent my labor). There is always a buyer out there, somewhere.

Good luck with your project. Once you get into it, ask a lot of questions. They guys on this forum are quite the resource.

[OTRA15]

So your renovated AS had no bathroom inside?

[FL Crackers]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

So your renovated AS had no bathroom inside?

If you're asking me -- that is correct, it had/has no bathroom. It was not a show stopper for us. We tent camped and pop-up camped for many, many years. It was all we knew. I don't regret it and I don't think the new owner does either.

[OTRA15]

Thanks Mike and Laurel.

Originally Posted by Stephie34

Hello!!! I am just getting started on my airstream adventure!! It is a '66 Overlander. I have ripped up the carpet in it and my next step is going to be taking out the bathroom to turn into a bedroom. My question is how hard do you think this will be Nd will there be anything that I'll need to know about before I start??? Thank you so much.

Are you also planning on having no bathroom in your Airstream, when you are done with this renovation?

Thanks,

Peter

[Eric 26 Argo]

Stephie34 don't let them talk you out of your dream. Between this site and some of the FB communitees you can get all kinds of advice and directions. You aren't the first I have heard with that idea.

Taking the bathroom out isn't impossible but keep in mind when they build/built them at the factory they start from the back and work their way forward. This means you have some fasteners that are blind until you remove the item that is on the other side of the wall. When I bought my Argosy I was just going to replace a broken water line and ended up with this mess on my hands.
[IMG]Day 8 striped by Eric Frye, on Flickr[/IMG]

As I kept digging with the intention of making it right and not worrying about resale or what others would want, I got to this point.

[IMG]20180630_172648_resized by Eric Frye, on Flickr[/IMG]

While I am still a long way from done I am at this point of my build with a light at the end of the tunnel.

[IMG]20190529_161948_resized by Eric Frye, on Flickr[/IMG]

I have some new outriggers and know the frame is solid, new floor, new insulation, know all the leaks have been repaired and the freedom to put the interior back any way I want. The joy and reward of the project can be a big part of ownership. If you read some of the forms you will hear people talk about doing their second or third restoration.

Hell if not having a bathroom was a disqualifier for a camper, about 25% of the campers being sold new today would have to be removed from the market And me personally I think most camper toilets including mine are a joke. I would rather walk a 100 yard in the rain than to try and balance on what came in my Argosy.

[skyguyscott]

Originally Posted by Stephie34

My question is how hard do you think this will be Nd will there be anything that I'll need to know about before I start??? Thank you so much.

Stephanie, you asked, and now you have the outlines of your answer. I'm going to sidestep the whole bathroom debate, but at least now you can make a more informed decision. It is YOUR trailer, do with it what makes you happy, just be prepared to spend about 10x more money and time than you first think.

[OTRA15]

^^^^^ x2 . . . well said.

. . . and check Eric's 'The Love Shack' thread for more details, photos, and his great sense of humor:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f227...ck-183431.html

Good luck,

Peter

[bibbs]

Your trailer do what you want! I like having a toilet, but I took out the shower.
No regrets

[fastrob]

Bought an Airhead composting toilet for the winter's southern adventure.
Could not bring myself to drill a hole in my new Promaster.
So, I only pee'd in it when necessary. Plenty of toilets around for the real business.

[Jimroll]

We did this to our 1962 22 foot Safari for several reasons.

1. We wanted permanent beds that would not be possible if we kept the rear bathroom. We decided we spend far more time sleeping than we do pooping, and we did not want to tear down and make up beds everyday. This is especially important when making quick overnight rest stops while traveling.

2. Most everywhere we stop there are bathrooms available. If not, urinals are made for both men and women. If needed, we can carry a lugable loo or equalevent. We are not germaphobes and have never heard of anyone getting sick from a toilet seat. Not even a friend who knows someone who's third cousin knew someone that got sick.

3. My wife doesn't want to spend her vacation cleaning bathrooms.

4. We live in northern Indiana where it would be required to winterize. If we want to head south in January all we need to do is hookup and go. No worries.

5. We don't have to deal with dump stations and the related mess. Under the sink we have removable fresh and grey tanks.

6. We go camping, not glamping. Some inconvenience is expected.

6. We are not concerned with resale. I know I can sell the Safari for more than what I have in it, after renovation.

The bottom line is. It is your Airstream, make it yours as you want it.



Attachment 342552

[Bermshot]

I have a 71 28' Sovereign that had a rear bath and the 2 single beds in the mid section. Ours was a mess, used as a hunting trailer so I gutted it all but the kitchen.
Dropped the bellypan and tanks, replaced the floor. Bought replacement tanks that fit up under the axles and just aft and built a mid bath and a queen bed in the rear.
Have a fold out couch in the front nose for guest. We both have access to the bathroom without walking past each other.
The tail is actually lighter and weight transferred to the axle area.
Check my profile for pics in progress.