Complete restoring of Interior

[kjdhurtado]

Our family is seriously considering purchasing a 1975 Airstream. (29ft) The exterior hull is in good condition but it seems the interior is in need of some major work. Before moving forward has anybody completely gutted the inside of their airstream and have a "rough" estimate on cost for a project like that. Im trying to get a "worst" case idea. Thank you so much!

[Isuzusweet]

The best case senario is it takes 2-3 times as long as what you thought and 2-3 times what you expected to pay.

The worst case senario is the ad you place in your local rag; "Airstream for sale ready for your dream interior with all the hard work done gutting it".

There are many things that could derail your "dream renovation"; bad axles, rotted sub floor, rusted, cracked frame, bad electrical etc, etc.

You need to find someone in your area that is an Airstream expert to go over the trailer from top to bottom, stem to stern. Whatever money that expert costs you, could save you 10-20 times that much in money and heartache.

Renovating an Airstream trailer is more science than design........what materials you decide to use will dictate what it will end up costing you.

Cheers
Tony

[Belegedhel]

Welcome to the forums!

Give some thought to the following questions--it will help us to give you some kind of estimate:

Are you planning to do the work yourself?
Do you expect to replace all of the appliances?
Does the subfloor need to be replaced?
Will all the cabinetry be replaced?
Do you want a functional travel trailer, or a luxury condo on wheels?

Worst case would mean a complete frame rebuild, replacement of everything inside the skin of the shell, and having to pay a professional $100/hr to do it. $60k might be in the ball park. The same job could be done by a handy owner, who has a few years to work on it, an adventurous spirit, and a masochistic streak. Still could cost $20k for materials, depending on how nice you want it to end up.

Good luck!

[Cruiser6483]

The two contributions can be the story with my cruiser in 1954. In the beginning, I thought enthusiastically that I have to reckon with about 100'000 (dollar = Swiss Francs), BUT: I want to realize my dream. Today, and some years later, the costs have doubled, but my enthusiasm is still there, and when this goes on, I finally have a unique and great mausoleum where my heirs can be annoyed!

Greetings from Switzerland - Werner

http://www.airforums.com/photos/brow...mageuser=90917

[Cruiser6483]

kjdhurtado

I do not want to frighten you ....

Werner

[Isuzusweet]

To the OP

Just in case you thought I was kidding about the ad....

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-travel-traile...ationFlag=true

This is one of probably hundreds of AS trailers that people have bought with grandious visions of the Adirondack Airstream...

https://get.google.com/albumarchive/...IsV?source=pwa

You need to have a plan, and a budget; or plan on your budget going out the window quickly.

If you're handy as a previous poster has stated, it will knock down the cost considerably (I'm a professional skilled cabinetmaker). If not, I know an Argosy 20' motorhome owner that dropped over the price of a Ferrari 550 Marenello on his restoration......and still ended up buying a new crate engine, transmission and fixing things that he had thought were done by a person he paid good money to perform; only to find they weren't done at all!! They were happy to take his money though.

Cheers
Tony

[DavidsonOverlander]

I've been working on a total gut/rebuild of our '74 Sovereign on and off for 8 years and still not finished. It was useable in about 18 months, but there's still work to do. It's a big job! Everything takes longer working in an Airstream because there are few straight lines, you need to keep the weight down, and you've got to build it so it will stand up to the movement in going down the road. It's definitely a labour of love!

It's hard to say on cost. I've provided all the labour, so it's just parts. $20,000 for materials seems like a reasonable estimate, but the cost will be MUCH higher if you pay someone to do the work.

[57Vintage]

I agree with the comment to get a professional to evaluate the condition of the unit. Especially the floor, frame, windows and A/C. If you do not have the skills, ambition, space or time to deal with those major issues. I would suggest looking for a smaller unit that won't be so overwhelming and in better shape.

I'm doing a 1958 Overlander (26'). I bought it when I retired. I knew from the beginning it would be a complete rebuild. 3 years later I'm almost ready to put the frame back under the shell. If you want to use it this summer, don't buy anything that requires work on the frame, floor, windows or electrical.

I would venture a quess that even if all the mechanicals are working now, by the end of summer, or before, some will fail. Especially if this unit has been unused for several years.

Not trying to scare you off, but I've seen too many gutted units for sale. That has to be disheartening for the seller, and probably a hit in the wallet.

[kjdhurtado]

Hey everyone I appreciate all the advice, it's a huge help. To be honest my husband and I don't have a lot of Airstream knowledge(we have never owned one). This is really a dream of mine, and luckily he happens to love the idea. Even if we don't purchase this particular one we are definitely in the market for something to restore or refinish. We would try and do most of the work ourselves, my husband is an electrician by trade but loves woodworking. He has made several pieces of furniture and has done cabinets as well. I'm hopeful that that will cut down on cost (at least labor) you all have gave me some great things to consider. Thank you again 😊

[Minno]

We did a total gut and rebuild based on our experience as SOB owners for 20 years, and the complete home rebuild we've done over 30 years. It did take us 4 summers to get our trailer functional again (jobs got in the way), but we do now have a trailer we are truly proud of and is very functional for us. My husband is a hobby woodworker, has built furniture, rewired our house, among other things. I'm the hired help. We picked up a lot of knowledge and help from the forums when we needed it. It IS doable, but takes perseverance and time. And money. HOWEVER, it's cheaper than buying a new AS by probably 60% or more. AND you get exactly what you want.
If it's truly your dream, sounds like you have the skills. Go for it!

Kay

[SCOTTinNJ]

From what I understand, these guys did their own remodel. Probably one of the best I've ever seen. Shows what can be done. You'll have to scroll down the feeds a bit.

https://www.instagram.com/meantforadventure/

https://www.instagram.com/skylers/

[jaygood31]

My 1974 Overlander 27' was a complete gut and rebuild. All new appliances, plumbing, new axles, repaired the rear end separation, built all the cabinetry from scratch. I did not need to make frame repairs or significant subfloor work and I have about $13,000 invested not including my time.

[Cruiser6483]

With a vintage Airstream it is almost like with the big love!
"No, I do not regret anything..."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKPvx38D4GM

[1973Argosy]

I have around 10000 in my trailer not including my time. I did not have to do any frame repairs so my trailer was not separated from the frame. Have had my trailer since 2000 and don't ever see myself getting rid of her. You make a true connection with a trailer that you repair/restore yourself, or at least I did!

[Isuzusweet]

Originally Posted by kjdhurtado

Hey everyone I appreciate all the advice, it's a huge help. To be honest my husband and I don't have a lot of Airstream knowledge(we have never owned one). This is really a dream of mine, and luckily he happens to love the idea. Even if we don't purchase this particular one we are definitely in the market for something to restore or refinish. We would try and do most of the work ourselves, my husband is an electrician by trade but loves woodworking. He has made several pieces of furniture and has done cabinets as well. I'm hopeful that that will cut down on cost (at least labor) you all have gave me some great things to consider. Thank you again 😊

Doing something as a hobby is not like doing it professionally. I for example, do my own electrical but have no doubt it's not up to your husband level of workmanship.

Restoring or renovating a trailer is very difficult, especially the woodworking aspect, as you are always searching for that incredibly small balance of strength and lightness. My cabinets are all Dominoed face frame with no bottoms, backs, the smallest length of gable needed to mount drawer slides too and the tops of the cabinets are the counter tops. It was all about maximizing storage and minimizing weight. It took me far longer to design and build my cabinets for my AS than it normally would have done anything else.

I was lucky, as I was restoring a motorhome; which while conscious about weight, I didn't have to worry about weight distribution as much as you would with a trailer.

As I stated before, there is a whole lot more science in a trailer than design.

Cheers
Tony

[thiel]

Originally Posted by kjdhurtado

Hey everyone I appreciate all the advice, it's a huge help. To be honest my husband and I don't have a lot of Airstream knowledge(we have never owned one). This is really a dream of mine, and luckily he happens to love the idea. Even if we don't purchase this particular one we are definitely in the market for something to restore or refinish. We would try and do most of the work ourselves, my husband is an electrician by trade but loves woodworking. He has made several pieces of furniture and has done cabinets as well. I'm hopeful that that will cut down on cost (at least labor) you all have gave me some great things to consider. Thank you again 😊

Sounds like you are both more than up to the task.

I have not done an Airstream restoration, but I've done a fair amount of reconstruction and furniture-making (and did redo an old trailer too). I think you'd do well to consider the following:

-- Learn to love the Kreg Pocket Hole jig. It allows you to create cheap, light joints and it's a lot less expensive than something like a domino system (which I also have and it's amazing... but it's expensive!). DO glue the joints you attach with the Kreg jig... it adds a surprising amount of strength.

-- Build what you can in a shop, not in the trailer. SO MUCH EASIER. To ensure that what you're going to build will fit, leave yourself a bit of extra material so you can scribe it into place. (Look up "how to scribe to a wall" on youtube or on woodworking sites...). Countertops and trim can be enormously helpful in fitting shop-built materials so they look like they were built in place.

-- I agree with the notion of lightness and minimalism, but a few extra pieces here and there that make construction easier are probably "worth their weight." Instead, I'd focus on procuring materials that are the lightest you can get and then you won't have to worry about how to use them. Specifically, I'd try to source "Lite Ply" because that will make a big difference in the long haul (and, as a bonus, it will be easier to work with!).

-- Get a "multimaster" type tool. Fein makes the expensive original, but there are lots of cheap knockoffs. Every time I've ever been forced into doing something stupid and irreparable in a recontruction context, it was because I lacked such a tool.

-- Get air nailers. Air nailers are cheap (even top brands) and they last forever. Or, go to Harbor Freight and get super cheap knockoffs. When you are making cabinet-style projects, air nailers are way way way way easier to work with than using clamps to hold things together while the glue sets. If you're careful, you can find something like an 18gauge brad nailer that will shoot from 1/2 inch all the way up to 2 inch nails... and that would probably cover all of your needs. (A pin nailer, which shoots nails so small you don't even need to fill the holes, would be the second nailer to buy!)

-- Buy your drawer boxes. Drawers take a beating and now you can order the boxes online in exact sizes with very durable joints and materials. If you choose to make your own, my advice would be the opposite: don't bother with dovetails... just screw them together with pocket holes and realize you might need to replace them every 5 years or so!

-- Paint! It covers a multitude of sins. If you don't have small children about, it's more than durable enough, cheap to apply, easy to change, and can be a lot of fun. Way cheaper and easier than laminates or other solutions for walls.

I hope that helps! You caught me on my day off with time at the keyboard!

[ALANSD]

wow no one asked for photos. This trailer might be totally salvageable and could be redone more easily than some suggest. Post up some shots of the thing inside and out and let the opinions fly.

[thiel]

Originally Posted by ALANSD

wow no one asked for photos. This trailer might be totally salvageable and could be redone more easily than some suggest. Post up some shots of the thing inside and out and let the opinions fly.

True!