Some advice for renovating

[i73]

I'm looking at buying a 26'- 30' foot 2 axel Airstream trailer (really doesn't matter to me the age or trailer, as long as there's not a lot of repairs) with the intent of gutting it and redoing the interior.

I have a close friend who is a prominent interior designer and we're planning on working together since it's an interest of theirs to get into high end Trailers and Yacht designs.

Our goal is to design the entire floor plan with high end products (sourcing everything at cost) and just would like some advice from people who've done these sorts of renovations:

• What to look out for?
• what trailers are best considering gutting the whole thing?
• how to properly set the weight?
• things that can be issues or make my life easier?

Really just any general advice that you wish you known before or after.

[CBWELL]

Best idea is to read through the forums. There are hundreds of answers to the questions you are asking. Go to the technical section and look at the interior renovation, exterior renvoations, running gear and all the other information sections. Good luck with your project! Whatever you plan on spending, double it!! Been there, done that!

[Belegedhel]

Welcome to the forums!

What to look out for: Rotting floors, damaged frames. This can happen on a trailer of practically any age, but is more likely the older the trailer is, and the more neglected. Practically every newbie who buys a vintage trailer has dreams of a couple of months of superficial sprucing up before heading out to go camping, and then they pull up the carpet and realize they are looking at a shell-off. There is a "trailer inspector's checklist" available from the Portal page of these forums that can help you to do a thorough inspection.

What trailers are best? Depends on your future design. The older trailers placed a premium on the lightness of the overall trailer. So if your design includes installing 2000 lbs of granite, teak and stainless steel in the interior, you would be better off starting with a trailer of a more modern vintage, where the frame is beefy enough to handle the weight you have in mind.

How to set the weight? In general, you want the weight of your interior to be balanced side to side, with more weight in the front compared to the back. A sure-fire way of doing things would be to weigh the components you remove from the trailer and maintain that distribution with your new design. Tongue weight is usually about 15% of the weight of the trailer.

Things that can be issues or make life easier: The biggest issue you are going to encounter is the unexpected floor rot. If you think you can inspect your way to a rot free trailer, you will be looking for a long time. They all leak, and an unrepaired leak will result in rot. Second biggest issue is damage to the exterior skin. Don't believe any seller who tells you that "this dent will pop right out." If you want life to be easy, order a brand new trailer from Airstream without an interior.

Good luck!

[mikextr]

Originally Posted by Belegedhel

If you want life to be easy, order a brand new trailer from Airstream without an interior. Good luck!

^^^
Best advice ever!

High end products and finishes usually come with a weight penalty. Unless it's just a design exercise, don't make it so heavy that you have to tow it with a 1 ton dually. Nobody will buy it.