What's it going to take?

[MariaRita]

I'm so glad to have found this forum! I am now the owner of a 1963 Tradewind. I thought it would be a reasonable job to make it habitable as a summer cottage, using hookups, not off the grid, but now I'm starting to wonder. Here's the condition:

• something fell on the front left corner near the door. It was repaired in a sloppy way and it leaks.
• interior electric works fine
• copper water pipes cut in a couple of places. I think they froze and were beginning to be repaired
• water heater in unknown condition
• new plywood floor
• all the original cabinetry is there, in decent condition
• two skylights need to be replaced
• skylight fans need blades
• kitchen fan needs to be replaced
• propane pipes need to be checked out, probably replaced
• sliding windows in front and back leak
• toilet in unknown condition
• shower and tub intact
• front door hardware shot -- screen cover needs fasterner, screen needs to be replaced.

I'm having a hard time finding a plumber to re-pipe (I'm thinking that would be better than trying to repair?).

I only paid 1500 for it, and I'm willing to put in another 2000 if that would bring it up to snuff - snuff being: working plumbing, hot water, no leaks. I can do much of the work myself, but not the plumbing.

So, all of you amazing, experienced Airstreamers - what do you think? Is this possible? I want a nice cozy place to live for the summer, not an unending labor of love. I'm beginning to wonder....

[Chaplain Kent]

Owning a vintage Airstream will always be a labor of love. Whether you consider it a task or true love is up to you. Remember that any Airstream is worth the work.

Not knowing exactly what the "something" that fell off was the rest of your list sounds manageable and quite typical for a trailer that age. You will find lots of great help finding parts and then how to use them right here on the forum. Since you are not planning on towing your trailer that eliminates having to address those types of problems.
Go for it and start to enjoy your new hobby.

[flyfshr]

I agree with the chaplain regarding the repair to the front. Pictures would help describe the problem. If you take out all of the copper and replace it with PEX, you can take care of the plumbing yourself. Draw up a diagram of what's hooked up to what and where the lines run. No special tools required and the PEX is less suceptable to cracking in freezing temps. You can do this.

I'm not certain what you mean about sliding windows, I don't recall TradeWinds having those. Are you referring to windows with numerous horizontal glass pices that pivot open all at once? Again pictures would help. You're going to love your Trade Wind!!

FF

[MariaRita]

Chaplain Kent and Flyfshr,

Thank you for your encouraging words! I'm here at the campground and, thanks to a wireless internet connection I'll be able to search the archives here and probably find an answer to every question I have.

You'll probably be hearing more from me. Right now we're focusing on the plumbing!

Maria

[ALANSD]

Welcome to the Forum! Take your time, and proritize the repairs. You will be surprised what you can fix and upgrade yourself with the help of the great members here.

[MariaRita]

Just an update on my renos:

Thanks in part to the help of this forum I've finished some of the repairs. I tried to do the plumbing with the help of friends, but it's really beyond me! Finally I've found someone who knows what they're doing who can give me three days next week! I've got a new hot water heater to install and am looking forward to testing the toilet/black tank, if one can actually look forward to such a thing!

I've repaired the skylights (replacement too expensive) and the screen door. I've fixed the leaks. It looks like the front and back windows were sloppy replacements (thank you flyfsher!), I think they cut the openings larger. I fixed the leaks by drilling weep holes and also using silicone caulk. Perhaps one day I'll replace them.

I'm doing old-fashioned type linoleum tile which is on order, I worked out a nice pattern.

I replaced the lights with some updated ones from IKEA. Are there people out there who want old fixtures? Some of them are in good shape.

The walls have all been painted over and they're bumpy. I think I'm going to cover them so that they look like granulated aluminum. How, you ask? Well, I've found a source for powdered glitter in dull silver. Gotta get a glitter gun! If it works out I'll post pix.

I'm hoping to convert it from a twin to a double bed on one side (over plumbing) and a desk on the other side.

Still a lot to do, but thanks to this forum, perhaps I can be staying there by the end of the summer!

Maria

[MariaRita]

P.S.

So far I've got about $3,000 into it, I think it's going to take $2,000 to finish it (including paying help for three days). Not too bad for a summer cottage...

[MariaRita]

Just finished my three-day stint with Marko and I'm pleased to report that I now have a new water heater, hot and cold running water to all the places it should be -- and no running water where it shouldn't be! Marko decided not to replace copper with pex, since he's great at soldering and he fixed the leaks with a combination of new copper and reinforced tubes. He was amazed at the amount of information that this forum provided (he'd never worked on a trailer before). I've also got a completely tested propane system to the water heater and the stove. The stove works beautifully -- the oven is pristine, I don't think it was ever used! The old toilet also works. The only plumbing problem left is the dump valve repair and, once again thanks to this forum, I'm hot on the trail of a replacement Thetford that will fit.

Now for the fun parts. Tiling the floor: there are some ugly cut-outs on the toilet platform from the p.o. I just figured out that you can bend commercial vinyl tile on a pretty small radius if you heat it up. So I'm going to run the tile up the platform and cover it, too. Painting the walls: I wanted to make the front area look like granulated aluminum with glitter. I did some tests and it just doesn't look like I wanted it to. But the texture on the painted walls is pretty ugly, I guess that's why they originally used flecked paint. I'll have to search and see what others have done. I know that I can still get Zolatone. Marko sez that there's car trunk paint that's flecked. Making folding doors: I might try using bamboo curtains sideways, but they might not be opaque enough for the bathroom. Making soft furnishings: curtains and bed covers.

I'm on the way.....

[tin sista]

Originally Posted by MariaRita

He (Marko) was amazed at the amount of information that this forum provided (he'd never worked on a trailer before). I'm on the way.....

Hi Maria Rita,
Glad that you found success with your repair work. This forum is a great resource, we have saved lots of time and green stuff because of the kind help/advice of forum members and all of the useful threads that are archived here. Best wishes for your new cottage it sounds like you will have fun decorating it!

[MariaRita]

I've been in residence in my trailer since Saturday and it's been great! I brought my two cats from the city and they love it, too --they find it much more exciting looking out the windows at the woods than out of my 5th story loft in New York City.

I'm so pleased with how the walls in the front kitchen/seating area turned out. What I ended up doing is aluminum leafing them. It looks like gold leaf, beautifully wrinkly. And I did it with aluminum foil. I know, it sounds crazy, but the result is magical.

I'm having a trailer-warming party this evening, even tho I'm not quite done (I'm sure I never will be). If there are any forum members in the Accord, NY area, send me a private message and I'll send you an invite.

I'll post some pictures after the party's over....

[Boondocker]

Glad to see the hard work panned out for you, I will shortly begin rehabing a 68 tradewind myself. Enjoy the new digs

General Disarray

[Chaplain Kent]

I am looking forward to seeing the pictures. Good work!

[MariaRita]

Hi all,

I've finally created a gallery of before and after photos of my Tradewind at www.hoopla.org/Airstream/index.html

I'm a happy camper!

[Janet H]

Great job!

By the way - I absolutely love the buttons on your website! Red rivets - cool!

[SafeHarbor]

Hi, Maria,

After following along with your progress, it's great to see what you've done with the trailer. It looks great.

Lamar

[tin sista]

Wonderful work on the airstream Maria Rita. Love that aluminum leaf!

[Buttercup]

It was wonderful to read this thread and see somebody go through what we went through when we were not sure we did the right thing buying our trailer. Fix this, fix that, spending bunches of money. But now that we have one trip under our belt we love it.


Great job on your cottage...

[Barbara Peerenboom]

Outstanding!
Great read!
And the kitties like it too, what more could you ask for?

Barb

[McMullen]

MariaRita. That is a very interesting and lovely job you've done to your summer cabin. Is that an aluminum espreso machine on your kitchen counter? If it is its the most artistic on I've ever seen. I love it.... Thanks for shareing ..Mac