Airstream full time design.

[markjitsu]

Hi everyone.

I've been lurking on your forums for some time now and I finally decided to take the plunge and make an account.

I'm a former combat veteran, now a recent college grad with a degree in Agriculture. I work in a greenhouse complex and farm on the side.

You've all seen these posts and so have I. "I want to full time in an airstream!" Well, I do. I live in PA right now and I pay 950 a month for a one bedroom apartment. I spend another 200 in gas each month. My cable and utility bills are crazy. The greenhouse industry doesn't save that much. Since it's difficult to negotiate a raise these days, I negotiated a quazi-raise. I got them to allow me to park and live on the premises at the greenhouse.

Now, when I say greenhouse I don't mean a hoop house. I mean a huge complex. We even make our own pellets to feed our boiler that we heat the ranges with. NOTE: I will not be crusin' around the USA with this baby. It will sit in one of two places. Work or farm.

What I'm looking to do: I want to purchase an old 31'-34' Airstream of Spartan trailer I can tow. My objective is to park it at the greenhouse, use their facilities (ie: septic, electricity, internet, water (may or may not be an issue).

How I want to go about doing it: Ideally, I like the look of airstreams and spartans. I have the time and the workshop at work to be able to do any of the necessary upgrades and construction.

What I'd like to see:

• Bedroom
• Bathroom
• Kitchen
• Sitting/TV Area
• Eating area
• Work station (possibly could be my eating area, prefer not).

I've been fooling around with the idea of how the setup is going to look inside the trailer but I have a few questions. The specs I find online for length and width, is that after everything is panelled and insulated? Is there a more realistic length and width I should be focusing on?


The kitchen is my biggest priority at the moment. I want to ensure I have a fridge (small), stove, sink, pot/pan & dish storage (preferable inside a drawer live I've seen here: Pin by Mark Benoit on Camper | Pinterest and Pin by Mark Benoit on Camper | Pinterest



I was thinking of purchasing just a stove without a gas range on top. I could stack the stove above a cabinet that held my pots/pans and dishes. Above that I'd like to see a smaller cabinet for random things. To the right of this stacked design (if possible) would be the counter top. I'd put a range vent above 2 or three burners that just sort of drop in. The counter top would continue and next in the succession would be either the fridge or a small trash compactor. Probably won't go with a compactor. But I like the idea of one. The counter will be seamless so that space above the fridge on the counter will be my cutting and prep area for meals. To the right of that the sink, which I know nothing about.


If I go with the compactor, it will go compactor, sink, and put the fridge in on the right with maybe a couple stacked refrigerated drawers. What do you all think? I'm ready for you to crush my dreams. I really don't care about insurance regulations


I'm also going to heat with a small boat style pellet stove that is sat on tiles. Unsure where I will stick it but I'm aware of the dangers and regulations.

[Air Apparent]

Markjitsu:

If you are planning on staying in a northern state (such as Pennsylvania) year round, then an Airstream or Spartan may not be your best solution. They are 3 season units; not 4 season. Those fulltiming in an Airstream usually go where it is warm for the winter - Florida, southern Texas, Arizona. or southern California.

Look at an Artic Fox for a 4 season unit.

[DanB]

Sounds like you are going way overboard on unneeded modifications! Airstreams have been around along time. Obviously lot's of improvements can be made, but they are pretty darn good "as found".

I would concentrate of getting the existing systems working well, then modify as needed.

Any possibility of moving the Airstream inside a heated greenhouse in the cold season? If not, your going to be without water and probably cold! Another concern would be the humidity level using pellet stove inside a minimal insulated tube.

[robert claus]

There are threads you can search posted by those attempted to full time in an A/S in VT and other northern climes. The lack of insulation, single pane windows, etc made it an uncomfortable and expensive proposition. If it's going to be parked, maybe you should consider a small mobile home - they may have storm windows, etc. It's a romantic idea to consider the A/S, but make sure you consider the minuses as well as the pluses.