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Normandie35 · 03-01-2018, 09:41 AM

Hello,

We have been successful with AirBnB at our property and would now like to throw an Airstream into the mix. From what I can gather, a lager model works best for this due to more creature comforts. Also, this rig will never be used on the road, once it's parked, it will be sold with the house if we ever sell it. One other caveat is that our driveway is steep and narrow. Not sure we could get a 30 footer up here. Budget is definitely a factor. I see the new Airstream Nest will start at 30K! We would like some opinions form learned Airstreamers as to what they think the best solution for us might be. We like the interiors of the larger and older models, but perhaps a much newer and smaller unit would be better. What are the effects of long term parking? Your thoughts?

Thank you,

Steven

AlinCal · 03-01-2018, 09:15 PM

Stayed here a few years ago to try the concept from a guests point of view as we have been concidering the idea. Our location is under some pressure with regard to short stay rentals and they may be banned so we are waiting to see what happens with the County.
The trailer we stayed in was a 96 28' Excella and was comfortable for the two of us.
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1303876...0CA&s=dP0Vk2Yo

YippieKiYa · 03-02-2018, 05:53 AM

Do it!

Is your goal/budget to buy a trailer and run it “as is”, or to buy something that might no longer be road worthy and needs a remodel?

Could you please share more of your goals and vision?

Normandie35 · 03-02-2018, 10:30 PM

I think we'd like to get something good enough to run as is with a minimum amount of restoration. I've restored cars and I don't think I have the energy left to take on an Airstream! We want something we can put into service immediately.

Thank you for your reply.

ROBERT CROSS · 03-03-2018, 06:56 AM

The "Cruisers" do it with their boats when laid over at a Marina...don't see why it would be a hard sell with an immobile AS.....good luck!!

Bob

Lumatic · 03-03-2018, 07:10 AM

I have a piece of property in rural NM where I have my 25 and 34 foot vintage Airstreams, also a small cabin. What would it take as far as permits, licensing, insurance, etc. to set up a B&B?

AlinCal · 03-03-2018, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lumatic

I have a piece of property in rural NM where I have my 25 and 34 foot vintage Airstreams, also a small cabin. What would it take as far as permits, licensing, insurance, etc. to set up a B&B?

You can go to the Airbnb site and click the become a Host tab for info on how they operate, also check out https://www.hipcamp.com/
Permits? What permit? I think most operate under the radar or try to.
The key to the whole thing as far as $ goes is, are you in a location people want to visit and is there a shortage of rooms?
We are in a fairly desirable location for tourists and area hotels are always booked on the weekend, a distant neighbor of ours has a basic 5th wheel Airbnb set up on the side of his house with a nice deck and charges $95 per night and averages 3 nights a week + the $35 per stay cleaning charge.

YippieKiYa · 03-03-2018, 11:42 AM

Normandie35 - Back to your original post...things you’ll need to think about:

- The tires will dry rot over time. You may want to think about how best to support your trailer, especially since the stabilizers are not jacks. Tires losing air will transfer weight to the stabilizers, which will put pressure on the frame that it’s not made to handle. Think about supporting the trailer long term at the jack point near the axle.

- Waste water. You can connect it to a permanent sewer line, sure, but ASs don’t like having their black tanks open all the time. Think about how you might manage that with renters. Long term, you will have an issue with solids building up in the tank. Not fun to deal with.

- Speaking of renters, they’ll be booking the experience on the website, and likely won’t have a clue about black tanks, marine/RV toilets, multi-voltage systems, RV appliances, SHORT RV showers/limited hot water, noisy HVAC systems, etc. How will you communicate to and train the renter? You could probably steal some ideas from RV America or a similar RV rental program.

- Liability. ASs are fragile, by hotel standards. How will you handle repairs from abuse or neglect, especially when they might interfere with the next stay? You already have this issue with your other properties, so you get the point. Knowing that you will have inexperienced guests in a more fragile environment might be a concern worth evaluating. That said, you might want to have some spare parts on hand, or a good relationship with a local RV place.

- Size - Are you planning a couple’s retreat, or a family funhouse? You might be able to use a mid-size if it’s couples and save some money and driveway navigation issues.

- Getting it up there - It’s a one-way trip (at least for you), and you won’t be taking it on the road. I don’t know what your driveway looks like, but owners here have navigated some challenging routes with their AS trailers and a good 4WD truck. You might want to have low range on your truck to handle the grade, but we really aren’t worrying about hitches and weight distribution (once it’s at your property, that is).

Hope that helps. You could have a ton of fun with this! I know folks here will be eager to see pics when you land your decisions.

Normandie35 · 03-04-2018, 01:13 AM

YKY,
Thanks for your detailed reply. Nearly every point you raised has crossed my mind. We will definitely need to figure out some means of support for the unit. I know folks live in these trailers full time in RV parks; how do they usually stabilize them?

As far as the black tank is concerned, I've read about AS owners installing small scale porcelain residential toilets in their rig and modifying a complete bypass of the black tank. This trailer will go on the lot next door to our house. There is an abandoned septic tank there somewhere and we're hoping to reopen that system, get it working and hooking the AS to it directly. Anybody out there know about this modification?

We never leave out property when guests are in attendance, I think that's how some hosts get in trouble; the guests go wild and they're not there to supervise. We've had great luck so far with guests treating our house with respect. We don't have the guest suite furnished with rental furniture and we make that clear in the listing. Also, AirBnB carries a one million dollar liability policy for all hosts against any damage guests do. There are a lot of AirBnB hosts doing this already with Airstreams, Google Malibu Dream Airstream and see what comes up, it's amazing. They're pulling 600 per night. We have almost the same set-up, sans the water. We will use the Malibu photos as the guide.

I think we will do a couples retreat with the Airstream. Any more than that would be excessive ware and tear on the trailer. The smaller unit will be easier to get up the driveway as well.

What is involved with exterior maintenance? How often do you polish?

Thanks again for all the great info.

SM

YippieKiYa · 03-04-2018, 07:06 AM

You've got a good plan in place! I'm not familiar with the toilet swap you refer to, but there's no reason you couldn't pull the black tank out and put a home-style toilet and plumbing in instead since you aren't moving the trailer, and are hooking it to a septic system (that's fortunate).

Exterior Maintenance - Lots of great threads on the site to help with that. Once it's polished, it's just a matter of keeping it clean and waxed. A couple of waxes a year should be good for keeping it bright. Look up Walbernize (it's a local favorite), but there are other products that work well, too. Get out the long-handled soft brush and wash it 3-4 times a year depending on dust, trees, etc. Another subject to look-up is caulking and sealing, which also has extensive threads on the site. Inspect caulking when you wash/wax, and plan on re-doing roof penetrations (vents/skylights/AC...) every ~5 years. This will vary based on shade cover, and the fact that you aren't moving it down the highway and flexing it, but plan on doing it initially. Speaking of flexing it, look-up "walking on the roof" to learn where to step and how to move up there without denting the trailer or yourself. Your annual maintenance regimen will be a little different, but I think there are lists that other users have generated which you could search for, too.

I should not have looked at the Malibu site - wowzers. Not sure I'd pay $600/night for a 100yd dash to the outhouse, but the views are amazing! :-)

Mollysdad · 03-04-2018, 09:18 AM

Just remember that when your Airstream becomes a business, you'll be responsible for taxes, liability insurance, although you could amortize the cost. Then if you sell it you need to recapture part of your sale to offset your deductions.
Sometimes, having a small business isn't worth the hassle.

Normandie35 · 03-07-2018, 09:53 AM

Ok, so I've been searching the used Airstream ads and it looks like you can get an original 30+ footer from the late 80's or early 90's for 20-25k. Bigger is probably better for what we want to do with it. Here's the question. How large a unit can I get up our driveway. I am attaching a photo of said driveway. The Airstream will go over to the left, where the drive splits off in a "Y". Any Airstreamers in the Palm Springs, Anza, Idyllwild area who could take a look? I will buy you lunch at The Paradise Cafe and pay for gas! Many thanks for all the good advice.

SM

rmkrum · 03-07-2018, 10:02 AM

Biggest issue would be the angle that the driveway makes with the road at the bottom. From the picture the slope looks reasonable, but without a picture from across the road from the driveway its hard to tell.

The main issue would be possibly dragging the rear end when starting up the hill.

There are a few ways to alleviate that by adjusting weight distribution to lower the tongue a bit before going up the slope...that does take time.

Raising the Airstream a few inches might be a good option...search the forums for details on that. It's not particularly hard to do, and gains clearance without changing the towing characteristics noticeably.

Normandie35 · 03-07-2018, 03:13 PM

Thank you, I will check out the forum for info on raising a trailer.

SM

Normandie35 · 03-11-2018, 06:31 PM

Here are some additional photos of our driveway at the bottom where it transitions from the street. Does the angle look like it could accommodate a 30+ footer? Thanks for your opinions!

SM

YippieKiYa · 03-11-2018, 06:41 PM

Come from the left and take it slow. You’re only going up once.

Normandie35 · 03-11-2018, 10:25 PM

OK, fingers crossed! Thank you.

SM

rmkrum · 03-11-2018, 10:34 PM

If you have a Weight Distribution (WD) hitch, I would consider slacking off the WD bars a lot just prior to climbing the hill. This will sag the front of the trailer and gain you more rear end clearance temporarily.

Go slow and carefully. Consider getting law enforcement help to control traffic while you make the attempt.

OTRA15 · 03-12-2018, 01:54 AM

Is there room at the top of the drive, by the house, to turn the rig around and position the trailer where you want it? Is that smaller AS in the gravel area at the top left where the new unit is going?

Maybe you will have to back the AS up the hill? Lowering your hitch ball temporarily might help with angle of departure issues.

To keep things simple from a legal standpoint, suggest keeping the new AS licensed as an RV vehicle with commensurate insurance, title and plates. This might help avoid zoning and building code issues with adding a "structure" on your land if you attach the AS to the ground [without tires].

Good luck, looks like a great property!

Peter

Iansk · 03-12-2018, 05:47 AM

I think you can do it without raising the trailer. You want to get it up there and park it, right? For the money, you could install airbags in the truck or even cheaper, get an adjustable height hitch. Sure it’ll take some time but the ability to raise and lower the hitch point should provide you with adequate clearance in the rear. Even a hitch with a low drop could do it. You may have to remove the tongue jack to get it low enough, but that’s only 3 bolts.
There is always a way.