Blasphemous question

[woytovich]

I KNOW this will be considered a blasphemous question but I'm going to ask it anyway.

Some background first:
I am considering getting an Airstream to convert to an office. I would use this on my property next to my house for my small business... I have one employee in addition to myself.

I would like to find one with a decent exterior and a trashed interior - I have no desire to gut a perfectly good Airstream.

So, my question is this: what model would be best suited to such a project? And a secondary question: where would it be best to look for such a thing (I am in the Metro NY area)?

Any/all comments are welcome.

Thanks,
Mark

[reinergirl]

He he he ...make it a 63 Overlander and then you can send all the extra parts my way !

Would the office be mobile at all? I suppose the bigger the better! Craigslist or ebay are good bets but educate yourself first! You sure you want to do this.... you'll end up wanting to restore it ya know

[woytovich]

Originally Posted by reinergirl

He he he ...make it a 63 Overlander and then you can send all the extra parts my way !

Would the office be mobile at all? I suppose the bigger the better! Craigslist or ebay are good bets but educate yourself first! You sure you want to do this.... you'll end up wanting to restore it ya know

No, the office would not be mobile... and I DO know what you mean about the resto... I am looking for one that is already gutted or in desperate need of a gutting... to reduce the tempatation.

[TBRich]

I don't think it would be blasphemous at all to breath new life and re-purpose a desperately needy Airstream... Better than letting it waste away in someone's field. And it could actually be quite cool! Good luck in finding the AS shell you need.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, maybe one of those new, or slightly used Airstreams that was a flood victim, would be best for this.

[Paul Ouellette]

Oh I just can't help it...

YouTube - Stoning

[Wabbiteer]

To be quite honest - the price of 'rough' vintage Airstreams is inversely proportional to the length. There are many 31-foot trailers that are just 'too' much for the average hobbyist and so they get left unattended until they get resold. Find a three-axle 34-foot and you are really making a statement.

Now a message from reality: Pitting a New York winter against a vintage Airstream in this day of high energy costs means no winners except the heating fuel company. Even if you gut and reline the shell cavities with good insulation you will still have an incredible amount of single-pane glass. Condensation from peoples breath is a special problem in an all metal trailer. There are a few quite humorous accounts of folks over-wintering in cold climates in this forum - usually one season is enough.

Keeping it to modern Long Island workplace codes for fire-safety would likely mean a second separate full size exit door, fire resistant interior construction, maybe a fire sprinkler system, a set percentage fresh air exchange, working lavatory, a certain spec 'porch' and safety hand-railed stairs on both doors.. and you will still have a creaky wiggling aluminum trailer...

[azflycaster]

I would keep an eye on the classifieds here as well as CL and Ebay. You might luck into a unfinished project that the owner wants to bail on.

[driftless]

Originally Posted by Wabbiteer

Keeping it to modern Long Island workplace codes for fire-safety would likely mean a second separate full size exit door, fire resistant interior construction, maybe a fire sprinkler system, a set percentage fresh air exchange, working lavatory, a certain spec 'porch' and safety hand-railed stairs on both doors.. and you will still have a creaky wiggling aluminum trailer...

And you may encounter ADA requirements. Check your local zoning and building codes before you go much further.

But, I do like the idea of rescuing a well travelled travel trailer...

[SpaceEgg]

Or you could just buy one, gut it, kick the parts around, and hang it on a wall. Put a dartboard on it and have all your drunk friends throw sharp objects. Well, just tossing out the idea that you perhaps haven't yet arrived at blasphemy.

[Bambi_Bandit]

There is one for sale in So Cal....

1959 Airstream Trailer Mobile Office

[nickcrowhurst]

One possibilty is to go to an RV salvage yard. In my local yard (Bob's RV, near High Springs, FL, there are always some Airstreams with gutted, lightly damaged, empty shells, waiting to be melted down into ingots in their furnace. No blasphemy in saving one of those.
Nick.

[JBinKC]

Better research city codes. Not many metro areas would allow a business in a residential area or vice versa.

[Jammer]

Mark

Welcome to the forums.

It is not unusual for trailers to come up for sale where most or all of the interior has been removed. These would be ideal candidates for your project.

In general the longer (25-30') early 1970s trailers are are least sought after and make an ideal platform for customization. You should be able to find one with a solid floor in towable condition for $2000-$4000 or so. Some of these units are prone to rear end separation but if you're going to park it that may not matter much as long as there is no visible damage to the exterior skin.

Watch ebay and craigslist for units within reasonable driving distance.

[Ganaraska]

Not blasphemous at all. Old Airstreams get gutted and rebuilt all the time.

Like a fisherman you will have to wait and see what comes to your net.

Failed restoration projects turn up from time to time. Best, and cheapest, all around best value for the money would probably be a 31 footer from the 70s or 80s. But it depends what turns up on Craigslist or Kijiji.

As others have pointed out, an Airstream will make a lousy office and cost more in proportion to the use you get out of it than most alternatives but that is your call. If anyone understands the lure of aluminum it should be this forum.

Be sure and post pictures of your project and as others have hinted, pass along any usable parts you gut out of your project. Help keep someone else's trailer original if yours isn't. Kind of like donating your unwanted organs to save a life.

[blickcd]

I suggest getting one with a rear bath and leaving that in place for convenience. If you have no water or sewer hookup at the intended location, that could be added later. The longer the trailer the better.

I've seen some Airstreams before that were trashed and priced to sell. The real problem is that all the examples I've seen, where the interior was trashed the exterior was not much better.

Might be a long wait but keep looking.

Christopher