Escape Pod

An Airstream renovation project

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

New blog coming soon.

This blog was all about the actual renovation of the Airstream. I will be starting a new blog documenting my 4-week trip up the west coast. Should be interesting. Stay tuned!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

The list: everything that went into the Airstream redo

- Replaced/repaired rotted sub-floor near front door, under battery boxes and along the rear bedroom wall.
- Replaced all window seals
- Replaced belly pan fiberglass insulation with foil insulation
- Sanded down all rust frame section, coated with rust converter and painted
- Installed new Iota 55-watt converter
- Sealed exterior seams with Parbond
- Installed new sheet vinyl flooring
- Painted interior shell with Duration paint from Sherwin-Williams
- Installed new puck-style 10-watt halogen lights throughout
- Installed dimmer switches for all lighting
- Replaced roof vents with Fantastic Fan vents
- Replaced Armstrong A/C with 15K BTU Penguin system
- Replaced water heater with new Atwood 6-gallon with electric ignition
- Replaced furnace with new Suburban 15K BTU unit with electric ignition and new 4-inch duct-work
- Replaced water pump with new Shurflo system
- Replaced all copper pipes above floor with PEX tubing fitted with SharkBite connections
- Repaired fiberglass shower pan and re-coated with epoxy paint
- Installed new Ikea Kitchen faucet with sprayer
- Installed new 24-inch stainless steel kitchen sink
- Replaced Magic Chef oven with Suburban 4-burner stove top
- Installed new Ikea bath sink faucet
- Installed new aluminum-effect Ikea counter tops in kitchen, bath and bedroom
- Installed new shower faucet and handheld sprayer
- Installed new stainless steel bath sink
- Replaced bath exhaust with new Ventline exhaust fan
- Replaced toilet with Thetford Aqua Magic V
- Installed new Ikea cabinetry throughout
- Installed birch wall panels coated in satin finish polyurethane
- Replaced twin bed setup with full-size bed with storage underneath
- Installed memory foam mattress
- Installed two 19" LED Toshiba flat screens
- Wired front living area for surround sound
- Replaced "L" lounge with single jack-knife sofa with storage underneath
- Replaced sofa cushions with 4", high-density, mold resistant foam
- Covered sofa in gray tweed fabric
- Replaced overhead, tambor-doors with sliding acrylic doors
- Installed new fold-out tables in living area
- Replaced all aluminum window screens with new black-mesh screens
- Installed Levelor roll-up window shades throughout
- Installed new Sony CD/MP3/Satellite player
- Installed new Alpine 6.5" speakers
- Installed new RG6 coaxial cable for front and rear televisions
- Replaced roof antenna with Winegard HD antenna

Sunday, June 5, 2011

And done.

I haven't been very good about updating this. Going to throw some final pics up. I still have a few trim pieces, but for the most part the Airstream redo is complete!

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Monday, April 4, 2011

Completion date is set: 5-1-11

I've made huge progress over the last two weeks. Was able to get all the water lines connected and tested. The shower faucet connection leaks, but I just need to tighten the fittings. The gray water tank has a leak as well. I was told this the day I bought the Airstream, but was hoping it was just a loose connection. Will need to take it to a service facility for repair. All other fittings and PEX tubes appear to be leak-free. Let's hope it stays this way.

I also opted to do all the propane connections myself. Was going to get a plumber, but after reading how it's done, I figured I could take it on. I ran several leak tests, and I think I got everything tight. Going to run another test just to be sure.

I also fired up the furnace for the first time. It's surprisingly pretty quiet and it puts out some serious heat. Maybe even too much. But I won't complain.

Only mechanical things left to check are the toilet and the water heater. I just need to connect the water line on the toilet, and then it should be good to go. Will probably test the water heater later this week after I tighten the shower fittings.

Overall, it's been pretty exciting seeing everything come together. I really can't believe it has taken this long, but I also can't believe it has come together as nicely has it has.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

New old sofa in place

This is not the original sofa. I had the L-lounge configuration, which I liked...at first. After gutting the whole trailer, I realized I liked having more of an open space. So, I picked a single guacho frame from a guy who was redoing an 80s model Airstream. The thing was in pieces and there were no cushions, so I had to guess how it all went together. But now I have a nice sofa bed that doesn't take up a lot of space.

I rebuilt the lower cabinets in birch with aluminum trim to match the other birch wood pieces in the trailer. It will have sliding white acrylic doors to match the other cabinets.

I chose a tweed-like fabric for the reupholstering and chose a style that was closer to a 50s or 60s sofa. I really like the Case Study furniture pieces from back then.

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Sunday, January 30, 2011

Update #2: Shower pan

I've gone a little over budget, so I decided to not do a custom stainless shower. Instead, I decided to work with the original fixtures. The fiberglass shower pan was cracked in several places and had yellowed over time. It looked nasty. I first sanded it down, then used fiberglass patches to repair the cracks and then coated it in autobody bondo to smooth out the uneven textures. I never could get this looking as smooth as I wanted, but it was good enough for me. I then sprayed it with a white epoxy paint I found at Sherwin Williams called Tile Doc®. It's pretty durable and very flexible. We will see how it holds up under regular use.

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Update #1: Cabinets

As I mentioned before, I chose Ikea for my cabinet source. They look good, have the most flexible sizes and are fairly inexpensive. I cut out sections of sidewall material to reduce the weight and coated all exposed fiberboard with water-resistant polyurethane. I used the Ikea countertops too. Very thick and heavy, but I liked the way they looked.

For the cabinet "lockers" above the kitchen sink (and soon...the bathroom), I chose to do a custom-build job using 1/4" birch plywood. Super-lightweight and sturdy enough to hold little things. I even had a few overhead recessed light fixtures to use for undercabinet lighting. Had to create a vent screen over the range. A little creativity here -- used a microwave vent-a-hood filter, framed it in aluminum "L" pieces and attached it in place with metal mending brackets. These cabinets will have sliding acrylic doors. I am trying to alter the built-in fiberglass front cap locker/cabinet so that it too can have sliding acrylic doors to match instead of the roll-up tambor doors currently there.

Another custom cabinet area was a section of the base cabinet in the bathroom. This area houses the water heater, so I built it with a "lid" that pops up to allow access. Another reason for a custom build here is that the toilet area is pretty cramped. With an open section, it gives you more elbow room while seated on the toilet. It also makes a great space for holding towels. Aesthetically, it looks a little more modern too -- especially with the mix of glossy white and satin-finished birch. Turned out exactly how I envisioned it.

First trip to Ikea:


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Hall storage:

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Kitchen:

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Bath:

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