Living in an Airstream: A Two Year Update

 

living in an airstream: a two year update

We’ve been living in an Airstream for two years now… two years! Sometimes it feels like no time has passed and other times it feels as if we’ve been living there forever. Most days it just feels normal. I go to work and come home. I come home to a home that is much smaller than average, but it still feels like a very conventional life.

Sometimes conventionality is good, but if I’m being honest, I am getting the urge to switch things up a bit. I get this urge every couple of years. We’re not planning on moving out of the Airstream, but we’d love to get a larger plot of land where we can do more gardening. George and I are also thinking more about the future of our family and what that looks like. We don’t know what the future will hold, but it’s good to question your priorities every few years.

Anyway, on to more shallow things! I’ve been getting some questions about how well the Airstream has held up after two years. The answer is: surprisingly well! We’ve actually switched very little around since we moved in. We did have to replace the hot water heater and the AC unit. Both were costly, but both were original to the Airstream, so it wasn’t a huge surprise.

The paint on the walls and on the storage units has held up well. (You can see what products we used here.) It looks mostly the same, but slightly less white from use. We’re big fans of Magic Erasers for getting dirt and marks off the walls. The paint on the counter and the paint in the shower has begun to chip a bit. (Pictures below.) We used oil-based paint on the counter (not something like this product for counters), so it is to be expected. I also put a hot French Press directly on the counter every day for two years, so I’m not surprised about that one either. This fall, when it cools down, we want to do a big repaint and clean. It’s surprising how dirty a tiny space can get.

This is the kitchen countertop. It's seen the most wear and it is the worst of the paint chips.

This is the kitchen countertop. It’s seen the most wear and it is the worst of the paint chips.

The bottom of the shower.

The bottom of the shower.

The bench in the shower.

The bench in the shower.

The bathroom sink.

The bathroom sink.

Since living in the Airstream, we have accomplished our goal, which was to get ahead with our savings. We have jumped ahead savings-wise, but we’re still not at a place where I feel comfortable. (Will I ever feel comfortable? I don’t know.) I’ll have an in-depth savings post on how much we’ve saved on Friday.

Do you have any more questions about how the Airstream has held up? Talk to me in the comments!

love,
melanie

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7 thoughts on “Living in an Airstream: A Two Year Update

  1. nick

    hi ! how was it changing the water heater out? fairly straight forward or kinda tricky ..? i need to replace my original unit. only had my trailer for a year and it never worked nor have i really tried to “fix” it … thinking that a ’72 unit should be replaced anyway !

  2. nick

    i need to paint the old washed out looking plastics in the bathroom, any tips on best “non toxic” paint to use (if any!) …

  3. Yvonne

    We would like to paint our walls as well. They are tacky to the touch. Tried to clean with TSP but still tacky. Did you encounter that problem? Thanks!

    1. melanie Post author

      Yeah, I don’t know what TSP is, but the Kilz did have some problems sticking. We waited a while for it to dry. Maybe a couple days? And I remember we put fans on it. The paint and primer combo that we used after that stuck better. I think it was this one in ultra white:

  4. Pingback: The Products We Used to Remodel Our Airstream – a small life

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