This week’s question came via direct message from someone who follows me on Instagram. Here’s her question:
“Hi Melanie! My husband, me and my 4-month-old boy are planning to buy an Airstream and live in it for at least one year, do you think it will be possible with an infant?” Continue reading
Airstream remodel advice is a tricky topic because each Airstream will be different. They each have their individual quirks, problems and issues.
That being said, there are a few common themes that all Airstream remodels will encounter, so we jumped on a video to chat about ’em.
We talked about making a budget, how much we spent and how much you should expect to spend, how much time it took us and how much time you should dedicate to the task, how to deal with weather issues and other frequently asked questions from folks that are curious about how to remodel an Airstream.
Remember to take our advice with a grain of salt! We each have different skills, abilities and time. It may take you years to remodel your Airstream and you might have a larger budget than we did.
Enjoy! And as always, any more questions about Airstream remodel advice, you can ask in the comments!
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.
The bottom of the shower.
The bench in the shower.
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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It’s video-mania! Yesterday we took a tour of our Airstream and today we’re interviewed by a cute couple, Steve and Tess, also know as The More We Explore. They are interested in living in an Airstream and reached out to us to chat. In this video we’ll talk about how we minimized, our daily life and the best and worst parts of living in an Airstream.
You can read more about Steve and Tess on their website, The More We Explore and see more of their videos on their Youtube page.
Do you like these videos? Should we do more? Talk to me in the comments!
love,
melanie
“Things do not happen. Things are made to happen.” -JFK
I’m very lucky, but most of my luck comes from plain ol’ hard work. There’s no secret powers, juices or potions. (Although I totally wish there were!) If there’s something you want, I hope you know with really hard work and perseverance, you can make it happen. We both can.
Happy Tuesday!
love,
melanie
Bambi living large in the Airstream.
Happy “half-way through the week” day! (Hump day just sounds gross.) Anyway, I often receive emails from loyal readers and people who just randomly stumbled across my blog. Many times these people will have questions about the logistics of living in an Airstream, downsizing and how we live. I thought it might be helpful to others to share those emails so all my sage advice (ha!) can be shared with a wider audience. So, I’m starting a new column called “Ask Melanie.” Our first email is from Laurel, her dilemma boils down to this, “Is our family too big to live in an Airstream?” Continue reading
Yesterday I showed you all the before and after shots of the Airstream, well, today I want to show you a few glamour shots. We live in the Airstream full-time, so not only did I want the Airstream remodel to be functional, but I also wanted it to feel warm and cozy. (Even in the winter, when it isn’t so warm!) We had a tight budget, so we built most of our furniture. We bought very little for the Airstream, instead we used the things that we already owned.
In the shots above you can see our copious amount of handmade pillows. One of my favorite things to do in the Airstream is curl up in the queen-size bed and watch a movie.
George does all of his art work from the trailer, so we knew it was important for him to have his own space to work and conduct all his business.
Although the kitchen is small, I’ve managed to squeeze out some killer meals in there. Sometimes when the space is feeling too cramped or hot to cook, we’ll go outside and cook right over the fire— camp style.
There for a while, the bench was something we didn’t use much. But since George built me a mini-desk, I’ve been sitting (and napping!) on it constantly. Again, it’s got plenty of homemade pillows and we covered the bench cushion in vintage fabric.
When we first designed our the Airstream, I had grand dreams of open shelving. We had open shelving for a few months until I just couldn’t stand the clutter anymore! I’m a minimalist and I love a clean space, but George is an artist and needs a lot of stuff for his business, so we decided to compromise and build drawers from reclaimed barn wood to hide our junk.
I like to think that I’m not prissy, but I couldn’t live with a composting or camper-style toilet. Just couldn’t do it. That’s where I draw the line. But since we are parked and hooked up to a septic system, a real toilet wasn’t a problem. Thank god.
What do you think of our little home? Let me know in the comments!
love,
melanie
