Tag Archives: trailer

Houseless, not Homeless

Houseless not homelessLast week we had a funny thing happen. Someone that George had known from the church he went to when he was growing up dropped off a card full of cash at our house! Apparently they had heard that George was unemployed (he’s not) and that we were having a hard time (we’re not). But they also had driven by and saw the trailer, so they assumed all of that information was correct. It was a super sweet gesture and I was certainly happy to receive the gift, but we are not “in need.” We’ve returned the money and I thought it might be nice to share the letter that I attached to the money. The long of the short of it is: We consider ourselves to be houseless, not homeless.

Dear _______________,

Thank you so much for your generous gift. It is comforting to know that in a time of need, neighbors, friends and strangers will be there for you. I am writing to you today because this is not our time of need and we cannot accept your gift. Please let me explain.

Almost two years ago, George and I were at a crossroads. I had a new job opportunity in the area. Unfortunately, the job requires me to work evenings. I knew with both of us working “regular jobs,” we would rarely get to see each other. At the same time, George was working as a teacher by day and illustrating by night. Together we made the decision that George should quit his teaching job to pursue his art full-time. In order to get George’s business off the ground, we knew that we would have to make some sacrifices. I make a decent wage at my job, but we knew that it would be difficult to pay rent or buy a house and establish a small business at the same time. Therefore, we decided to live a simpler, smaller life. It is the best decision we have ever made. I know it may look strange to others, but our lifestyle was and is our choice. We consider ourselves very lucky. Neither George nor I have ever known hunger and this lifestyle has given us the ability to save money to pursue our dreams.

I cannot thank you enough for your concern and your gift. Knowing that people care about us is a gift in and of itself.

Thank you,
Melanie and George

Matthew 6:22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If, then, your eye is simple, your whole body will be bright.”

Have anyone ever thought you were in need due to your lifestyle choices? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

love,
melanie

The Hazards of Owning an Airstream

I thought it might be funny (and informative?) to detail some of the unexpected and slightly expected hazards we experienced when fixing up the Airstream.

My hand swollen to about double its normal size.

My hand swollen to about double its normal size.

1. Relentless bug bites

When waxing the Airstream I forgot to put on bug spray and got 4 mosquito bites on one hand. It swelled up like a ballon. Tip: Keep bug spray in the trailer while you are working on it.

Sad because he's itchy.

Sad because he’s itchy.

2. Severe Poision Ivy

George had to clear some land for us to park the airstream on for the time being. He got the worst case of poison ivy I’ve ever seen. Seriously, it should have been in a medical book. Tip: Work in an area without poison ivy or get a goat to gobble up the poison ivy/oak/sumack.

Wasps in a frenzy3.  The critters

So.Many.Spiders, (several) mice, wasps. We pretty much saw every critter possible either in the trailer or make an attempt to infiltrate the trailer. The wasps particularly loved trying to make a home in the trailer’s little openings. Tip: Spray all the Airstream’s crevices inside and out with bug spray or use homemade remedies as soon as you. It’s easier to prevent the critters than clean them out.

Airstream

4. The inescapable heat

Working on or in a reflective surface in July in the south. You can imagine. Tip: If I had all the time in the world, I probably would have worked on the Airstream in the fall. If I had all the money in the world, I would have worked on the Airstream in a garage. Climate control.

 

One of the best purchases we made.

One of the best purchases we made.

5. The mold

Airstreams and RVs in general are notorious for leaking and getting moldy. Even the walls in trailer were covered in mildew. Tip: Make sure you get to the bottom of the mold. It may require ripping up floors or furniture. It’s worth peace of mind to know it is clean and mold-free. Also, make sure you reseal all the windows and the door. Since we live in the humid south, we also took it once step further and bought a dehumidifier to keep the humidity down inside the trailer.

The Porcelain Throne

The Porcelain Throne

6. The poop

Let’s just say I’ve learned more about plumbing and septic in the last two months than I learned in the last 27 years. Tip: Read forum advice and (although I kind of hate saying this as a librarian) Google it!

Owning an Airstream isn’t always glamorous, but it’s an education. And it’s fun.

love,
melanie

A Faster Progression: Airstream Update

DSC_1143

How long does it take to get paint out of one’s hair? I still have paint in my hair from two weeks ago and I’m doubtful that it will ever come out. It took way more coats of paint to cover the walls than we expected. We had to use a primer, two base coats and a top coat to cover the icky, dated walls. But at least now the airstream now has a floor and painting is complete. We also installed a “real” toilet. No creepy camper potties for us! (TMI?) Anyway, what I’m trying to say is “we made some serious headway, people.”

If anyone is curious, we ended up using Kilz Premium as the primer, Valspar Contractor Finishes 2000 in Ultra White as the base coat and Valspar Paint and Primer in Ultra White as the top coat. We also put a coat of Kilz on the floor before we laid it to ensure the floor was sealed. If you can’t tell, I want the Airstream’s interior to be as bright white as possible.

Bed Build ProgressOur budget is getting a little tight as we are progressing through this project. Flooring is expensive! We chose laminate flooring to keep the cost down and keep the airstream light in case we ever wanted to tow it. And again, we had to buy much more paint than I ever imagined. It can be cheap, fast or good, but it can’t be all three– is that how the saying goes? Le sigh.

bathroom in airstreamWe’ll definitely be reusing old lumber from previous projects and trolling Craigslist for free stuff. My friend already found us a 3/4 size fridge for $75 bucks on Craigslist and I’m hoping to score a few more steals! (Gabby, you are awesome!)

Does anyone have any tips for acquiring free fabric or lumber? I need both! Let’s hear them in the comments!

love,
melanie

Airstream Inspiration

I feel guilty about not being “productive” this weekend. Do you ever feel that way? Learning to relax is definitely something I need to work on.

Tropical Storm Andrea put a damper on our Airstream progress. This past weekend, we had planned to install the floor, but it rained crazy-hard. And when it wasn’t raining, it was a humid, unbearable 95 degrees. Gotta love living in the south!

But instead of staring longingly out of the window at the airstream, I decided to make myself at least feel productive by looking for inspiration for the Airstream’s interior.

A few of my favorites are below.

For the source, just click on the picture!

Airstream Kitchen

This is my ultimate inspiration. I love the clean lines and the bright white in this airstream.

Kristiana Spaulding.DCR010

I adore this desk! It folds down for more space.  Gorgeous and genius. It’s the Natalie Portman of desks.

babmi ii bed silvertrailerThe storage under the bed in this Bambi airstream is so clever. And I just want to climb in that bed!

maine-home-linekin-bay-3

Although it isn’t an airstream, I really admire the woodwork that went into this bus. I also love the pattern mixing in the textiles. Custom woodwork and pattern mixing are two aspects I want to incorporate into our own design.

For more of my airstream inspiration, follow my board on Pinterest!

love,
melanie

Airstream: The Before

before1

For the last few weeks George and I have been trying to agree on a name for our 1978 Airstream Sovereign. Bombshell Betty, The Stream Machine, El Enmascarado de Plata. None of the names have stuck. If anyone has any suggestions for a name for our future home, I’d love to hear it in the comments!

In the meantime, I snapped these “before” pictures. Get Clinton and Stacy in here because it he she is in serious need of a makeover.

 

before2

 

before3

 

before5

 

before6There she blows! Is that saying appropriate? I don’t know. I’ve lost my mind thinking about how much work we have to put into our new home before it is livable.

Believe it or not, the pictures are more flattering than the actual product. The carpet looks way worse in person and there is a distinct wet dog smell– dampness is a problem common in older airstreams.  She has also been sitting for the last 4 years without much attention, so we’re hoping a little lot of love will help.

When we bought her, we knew she was going to be a huge gamble and a hell of a lot of work. But I don’t know if we actually realized the time it is going to take to fix her up. We’ve got a list a mile long and it keeps growing!

Despite our growing to-do list, and I don’t want to jinx it, but I still feel fairly calm about it all. Talk to me in June when my new job starts and our home isn’t fixed, then we’ll see how I feel!

Any tips or names for our big beauty queen? Leave ’em in the comments!

love,
melanie

Living Small: The Beginning

airstreambefore1Remember how I told ya’ll living small was the answer? Well, when I meant small, I meant 31 feet of small!

This weekend George and I picked up our new-to-us home. We will live in this 1978 Airstream Sovereign for the next year to save money and get out of the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle. Is it an extreme scheme? Yes. Do I like to rhyme? Yes.

But seriously, folks, sometimes extreme schemes are necessary to make extreme changes. And you know what? I feel unusually calm about our plan– and I’m never calm about anything. I think this crazy ideas is actually going to work. By cutting out our major expense, rent, we will be able to save the majority of our paychecks. We will also cut out our water bill, (we’ll be using well water) and cut down on the electric bill.

We paid $5,000 for this beauty and we are planning on putting about $1,000 worth of renovations into her. We have already sold a bunch of unnecessary stuff to make up for the initial costs and in the next few weeks, we plan on selling a lot more at flea markets and online.

We will truly be living small and testing our ability to distinguish want from need. And of course, I’ll be posting our progress along the way.

Have you ever schemed up an extreme idea to save money? Did your plan work? I want to hear about it in the comments!

love and airstreams,
melanie