Airstream Update #2

Life of renovation in a few words:

Fire ant bites, waiting for paint to dry, and the never-ending sealing adventure

The unabridged version:

Since the last update, we’ve made quite a bit of headway despite busy schedules, illness, and yes, even fire ants. Despite a swollen ankle that I had to keep elevated for 2-3 days (what is this ridiculousness??), we have been soaring through our to-do list.

So far:

• Major leaks from rain- sealed
• Brakes- fixed (serious kudos to M for this!)
• Bathroom-almost finished with the painting

• Hot water heater- ready for installation (this is our biggest splurge item on the Airstream, fingers crossed it was worth it!)

• More sealing of the exterior- never ending
• A/C and Thermostat- up and running (hallelujah for A/C in August)

Mason’s Version of Completed Tasks

Since our plan was never a huge overhaul of the Airstream, but more of a “let’s do the best with what we have and keep it as original as possible,” we’ve had to do a lot of problem solving and compromising. However, I feel like this is enabling us to keep a lot of the fun, retro character of our Dream Stream. Keeping the vinyl walls means that we are dealing with a really tacky (as in sticky to the touch) surface that needs to be primed and painted white. The best thing we’ve found so far is to wipe the walls down with soap the best we can (I’ve given up on using bleach, extreme heat + extreme chemical smell = me feeling like I was slowly poisoning myself). After an initial rinsing and wiping, we cleaned the walls with liquid TSP which seems to prep the surface well enough for just one coat of primer and two coats of the white paint. Though to be honest, only time will probably tell. The issue we have run into the most is that where we use painter’s tape, the paint often comes up when it comes time to remove it. We think it’s because the paint wasn’t dry enough (again, it has been pretty darn hot), so we are learning to be more patient. We also just have to make sure we’ve gotten rid of most of the stickiness on the walls, which is a bit of a challenge. We are also considering using as little painter’s tape as possible to cut down on the risk of this occurring again.

Our current to-do list moving forward:

• Finish painting the bathroom (so close!!)
• Install Precision Temp hot water heater
• Finish sealing exterior
• Remove the galley (kitchen) counter
• Paint the rest of the interior
• Evaluate the furnace
• Order & install bamboo floors
• Replace the axles
• Replace the galley (we have decided to use outside help for this bit– so excited about the future butcher block counter!)
• Build the front sleeping area
• Curtains/Cushions
• MOVE INNNN
• Polish and shine the exterior for that wow-factor reflection 😉
• Buy and install new awning
• Happy little finishing touches here and there, plus adventures on the road

We have our moments when we visit friends and family in their apartments and homes and wonder what in the world we got ourselves into. We literally could’ve put a down payment on a small home by now, but we’re still so, so excited that we’ve chosen this journey. We’re at a time in our lives where there aren’t a whole lot of knowns or givens, and it’s nice to know that this little home can follow us wherever our future leads– in fact, it can take us wherever we need to go. That’s an incredibly reassuring thought at the end of the day. It isn’t holding us down. If anything, it inspires us to always keep moving forward.

For regular updates, feel free to follow our shenanigans on Instagram!