Airstream Remodel

,

Vents and Fans

,

Like the hat?

Maxxfan Deluxe vents installed -- one in the front living room area, and one in the rear bedroom area.  These vents lay relatively flat against the roof in the closed position, but keep the rain out in the open position. 

The Airstream roof curves, but the plastic vent doesn't.  This puts stress on the vent and can cause damage and leaks over time.  My solution to this is to attach the fans through two strips of aluminum angle on the inside of the skin -- one on the front and one in back --  which will take the stress of flattening out the curve instead of the plastic fan frame.  This is a pretty easy modification to do now, but it would be a lot harder if we hadn't already removed the interior skin.

This is one of the original vents that I reinstalled using a new translucent Lexan lid.  It's in the center kitchen area just ahead of the air conditioner.  I had considered removing this vent entirely and sealing up the hole, but after seeing the skylights in the newer Airstreams, we thought it would be nice to have a little more natural light.

This is the Maxxfan in the rear bedroom area.  This one is a slightly different model than the fan in the front because it operates via remote control.  We'll be able to raise/lower the fan, turn it on/off, change the thermostat setting or fan direction, all without getting out of bed.

This is where the AC goes.  The new AC attaches to the roof with four bolts.  There is a metal plate inside the coach that pinches roof to hold the AC in place.  Since the roof is .032 aluminum, I needed to build out some framing to give the plate something to grab onto.  Most people use wood for this, but I went with 1" square aluminum tube.

I also had to deal with the curved roof/flat AC issue.  The front of this opening is about 1-1/2" away from a rib, so I had to remove a couple of rivets and add some aluminum shims to flatten out the roof.

Windows

There are 13 windows in our Airstream, and all of them needed cleaning and repair.  Dan and I removed all the old weather stripping and glue from the bigger windows, and then cleaned and buffed the aluminum frames.  We got a roll of UV film to help with temperature and heat control with the added bonus of providing a slight tint to the windows.  Dan has decided he is not cut out for a career in window tinting, so we'll probably get this done professionally at some point.

Next, we measured the new weather stripping to seal the windows, and applied glue to both the window frame and the rubber stripping.  Once that was dry, we carefully pressed the rubber stripping into place around the frame, and then pressed down to ensure a good fit.  

Here are the windows reinstalled!  So much better. 

Design Research

We took a trip out to the closest (not close) Airstream dealer to look at layout, storage, and general design of the new-from-the-factory models.  One of the benefits of benefits of building our home from near scratch is that we can decide exactly what to put where, and really make it our own.  But first, we needed to see how everything could come together, and get a real feel  for moving around in 200 square feet. 

This is a wardrobe closet in one of the 2015 models.  We'll have something similar, but with more shelves or boxes for folded clothes. 

I was impressed with the amount of storage space in the tiny bathroom.  Lots of counter room! This bathroom is on the side of the trailer, and ours will be in the back. 

Here's the view from the front couch.  We really like how the fridge is raised up from the floor with a drawer underneath, our fridge is almost exactly the same model.  

Check out all the new models with floor plans, decor, and much better pictures on Airstream's website. 

We've got a basic floor plan in the making, stay tuned for details! 

Dan: I was pretty disappointed in the build quality of some of these coaches.  I saw some unfinished plywood pieces and  linoleum floors coming up around the edges.  What bothered me most, though, was that the floor plans felt so cramped.  When you're working with 200 square feet, wouldn't you want the coach to feel as big as possible?  I suppose lots of floor to ceiling walls can be good for privacy, but it just wasn't an enjoyable space.  And using every scrap of space for a bench might be good for storage and seating, but it makes the space feel so much smaller.  I'm glad we have the opportunity to design our own space with a relatively open floor plan and some space to maneuver.

Subfloor Installation

This weekend, we're ready to install the subfloor.  First, I'm adding a layer of epoxy and sill insulation (not pictured) to strips of plywood that will support the areas where the pieces of subfloor butt together.  The frame's cross-members are slightly lower in these areas to accommodate these supports.

Here are all our subfloor pieces with a layer of Reflectix insulation lightly glued to the underside.  Reflectix is basically heavy-duty bubble wrap with a radiant heat barrier on either side.  

There's a lot of debate in RV forums about whether this stuff is worth the money. The r-value of bubble foam is minimal, about an R-1.1 for the 5/16" layer.  But r-value is about resistance to conductive heat, and that's not what this stuff is for.  This layer is to reflect radiant heat back where it came from.  So when we're parked on a hot parking pad, or when the wood stove is cranking out heat, this stuff is to keep as much of that heat as possible from radiating (not conducting) through the floor.  

Granted, I'm going to benefit a little from the R-1.1 resisting heat movement from the subfloor to the steel frame members by conduction.  But to reflect radiant heat, the Reflectix needs to be facing an air space.  I've only lightly glued the Reflectix in place, so once this is installed, it will pull away from the subfloor a bit and make a pocket of air under the subfloor, which should help reflect heat back to the subfloor.  I'll be packing the bellypan with Rockwool insulation, but I expect that the Rockwool will settle over time and pull away from the subfloor, creating another air space just below the Reflectix, which will help reflect heat back to the exterior of the coach.

Worth the money?  Let's just say that 200 square feet of anything just doesn't cost that much.  Anything I can do to improve the insulation in our tiny house even a little should pay off big down the road.

Subfloor is in place, ready to be bolted down.  If you look carefully at the rear of the coach, you can see that I covered the edge of the last piece of subfloor with something.  That's a product called Protecto Wrap, which is a butyl membrane made for sealing around a rough opening of a window in a house.  

Airstreams have a huge problem with water penetrating the rear bumper area and rotting out the floor.  The cause is a silly design decision, which basically funnels water from the rear bumper lid directly under the plywood subfloor.  So, in addition to encasing my subfloor in West System marine epoxy, and not reinstalling the bumper lid in the factory Rot-o-Matic (TM) manner, I'm using the Protecto Wrap to prevent water from reaching the wood from the bumper area.

The Protecto Wrap laps underneath of the Reflectix below the subfloor, so any water should end up in the bellypan and eventually drain to the ground.  I've left myself enough Protecto Wrap on top of the subfloor to lift it up inside the c-channel (between the interior skin and the c-channel) to create a dam that should help keep water from entering the coach.  

Leanne did an excellent job at trusting me not to drill her feet while I installed the elevator bolts.

At this point, the shell is resting entirely on the frame.  Note the orange straps hanging loose.  That gap between the floor and the rear of the shell is normal.  The steel frame flexes so much on its own that you have to jack it up to meet the shell.

Sometimes there just aren't enough hours in the day.