Month: August 2015

Using a Kitchen Sink for a Shower Pan

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Kitchen Sink as Airstream Shower PanI’ve been thinking about using a utility sink (often referred to as a “slop sink” or “mop sink”) for our Airstream’s shower pan.  I was at an architectural salvage place last week, and they had a high-end, black kitchen sink.  PERFECT.  It looks cool.  It’s very sturdy.  And it’s a single basin with a kind of “step” for dishes that will now be an actual step!

There are two holes (faucet and soap dispenser) that will either get plugged, or maybe I’ll actually run copper pipe through the holes as part of the shower design.

This “designer” sink obviously looks waaaay better than a plastic slop sink, even though it weighs a bit more (though, that comes with being much more durable than thin plastic).  I think having a shallower sink (vs. a utility sink) will be better too.  It’s still deep enough for a kid to take a bath, but it won’t be such a pain to climb in.

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Master To Do List

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This “Master To Do List” might be a stupid idea (depressing to look at in a couple of years, when I still haven’t installed a sink!), but it’ll help me keep track of ideas and maybe link to the posts covering these topics.

  • Have brakes gone over (before hauling from Indiana to Colorado!) DONE! 10-7-15
  • Brake Controller for Tow Vehicle DONE! 10-8-15
  • Purchase/install Weight Distribution Hitch (EAZ-Lift? Reese WD Hitch? Husky HD? –Hensley would be great, but it’s just way too pricey for where we are in life)
  • Inspect and repair exterior skin leaks DONE! 11-15-15
  • Fix Vista Vue Window Leak DONE! 11-5-15
  • Clean and coat underside before installing wires/tanks/plumbing and belly pan
  • Insulation
  • Belly Pan
  • Layout
  • Toilet
  • Shower
  • Exterior Shower
  • Door Lock and Deadbolt
  • Refrigerator
  • Range/Cooktop
  • Microwave/Convection Oven
  • Kitchen Sink and Faucets
  • Bathroom Sink and Faucets
  • Lighting
  • Retractable Dining Table (converts banquette to bed)
  • Bunk Over Banquette
  • Speakers
  • A/C
  • Heater
  • Water Heater
  • Water Filter
  • Waste Tanks
  • Fresh Water Tanks
  • Interior Skin
  • Floor
  • New Rims

The Wishlist (Purchasing Plans)

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This is some of the fun stuff we’ll need to buy (not necessarily a “to do” list, just some of the things that will make this Airstream extra cool).

Inside

  • Dishwasher (this will actually SAVE water)
  • Washer/Dryer Combo (?eventually?)
  • Full (-ish   …yes, I realize that sounds an awful lot like “foolish”) Size Fridge (?eventually?)
  • 4/5 Burner Range (I will be doing some serious cooking in this thing!)
  • Microwave/Convection Oven
  • Tankless Water Heater (for those long showers when we’re hooked up to city water!)
  • Point of Use Water Heater for Kitchen
  • Composting Toilet (still trying to make sure this is what we want)
  • Component rack for computer and speaker amplifier 

Outside

  • Awning
  • Solar Panels
  • Exterior Shower (no hunching over when it’s warm outside!)
  • A/C (possibly a split?)
  • Front Window Rock guard (why do I think these look SO COOL?!) 
25' Airstream Floor Plan

Floor Plan Template

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So the first step in laying out a new floor plan is creating a template to sketch out ideas.

I searched online for a while, but ended up making a template out of the original manual’s layout and a piece of graph paper.  Here it is if you want to download it (click image for hi-rez PDF):

25' Airstream Floor PlanI removed everything (beds, bathroom, kitchen, etc.) except what might be kept, like the battery compartment and water heater location.  I may end up changing those too, but I decided to leave them on the grid.

Scale is one square to 6″.

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SCORE! Dometic RM2310 RV Refrigerator

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20150813_104011Last week I was at an architectural salvage place, and someone had just dropped off a Dometic RM2310 3-way (propane, 110v, 12v) refrigerator.

I plugged it into a power outlet and… it works!

Evidently the original owner, an older guy, had actually returned the day before to bring in some additional things for the fridge that he hadn’t been able to find when he dropped it off (original receipt, schematics, operating manual, etc.), so I’m guessing it was well taken care of.

My dad just paid $1,000 for a new Dometic fridge for his camper-van, so $25 for mine seems pretty darn good! Yahoo!

It even has a groovy, padded, off-white vinyl front, which I think we may keep!

With my extreme love of cooking, I was originally planning for a larger fridge and will still likely end up with one in the future, but this is a great way to at least start out with a solid, propane powered RV fridge for almost no money.

Boondocking here we come!

20150813_104029

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The Airstream Drea(h)m Begins

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We purchased an Airstream!

It’s a 1972 25′ Tradewind Land Yacht (twin axle).  Gutted to the skin.  Shell off frame restoration.  New LED lights have been wired.  New 3/4″ ply sub floor has been installed.  New disc brakes in 2011.

It’s completely empty (I mean, like, no insulation or anything), so the rest is up to us, and I can’t wait to design and build!

It has the optional Vista View windows (super cool!) and the original style (tall) propane tanks.  The previous owner had already also purchased new black and gray water tanks as well as a large fresh water tank, a new vintage-style porcelain toilet, new water heater, water pump, inverter, power conditioner, new waste hoses, pex lines for water, propane regulator, a pneumatic riveting gun, rivets, clecos and cleco tool, gaskets, grommets, wires, Vulkem 116, SikaFlex 221,  TremPro 635, Parabond, etc., etc.  Major bonus.

He also kept all the original interior skin panels, so I have TEMPLATES for creating a new interior skin (or I can just use the skins, though they have holes for things we won’t use)!

The only thing I’m not looking forward to is fabricating the non-existent belly pan (right now the undercarriage is exposed).

I will be using this blog to help me remember what I did and where to find things (both web links and also where I have physically placed my stuff!).  Perhaps it will lead to the Airstream restoration and renovation business I’ve always dreamed of creating (I love these things, and I love making small spaces make sense!).

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