One of the issues most people run into when buying a vintage Airstream is there are likely to be several areas of exterior aluminum that need to be patched or replaced. Fortunately, Sweetie had no large areas of aluminum that needed replacing, but as we removed kitchen vents and gas lines, we created a few holes that needed patching. Most people patch small holes like this with aluminum tape for a quick temporary fix, then, when they have the time, they use a small square patch of exterior grade aluminum.

After giving Sweetie a good look-over, I measured out how much aluminum we would need to patch up all of the holes, and it ended up being quite a bit, which meant that I had to special order a roll of aluminum from an airplane parts store (my airplane-building uncle would be so proud!).

The poor UPS guy delivered this super-heavy package that had the huge roll of aluminum inside.

Once we unrolled the aluminum, I started cutting out the various sizes of patches that we would need.

Now, remember when I said “most people use small squares of patches”? Well, I am not most people, and squares are boring. So, I decided that Sweetie’s patches would be in the shape of a star.

After I cut out all the patches, we began to attach them to the exterior of the Airstream. We started by cleaning the area around the hole so that the adhesive would have a good surface to bond to.

Next, we filled the hole with insulation, to make sure that no warm air could leak out during our chilly winter months.

Then we used the same silicone sealer that we used on the windows to create a seal under the patch, near the outside edges.

Next, Davey drilled holes through the star and the already existing exterior aluminum.

Then, we inserted our rivets and used our riveting tool to squeeze them tight until they popped (which means they had completely sealed).

Since we couldn’t use flat head rivets — because we don’t have a rivet gun like Rosie the Riveter did — we had to come back with the dremel tool to cut off the remaining rivet rods.

And that’s all there was to it — for that one patch.

Now, repeat all those steps 18 times and you’d have some wicked sore biceps like we did!

Summer is slowly coming to an end here in the Northwest, so we needed to be sure Sweetie was sealed up real well before all the rain returns. After a few heavy rains in the Spring, it was quite obvious that Sweetie’s windows were leaking (i.e. puddles on the wall, just under the corners of the windows). So, we spent a lot of time making sure they were sealed properly, inside and out.

This 1966 Airstream has some very unique windows – they are called Jalousie windows. This type of window has slats of glass that, when closed, overlap one another to allow for the rain to drip off the bottom of the window. When the slats are opened, it allows for a nice breeze to flow in and even with the windows slightly open, rain cannot drip inside. These windows were very popular in Southern homes (especially Florida), because they could be open most of the time, allowing plenty of breeze to go through the house. Which really got me curious if Sweetie’s original owner was from a Southern state? The jalousie windows had to be custom ordered through Airstream, so we know for sure the original owner of Sweetie requested them to be put in as the Airstream was being built in the factory.

Here’s a quick rundown of how we sealed these unique windows:

First, we had to clean the windows. They had collected A LOT of dirt and grime over the years. Plus, we had to remove all the old sealant – which was silicone caulk, a big “no no” for Airstreams, because the silicone can corrode the aluminum (I’m guessing the previous owner who tried to reseal them didn’t know that).

You can really see in this photo how the rain was getting inside the Airstream.

With a little sudsy water, a bristly scrub brush and some elbow grease, we got the job done. Then we went back and resealed all the seams with polyurethane sealant – which is safe for aluminum.

Each window had to be sealed around the Jalousie frame, as well as the frame where the window is riveted to the Airstream walls. Eight seals per window + 8 windows on the Airstream = A ridiculous amount of scrubbing, chiseling away old caulk, and re-sealing.

As for sealing the interior part of the windows, well, it was a similar process, but with different tools. Not only did we have to scrub the windows clear of dirt and grime, but we also had to remove some old hardware (think, rusty screws with stripped heads) that the previous owner had used to hang blinds for the windows. Enter the mighty Dremel tool and let the sparks fly!

Because jalousie windows have slats of glass that open outward, the frame of the window is pretty thick (to me, this is the only downside of jalousie windows – they create an odd thickness not equal to the thickness of the wall). So, we used expanding foam to weatherproof and to help seal the interior of the windows. Eventually we’ll put some molding around the windows that will frame them out and cover up the foam. The expanding foam was pretty neat to use: it had the consistency of shaving cream at first, after a few days it felt like a nerf dart, and several weeks after it is nearly hard with just a little bit of flexibility.

Now, with the windows all sealed and ready for the rain, it’s time to make sure all our exterior holes get patched. Be sure to check back for the next Airstream update where I’ll share my “sparkly” idea for patching those holes

Today’s guest post is from Jennifer Smith of Something Like That Designs. Jennifer and I met through our husbands (who went to college together), but our friendship grew through our shared love of all things crafty! She recently translated her interior design degree and love of good food into a new business called “Something Like That Designs”. She offers a variety of services and regularly post design tips and recipes on her blog.

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Hi! I’m Jennifer Smith. When Kristen contacted me about doing a guest post, I was happy to do it. But, when I found out she wanted me to create a moodboard for her Airstream, I was really excited. What a fun project! I’ve certainly never designed anything like it before. Even though this room was on wheels, I started my design where I always do…with inspiration.

I talked to Kristen about her favorite colors (muted shades, blues) and what she knew she wanted in the space (steel desk, white walls, white storage furniture). After a bit of internet browsing, I found my inspiration, the painting (#1) in the moodboard. It’s calming and has a great palate of colors to work with. From there, the rest of the design came together like patchwork.

1. I loved this painting. Since Kristen is so artsy, she can easily paint any artwork with similar colors and it would look fantastic in the space. This gives her a chance to really inject her personality into her studio.

2. Kristen specified that she needed new lighting in the space and had something similar to this picked out. Any lighting like this would do.

3. These curtains are a great way to divide the bathroom from the rest of the space. I wanted something light and bright, but they needed to be able to hide stains. I found the perfect mix in these panels. They also add a great texture to the space and will help to break up all the white walls.

4. Artists have lots of tools of the trade. Pens, pencils, rulers, markers.  What better way to organize them then with these adorable mason jar holders? Again, this is something Kristen could customize to her specific taste.

5. These woven shades would look perfect stretched across the top of the windows. They add lots of texture to the space without blocking too much light or having too bold of a pattern.

6. A simple steel desk, like Kristen envisioned, will help keep the space clean and (air)streamlined. (Pun intended.)

7. Cork flooring.

8. Pillows on the daybed are the best way to bring color and pattern into the space. Again, with Kristen being so crafty, I thought hand-stamped pillows would be a fun way to personalize the space. She can mix the colors and patterns she likes in order to create one-of-a-kind pillows. By mixing them with a few printed pattern pillows like the small one in the moodboard, it will create a custom look for less!

There you have it, an Airstream worthy of crafty Kristen. That kind of has a ring to it, don’t you think? I think I have just discovered a new nickname. Crafty Kristen. Yep, I like it.

I hope you enjoyed reading about this project as much as I enjoyed designing it!

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Thanks Jennifer for adding your creative touch to Sweetie. Sometimes its hard for designers to design for themselves, so I’m so grateful to have creative friends to help me make design decisions. I can’t wait to implement some of Jenns suggestions into the Airstream! If you need help with an interior design project, Jenn offers custom design services, including In-home consultations and e-boards for those farther away. She also shares some drool-worthy recipes that are simple and delicious. Be sure to check out all her creative endeavors over at www.SomethingLikeThatDesigns.com!

I knew it was just a matter of time before working on the Airstream took its toll on me.
Here lies Kristen. Runned-ed over by her dreams.

Actually, that’s me working on the underside of the Airstream, pretty gross, no?

The flooring of the bathroom area had been replaced by the previous owner, but had not been aligned with one of the supports on the chassis, so we had to add our own support. A lot of people who purchase old Airstreams strip them down to the bare bones and usually have all the metalwork underneath re-welded. Not only is that VERY expensive, it’s also very time consuming. Since our Sweetie will be parked most of the year, we aren’t really worried about the chassis structure — which is in pretty good shape anyway, just needs a little rust scrubbed off.

Here’s a detailed shot of our structural support handiwork. For those of you that have the chance to visit Sweetie, you’ll be glad to know that if you have to use the toilet, you can do so confidently – the bathroom floor won’t go anywhere.

My electrical engineer of a husband got all the power working in the Airstream – including lights and all the outlets. This was quite a task considering he was referencing an original 1966 Overlander manual, and had limited to no access to wires since we didn’t remove any of the interior wall vinyl. I went with him to the hardware store once to pick up a few converters and was immediately SO GRATEFUL for having a husband who understood what the electrical specialist was talking about. All this DC to 12 volt power stuff is really confusing – there’s no way I could have figured that out on my own.

Remember that time I mentioned saving the bathroom sink for washing art brushes and stuff? Yeah, I don’t remember that either. The tub was just too beyond saving – no amount of scrubbing was getting that sucker clean, so we removed it and the sink from the back area. Now there’s plenty of room for a replacement sink and toilet.

Did I mention that to get the whole thing out, we had to saw it in half?

The power of a Dremel tool + amazing human husband strength = successful removal of cruddy bathroom fixtures!

We’ve been steadily cleaning Sweetie as we’ve been removing and repairing different areas, but she still needed a really good scrubbing from top to bottom, inside and out — talk about a time consuming task. Enter my slaves manual labor friends, Brittany and Rebecca. These girls were looking for some manual labor to do so they could raise money to go to summer camp. I was happy to hire their hard-working hands for a weekend, and boy did they scrub!!

Even their mom, Melody, came to help one day. She was a rockstar scrubbing all the grime off the walls of the interior.

And their dad, Matt, helped keep the children entertained with the water hose (a very important task).

Up next is the time-consuming task of resealing all the windows – inside and out. We’ve had a lot of issues with heavy rain leaking in some areas, so we need to take care of that real quick.  We’re getting really close to being able to paint, which is going to take a while, but it will also make the biggest noticeable difference. There will have to be a couple of coats of primer first, but then the daunting task of choosing a color. Any suggestions?

Three months have come and gone since I first laid eyes on “Sweetie”. Progress has been kind of slow since I’ve been busy with design work and we’ve had some crummy weather to deal with. But, we have made a little bit of progress, especially in the planning department (aka the dreaming department). We have most of the build-out planned, but haven’t been able to move forward in that because we’ve spent a lot of time cleaning and prepping for the build out. In other words, not a lot of exciting photos to share.

So, before we move on with Sweetie’s future, I thought it would be fun to take a look at her past. After a lot of research and internet hunting, I was able to find some photos of the original interior of a 1966 Overlander (which is the model Sweetie is). I have a hard time picturing Sweetie all decked out in 60′s attire, since she came to me pretty much gutted and gross.

Here’s a floorplan of the original 26 foot Overlander design:

1 – Bathroom storage
2 – Shower/Sink area
3 – Gaucho bed
4 – Closet storage
5 – Oven/Fridge Counter
6 – Kitchen/Stove Counter
7 – Drop down dinnette area
8 – Floor
9 – Jalousie Windows
10 – Gaucho couch/bed
11 – Propane tank/hitch area

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And here’s a floorplan of Sweetie’s current state:

Most of the front area was gutted when I got Sweetie, which is good, because that will become the main office area with a custom-built desk. The back end is pretty decent, structurally, and will remain mostly the same.

The photos below are rollover photos that show what Sweetie might have looked like in her early days, just roll your cursor on and off the photos below. (If you’re viewing this post in a reader, you’ll have to come on over to the website to participate in the awesomeness of rollover imaging).

FRONT AREA

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FRIDGE AREA

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BACK AREA

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BATHROOM AREA

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TOILET AREA

I think I would enjoy having a completely restored Airstream trailer – for actual traveling purposes. Who knows, maybe someday Sweetie will have a sister or something . In the meantime, we’ve got a lot of work to do before this 26 foot project is complete.

It’s been less than a month that we’ve had the “big silver bullet” in our driveway, and I still can’t help but smile every time we pull in from running errands, traveling, and our general comings and goings. If I had a thing for vintage Airstreams before, its only grown to full-on Airstream love and obsession. I’m sure my husband thoroughly enjoyed every time I spotted an Airstream and shouted “AIRSTREAM!”, much like the “Punch Bug” game. Not that the game has ended now, but I do try and keep the volume of my declaration a little more calm these days, because I know I have my very own waiting for me back home. I’ve even given her a name, which means she’s part of the family now: SWEETIE, seeing as she’ll be the home of In Sweet Violets someday and once we get done with her, she’ll be lookin’ mighty sweet!

Most of my time spent with Sweetie these days has been focused on ripping out pieces not needed and cleaning out all the crud and creepy-crawlies that have taken over the many years of neglect this Airstream has had. Fortunately, Sweetie’s structure is in really good shape and all the wiring is still good which means we won’t have to gut her out completely in order to renovate. I admit its hard to spend any length of time working on her because its still very cold and wet here in Seattle. We did have a few sunny Saturdays that Dave and I spent a good bit of time clearing out junk together. Hopefully the warmer weather will pick up and give us some warmth to work in. Needless to say, I’m very anxious to get the furnace going inside the Airstream.

On the days its been too cold to work, I’ve enjoyed researching the history of RV’ing and Airstreams. There’s a lot of information out there and several great Airstream-specific communities and forums that have been really helpful in deciding how best to go about fixing up old Sweetie. I checked out a couple of books from our local library that have some great photos of vintage Airstreams and of refurbished ones as well. There are also lots of  videos online, including historical video footage of some pretty unique trailers that I can’t wait to show you guys.

But, for now, enjoy this silly little video tour of Sweetie, captured a little over a week ago. Be kind, I’m no tour guide and I’ll be the first to admit I have no future in Television Thanks to Dave for playing cameraman for me.

I’m back, after spending two incredible weeks with friends and family in the South. It was good to take a little break and catch up with so many people that I haven’t seen in such a long time, including spending some time with my grandparents. They gifted me with so many great stories and old objects to go with them, I cannot wait to share them with you!

Also, a special thanks to Ale, from Imaginale Design, for providing such a great guest post while I was on vacation! Her photo tips are really going to come in handy this summer…whenever summer decides to show up here in the North West.

And now, the biggest news of late. Seriously, its big. 26 feet big to be exact:

I’m so excited to introduce to you the future home of In Sweet Violets — this incredible 1966 Airstream Overlander Land Yacht.

As my husband pulled into our driveway (after picking me up from the airport), here was this incredible SURPRISE!! I was freaking out over how awesome it was — a little laughter, a few happy tears, lots of huggings on my hubby and a few squeals of joy (that were pretty tame since it was 12:30 AM and I didn’t want to wake the neighbors).

Needless to say, we have a project for the next few months in transforming this neglected Airstream into a beautiful office/studio for In Sweet Violets. I’ll try not to inundate you with posts about the Airstream, but I do want to keep you updated on our progress every now and then — I mean, this kind of transformation has all kinds of potential, and you don’t want to miss it.