[VAC] Making a living in an airstream

[Dan Weeks <theprofileco@xxxxxxx>]

Jill:

Though my airstream is parked in my back yard, where I've run underground 30
amp power and 2 phone lines (my own, 1-trailer park), I make my living in
it, and LOVE it. Your thoughts about adding a workshop area to yours prompt
my writing. I have a 26' Argosy, and have found it wonderfully easy to
modify into a combination of living/office quarters. I've removed one of my
center twin beds, boxed in the water heater and wheel well that were covered
by the bed and storage under, and cut down a hollow core door (lightweight,
strong, and free for the asking--also matches the woodgrain finish on wall
panels nearly perfectly) and installed it there as a desk. It sits on a
couple of modular file drawer units and is fastened to the wall, forming a
wonderful, and quite large work station. I've also removed the front sofa,
and for now work on the dining table with my back to the front window. WHen
I have a chance, I've got another hollow-core door I've cut down to form a
desk that will match the contour of the coach, and extend forward from the
street side bulkhead that boxes in my fridge, swing the radius of the front
corner of the coach, and then extend as a narrow strip, just bookshelf-deep,
across the front at just-below window height. The watertank, which sits
under the window, makes for another shelf, and I might add a third shelf
surface midway between the tank top and the "return" of the desk. Then I'd
sit with my back to the door, my monitor in front of a blank spot in the
streetside wall where it doesn't obstruct the window. I have saved all the
parts, so I can put the whole rig back to stock, should I want to, with
about a day's work. Also, I should mention that I've put a work surface that
rests on the top of the backsplash, and on little feet on the front of the
surface (3/8 ply), that covers the stove and sink area. It's easily
removable (just lifts off) and I think might be useful for laying out stuff
for you, as well.

I'm a full-time freelance writer, and I've been working in this setup every
day since last May. All my cubicle-bound ex-colleages think I've got the
best office they can imagine. As I used to work for magazines side by side
with graphic designers, I can easily imagine you working well out of a
trailer. If I was going to full-time in one and office in it too, I wouldn't
want less than the 26' I have, and would probably go whole hog for a
Sovereign or Excella, 31 or 34', just so I had ample room for
life-sustaining stuff like groceries (my dometic 3-way fridge is currently
stuffed with reference magazines--food for thought, but not to eat!). But I
know a guy who full-times and does web production out of a 22-footer, but he
did have the thing gutted and a custom interior office-living suite built to
purpose. He tows with a Suburban, says he uses every bit of the space in the
truck, and wishes he had at least a couple more feet of trailer. I can
easily believe it.

I originally got my rig as a cheap alternative to buying a bigger house with
room for a home office. Or so I thought. Actually, I'm a long-time
backpacker and small-sailboat cruiser, and the compact feel of a trailer
fits my aesthetic, as does the fantasy that some day I will do as you plan
to--take the show on the road! Freelance writing, like design, can be done
from anywhere. 

Thanks for sharing your dream with all of us. If I can be of any help re:
trailer mods, let me know. I have some thoughts on insulation, as well, that
may be useful to you if you're going to go into cool climates. I' currently
sitting in 3-degree Des Moines, Iowa, toasty in my A/S with just an electric
heater (Pelonis Flex-Furnace II--the best!) and a $15  electrically-warmed
automotive seatcover on my office chair, plugged into the power point next
to the dining table.

Dan Weeks
'75 Argosy 26
Des Moines, IA