the WATER'S gettin' HOTTER

There were big moves in plumbing. Here's the story.

It all begins outside the Airstream...

...In the earth. Its got the water

Here's a diagram

More specifically, 

Its Jack's well 

to this here spigot 

to the rump of the Airstream

From there it makes moves - All sorts of moves.

Here's a diagram:

(image soon)

Lets break this thing down.

Here's where it enters the Airstream:

The cold water that enters the water heater....

- yeah, you guessed it - 

...becomes hot water! 

Here's the hot water line:

And most of this gets hidden away

From here we move to the master panel.

(The hot and cold lines exiting on the left 

in the former diagram enter on the left 

in this diagram):

So as this diagram shows,

the hot and cold water get mixed together for the shower

Here's what does the mixin'

We salvaged this valve from the prior system

The mixed water snakes behind the shower pan

then wraps around to enter the spine of the shower wall.

The copper here is merely pleasing sheathing 

for the red pex tube.

And there you have it folks!

Except that's not the full story. 

Cause there were issues....

to be continued....

WHAT A HOLE!

All these cliffhangers I left you with....

For 15 months none of you knew 

how that big ol hole in the ground ended up!

I don't know how you did it.

Go ahead - Sit back. Relax. Wipe the sweat off your brow. 

Here's how it went down.

We made a big hole. Then we filled it with gravel.

It was awesome.

Oh hole....

I'm gonna miss you.

May you be forever blessed 

by the waters flowing from the Airstream's shower drain.

COATS OF FRESHNESS & THE ROAMING TOILET

The Airstream interior got painted!

Its just a primer coat, but its all fresh and clean.

Got all spiffed up for the grand arrival of....

the Toilet.

Eventually, the toilet found its way to the bathroom

However, it remained nomadic for some time while 

the necessary accommodations were made.

...also known as a hole in the floor

with a flange and some pipe

This line got hooked into the existing 

septic system that serves the small house 

next to the airstream

HEY Y'ALL!!!

This blog has just awakened from a deep, deep sleep....

That's right. Its back, baby. Back in action.

I'm comin' atcha with Airstreamlined Force!

If you thought nothing has been happening...

...Woah there. You thought wrong.

We've been makin' moves and shakin' grooves.

There has been whole bunches of progress.

We've got full working plumbing
We've got built in this, built in that
We've got all sorts of sweet details...

There are many stories to be told.
There will be many installments

I'll pick up where I left off.

15 months ago.... I left you all with a cliffhanger.

Now, I know you've all just been on 

the edge of your seats since then wondering

"How did the burnt plywood floor turn out?"

How you think it turned out?!?

Dy-No-Mite. 

Thats how.

And then here it is after a few coats of spar varnish:

And there's been more floor action.

We used the same plywood for the bathroom floor

except we tiled it, bleached it, and stained it white

here it is pre-whitening:

And some bird keeps using this bathroom preemptively....

and in the wrong places....

I cleaned it, whitened it some more

and i'll be damned if he did do it again.

No respect, these birds.

Here's a meeting of the floors.

15 months later, that threshold is still unresolved....

THINGS in a THING in a THING

Alright, here's one that's been a long time coming....

DESIGN SCHEME #1 

The first legitimate proposal for the Airstream's overall layout. 

  I presented this to Jack and Helen months ago, but I have just gotten around to finalizing the drawings and renderings. You know how it is. The scheme was well received, but since then things have changed - as things tend to do. There are now different required accommodations and a different scope of what I can spend time building. So it goes. But I figured I'd share it with you.

Here's how the big picture parti breaks down:

(as seen in lengthwise & horizontal cross section)

So you have an Airstream

Its a thing. 

Its a shell-sort-of-a-thing. 

Inside this thing you place another thing. 

The new thing is a more solid-type thing. 

You carve out some anti-things in the new thing. 

People can hang out there.

We'll define the solid-ish-ness of the new thing. 

Its actually a latticework. 

You can put other little things in it.

How about that.

Here's how the thing-in-a-thing scheme 

shakes out in the real-world-Airstream:

  There were many layouts that almost worked, but one of any number of immovable objects or conditions (wheel wells, low angled ceilings, heater) and other large movable objects (refrigerator, bed, helen's sweet victorian armchair...) would inevitably cause trouble. In this scheme, the heater is under one of the diner benches and the old refrigerator is switched out for a minifridge and located in the base of the 'storage' unit.

 

Here was a way the diner booth 

could transform into a guest bedroom:

  As it stands now, the Airstream's layout will likely be quite similar to what it was previously. The architect in me would love to rethink it, but there simply aren't that many options that fit all the basic necessities. And I'll admit, those Airstream engineers figured out some pretty functional floor plans. This blog will be my outlet for Airstream designs that accommodate few of the necessities, but many of the luxuries.  In the mean time, the creativity will come in the style and materials in which a past layout is realized. 

BIG MOVES and the DITCH WITCH

   The farm was in need of a few outdoor water lines, 

which meant it was also in need of a few long trenches, 

so Jack rented a Ditch Witch.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Ditch Witch...

de-unfamiliarize yourself! These things are sweet. 

   The Ditch Witch is an earth moving chain saw. You lower the blade into the ground and put the wheels in reverse - backing up towards your intended destination. Normally, you lay pipe at the bottom of the resulting trench and fill it back in.

Jack describes this process as "The unholy union 

between the ecstatic skin of the earth...

... and shitty plastic."

   However, since we would eventually need a large hole under the back of the airstream (filled with gravel and used as the grey water drain) Jack thought we might as well address this spot while we had the Ditch Witch. You can't exactly make a clean hole, but you sure can loosen up the dirt - which will make it much easier to remove later.

First step - move the Airstream. Big moves in Bridgeton. 

Next step - witch a ditch

   This thing was a bit difficult to control at first.

Imagine trying to dig a trench with a pig on a leash.

It digs. There's no question about that. 

But its herkin' and jerkin' all over the place 

and it only vaguely listens to where you want it to go. 

I found myself asking:

"Which ditch would a Ditch Witch stitch 

if a Ditch Witch switched its niche?"

   I can't answer that, but I can answer this:

What makes boys happier than all hell? 

moving a pile of dirt from one place to another. 

I had a good ol' time.

The Ditch Witch also had this great warning sign

The first part applies to some of the best situations:

"I don't know what's about to go down, 

but that shit's gonna be crazy."

PSYCHEDELIC CHIC-ERY

Another big change - laying down the new floor.

Its gonna be burnt plywood and its gonna be sweet.  

Why burnt plywood? 

Well, just take a look at the formula:

Ultra cheap material + Propane torch + Polyurethane

= Charred psychedelic chic-ery

Yes sir. Thats how we do in Bridgeton

First step - fit strips of plywood to the airstream

Next step: Remove & Torch

How did it go? 

I'll leave you with a cliffhanger....