airstream land yacht renovation

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Airstream Renovation

Follow our journey as we renovate a 1972 Vintage Airstream Land Yacht into a modern boondocking, full-time travel machine.

Gray Water Septic Plans

Vintage Airstream Renovation Checklist & Guide

Tiny Shiny Fix-It Day

Installing Solar & Electrical: Part 2

Preparing for a Tiny Shiny Christmas on the Homestead

Cooking Off-Grid

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Deep Cleaning our Vintage Airstream

Weekend Homestead Projects

Installing Shade Sails for our Airstream

Everything is Breaking!

Replacing Axles on 1972 Airstream, Again

Home of Wool - Custom Airstream Mattresses and Cushions

Tiny Portable Standing Desk

Solar Upgrade. More Solar + Bigger Inverter = More Power!

How to Insure Your Renovated Vintage Airstream

Airstream Renovation Cost Breakdown

What's In Our Bathroom?

Let's Talk About Beds, Baby!

If I Could Change One Thing...

Airstream Upgrades and Visiting Family in Indiana

Getting Our Airstream Polished

What's in our kids' room.

eBags Packing Cubes

What's in Our Living Room

Planning Solar & Electrical Installation: Part 1

What's In Our Kitchen?

Getting Water While Camping Off Grid

How We Get Internet

Airstream Renovation Tour: Before and After

Airstream Renovation: Weeks 25 & 26 - Finishing It Up - Porthole Vista Windows, and Water Pump

Airstream Renovation: Weeks 23 & 24 - Building our Table, Installing Countertops, Running Plumbing Lines, and Installing the Floor

Airstream Renovation - Designing & Building our Bathroom

Airstream Renovation: Weeks 21 & 22 - Fridge Ventilation, Installing the Furnace, & Starting the Bathroom

Airstream Renovation: Week 20 - Building Overhead Storage, Installing Power Command Center, and Running Propane Lines

Airstream Renovation: Weeks 18-19 - Kids Folding Bunk Beds & Charging Ports

Airstream Renovation: Weeks 14-17 - Building the Dinette, Installing Lithium Batteries, Lighting, & Cabinetry

Airstream Renovation: Weeks 9-13 - Sealing the Outside, Insulating & Re-Installing Interior Panels

Airstream Renovation: Weeks 7 & 8 - Rebuilding the Backend, Connecting Tanks, and Installing Axels and Wheels

Why we sold our 5th Wheel and bought a vintage Airstream - Part 2

Why We Sold our 5th Wheel to Renovate a Vintage Airstream

Airstream renovation: weeks 5 & 6 - installing vents, air conditioner, solar panels, and internet antennas.

Airstream Renovation: Weeks 3 & 4 - Removing Interior Walls, Checking Wires, & Installing Vents

Airstream Renovation: Week 2 - Testing the Fresh Tank & Cutting Out Rotten Floor

Airstream Renovation: Week 1 - Demoing & Removing the Interior

Saying Goodbye to Rocksteady and Beebop

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A Small Life

Teaching you to live a smaller, more sustainable life.

1978 Airstream Sovereign Land Yacht Remodel

You’ll notice we didn’t restore the Airstream to original. We’re not purists and we only had a budget of $1,000 to fix her up. (We bought her for $5,000, more about our buying story here .) We went slightly over budget due to the amount of paint we needed. We severely underestimated that. Unlike many of the Airstreams you might see online, we also live in this thing. Full-time. We tried to keep the integrity of our original Airstream, but tailor it to fit our needs.

When you enter the Airstream and look left you’ll see what is in the picture above. We tore out the Cookie Monster blue carpets and replaced them with laminate flooring. We created a window in the wall beside the kitchen to open up the space, replaced the gas fridge, George built shelves, a desk and a bench for napping! We replaced all the window screens. ( Here’s how to do that .) We also tore out some of the overhead compartments to open up the space. My main job was painting. The Airstream had gas heat which can leave sticky gross stuff on the walls and we think maybe someone smoked in here, so it was my job to thoroughly clean everything (bleach was my best friend), then coat pretty much everything in Kilz and cover it with a bright white paint and primer. In some places it took four coats. On the storage compartments and the weird plastic spots, we used Rust-oleum gloss white spray enamel. On the countertops we used a custom-color oil-based enamel. Overall, the paint has held up pretty well. Some spots have needed to be touched up, but I think the white paint was the most transformative aspect of the remodel.

If you look to the right in the Airstream, you’ll see our spacious queen-size bed. To me, a big bed was more important than a dining room, so we tore out the benches, and George built us a custom bed frame. Read more about tips on creating that  here . I also made a ton of pillows because… luxury. (Here’s how I made the pillows here .)

I didn’t have a great photo of the “before” oven because we found a huge mouse den in there and I had to get it out ASAP.  We use a convection oven and two burners for cooking. It works out pretty well. There’s no Thanksgiving meals going on in here, but our oven fits a full-size pizza, so I’m happy.

If you walk through the kitchen and turn back around, this is the view you’ll see. You’ll notice we took off the covers from the kitchen cabinets and replaced them with super-cute curtains that my mom made. From here, you’ll also get a better view of the custom bench and drawers we have for hiding all kinds of crafts and art supplies. George crafted the drawers out of barn wood from the tobacco barn that is on our property. The storage area also houses our large record collection. When we were purging all of our worldly goods, we decided vinyl is one thing that we just couldn’t live without.

Oh my god, the bathroom, the bathroom. I’m not kidding when I say that I was scared to even go in the bathroom before the remodel. That camper toilet scared me. A real toilet was priority 1 on my list. Cleaning this bathroom really made all the difference. The “wallpaper” was actually really pretty under the 10 layers of dirt. Then again, we painted with oil-based enamel on the countertops, replaced the lights and did this fun, washi tape design on the mirror. (Here’s that how-to .)

Then the shower! Oh my. Still to this day, George and I have no idea why someone would try to spray paint a shower blue (to match the carpet?!?!). To remedy this situation we took the easy way out and used a kit that we found at Lowe’s . I’d love to one day have a luxurious tub or at least a prettier shower, but sometimes the cheap way wins. We also purchased and installed a very nice shower head.

You can’t see it in these pictures, but we started off with the floors all laminate, but had to replace the bathroom floor when our hot water heater started leaking. That was unfortunate, but it’s been the only big issue that we’ve run into (fingers crossed).

This remodel was a whole hell of a lot of work. George and I have thought about doing it again, but we’re not mentally (or physically) prepared for it. Now that you’ve seen the before and afters, I’ll be sharing more glamour shots tomorrow!

Happy Airstream Week!

love, melanie

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36 thoughts on “ 1978 Airstream Sovereign Land Yacht Remodel ”

You have done so much! It looks so cozy, and clean. You’ve both done a wonderful job. Congrats on the one year milestone. 🙂

Thank you! I wish it was always this clean 🙂

It looks absolutely amazing! I love the white with the splashes of color from fabrics. The rustic wood drawer fronts are terrific. Such a light and bright living space! Wonderful!

Thank you so much!

All I can say is WOW! It has such a fresh clean look now which makes it look more spacious. I am glad you were able to save the wall paper too, I love it. You guys did an amazing job!

Thanks so much! I think it makes it feel more spacious too!

Pingback: Our 1978 Airstream Sovereign Land Yacht: The Interior Tour | a small life

I love what you guys did! It really makes me want to go out a buy an airstream and live a small life! How do you guys do laundry? Do you own the land you are parked on? Have you traveled with it yet?

Thank you, Dana! 1. We do laundry at relative’s houses. 2. We live on family land 3. We haven’t traveled with it yet. We like to think of it as homesteading. I have a regular day job, so I have to be at work on the weekdays. But we’d love to travel with it one day.

First off….I’m in love with your air stream, I’m jealous. I have an airstream and right now though original its still sticky walled! ( as most of the old ones are) Was yours? Did the bleach take it off? How did u prep the surfaces you spray painted? Any help is greatly appreciated…. As I’m trying to talk my other half into doing this to mine 🙂

Holly, the bleach-water mix did take most of the yucky stuff off the walls. The surfaces we spray painted (like the roll-top cabinets) we cleaned really well with a bleach-water mixture, then lightly sanded and then cleaned again. On the walls we Kilzed everything– some places more than once, then used a paint/primer in one. It still took about 4 coats in come places. It was a painful process, but worth it.

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Hi, this looks great! We just purchased the exact same year and model. Question: did you guys reseal the windows and if you did how did that go?

We did, we just used regular, old caulk. Luckily, I love caulking because it needed a lot!

Love love love! I would be so happy to one day have my own “land yacht”!

What do you all do for electricity?

we’re plugged into the grid! we sit on a plot that was once home to a conventional trailer.

Love what you did with your Airstream!!

Thank you so much! I appreciate that!

Hi Melanie- I have a wooded lot in north florida and want to live in my Avion (very similar to an airstream.). I have been advised to put it on a concrete slab but really would prefer to stay away from that if possible. Is your airstream permanently parked and is it on a concrete slab? If not how do you protect the undercarriage from rotting?

Elizabeth, we aren’t on a concrete slab, but we did raise the Airstream up a bit to protect the tires with concrete blocks. We don’t worry too much about it rotting– it is metal, after all. Although it might be different in Florida with the rain & humidity that you have there. Every few months we crawl under there and make sure everything is ok. We’ve been there for 2 years and had no problem.

Pingback: Living in an Airstream: A Two Year Update – a small life

Hi Melanie.. your airstream looks great!! I am needing to clean and paint inside and need your advise on what you used to clean and paint. It has the sticky walls.. eewww..

Hey Miriam, I’m writing a post about that now. Stay tuned!!!

Hi there melanie! Nice job! (first things) Second, is your shower plastic or enamel?

It’s plastic and original. 🙂

Hi Melanie! I know I’m a couple years behind in checking out your renovation, but I am curious where you found/made the light covers in the bathroom? We have a 1979 Excella and are slowly (and budget wise) updating and repairing while we can. Those light covers are one of my “need to do’s”! Any info is appreciated!

Hi RaShel, the light covers were actually original! We lucked out. You might be able to find something similar on Ebay? Good luck!

I have an Airstream that is probably the same model as yours – I’m not sure of the model because I have not picked the Airstream up from its previous owner yet. (It’s a partial payment for services rendered.) The Airstream has been abandoned for a couple of years , looted and basically ransacked inside so I expect to have to do a great deal of work and rebuilding. Did you consider not using built-ins to allow for flexibility?

Did you try cleaning the walls with TSP? IF so which was better bleach or TSP? Did you do anything about insulation to make the camper liveable in the winter? I have been told it’s crucial to have a camper that is insulated for “all season” if you intend to live in it year ’round. If you didn’t do anything about adding insulation, what part of the country are you in and how comfortable is the Airstream in the winter?

Also, did you handle constructing the cabinets and other built-ins with the rounded walls?

Hi! Thanks for reading. Here’s the answers to your questions: I only tried bleach. Here’s how we heat and cool it. https://asmalllife.com/2016/04/14/heat-cool-airstream-travel-trailer/ We do live in the southern U.S., but we get snow occasionally. We measured and cut curves, if necessary. We also kept much of the original built-ins. I’m not sure what you mean by not using built-ins for flexibility. Our trailer is still light enough to pull, if that’s what you mean.

HI! Just purchased myself a 1978 ambassador. It is pretty much identical to your Sovereign… Honestly not sure what the difference is in the two of them. Even the wallpaper in the bathroom is the same! Anyways… super inspired by your design and looking to do something similar to mine as well. Now, for the kitchen, did you repaint the original cabinets under the sink, or are those new? Thank you for all the great info, I am sure I will be referring to your site often.

Hi Nicole, We repainted the original cabinets with Rustoleum spray enamel. You can see all the products we used here .

Melanie-I read your blog a lot. We just bought a 1981 Excella and are moving into it with our two boys under 3. It’s my first week working on it coming up, and there is floor rot with a hole next to one of the front windows… Did you guys have any floor rot? Any advice on products, tools, etc.? We had bought this planning on sanding and painting-the floor rot is throwing a wrench in that plan and I’m panicking a little.

Hi Cate, I feel for ya. Luckily we didn’t have floor rot. The floorboards were a bit damp when we got them, but nothing too bad, definitely not rotting. We ended up drying them out with fans and then we painted the floor with Kilz to help protect it in the future. Here’s some advice that might help: http://vintageairstream.com/floor-replacement/ Good luck!

I love that you kept the wallpaper in the bathroom. It is really cute!! The entire thing was really well done and it’s refreshing to see folks working within a small budget and really making it what they need and want. Thanks for sharing!!

Thanks Jessica!

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Airstream Bathroom Remodel | Before & After

• by Sheena Armstrong
• January 23, 2017

We decided to do a complete remodel of our Airstream’s bathroom. I first was determined to just spruce up what was already there with marine paint. But after we did the kitchen remodel and found all of the nastiness from an old sink leak we decided gutting the bathroom was imperative. We took out everything. Surprisingly, it was a very quick demo. Start to finish I’d say it took 4 hours.

This is what was underneath. The subfloor ended up being sturdy in most places, especially where traffic passes through. There was a bit more breakdown of the subfloor around the toilet but it still was strong enough. Since we were on a timeline we decided to leave the subfloor as is. (I’m sure this is traumatizing to some of you reading this. ha!) After this photo as taken, we removed the old propane furnace vent and the cabinet on the right side.

I probably spent a solid afternoon knocking old rivets back into the wall and re-riveting the plastic end cap all the way around.

My dad and uncle are both amazing builders and helped with the build-out of the bathroom. We are so grateful for their help! They both said working in the bathroom was like building out the inside of a fishbowl. It was a challenge for sure. That’s my dad trying to make sense of everything.

I desperately wanted the tub to sit directly on the subfloor since we are both tall. But after demoing the bathroom, we found the p-trap was housed inside the original platform and directly underneath the subfloor was the gray water tank. There was no way to lower the tub because of this without doing serious surgery and relocating the gray water tank. So we rebuilt another platform. There weren’t too many options in the tub department but the best one I could come up with was this one. It does the job!

Lippert 209658 Better Bath RV Bath Tub 24″ x 36″ Right Hand Tub/Drain White // Amazon // Buy

The bathroom was framed with strips and different shapes of 3/4″ plywood and then covered with 1/4″ plywood facing to keep the weight factor down.

From here a few more pieces of framing was added and then the countertop was affixed and the front was faced with pallet wood.

The bathtub face was covered in a sheet of decorative back splash paneling from Home Depot. One sheet covered the whole tub. I have one coat of white paint on the pallet wood face. I added another coat after this photo. The back walls in the bathroom were covered in white Aquatile from Home Depot. It took two sheets of tile for around $24 a piece.

24 in. x 18 in. Traditional 1 PVC Decorative Backsplash Panel in Brushed Aluminum // Home Depot // Buy 1/8 in. x 48 in. X 96 in. Toned White Tileboard // Home Depot // Buy

The sides of the tub area were covered in 1/4″ Starboard. It’s a marine grade “plywood” that is completely waterproof and behaves just like plywood. It was glued onto the 1/4″ plywood with Liquid Nails and then stapled on the corners with a staple gun. The front of the cabinet was finished with a $6 pile of pallet wood. Although a lot of people reuse old pallets, I’ve read horror stories about them being treated with chemicals and/or having toxic chemicals spilled on them while in use. So I opted for new pallet wood. The counter top is from Ikea. We used the old countertop to trace out the new one.

Starboard // Cesany Plastics // eBay Counter // Ekbacken // Ikea

We built up the backside of the toilet with more pallet wood and left a small cubby for toilet paper and other small items. We also recessed the toilet paper holder in this cubby area too. After much deliberation, we chose a regular toilet. I watched a video on caring for a composting toilet and it was just too…err…personal for me. I couldn’t imaging dislodging part of the toilet and parading it through the trailer and out the front door to empty it. And it was just too much hands on stuff for me. Maybe I’m making more of it than it really is. I can’t totally write off a composting toilet in the future but I wasn’t too crazy about what I saw. So far the regular toilet on a black tank has been a breeze. No mess, no smells, no touching weird stuff…nothing!

MINTCRAFT 776H-07-SOU Paper Holder Recess, Brushed Nickel // Amazon // Buy Thetford 31667 Aqua-Magic V Toilet, High / Hand Flush / White // Amazon // Buy

I’m slightly plant crazy. I have a TWELVE plants in the Airstream. This cool looking cactus is called a dog tail. It’s fuzzy and not at all sharp – no need to worry about getting stabbed while going to the bathroom. Ha! I hand cut a stencil for the wall and painted little irregular trees all over the lower half of the wall.

The towels are from Target and they’re great so far. They are fast-drying and aren’t fading in the wash. Also, they aren’t getting pulls either. I have the matching bathmat as well that fits perfectly in the space.

Performance Solid Bath Towels – Threshold // Coral View // Target // Buy

Here’s an overhead view of the space. We had minimal space left for a trashcan and couldn’t find anything that came close to fitting. My mom constructed this trashcan next to the toilet from canvas and lined it with a plastic frame. Its not completely rigid and squeezes into the space perfectly snug. I also picked up a vintage cheese box from an antique shop for a place to throw my headbands and hair ties.

I have our toiletries in this amazing vintage chocolate box I also picked up at an antique shop.

For lighting, I constructed this pallet wood puck light fixture. Click here for more on that. We installed Levelor roller shades here and throughout the trailer. We used a filtering one in the bathroom so we could yank it down when we are in there without making the room dark. We’re really happy with them so far. Lowe’s cuts them to size so they’re a perfect fit.

Custom Size Now by Levolor White Light Filtering Cordless Vinyl Roller Shade // Lowe’s // Buy

When we get up in the night to go to the bathroom, we turn on this little touch LED light. It’s much dimmer than the overhead and the perfect amount of light.

Our electric water heater is housed inside the base cabinet next to the toilet. We have a cut out on the side to easily access temperature control. The latch on the left side is to access the plumbing and shut off valves. We’ve been really happy with the water heater we chose. We got the Bosch 4 Gallon Electric from Home Depot. We can easily get a 10 minute hot shower which is mind blowing. We weren’t expecting more than a few minutes out of a 4 gallon system. It heats up quickly – about 30 minutes – for the next person.

Bosch 4 Gal. Electric Point-of-Use Mini-Tank Water Heater // Amazon // Buy

Our sink was a score from an scratch and dent shop for just $10! The faucet was an Amazon find. It’s a very solid piece and looks great with the sink.

KES L310B-2 Euro Modern Contemporary Bathroom Vanity Sink Lavatory Faucet, Brushed Nickel // Amazon // Buy

I installed a trap door on the front side of the cabinet. Here we can access the guts of the sink and also hide a cubby for more toiletries.

The plumbing everywhere stayed in the same location. We did everything ourselves with the exception of hiring a plumber when a copper pipe broke during the remodel. The plumbing was all updated but we left everything where it originally was for simplicity. We installed a longer shower hose to reach the far side of the bathroom wall. We also put in a new adjustable shower head holder that is fastened by 3m tape. It is super strong and hasn’t budged.

Extra Long Stainless Steel Shower Hose for Handheld Shower Head Double Lock 78 Inch Length Flexible Pipe // Amazon // Buy Oxygenics Shower Head // Amazon // Buy Gaoyu Bathroom Adjustable 3M Adhesive Waterproof Shower Head Adapter Wall Mounted // Amazon // Buy

The far side of the tub has a nice big ledge for toiletries.

Another look at the bathtub face. It was covered in a sheet of decorative back splash paneling from Home Depot. One sheet covered the whole tub.

24 in. x 18 in. Traditional 1 PVC Decorative Backsplash Panel in Brushed Aluminum // Home Depot // Buy

The shower curtain was a bargain from Amazon. I wanted a non-smelly, PVC-free and waterproof curtain (since it has to wrap around the inside of the tub to protect the laminate countertop). This one is awesome – slightly frosted so you can’t see right through it but see through enough to see if you’re about to get stabbed while showering. Am I the only one with this fear? Ha!

InterDesign Chevron Sketched Decorative PEVA 3G Shower Curtain Liner // Amazon // Buy

The shower curtain rod had to have a bit of  a custom alteration to it. My dad welded a bracket at and angle to attach it to the ceiling. The other bracket affixed to the wall as normal with no altering.

Zenna Home 33941WW, NeverRust Aluminum “L” Shaped Corner Shower Curtain Rod, White // Amazon // Buy

I made distressed barn style double doors for the bathroom. They were made from 1/4″ plywood and framed with various scraps of wood we had left over from the remodel. They are super light weight and easy to open and close. More photos of the doors can be seen here .

Sheena is one half of @sheenaandjason and co-creator of Mavis the Airstream. She renovated two vintage Airstreams and travels the US with Jason and her two poodle sons, Riley and Gus. She’s a self-taught carpenter, blogger, yogi, professional photographer and a lover of the outdoors and healthy living.

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33 thoughts on “airstream bathroom remodel | before & after”.

hi Sheena I am currently renovating a 1977 argosy and find your blog incredibly helpful! I am looking for the perfect sized sink but can’t find one for the bathroom. I saw you have many links in the post, but didn’t see one for the sink. Do you mind letting me know where it is from? Thanks!

I’m such a huge fan of your blog. Seriously, SO helpful I am so grateful for y’all! We are starting our remodel on our 86 Excella. The bathroom walls seem to have this thin plywood with wallpaper on them. Any suggestions on what we can do with this? Any info would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for the kind words!! Really the only option with walls like that is to either prime and paint over the wallpaper or cover the wall with a tile sheeting like we did. Good luck to you! 🙂

Very helpful! We have gutted our 69 Sovereign Land Yacht and the bathroom is our last project — then we 2will be done and ready for the road! Thanks again for the insight ❤

We saved our bathrooms for last too, it’s very daunting! Good luck to you and thanks for reading! 🙂

Ahh, your site has me up till midnight! So helpful. We are doing a frame off restoration of a 1961 Airstream. My husband is in the barn toiling on it now. Thank you for being so generous with your hard earned information.

Ah thank you for these kind words! Makes my day when people take then time to say things like this. 🙂 Good luck on your reno, the 60s models are beautiful!

We follow you on IG and are just starting the bathroom renovation on our 1969 Safari. This post was so incredibly helpful. Hope you don’t mine, but I’m stealing some of your ideas!

I’m so glad you found this helpful! That makes my day! 🙂

Sheena, This post was so helpful! We will be starting our reno of a 1970’s Boles Aero, and I was at a loss for the bathroom, as far as design and functionality, this was so helpful! I am so glad I found your Blog! 🙂

Love your bathroom and helpful website! Do you regret getting rid of the tall cabinet in the bathroom? Where do you keep your broom/mop or tall items? Considering getting rid of our tall cabinet in our Airstream Argosy bathroom (similar to yours). Just curious as to your thoughts on that. Thanks so much!!!

Hey there! Nope, no regrets as the bathroom was already so cramped and tight for us. Taking out the tall cabinet and overhead cabinets really opened the space up. Instead, we keep our broom hanging inside the wardrobe closet up in the kitchen area. Works great! 🙂

Thank you for your post. We are renovating a 1972 Airstream and the bathroom has been the most baffling for us. We have torn out most of the fixtures and they look like yours when you removed yours, so we are hopeful to getting ours put back together. Thank you for telling us where you purchased your bathtub. We have hope now of having a great, functional bathroom. We appreciate all of the information that you included. Thank you!!!

It was by far the hardest part for us as well! So glad you found the post helpful! If you have any questions, feel free to ask away! 🙂 Good luck!

I love this bathroom! Can you tell me how your roller blind stays down? I order some rv blinds and oh goodness are they ugly!! I’m working on our Airstream bathroom now. Thank you!

Thank you! Actually, they just have a spring mechanism and they stay put when you pull them a certain direction. And there aren’t any problems with gaps on the side in the bathroom either. It’s super easy to pull up and down when we go in the bathroom! 🙂 They are Levelor brand from Lowes – they cut them to size in-store.

Awesome!! Have a question about the top molded area of the bathroom that was above the sink where the medicine cabinet would of been.. how hard was it to take it out,,,,? And what was behind it and how did you Reno that area as I don’t see it in your photos. Thanks

We didn’t do a full gut. Our trailer was in such nice shape we didn’t see a need to do it. My sister is fully gutting hers. I know they’ve taken out that piece and I don’t think it was difficult after you remove the surrounding skin. Her instagram is @mabeltheairstream if you want to ask her for details! 🙂

Hi! I’m remodeling a 1966 Trade Wind and staying with the midcentury modern look. Thank you for all the wonderful resources! Where did you get the sink for the bathroom? Thanks in advance!

Oh that sounds like an amazing project! Would love to get my hands on a 60s model some day! The sink was actually a scratch and dent store find! $10!

Beautiful reno! I just took the plunge with a 1975 31′ Sovereign and was stumped by the cabinet with all the ‘important looking stuff’ inside on the side of the toilet. I want to put in a composting toilet and will need to pull that out and put in a narrower cabinet to hide all that. Glad to see it’s not the end of the world! Thanks! I’ll be following your journey! -Katie

I can not tell you how helpful this has been. I’ve been looking at this post for months and am finally feeling confident to renovate our bathroom next month (it’s the very last thing to do). I love how you guys built a flat-surfaced plywood shower area upon a fishbowl like structure and I definitely envision the same for my wife and I’s 1970 Airstream. I still am wondering though, how is your shower area waterproof? I understand the use of the 1/4″ Starboard (which is genious, btw) but how does the water not leak through the corners and cracks of the wood and along the sides of the original Airstream walls? Is there a certain type of sealant or caulking you used? And a second question: Did you also water-proof areas above that wooden area that encloses the bathtub? -Like where your chest and head area is?

Thanks so much! Glad to help! The seams where the starboard meet are sealed with extra flex bathroom caulking. In fact, all of the seams in the bathroom are sealed with this stuff. We do have to do touch-ups every so often as no matter how well it gets sealed, with time and with miles driven, the seals can split. And nope – we didn’t waterproof the walls around the shower. The wall is original and we figured if it held up all of these years with showers, it’s good to go!

Did you leave the ceiling in the bath original? We ripped ours out during the gut-sesh and its been tough finding a great solution! Luan looks great but i’m afraid the moisture of a shower could bow it. Love Mavis! Love that cutesy pooch too! Great job Lady!

Thanks for the kind words! We did leave the ceiling original – we just painted it all with latex paint. We used a product called Starboard elsewhere in the bathroom – it’s a waterproof material that acts like plywood. 🙂

That’s helpful!! Thank you- I’ll look into it!

So beautiful and inspiring! Thank you so much for sharing this bit of your home and I loved even the tiny details! Much love from Portugal 🙂

Excellent post. I want to thank you for this informative read. I really appreciate sharing this great post. Keep up your work. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you for posting this. I have a 69 overlander with the fiberglass end cap. We gutted our bathroom and I was baffled about what to do with it. I love the design!

Thanks so much! Yes – the bathroom was our biggest struggle. It was so hard to find details of other remodels. I wanted to make sure we documented it well to help others! Good luck on yours! 🙂

Thanks for the great detail!

Viewing your photos is like going to an art museum. There’s publishing a coffee table book in your future! Lovely work, lovely style!❤️

Ahh thank you so very much! That made my day! 😊

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We are Sheena & Jason. We created this blog to help others learn how to live a simpler, happier (and tinier!) life on the road. We aren’t waiting for retirement to explore this beautiful country of ours and you shouldn’t either! We hope to see you out there! ✌️

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1973 Airstream Trade Wind Land Yacht Remodel w/ Amazing Interior

This post contains affiliate links .

This is a 1973 vintage Airstream Trade Wind Land Yacht named Mattox that’s been totally remodeled and is available for $68,900 out of Zionsville, Indiana.

It’s a top-of-the-line luxury renovation and it’s ready for the road and/or a sweet new spot to call home. According to the listing, some of the finest materials were used in the remodel including handmade glazed stone sink, Moroccan terra cotta tile backsplash, custom fine woodwork throughout, and more.

Don’t miss other interesting tiny homes for sale like this –  join our FREE Tiny Houses For Sale Newsletter  right here!

1973 Airstream Trade Wind Land Yacht For Sale For $68,900 in Indiana… Vintage Charm Meets Modern Sensibility!

Images via Augustine Along The Way

$68,900 Comes with hitch, sway bars, and safety chains Bamboo Hardwood floors with eucalyptus backing Low-profile electric stove top, 2 burner New fridge/freezer tucked inside the built-in shelving unit Custom large under-bed storage with double access Custom 2-person, drop-down walnut dining table Custom built-in couch with underneath storage New WFCO Inverter and fuse box New Domestic AC and heating unit (5,000 BT) New Tankless hot water heater More photos : https://augustinealongtheway.com/Mattox/

=> Augustine Along The Way | Instagram

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Outstanding Yous have made a brilliant choice with this vesal Live love to enjoy

Someone did a nice job with that one. Aces! -b

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Renovating an Airstream

By Nathan Swartz

I have never been much for possessions.

As far back as I can remember caring about such things, I’ve fantasized about living small. When it was just my son and I living alone in a house, I imagined a single tall room with hammocks serving as beds strung up above a common living space that could accommodate everything that was important to us at that time: namely, eating, Legos and playing Mario Kart.

I’ve been downsizing my life ever since, and always all the more as I accumulate more and more rug rats. Sometimes I think that their grandparents are single handedly supporting the Chinese plastic toy industry. With each new visit from one of four sets of their immediate ancestors comes box after box of Matchbox cars, GI Joes, Legos, train sets, and various other less memorable items. It’s not that it isn’t appreciated, or that I can’t see the good natured intent behind it all; they are simply being generous people who want to spoil the children they see all too rarely given our mobile lifestyle.

But the entire process, along with constant travel and a deep, abiding dislike for moving day, has given me the ability to personally own nothing more than I could live out of a suitcase with. Possessions in general have become something I choose to want to own as few of as possible, the ones I do then holding immense value to me. The older they get, the more I bond with them. A belt I’ve owned for several years with a belt buckle once worn by my late grandfather in the Pennsylvania coal mines. A flask someone had given to my own dad when he was a younger man still bears his initials every time I sip whiskey from it ’round a campsite fire atop some lonely mountain after a long day hiking. Every pair of shoes worn until holes grow in the soles, a single pair of blue jeans at any given time to live out a similar fate.

Thus, when we decided we would transition our home on the road from an old Volkswagen Bus to an Airstream, the idea of going new never crossed my mind. We knew from day one that we wanted to go vintage, even if it meant more work initially and likely all down the line. Old, well used, simply feels right to us.

Today we’ll tackle three aspects of renovating an Airstream travel trailer: how to find the right one for you, a checklist you can use as a buddy to bring along with you when you go looking at them, and then the good stuff: photos from our own renovation.

How to Find the Perfect Vintage Airstream for You

Ebay, Craigslist, the Air Forums, your local newspaper; there’s no shortage of places to look for Airstreams. However, not a single one of these make it all that easy to find something specifically in your price range, the size you want, etc. You have to wade through a plethora of wrongs to even find a right, let alone the right one for you . Here’s how we went about simplifying the entire process.

First, it should be said that there’s no magic formula for what size of Airstream will be best for you. We’re a family of six and we chose a 31′ Airstream simply because the living room area had enough space to accommodate all of us in the early morning when we’re getting all of the kids up and at ’em and to sit around the dinette in the event that it might be raining too heavily to enjoy a dinner around our latest picnic table.

That said, there are smaller families with 22′ rigs and young solo guys with 34’ers. Looking at a few in real life, whether they be vintage or otherwise, will give you a better idea of how much room you want inside. You may also feel a bit daunted about lugging around 27′ or more of trailer behind you. The good news is, it gets much easier to getting used to driving with a large trailer. More so than the amount of effort required to purchase another, larger Airstream, that’s for sure. Not that we’re knocking on small, again, I’d prefer it to be as small as possible…within the realities of the rest of the people living with me of course.

When I was looking at the various resources, here’s what my impression quickly become of each of the major players.

Ebay had way more expensive rigs as higher prices seem to be a mainstay of what that auction website has become, likely due to its popularity: the more people who know about a particular resource, the more competition you have as a buyer. The Air Forums are an amazing resource for knowledge, both pre-sale and while you’re an owner/operator…but again, a lot of people are browsing their classifieds which tends to drive up the price. With both of those websites, it’s also not very easy to limit your search to just your area. While in theory it would be great to look at every Airstream available, driving from New England to Arizona just to look is pretty unrealistic for most of us. If you’re like me, and the idea of buying something sight unseen and going on the word of the seller just won’t cut it, you’ll want to search just in your particular corner of the country.

Therefore, we relied almost exclusively on Craigslist when actually looking for Airstreams we would consider buying . Craigslist can be a bit of a pain to search multiple cities though. We decided that anything within a four hour drive might be worth checking, but you can only search Craigslist one city at a time. Annoying but true. So we quit going to Craiglist and brought it to us.

First, go to your nearest city on Craigslist and head over to the RVs section. That will always be at something like http://asheville.craigslist.org/rva/ or http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/rva/

Once you’re there, do a search for Airstream and feel free to limit the search to your price range. It’s tempting to just look at all of them, but when you see that $130,000 one that you just fall in love with, the experience might ruin your appetite for all of the other $7000 trailers out there.

Okay, you’ve done your search. Head up to the address bar of your browser, it should read something really long and generally nonsensical to humans. At the end of that website address, type in &format=rss . Copy the entire address now. That will give you an RSS feed of the search results, which will automatically update when new results match your search. So tomorrow, if someone creates a Craigslist post in your area for an Airstream under $10,000, it will appear in this RSS feed.

Paste that RSS feed address you copied into a text file. Now head back to the main Craigslist homepage (click on CL near the top right of the search results page.) You can use the map on that page to find other local Craigslists near you. You generally only need to know the subdomain (ie, for Asheville, NC, the subdomain is asheville .craigslist.org) and then you can take your original RSS feed address and replace the subdomain part. So I might also want to search in the Boone, North Carolina Craigslist. I take my Asheville RSS feed address–http://asheville.craigslist.org/search/rva?zoomToPosting=&query=airstream&srchType=A&minAsk=&maxAsk=10%2C000&format=rss–and replace the word asheville with boone . I’m left with: http://asheville.craigslist.org/search/rva?zoomToPosting=&query=airstream&srchType=A&minAsk=&maxAsk=10%2C000&format=rss

You’ll end up with maybe five to ten of these addresses depending on where you live and how far you’re willing to travel.

Next, we want to combine all of these into one RSS feed. I use RSSmix.com for just such a task. With all of your RSS feed addresses on their own line in your text file, just copy the whole bunch and paste it into that website. They’ll give you one RSS Feed that combines them all.

Finally, let’s go to IFTTT.com and sign up for an account. Once you’ve done so, click Create in the top navigation, then click the big blue THIS link. Find the orange RSS icon that reads Feed and click it. Click the New Feed Item box. Paste your RSS Feed from RSSmix.com into the field and click Create Trigger .

Next, click THAT and then choose the Email icon. Click the Send me an Email box. You can fool around with the contents of the email, but the defaults will work just fine. Click Create Action , give the recipe a description, and finally Create Recipe . You’re all set! Anytime any new post that matches your search goes up on Craigslist in any of the cities you’ve indicated, you’ll get an email. That means you get a little jumpstart ahead of everyone else who’s just randomly going back to Craigslist and searching over and over again when they get the chance.

Create Your Checklist

Now that you’ve got emails coming in telling you about the Airstreams that are available, you’ll no doubt start to find some that you absolutely love. All you need to do is give them each a thorough inspection. The Air Forums offers a fabulous checklist for just such purposes.

Bringing it Home!

This is something that many people overlook, but couldn’t be more important! You can’t just show up, pay for the Airstream of your dreams and take it home. Aside from a vehicle with a towing package and hitch rated for whatever the weight of your Airstream will be, you need a few additional items.

First and foremost, you’ll want to make sure your tow vehicle is up to snuff. We began with a 1995 Chevy G20 5.7L V8 van with a 3.42 rear end…which, even with an external transmission cooler and beefed up radiator, just wasn’t enough power. A few months into traveling, we were going from Asheville, NC to Pennsylvania via the Appalachian Mountains and began overheating up every single mountain.

So we quickly upgraded to a 2006 Ford E-350 with a 4.10 rear end gear ratio and have never had a problem since then, some 50,000 miles of back and forthing the country, over the Rockies, the Sierras, the Appalachians and even into Canada’s Mighty Rockies.

The following are the specs I gathered from multiple resources, including a couple of longtime Airstreamers who towed with vans (which we knew we wanted).

• Chevy or GMC seems to be the preferred make. Obviously, lots of people use Fords, Toyotas or whatever else. As mentioned above, we’ve gone with Ford and aside from their official service stations being full of crooks, I’m very happy with our van.
• 3/4 ton minimum
• External Tranny Cooler
• Tow capacity of at least 7000lbs, the more the merrier and this also depends on the weight of your Airstream and the contents you plan to put into it. The older the Airstream, the lighter they are. 3,000 – 8,000 seems to be about the range for vintage Airstreams depending on size and year.
• 3.73 or 4.10 rear axle ratio. This is basically how large the gears in your rear axle are and translates to how much power your vehicle has as a result. The bigger the number the better.
• 5.4L engine
• Class IV hitch

Again, this is from my own research and is what we went with when purchasing our used van. If you can get something newer, they have smaller engines that have more power these days…your mileage (pun, pun, pun, pun!) will vary.

Once you have your tow vehicle, you will also want to get a weight distributing hitch and sway controller. Essentially, this turns your connection from the normal single hitch ball and tongue connection into a four points system. You’ll still have your standard connection where the trailer tongue connects to your hitch ball, as well as two additional weight distributing bars that alleviate pressure on the hitch itself, and then another connection which helps control trailer sway. Trailer sway is exactly what it sounds like. You’re cruising down the highway, and suddenly your Airstream becomes the wagging tail of a dog, potentially wagging you right off the road with it. This will only work if your Airstream already has the brackets necessary for installing all of this equipment already installed. Ours did, though I don’t know if this is standard or not on vintage Airstreams. Check with the seller to be prepared.

Finally, our 1976 Airstream Sovereign of the Road had a very old trailer connector which no one uses and no one has parts to match anymore. The trailer connector is the cord that comes out of your trailer and plugs into the bumper of your tow vehicle. This is what sends information back to the trailer such as “Right turn signal”, “left turn signal” and “brake lights!” It also sends power back to your brakes, as long as your model of Airstream has electric brakes. Some older models used hydraulic brakes, of which I have no experience.

Oh and one last thing, your Airstream, as with all trailers, does not follow you around turns . It may cut in as much as four or five feet, so swing wide to avoid your new home from hopping the curb or worse, smashing into a telephone pole or something.

Our Airstream Renovation

Now for the fun part, let’s take a look at our Airstream renovation project! Again, this is a 1976 Airstream International Sovereign of the Road Land Yacht. At least, that’s what it says in the manual. We just call her the Airstream but she does feel like a queen, and certainly like captaining a boat on the highway.

1975 Airstream Land Yacht "Silver Moose"

The 1975 Airstream Land Yacht Sovereign was bought as a project. The previous owners has started a renovation and abandoned the project. We completely gutted the interior, repaired the frame, installed a new subfloor, all new plumbing and electrical. The interior birch skins were applied to make it look like a Northern Maine cabin. Next came the maple cabinets and custom corian countertops, custom accents, like the Airstream logos, speaker grills and screen door protector were installed. It features two LED tv’s, a touch screen double din radio with surround sound, an electric fireplace, and low voltage LED lighting.

Size: 31ft Year: 1975 Make/Model: Airstream Land Yacht Sovereign

An Old Airstream Is Transformed Into a Midcentury-Inspired Dream Machine

After repeatedly declining a client’s request to renovate a 1965 Airstream Overlander Land Yacht in Arkansas, custom fabricator Eoin Murphy and designer Robin Grundy-Murphy finally relented after five years.

With its original aluminum facade polished to a high shine, the fully restored Airstream is designed to go off-the-grid with rooftop solar panels with an inverter, a composting toilet, and a large water tank.

"We decided to say yes at the beginning of 2017," says Robin, who runs the design practice BORIEN Studio with her husband Eoin. "We were moving back to Ireland permanently in the spring of 2018, so we thought it would be amazing to have this as our final project in Canada before we left."

The Airstream was christened the Navajo Maiden after a postcard the couple found inside the Airstream with a picture of a Native American woman and the words "Navajo Maiden" on the front.

Thrilled, the Airstream owner shipped the vehicle up to Toronto and gave the Irish-Canadian creative couple full reign over the design. His only requests were a vintage sunburst wall clock and a finished result that evokes "a midcentury modern art piece."

Furnishings fold away to create a sense of spaciousness in the compact Airstream. The vinyl floor is from Altra floor in the UK.

"I was excited to have a midcentury brief, which obviously works perfectly given the time it was made," notes Robin. "I was conscious that I didn’t want this to be a film set. This would be a modern updated take on the midcentury design. I knew that Steve would not necessarily be traveling or sleeping in it often, so it was more of an entertaining space which could adapt to a family adventure once grandchildren arrived."

The magazine rack originally found on the wall of the Airstream was replicated at the bottom of the dining banquette.

The dining area converts into a double bed. Natalie Crittenden at Haversack Leather did all the upholstery.

The renovation process, which spanned 13 months, began with a thorough gutting of the interiors—Eoin and Robin found multiple animal nests and a live possum when they first opened the Airstream. The pair worked diligently to preserve relevant and original elements, including all of the original badges, which they replated in brass.

BORIEN Studio saved and replated all of the original badges in brass for a striking contrast against the silver aluminum.

While restoring the Airstream, the creative duo took inspiration from futuristic salt flat race cars. They streamlined the exterior, and polished the original aluminum to a high shine.

Before: The original walls were clad in aircraft aluminum, however Eoin and Robin found that the material overwhelmed the space. As a result, they painted much of it white.

The exterior’s elegant character carries over to the interiors. While the redesigned Airstream stays true to its original midcentury spirit, the vehicle also integrates an abundance of modern luxuries—like a Bose sound system and air conditioning units, which are hidden from view. Rooftop solar panels allow the Airstream to stay powered off the grid.

"I based the whole palette off the orange wall sconces," says Robin, who purchased the lights off Ebay from Denmark.

A sliding pocket door reveals a bathroom made from a solid piece of maple, machined by a robot, stained pink and layered with an Alexander Girard-inspired vinyl on top that's finished in resin. The composting toilet negates the need for a sewage tank.

Since the airstream would be used for entertaining rather than serving as a home, Robin preserved the open-concept layout and visually divided the front and back of house with a timber architectural screen in the centrally located kitchen.

BORIEN Studio designed and built all of the woodwork from Canadian Ash. "The trees are being decimated by beetles, so we wanted to preserve this beautiful wood within the bus," says Robin, who is pictured at the kitchen.

Cedar & Moss lights are installed above the robin's egg blue sink.

A securable ceramic pendant light by Brooklyn–based potter Helen Levi hangs above the ash countertop. Robin purchased a bar kit with 1960s World's Fair glasses as a nice surprise for the client.

A leather banquette dining area occupies the front of the space and converts into a double bed. The bathroom and kitchen with a sofa and bunk occupy the middle. In the rear is a "chill out" day bed area that Robin says is "a definite nod to the van life, hippy culture."

Cables clip onto the ceiling to support an upper bunk, while the bench folds out into a bed. The Airstream can sleep seven comfortably.

The day bed in the rear of the Airstream serves as the "chill out zone."

A redwood and teak folding rocking chair and loveseat are strapped to the back of Airstream with a bridle created by leatherworker Remco at Vanderhyde Toronto.

Related Reading: The Best Campers and Trailers For Less Than $40K , 10 Tiny Trailers to Take on an Adventure

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: BORIEN / @borienstudio

Builder/ General Contractor + Cabinetry: Eoin Murphy at BORIEN

Interior Design: Robin Grundy Murphy-BORIEN

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Moscow’s urban planning: rebuilding a part of the city

Russia’s capital city is undertaking one of the largest urban renewals in history, the new yankee stadium: the last prayer in new york’s “cathedral of baseball”, panama canal: a global gateway that changed maritime trade, the bay bridge: ready for the next challenge, the last flight from pan am’s historic terminal 3, jpmorgan chase: a historic demolition.

It is one of the most  ambitious  residential  building   programmes  ever undertaken: Over  4,000 Soviet-era prefabricated buildings  from the  1950s  and  1960s  will be  demolished  and  rebuilt  in Moscow. It covers 30 million square meters and involves two million people, or  10%  of the  city’s   population . This “ renovation   programme ”, as it is called, was  approved  by the  Duma , Russia’s parliament, in June 2017. It will redesign entire sections of Moscow, which has been at the centre of a massive renewal for years.

The programme does not involve public housing, but rather  privately  owned  residences . Under the law, all it takes is the approval of  two   thirds  of the  inhabitants  to be in  favour  of  demolition  for the wrecking crews to move in. Even though the majority of them have accepted demolition, there have been  protests  by some against it.

The programme foresees the  demolition  and  reconstruction  of  90%  of the  buildings  in the areas identified for renewal.  Residents  who have approved demolition  have   been   given   90  days  to   leave  their respective apartments. They are to settle in  temporary   housing  until their new homes are built.

To win support for the programme, which has the enthusiastic support of Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, city officials  promise  the  new   apartments  will be of  better   quality ,  larger  and more  modern  and  comfortable .  

Although the timetable for the next steps to be taken after evacuation has not been officially decided, the first cases show how quickly it can all happen. Some of the first apartment blocks to be emptied in the northern area of Butirsky were demolished in a single day.  

Despite the protests by some  residents , most  defend  the  programme  in the  hopes  of obtaining  better   living   conditions . City officials support it, convinced that it will be the most effective way to modernise Moscow.

In an interview published on the city’s website, Marat Khusnullin, the deputy mayor in charge of urban planning, explained how the  programme  will not only bring better housing but also  enhance  u r ban  development .

“The concrete jungles, as Moscow’s bedroom communities were rightly dubbed, were erected over decades,” he said. “Now they must become a thing of the past.”

According to the city’s plans, the new residential buildings will not simply be replicas of what they replace. Instead, the entire neighbourhood where they are located will get a re-think. The number of parking spaces, for example, will double, while public spaces will be reinterpreted in a more modern way.

“For example, when they go into their courtyards, residents will find peace and comfort where there will be a minimum number of cars,” said Khusnullin. “We will provide pedestrian walkways from residential buildings to subway stations and bus stops.”

All of this is intertwined with an equally ambitious plan to  upgrade   Moscow’s  most  important   transport   arteries . The city has dubbed it “My Street” and, according to news reports from the likes of “The Moscow Times”, it will be completed by 2020. It calls for  repaving   180   streets , most of which are in the center. The  city  has already  spent  $ 1.6 billion  between 2015 and 2017, not including an additional  $1.6 billion  earmarked for the  remaining   years , according to the newspaper.  Once completed, the  city’s   livability  will be significantly  improved , bringing  Moscow  nearer to the  top   ranks  of the most  beautiful  and  modern   cities  in the  world . 

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Moscow Has a New Standard for Street Design

• Written by Strelka Magazine
• Published on August 25, 2016

Earlier this year the development of a new Street Design Standard for Moscow was completed under a large-scale urban renovation program entitled My Street , and represents the city's first document featuring a complex approach to ecology, retail, green space, transportation, and wider urban planning. The creators of the manual set themselves the goal of making the city safer and cleaner and, ultimately, improving the quality of life. In this exclusive interview, Strelka Magazine speaks to the Street Design Standard 's project manager and Strelka KB architect Yekaterina Maleeva about the infamous green fences of Moscow, how Leningradskoe Highway is being made suitable for people once again, and what the document itself means for the future of the Russian capital.

Strelka Magazine: What is the Street Design Standard and what does it include?

Yekaterina Maleeva: The Street Design Standard is a manual for street planning in Moscow . The Standard is divided into four books, each one of them covering particular aspects of street design. Many cities across the globe have developed their own standards and the concept has gained a lot of popularity over the last decade. The New York Street Design Manual is a famous example; the book has even been translated into Russian. However, Moscow streets have little in common with New York streets, for example; every city has its own unique urban typology and simply copying existing solutions from another manual is not a viable option.

When we started our work on the Standard , the first thing we did was study Moscow streets, their peculiarities and common features. The first volume of the Standard focuses on the typology and distinctive attributes of the streets of Moscow. We gathered data on more than 3,000 streets and processed the data. Despite the large sample size, we discovered certain similarities. We managed to identify ten of the most common street types, but some unique streets could not be categorized. For instance, Tverskaya Street, built in 19th century, originally fell under category "10C." But after it was widened in the 1930s, Tverskaya ended up in a unique place within the urban fabric of Moscow. Such objects as that require a case by case approach and an individual project.

What can be found in the other volumes?

After we identified these ten street types, we started working on defining the best way to approach the development of each. The second book describes what a street of each type must have. We developed a general profile and functional zoning for each type. The pavement is more than just a pedestrian lane: there is a buffer zone between the roadway and the walking lane where the parking posts, street lights and communication lines are located. It’s a mandatory utility zone that has to be paved in such a way that any section can be easily unpaved and replaced. There is also a pedestrian fast lane for people walking to their workplace and a promenade with benches and other objects. Building façades have a large impact on the street they are facing. Restaurants and shops are located in these buildings. Making the adjacent zone retail-friendly is important. Cafes and restaurants must be able to open street patios to attract customers without disrupting the pedestrian traffic. How to apply these concepts to each of the street types is thoroughly explained in the Standard .

The third book describes eleven groups of design elements, including surface materials, benches, trash bins and lights. This catalogue of elements contains no mention of suppliers. It does not promote any manufacturers; instead it describes the attributes which define a quality product. For instance, the third book explains which type of tree grates will serve the longest while causing no damage to the root system of a tree. Styles of grates, bins, benches and other elements may vary, but all the items must comply with the quality standard.

Finally, the fourth book focuses on the planning process: how to perform preliminary analysis, how to apply user opinions during the development and how to achieve quality implementation. Additionally, there is a special emphasis on the fact that street planning cannot be carried out without any regard for the context of the street. A street should be regarded as a part of an interconnected system of various public spaces, together with adjacent parks, garden squares, yards and plazas.

Does the Standard have an official status? Should it be considered a law or merely a guideline?

There are a number of state-level laws and regulations relevant to street design issued by the Moscow Government. They were taken into account during the development of the manual. These regulations ensure safety standards and must be complied with. While the existing legislation covers safety aspects, our books introduce comfort standards. The Standard is basically a non-binding, advisory guideline created with the goal of improving the urban environment everywhere across the capital and maintaining it at a high level.

What happens if a street does not fit any of the mentioned types (and is not as significant as Tverskaya)? For instance, what if a street located in the New Moscow territory has cottages on one side, apartment complexes on the other and an entrance to the Moscow Ring Road somewhere along the way?

A standard is not a ready-made solution. The streets share common features yet also retain their individual attributes at the same time. Applying a single standard profile to every street is impossible. Adjustments are always in order.

The Standard offers three sets of solutions for each type of street with a large potential for combining various elements. The manual basically offers a convenient database that a designer working with a new space could use. That does not mean that all the new projects will look exactly the same. Some solutions featured in the Standard are yet to be implemented anywhere in Moscow . For instance, our collaboration with Transsolar, a German company consulting us on environmental comfort, revealed that Moscow’s largest environmental problem was not in fact CO2, but small-particle dust produced by studded tyre traction. And a simple method to control this type of pollution already exists. Many busy streets outside the city center have a green buffer zone separating the roadway from the sidewalks. A 1.5m high ground elevation running along this zone could filter out up to 70% of the tyre dust, preventing it from spreading into the residential areas. Western countries have been successfully using this technology for many years. Now it is a part of Moscow Standard . By the way, a terrain elevation could also help reduce the level of road noise.

Does the Standard offer anything for the main roads? For example, nowadays Leningradskoye Highway basically splits the city into two disconnected parts; it’s a car dominion.

The Standard does not offer solutions for transportation problems. When we were defining our street typology, we relied on traffic load data calculated using Moscow ’s transportation model. We pursued a goal of only offering solutions that would not aggravate the current transport situation. Any planned sidewalk extension or addition of a bicycle lane or road crossing should first be approved by the Moscow Department of Transport.

As for the main roads, our research revealed that the streets with the highest traffic load also have the heaviest pedestrian traffic. One would think that it should be the other way around. However, the main roads have metro stations, which generate a lot of pedestrian traffic, which in turn draws retail. Treating main roads the same way as highways is impossible. The needs of both vehicle traffic and local residents must be taken into account, which creates a paradox.

These territories have every opportunity to become more comfortable. Some have relatively large green buffer zones that currently remain underused. The Standard proposes to augment these zones with additional functionality. On one hand, some of the main streets will gain attraction centers, especially near intersections connecting them to the adjacent residential areas. Weekend markets are one example of such centers. On the other hand, the Standard involves the creation of zones able to absorb extra precipitation flowing from the roads and filter it. There is a list with types of vegetation best fit to handle this task. The same zones could be used to store snow in the winter. The meltwater will be naturally absorbed by the soil, alleviating the need for moving the snow out to melt. This, however, would require decreasing the quantity of melting chemicals sprayed over the snow, as the plants underneath might be susceptible to their effects.

Can the new Standard rid us of green lawn fences, yellow curbs and other eternal eyesores?

The choice of yellow and green appears random, so we have no idea how to actually fight that. The Standard offers no colour schemes. As long as fences meet the set requirements, their colour does not matter. However, currently they seem to fail to comply. The Standard states that lawns do not require fencing. This is a waste of materials: people will not trample grass and bushes just for the sake of it, while dog owners will trespass anyway. There are many other options for protecting lawns from being trampled. For instance, a same-level pavement strip with a different texture could protect a lawn from accidental intruders just as well as a curb can.

Natural soil water absorption is currently largely ignored, with most  precipitation going down the storm drains. Meanwhile patches of open terrain on a street are able to absorb water. Employing these natural cycles in street layout could save resources.

Does the Standard provide any financial estimations? For instance, an approximate cost of renovating a street of a particular type?

No, as the Standard does not list any products of any particular brand, there are no prices to refer to. Nonetheless, the Standard was developed to fit three potential price ranges. Whether their estimated price is low or high, all the elements ensure that quality requirements are met. The same quality level must be maintained across the whole city and never drop below the set standard.

Let’s say a world-famous architect arrives to Moscow to design a street. He puts incredibly beautiful things into his project, which, unfortunately, contradict the Standard and are not guaranteed to work as intended. In that scenario, will the architect be told to stick to the Standard ?

This could happen and I think it would be a good thing. If an architect plans to place a sculpture on a 1.5 meter wide sidewalk, would that really be a good idea? Following the Standard ensures smooth movement. Its goal is to reinvigorate the streets. In Copenhagen, new design manuals helped increase average time spent by residents outside by 20% over 10 years. That was achieved through creating convenient and attractive public spaces. Moreover, implementation of the Standard enables the creation of professional documentation for architects, which excludes the possibility of any instructions that will later be unclear to the experts trying to work with them. Finally, the Standard also pursues the task of providing the opportunity for the development of street retail.

Isn’t retail a whole different story? How can retail be introduced in such places as Strogino District, where the ground floors are living floors and have security bars on windows? By reintroducing street vendors?

True, business has no direct relation to street renovation. However, there is a strong connection between them. In Strogino, building façades are mostly located far from the sidewalk. Moreover, facades are often concealed by shrubbery and trees, making local businesses even less noticeable. Another problem is that first floor apartments cannot be used for commercial purposes due to insufficient ceiling height (3 m compared to 3.5 m required minimum). Nonetheless, we discovered multiple examples of shop owners reconstructing apartments in residential districts to meet the requirements.

Our British consultant Phil Wren, a street retail expert, travelled Moscow ’s residential districts and studied the existing examples. He came up with a great idea: building an expansion connected to the façade and facing the sidewalk. This makes it possible both to achieve the required ceiling height and increase the visibility of the business to the passers-by. The part of the shop located in the apartment can be used as a utility room or a stockroom. This way the noise level is reduced, regulations are met and store space is increased. Our Russian consultants confirmed the viability of the proposed concept. And the Standard will ensure that any added expansions will look presentable.

Does the  Standard also regulate façade appearances, an architectural element? What should be expected from this? It is unlikely that all houses which fail to comply will be demolished once the Standard is implemented. 

Renovation works with what is given. Of course, façades cannot be changed. Central Moscow has a problem with mansions and many other buildings being fenced off, which prevents them from accommodating street retail. Central streets are also relatively narrow. The Standard proposes sidewalk expansion wherever the access to the first floors is open. Street renovation does not always involve planting trees. Some places require enhanced crossings so that people can quickly reach the other side of the street to get to a shop or a café. Those streets where the facades are windowless are a more suitable place to plant more vegetation.

Can an average person – not an architect, designer or construction worker – understand the new Standard , or is it a technical document which can only be interpreted by a professional?

Any person can. The Standard is written in a way that both professionals and common citizens are able to understand. The Standard contains multiple images, photos, infographics and diagrams and is written in plain language. We would love for more people to read it: the books contain many interesting solutions for our city that affect every pedestrian.

In late March it was revealed that Strelka KB would be developing a standard for recreational zones and public areas in Moscow . What differences will that document have from the Street Design Standard ?

The two standards will have a lot in common. The city currently faces a task of developing a connected system of public spaces. The first logical step was to work with the streets which actually connect areas of attraction and other public spaces. Now the work on all other public spaces takes off. Parks, garden squares, yards, water bank recreation areas, plazas near metro stations must all fall into place. Work with these territories will set a single quality standard. In addition, it will improve Moscow ’s quality of life and reduce air pollution. Simple solutions could improve airflow, increase biodiversity and reduce noise levels at the same time.

The renovation program is quite long and depends on numerous standards and documents. But when exactly will the endless repair works end? Are there any time estimations for when all these concepts will finally get implemented?

This is not an easy question. Full renovation may last decades. The Standard is the first step towards actually controlling the renovation process and its timeline. Until now renovation has been proceeding rather haphazardly. Now the city has decided that the way the streets are designed should be clarified. We understand that the Standard cannot last unchanged for eternity and should, just like any regulation, undergo periodical updates. The Standard uses flexible typology: a street of one type could transition to another within a few years under certain conditions, such as changes in its usage and its user categories. Everything must stay regularly updated according to the accumulated experience.

During our work on the Standard , we held regular roundtables joined by experts and ordinary citizens. One of our guests mentioned that he had recently started paying attention to Moscow ’s facades, their beauty and their drawbacks. He was able to do that because he no longer had to watch his step. So the process has already started and we already see some results.

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The Moscow renovation program is a socially significant project of unprecedented scale

It is often said that moving is worse than a house fire, and that it also takes a lot of energy, nerves and money. A few years ago, Muscovites who moved to new houses under the renovation program also experienced a lot of stress in this regard.

It is relatively clear how to pack things and mentally prepare for the move. But in the case of a large-scale relocation project - there are more than 350 thousand apartments and about a million residents involved in the renovation program - the stress is added by a lack of understanding of the process and the need for interaction with various government departments. How to take a look at the new apartment? What kind of documents are needed and where to file them? People had a lot of questions even before the move, and even more - in the process.

Digitalization helped Moscovites to synchronize the work of interested departments and make the move simple and understandable for all program participants.

In this story we want to tell about how the Department of Information Technologies and the Department of Urban Planning Policy of the Moscow City managed to coordinate the work of independent departments on the digital platforms, what was the basis for the creation of the feedback services for step-by-step instructions for moving, what a “super service” is and how to use it.

There is a problem, there is a solution

The Moscow renovation program is a socially significant project of unprecedented scale. Several departments and organizations participate in the program at once - the Department of City Property, the Department of Urban Development Policy, the Department of Construction, the Renovation Fund , the centers of public services "My Documents", Rosreestr, prefectures and managing organizations. They all exchange dozens of documents when each participant of the program moves. Initially, departments collected all information on the progress of resettlement in separate files, sometimes on paper. It was extremely difficult and inconvenient to synchronize this information and put together a detailed picture of the process.

During the relocation, it became clear that both departments and residents lack a single source of information about the renovation program, stages and procedures for resettlement, and the necessary documents. Residents received all notifications in paper form, it was difficult to plan the move, and all documents had to be signed personally, during numerous visits to various authorities.

Obviously, something had to be changed.

If you can't fight it, lead it

The problem was not only with paperwork. During meetings with government agencies, it became clear that relocation is often perceived as a set of separate functions and services for program participants. The work on each individual service was fine-tuned, but during the interaction between departments arose difficulties and misunderstandings.

Therefore, it was necessary to determine a clear procedure for ensuring interagency interaction for specific life-situations of the program participants: information flows were described, information was automatically transferred to a single system, where all data on renovation was accumulated.

Today, all information from departments about the relocation of all participants in the renovation program is collected in a single interface of the Information and Analytical System for the Management of Urban Planning Activities (IAS UGD) . This allowed the city to solve three important tasks:

• To minimize the time of relocation of old houses;
• To reduce the number of personal visits of residents to the authorities;
• Make the move clear and not burdensome for citizens.

The exchange of information in real time has led to the creation of a single interactive dashboard, where the city administration can receive up-to-date and complete information about the progress of the program at any time. On it, with a detailed breakdown by status, you can see the number of new buildings and apartments transferred for occupancy, the number of houses to be settled, the number of citizens participating in the program and the percentage of implementation of the program per year. So, it is possible to monitor all the key indicators of the program in real time.

This is the way

Coordination “in digital” was also required in terms of interaction with residents. It is important to explain to each program participant what they need to do at each stage of resettlement. To solve this problem, we studied hundreds of real situations that citizens faced when moving at all stages of the journey, and identified a set of electronic services and services required at every step.

This is how in 2019 an interactive page “Moving under the renovation program” appeared on the mos.ru portal. It contains detailed instructions for all stages of resettlement, taking into account the life situation of a particular user, and links to electronic services that residents may need during the move.

In the future, a separate instruction grew into a full-fledged super service that accompanies a person along the entire path of resettlement. Today it contains:

• General instructions available to all users of mos.ru portal even before moving
• Personal instructions available to participants with a full account on mos.ru portal along the entire journey
• Notifications about the stages of relocation in your personal account on mos.ru, by e-mail, by SMS and in the form of push notifications in city mobile applications.
• Free online recording service for calling movers who will help to transfer things.
• Service of filing an application for the elimination of construction defects
• The service of making an appointment with a notary on issues related to the move

All of these services are available online at any convenient time, without visiting a relocation information center.

Super service in action

Let's find out how it works in practice. The whole move-in journey under the renovation programme can be divided into seven main stages:

• Preparing to move
• Inspection of the flat
• Drawing up documents
• Moving house
• Closing an account in the old flat
• Opening an account in the new flat
• Registering at the place of residence

The first step is to inform people that they have been included in the renovation programme and that they are moving soon. This is where most questions arise. When is the move happening? In which house will they offer me a flat? What kind of documents are needed? How long will it take? A personal guide will help you figure this out, with detailed information about all the steps, contacts and links to all resources. The instructions are available one week before the move and throughout the move.

The personal instruction on the mos.ru portal is based on typical relocation scenarios. It is generated automatically and helps residents at all stages of the move taking into account specific life situations, such as: children and older people in the family that require a special approach in organising the move; the existence of a pledge or mortgage on the flat, the family's desire to buy an additional flat with a 10% discount.

After a few days, the resident receives a letter with a flat offer. If they are satisfied with the offer, the resident chooses a date and time for check-up.

The second step is the inspection of the flat. The information tips on the portal tell you when and how to view the new flat, and what documents are needed.

If construction defects are found in the new flat, the resident can apply online to have them corrected without going to the resettlement information centre in person. The service can be used immediately after signing the declaration of acceptance of the offered flat and also during the warranty period.

The third step is preparation of the required documents and the subsequent signing of the contract for the new flat. The preparation of documents and the reading and signing of the contract takes place at the Resettlement Information Centre, the Renovation Fund in the case of a purchase or compensation transaction, and at the notary if the owners include minor children, incompetent relatives or mortgaged property. An appointment with the notary is also available online. It is obligatory to register the signed agreement, which stipulates the transfer of the ownership rights, with the Federal Registration Service; the registration is free of charge for programme participants.

The fourth big step is the actual move. Especially for this as part of the super service, the portal has an electronic service to order free movers and a car to transport things from the old flat to the new one, at a time convenient to the resident. The service is available for a fortnight after signing the contract.

The fifth and sixth steps are to close the personal account in the old flat and open a new one. Here, participants are helped by various tips; the instructions also include detailed information on how to register at the new place of residence. Seventh - registration at the place of residence.

For the convenience of users, the service page is supplemented with links to all the city online services that may be needed at certain stages of the move. In this way, the personal presence of the person all the way is minimised, and hence the move becomes less burdensome.

Super service in numbers

Thanks to digitalization and well-built interagency cooperation, moving under the renovation program has become much easier and more understandable. But the most important thing is that we see the demand for each service:

• To date, the city has sent more than 120 thousand notifications to residents of 126 houses.
• Instructions for moving were used more than 154 thousand times.
• The new loader call service has been used more than 70 times.

Of course, super service does not solve all relocation issues. But it helps to understand all the stages of the movement and get services that save a lot of time and effort during face-to-face visits to departments.

The digitalization of the renovation program continues. In the near future, an appointment for an apartment survey, submission of documents through personal accounts, signing an agreement for the proposed apartment option and signing an agreement, submitting an application for reimbursement of notary services, closing and opening of personal accounts and other services will be transferred online and it makes the move even easier. After the launch of all the planned services, the participant will only need to come in person to inspect the apartment once, other actions and questions can be resolved online.

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