1964 Airstream Land Yacht

Custom Built Airstream for Netflix Dream Home Makeover

Featured in Season 4 of Dream Home Makeover, you’ll be able to see this vintage Airstream renovation staring in a reality show on the streaming giant — Netflix. Wow. Double Wow. A decade ago, Reparadise consisted of one employee, a tiny gravel lot, and leaky roofs. Now you can catch us on the big screen… depending on how big your home theater is.

Anywho, we’re more then happy with how well Shea Mcgee’s collection and designs scaled down for use in an old camper from the sixties. Check out season 4 of Dream Home Make Over, and get a unique look into the process of taking a neglected old Airstream and turning it into a show stopper. In this build reveal above, Brandon gives a tour of what went to this vintage Airstream.

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Interior

Encompassing the needs of a family of four, this vintage Airstream Land Yacht melds conveniences of a modern home, sixties Airstream charm, and Studio Mcgee’s inspiring interior design. First and foremost adding as much storage and room to ensure no one’s tripping over each other all the time, the front of this Airstream is a huge dinette/lounge area that converts to a 7’ x 7’ bed with a flip of a switch. This area also houses the extensive electrical system. The huge louvered windows around the front of the trailer let in lots of light and the white walls and lack of overhead cabinets give the Airstream an open, airy feel.

The kitchen is loaded with all the modern conveniences — an induction stovetop with an overhead vent, a gas oven, and a deep-well sink. Cold food storage is handled by an isotherm 12-volt fridge/freezer unit with tons of space. The client also has a Dometic 12-volt cooler in their pull-truck for additional food storage. Pots, pans, and cutlery are stored in exposed areas to maintain the open feel. Solid surface countertops cover cabinet storage, which is finished in white oak ply and hardwoods and features our custom brass and leather door pulls.

As we move toward the back of the trailer, we come to the bathroom/shower area. The shower incorporates the wheel well humps as a place to sit and scrub for the lazy bather. The shower is separated from the poop zone with fancy French door splash guards. The toilet is a 12-volt mascerating toilet, commonly used in boats to minimize backup or blockage. The sink is built into a floating island with plenty of drawers and storage. A large window provides plenty of ambient light, and overhead ventilation keeps things from getting stuffy.

Moving into the master bedroom, dominated by a queen-size bed that was built to the client’s secs with storage underneath. Floating nightstands on either side of the bed provide more storage, and lighting is controlled using custom light switches that were designed and built at Reparadise.

The Build

We mentioned that the Airstream’s exterior and shell were in good shape. That doesn’t mean it was ready to take on any kind of long-distance travel. These old Airstreams hardly ever are. Almost 60 years of sitting around takes its toll on anybody — just think of the first boomer that comes to mind. Not pretty, right? So, we pulled the shell off, redid the chassis and reinforced so it would be safe at today’s much faster highway speeds. The trailer needed new water tanks and a new front end. The axles were also replaced, as well as the tires, wheels, and suspension.

"Bring the past only if only you are going to build the future from it....then roll with both!" - Reparadise

Exterior

The Landyacht came to us in much better condition than most of the vintage Airstreams that come through the shop. The flawless skin had no dents or patches and very few rock chips. It must not have seen many miles in its 56 years. As a result, the skin polished beautifully. The owner was looking for this model specifically because they wanted the art deco louvered windows, which were only made for a couple years. The original hardware worked, and we were able to use all the original glass. Pretty incredible.

The owner wanted to keep the exterior as clean as possible — to minimize the use of clunky plastic penetrations. While we couldn’t completely avoid using shore power plugs, water attachments, and exhaust venting, we installed as few as possible to maintain the clean, retro design without sacrificing modern functionality. The compromise included two fans, two air conditioners, a shore power hookup, and 720 watts of solar on the roof. That’s all the modern conveniences without ruining the trailers sleek design.

Another unique design aspect for this year and model is the Inception Door. The trailer’s main door has a separate screen door insert for light and airflow. Again, this component was in good shape and only needed light detailing and polishing. We finished off the exterior with a beautiful striped Zip Dee awning that not only adds to the Airstream’s livability, but actually adds to the retro aesthetic.