Still, the moment Kristin and Reid saw it listed on Facebook Marketplace (for about $5,000), they couldn’t resist taking a look. They’d just moved into a house in Washington State and wrapped up a major renovation — and like a lot of serial DIY-ers, they weren’t exactly sure how to sit still once the dust settled.
“We love projects,” Kristin says. “So my husband was like, ‘Let’s just browse Marketplace and see what’s out there.’”
They assumed the Airstream would be a quick cosmetic refresh. Instead, it became a full-scale, down-to-the-metal rebuild — one that required learning to weld via YouTube, rebuilding systems from scratch, and reimagining the entire interior to fit two adults, two boys, and (surprise!) twins.
The Listing That Turned Into a Lifeline
The seller, an older woman, had been storing the Airstream on her land after a friend or family member dropped it off — but she didn’t have a vehicle to tow it or the time (or desire) to take on the repairs.
“It needed a lot of electrical work,” Kristin explains. “She said, ‘I’m waiting for the right person to come along and give it life again.’”
That person ended up being them.
They bought it on the spot for $4,000, hooked it to the truck, and drove it home — not fully grasping that the “electrical issues” were just the beginning.
A Total Gut (and a Crash Course in Welding)
Once the couple started pulling things apart, they discovered extensive rodent damage — including wiring that had been chewed through — and structural components that were rusted out.
“One thing leads to another,” Kristin says. “My husband’s taking things out and trying to figure out what’s wrong with the electrical, and as he’s doing that, he’s finding structural things that had rusted out.”
What started as a “little upgrade” quickly became a true gut job. Everything came out. The trailer was reduced to its bare shell — just metal and the main structural bones.
From there, her husband taught himself welding by watching YouTube videos and talking to people who’d done it before. He learned how to repair rusted sections, bend metal back into shape, and restore the lining so everything fit the way it should.
“It was a whole process,” she says. “I can’t say we would do that again as much as we did. But we learned a ton, and it was so satisfying at the end.”
The structural restoration phase alone took about a year — done mostly in evenings after work and weekends.
The Design Challenge: Make a 1974 Trailer Work for a Family of Six
“It was more for two people when we got it,” she says. “We had kids and we wanted it to accommodate our family of six.”
That meant a full layout overhaul — including a private sleeping space for the parents (non-negotiable) and beds for four kids in a footprint where every inch matters.
“We didn’t want to be sleeping in bunk beds like our kids,” she laughs. “So we made the very back of the trailer — which originally was the bathroom — into our queen bed with a sliding door.”
The final layout came together with a clear sense of function and flow. At the rear of the trailer, a private bedroom was created for the parents, featuring a queen-size bed with lift-up storage underneath and a sliding door that could be closed for privacy.
In the hallway, custom bunk beds were built around the wheel wells and ducting, making smart use of what would otherwise have been awkward, wasted space.
Up front, a U-shaped dinette served as a flexible living area. It could convert into an extra bed when needed or comfortably accommodate a pack-and-play for the twins when they were babies.
They began the renovation with two boys — and learned they were expecting twins mid-project.
“When we started renovating it, I had just found out I was pregnant with twins,” she says. “We had two boys, and then we had the twins by the time we were done.”
The Kitchen: Budget Cabinets, Big Personality
“You kind of have to be creative when you’re building around all the rounded walls,” she says.
Instead of custom cabinetry (pricey and hard to justify when you’re trimming everything to fit), they bought basic unfinished pine cabinets from Lowe’s and modified them.
“We tried to get them as affordable as possible,” she explains. “My husband cut out certain parts of the back to make it fit, then we painted them.”
And this is where the interior design flex comes in: she chose a deep teal blue for the cabinetry — a bold, 70s-leaning color that feels playful and perfectly at home in a vintage trailer.
“I wanted something unique,” she says. “Something that felt true to her 70s funky vibe.”
For the countertops, they used IKEA wood-look laminate — a smart choice in an RV where water resistance matters and long straight runs mean fewer complicated cuts.
“We wanted a place where everyone could sit around,” she says. “Play games, drink coffee, hang out.”
Kid-Proof Sleeping (That Kids Actually Loved)
“Reid had to get creative,” Kristin says. “We built them as comfortable as we could working with the rounded walls.”
“A lot of people say, ‘That looks claustrophobic,’” she says. “But my husband has slept on aircraft carriers plenty of times. He says it’s the same.”
The two oldest boys claimed the bunk beds, while the two youngest slept up front on the convertible dinette.
The Bathroom: Beautiful, Functional, and… a Bit Smelly
“You can’t use larger tiles,” Kristin explains. “The little penny tiles have enough give that we didn’t have to worry about cracking.”
“It was easier as far as routing and plumbing,” she says. “But with four boys and a husband, I don’t think I’d do composting again. It does get kind of stinky.”
The Budget (and the Sale That Made It Worth It)
They estimate the total investment came in at around $30,000, including the purchase price of the Airstream but not labor, since they completed all the work themselves.
“Four kids cost a lot of money,” she says. “So we were trying to do it as budget-friendly as possible.”
They bought the trailer in July 2019, worked on it for about two years (evenings and weekends), and traveled mostly around Washington — including trips near the Canadian border and camping on Whidbey Island, where they lived.
Then came the orders: Japan.
They sold the Airstream in 2022 rather than risk outdoor storage for three years.
It was listed at $60,000 and ultimately sold for $50,000.
The buyer planned to turn it into an Airbnb, and Kristin still hopes she’ll stumble across it again one day.
The Next Chapter: A “Simple” Update (Famous Last Words)
After returning from Japan, they bought another Airstream — a 2004 model — specifically because it didn’t need the same level of structural rescue.
“It’s fine inside,” she says, “it’s just not how I would typically design a space.”
The plan this time: countertops, sinks, hardware, likely painting cabinets, refreshing the bathroom, and replacing stained upholstery up front.
“Hopefully nothing crazy,” she says. “We’ll see.”
Given their track record, something tells us “nothing crazy” is going to look very, very good.
You can follow Kristin Nichole Smith’s DIY projects and design adventures on Instagram at @kristinnicholesmith, where she shares behind-the-scenes renovations, family life, and creative inspiration.