David Horner makes his living building out camper vans as principal of the Buena Vista Van Co, but when he set out to design his own full-time home, there was one project he couldn’t stop thinking about. “Once you start dreaming about an Airstream, it’s hard to stop,” says David with a laugh.

When his girlfriend, Darian Rubow—a monitoring and stewardship coordinator for a regenerative ranch—found a small, wooded lot for rent in Santa Barbara, it was time to turn the dream into reality.

David found a ’76 Airstream on Facebook marketplace that seemed to be just the right level of fixer-upper. The owner had started a reno on the 160-square-foot unit and done the “dirty work” that David says he was not keen to do—grinding off the rust, replacing the subfloors, and repairing the frame. Sure, two of the wheels fell off as he was driving it down the highway from L.A. to its new home base, but it was otherwise ready for David to put his well-honed van-build skills to the test.

In a nod to his upbringing in Humboldt County, David decided to wrap much of the trailer’s interior in old-growth redwood—a friend milled it from a burned, fallen log on his property into slim, eight-inch panels, which David veneered onto plywood.

He did all the work by himself, shaving an estimated $93,750 in labor off the project’s total cost. The biggest expense was the materials. “Being a builder, I love materials— and I didn’t skimp,” he says. “Even the couch cushion fabric is 100-percent wool.”

In addition to the wood panels, David reskinned and riveted aluminum panels onto the walls and spray painted them with a warm, off-white paint. In the bathroom, the walls are decked out in a handmade Moroccan tile from Zia Tile. “Each tile has its own character—and I’m not an experienced tiler, so that actually played to my strength,” he says with a laugh.

$11,500 Airstream Shell	$6,270 Structural Costs	$260 Wall Finishes
$500 Flooring	$2,545 Hardware	$2,297 Electrical
$1,350 Plumbing	$4,957 HVAC Equipment	$3,376 Kitchen and Bath Fixtures
$662 Lighting	$6,010 Cabinetry	$2,200 Countertops
$3,759 Appliances	$870 Windows and Glazing	$4,688 Furnishings
$250 Waste Removal	$6,500 Bathroom	$93,750 Labor
$24,000 Shop Rent	$1,200 Millwork	$2,555 Tilework
Grand Total: $179,499

It took six months and an extensive amount of riveting, but the couple’s warm, woodsy space has proven to be the comfortable, happy home they envisioned. “I’m really drawn to creating stuff that is highly functional, and usable, and that has a purpose to it,” says David.

They’ve also enjoyed adapting to a simpler way of living. Before they moved in, they had to give their belongings a hard assessment, and the goods they did keep are all neatly stowed away in purpose-built nooks, crannies, and drawers. So many drawers. “It’s the most efficient way to store things,” explains David. “The kitchen is pretty much all drawers.”

The espresso machine slides out on a tray; there are 30-inch-deep drawers under the sofa for gym gear and shoes; and under each stair outside the front door, David has installed drawers. There’s even a little Breville toaster in a slide-out drawer behind the pans. “I couldn’t let that three inches of space go to waste,” David says. Even dreamers have practical concerns, you know.

More Budget Breakdown Stories:

This Completely Restored $500K Airstream Is Built Like a Yacht

A 1988 Jayco Motor Home Gets a Gleaming Retrofit for $5,700

For Two Swedish Surfers, Happiness Is a $31K DIY Camper Van

Project Credits:

Airstream Redesign and Build: Buena Vista Van Co | @buenavistavanco