Interior designer Markie Miller and her dad Lance Price, the furniture builder behind Ironwood Furniture Co., combined their creative talents to revamp a run-down 1972 Airstream Sovereign Land Yacht. “This was a special father-daughter project for a couple of people who have a habit of falling in love with things that need fixing,” Markie says.

While on vacation on British Columbia’s Cortes Island, the family saw the old tin can for sale on the side of the road. “The Airstream looked like it needed some love,” Markie says, “and we had lots to give.”

After purchasing the Land Yacht, the family had a few hurdles to surmount in order to get it back home. The trailer had two flat tires, the new owners didn’t have insurance, and they had to take it on two ferry crossings to bring it home to Vancouver Island.

“It wasn’t an easy feat on an extremely small island with very limited services,” Markie says. “With some help from the locals, we found someone to fix the tires, and another ‘loaned’ us a license plate, so we at least looked sort of legitimate—as if the weeds growing out of the Airstream were not a dead give away.”

Appropriately named Cortes, the 31-foot trailer was already gutted when they purchased it—but before getting started with the fun process of outfitting the chassis, the duo had to repair rust damage on the the frame, replace cross members, and remove wall panels, insulation, wiring, plumbing, and flooring.

It took the father-daughter duo about a year to complete the overhaul, with mom Sharlene pitching in with the painting, scraping, cleaning and buffing. Lance estimates that he put in around 700 hours of work.

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All the windows were removed, taken apart, scraped, and put back together. “It took over 5 hours for each window,” Markie says.

The family also removed the 20-foot interior panels and then stripped, sanded, painted, and reinstalled them. From there, they reconstructed the entire interior. The family handled most of the renovation themselves, although they outsourced electrical, plumbing, and upholstery for the cushions on the sectional.

They wanted the 200-square-foot space to be open-concept and laid-back to let Lance’s wood-and-metal furnishings take center stage. He built the banquette, bed frame, open shelving, niches, cabinetry, and countertops. Wood and decorative touches were sourced locally to give the Airstream “an island vibe” that pays homage to its new location.

Since the trailer is semipermanent and they wanted maximize living space, the family decided to forgo a bathroom. Instead, they created a separate towable outhouse that houses a composting toilet powered by the trailer’s solar panels. In the future, they are planning to add an outdoor solar-powered shower.

“The wash house was built to the exact size of a small trailer deck,” Markie says. “You can park it and leave it on wheels, or take off the trailer and leave it on the ground. Everything is designed for longer or semipermanent stays.”

The Airstream is powered by a custom 875-watt adjustable solar panel awning that folds flat against the trailer when driving on the open road. A battery bank and system is housed under the banquette.

The family brought the exterior back to life with a good cleaning, polish, and wax. “We opted not to go with a high polish, and kept the 48-year-old patina,” Markie says. “Our climate here in a temperate rainforest on the coast is not really forgiving, and it would have oxidized again quickly.”

Located on a North Vancouver Island riverfront property, the Airstream now serves as a family getaway and hangout that isn’t far from the family’s home. It has proved to be a peaceful refuge during the pandemic.

“It’s been such a great experience doing a project like this with my Dad,” Markie says. “The process has been a reminder that you can take something that seems old, tired, forgotten, or broken, and clean it up, give it a lot of love, and give it a whole new life.”

Related Reading:

A Musician Makes His Home in a Restored 1968 Airstream Land Yacht

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

A Gleaming Airstream Borrows Space-Saving Tips From Boat Design

Project Credits:

Builder/General Contractor: Ironwood Furniture Co.

Interior Design: Markie Miller / @markiexo

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