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1976 Airstream Argosy 26 - North Carolina Private Seller

6 years ago Airstream Trailers FOR SALE  Charlotte, NC 2736 Views 0 Watching
Year: 1976
Make: Airstream
Model: Argosy
Length: 26
Country:US
State or Province:NC
City: Charlotte
Type of Sale:Private Seller
Listed:6 years ago
Location: Charlotte, NC
Price : $29,000

Please see our Instagram account at LarkandLeigh for more photos.

Selling our beloved vintage 1976 Airstream Argosy. We purchased the restored Airstream in 2015 from the person who did all of the hard work. He is the owner of Cape Falcon Kayaks where he hand builds kayaks that are works of art. His attention to detail in creating this open-plan Scandinavian style interior is unmatched. After purchasing, we spent several months having the exterior fully refurbished by professionals, including re-caulking, repairing panel damange and painting it a custom multi coat copper color. 

We bought this Airstream to (1) serve as a guesthouse at our home and (2) be a family weekend adventure mobile. It has served well in both of these functions. However, the health of our aging parents has made the use of it as a guest house almost impossible. As much as we love the Airstream, we need to sell it to create a more accessible option for them. We know that this Airstream will appeal to a very specific person, like it did to us. Every decision in the design and construction considered sustainability and has a story behind it.

If you would like to read the construction blog, see more photos or dive deeper into the details please visit the website created for this Airstream: http://www.larkandleigh.com

Details
• 1976 airstream Argosy
• Approximately 150 sf
• Fully refinished exterior in 2016
• Modified futon to fit front space and provide sleeping for two additional people
• Custom drapes on original window tracks
• Original windows
• Original awning
• Modified original table with added thick live edge
• Highly efficient and EPA-approved Kimberly Wood Stove
• Invented device to thermo-siphon hot water to the adjacent small water heating tank which also includes solar and electric inputs for when the stove isn't running
• Flooring is FSC certified fir from Zena Forest Products
• Counters were created from reclaimed 2x6's that were laminated, re-sawed, planed, sanded and finished with Vermont Natural Coatings Polywhey
• Hidden storage under lower counters
• Bed frame is Sitka Spruce sawed from salvaged logs and dredged from Oregon rivers
• Medium-firm natural latex mattress from Cotton Cloud Futon custom cut on curve
• Added marine hatch for vent, additional light and stargazing
• Acrylic shower stall and custom created wooden floor pan
• Origo 4100 flush mount alcohol stove as an alternative to a propane range
• Salvaged full size, double well enameled sink
• Custom-built kitchen light bar with 4 warm LED spot bulbs
• Stainless and glass 12 volt overhead lighting fixtures
• 5 cf chest freezer, converted to an extremely energy-efficient efrigerator through an external thermostat. The counter top hinges open for access.
• Solar-ready – designed and built to accommodate 540 watt PV system
• Does not have a toilet. Suggested to use a storable compostable toilet.

Full Info for Questions:

History
The off-grid Airstream is a floor-to-ceiling, complete re-imagining of a classic American coach. From the original concept of Wally Byam in 1929, Airstream has always held the forefront of the industry with it's lightweight, beautiful, streamlined design, and innovative interiors that are so cleverly designed it almost feels disrespectful to dismantle one. I'll make no claims to improving the 1976 Argosy I remodeled, but I will say that I'm pleased with the result: a spacious, Scandinavian style interior incorporating as many sustainable concepts as possible. Complications with my health and personal life mean I won't personally be installing the planned 540 watt photovoltaic electric system, but aside from that, the project is mostly complete. Follow me on a tour!

Front End
To fit the front of the trailer I modified a futon bed from Ikea. The thin metal design allowed me to hide the original water tank, new water pump, and still have room for a huge amount of storage underneath. The pull out crates allow for simple loading and unloading of supplies without the fuss of cabinets. The brand new custom drapes slide perfectly in the original tracks to completely cover the panoramic front window. JPA Drapes specializes in Airstream curtains.

Table
I modified the original folding table and added some thick edging to give it a much more substantial feel, including a live edge accent piece on the front with barnacles on it! It makes a nice little workstation/eating nook without crowding the floor plan. Yes, I'm eating breakfast out of the pan. Normal people use dishes.

Wood Stove
The ingenious Kimberly wood stove heats the trailer. Made in the USA of solid stainless steel, the Kimberly is miserly on wood but generous on heat. The gassifier design uses the equivalent of a single 8 foot 2x4 to heat the trailer on a cold night in the winter. More important than what it heats, however, is how it heats, BTU's pour out of the front and top, leaving the sides relatively cool allowing it to be tucked into spaces with tighter approved clearances than any other small woodstove. All that heat pouring out the top also makes for a great medium-hot cooking surface. Building off this surface, I invented a device to thermo-siphon hot water to the the adjacent small water heating tank which also includes solar and electric inputs for when the stove isn't running (The device is removed in the photo because it hasn't been patented yet.) Finally, the Kimberly vents to 3" pellet stove pipe which is a perfect fit for a small trailer like this, and much less expensive than a common 6" class A stack. Lightweight, durable, low wood consumption, low emissions, low clearance, high heat, cooking, hot water, and American made; all of this adds up to make the Kimberly simply the best small wood stove in the world for tiny spaces. I'll admit when I originally purchased the Kimberly the sticker price made me a little queasy. Making an EPA approved, solid stainless stove with American labor is not cheap though, and I have the utmost respect for the company not taking this project overseas. Ethical considerations aside, what really sold me was using the stove itself.

Floors and Counters
Before I go too much further, let’s take a step backward to talk about the overall design. This photo shows the finished floor and counters. The flooring is FSC certified fir from my friend Ben Deumling at Zena Forest Products. The counters were created from reclaimed 2x6's that I laminated, re-sawed, planed, sanded, and finally finished with Vermont Natural Coatings Polywhey. The warm, bright, open interior is exactly what I was hoping for. The lower counters hide two secret cabinets in front of each wheel well!

Bed
The bed is a medium-firm natural latex mattress from Cotton Cloud Futon. Natural latex costs more than an ordinary foam mattress, but it's also more comfortable with a much longer lifespan and isn't made from toxic crap and doesn't off-gas toxic vapors. The bed frame is Sitka Spruce that I sawed myself from salvaged logs. There's a lot of storage space underneath!

Marine Hatch
Directly over the bed I added this marine hatch. It serves as a vent for showering and cooking, balances the light in the darker back half of the trailer, and makes for lovely stargazing on warm nights. It's also fun just to open it up and peek out!

Shower
I'm really proud of the acrylic shower stall and wooden floor pan. This part of the project really stretched my skill set, but there was simply no other way to maintain the wide-open feel of the interior. The clear walls make the small shower feels bright and spacious. It's worth going back through the blog to read what it took to create these elements.

Stove
I chose the Origo 4100 flush mount alcohol stove as an alternative to a propane range. It might not get hot enough to fry a wok, but with a lid on the pan I never was never disappointed.

Sink
One of the things I really don't like about most trailers and tiny houses is the tiny sinks they come with so I installed this full size, double well enameled sink that I found at a salvage yard. It really doesn't take up much more space and makes life so much nicer. I usually have the dish drainer in the right hand basin and do my cooking and washing in the left.

Refrigerator
Hiding beneath the end of the countertop is a 5 cubic foot chest freezer. I ran the power through an external thermostat to create an extremely energy efficient refrigerator unit. The counter top hinges open for access.

Lighting
Finally, a space is only as nice as it's lighting. I knew I wanted LED's, but most of what I found on the market was cheesy plastic fixtures with cool white bulbs. While I did find some nice stainless and glass 12 volt fixtures for the overhead lighting, for the accent lighting I had to start from scratch. I built this light bar over the kitchen with 4 warm LED spot bulbs and a length of aluminum channel. This fixture plus the two reading lights above the couch and a small table lamp makes perfect evening ambiance.

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