We settled on a trailer for my mother and I have to tell you straight away that it is not an Airstream. It is a 35’ Silver Streak.  Brian did a lot of research on a model that was for sale near by that had a lot of upgrades and had been well taken care of.  It had a built-in office in the master bedroom, solar system, satellite, surround sound, among many other nice amenities. Since this trailer will be boon-docked in my yard and will be a permanent home, the general floor plan and the amount of storage made it fit the bill. Home Sweet Home, Grandma!

Needing a few modifications and a minor cosmetic make-over, it made a great practice trailer for us to work on while we are still in the very early stages of the Safari total renovation. (FYI- Elvis has a brand new axle, beefed up chassis, new tanks, new sub-floor and is looking forward to getting his shell back on soon.) It will be a long time before I get to use my decorating talents on him.

For my mother to live full time in 35 feet, the Silver Streak needed to feel like a multi-room house where she could have a change of scenery throughout the day. In her home now, she spends most of her time in the bedroom, kitchen, and living room. This trailer could accommodate that; plus when the weather is good,  she will have a very nice outdoor space under the main awning. Once we are certain that she is happy in her new aluminum house, we can build a permanent deck and shade structure to protect her from the extreme desert sun.

First we needed to create more livable space in the bedroom.  The area underneath the bed was hard to reach through hinged doors (unless you lifted the mattress and bed board up). So Brian installed full length dovetailed drawers on extended drawer guides, giving the space very easy access. With all the extra useable storage, we could sacrifice the long bank of drawers against the wall (along with the metal file cabinets) and claim the space for a small swivel rocker/recliner chair and second flat screen TV.

We reconfigured the pantry with several pull-out drawers and moved the microwave in order to open up the space above the stove. We fabricated new solid surface counter and table tops, and installed a new under mount sink and faucet, which helped the appeal of the kitchen tremendously. The bathroom also got a makeover; the window treatments were updated, and the floors went from blue carpet to oak. I think my mother will be pleased.

After a visit from the electrician, a guy with a tractor, the septic guy, the Dish guy, and the A/C guy, we were ready to tow the trailer from the shop to our yard.

My permanent lawn art has arrived. My life will never be the same.