Airstream Over the Eichlers - Page 2

Then the family's search for an Airstream began. After scouring for-sale ads, they stumbled across a 21-foot 1973 Airstream Globetrotter Land Yacht on eBay.

"I recognized the buildings in the background of the ad—it was downtown Concord," Kevin says. "Who would have guessed that we landed on an Airstream two miles from our home!"

The next hurdle was preserving a favorite Canary Island Date Palm that blocked access to their Eichler's backyard, Kevin recalls. Estimates ran up to $15,000 to move the tree 12 feet, he says, whereas hiring a crane was about one third of the price.

So they recruited a local crane company to hoist the Airstream. "It was the week before Christmas, in 2021," he says. "We invited everyone to come out and watch, since it's not every day an Airstream goes sailing over your house!

"The truck took up the entire street, and it looked like it had 18 to 20 wheels on it. They loaded it up with about 38,000 pounds of weight [for ballast], as the boom extended out 120 feet."

Imagine the tension when the crane operator got on his microphone and shouted, "Are you sure this is going to fit into your backyard? Did you calculate the roof overhang?" Kevin was sure. "I had a slab poured where the wheels were going to be," he says. "We got lucky that it all fit."

Renovations to the Airstream included replacing the subfloor and installing the same Armstrong VCT flooring as in their Eichler, building a desk, and installing banquet seating and a drop-down table.

Since Kevin's parents were not used to Concord's hot summer weather, the Wasniewskis also installed six HVAC mini-splits in their home, "which required putting massive holes in our drywall and exterior siding. It's an art to put mini-splits in your house so the line-sets don't destroy the look of your house." There was also a siding shortage at the time, just one of several snafus.

Happily, it all eventually came together, and in March 2022, Kevin's parents moved into the family's Eichler digs, where they now appreciate the comforts of an updated master suite. And out back in the Airstream, Kevin is enjoying his hideaway office retreat.

"Covid made us nervous thinking we may never see my parents again. But now my son's a part of their life, and they're a part of his," Kevin says. "My mother helps my son with his homework, and he reads to her each night. I think my wife is a saint for allowing all of this to happen."

As they say, "Life is not easy. Life is not perfect. Life is good."