Budget Breakdown: He Singlehandedly Gave a ’76 Airstream a Redwood Reinvention for $180K

Stacey McLachlan
·1 min read

Buena Vista Van Co founder David Horner puts his skills to the test as he kits out a vintage camper for full-time living in Santa Barbara.

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 and Darian had to do a big cull of their belongings to make Airstream life work, but smart storage solutions mean they've adapted to small-space living well.
David and Darian had to do a big cull of their belongings to make Airstream life work, but smart storage solutions mean they've adapted to small-space living well.

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.

While there are potlights here, David and Darian rarely turn on the overhead light.
While there are potlights here, David and Darian rarely turn on the overhead light.
The dining table iss made out of salvaged wood from David's childhood home. "My parents were remodeling our home and had a pile of old cabinet pieces," he says. "I sanded them down to find beautiful old growth Douglas fir and made our table and cutting board out of it."
The dining table iss made out of salvaged wood from David's childhood home. "My parents were remodeling our home and had a pile of old cabinet pieces," he says. "I sanded them down to find beautiful old growth Douglas fir and made our table and cutting board out of it."

See the full story on Dwell.com: Budget Breakdown: He Singlehandedly Gave a ’76 Airstream a Redwood Reinvention for $180K
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