A husband and wife in the Hudson Valley convert vintage Airstreams into tiny homes that they sell for $100,000 and name after famous women

Melissa WileyNov 25, 2020, 01:26 IST

Amy and Ed sit outside their house in the Hudson Valley that they designed and built themselves.Courtesy Amy Rosenfeld

Where other people see trash, Ed Potokar and Amy Rosenfeld of Hudson Valley Airstream see treasure.
Residents of New York's Hudson Valley, the husband and wife spend their days transforming derelict Airstream trailers into tiny homes.
Since 2016, they have renovated four vintage Airstreams from the 1960s and '70s and sold them for about $100,000 apiece.
Amy and Ed name the trailers after women they admire, including Janis Joplin, Dolly Parton, and Roberta Flack.
Look inside "Roberta," a 29-foot trailer from 1973 that they spent nine months transforming from a heap of dusty 1970s furniture into a sleek, habitable space.

Amy Rosenfeld and Ed Potokar love designing spaces. Over the past decade, they've built three houses in the Hudson Valley and renovated an apartment in New York City. Now, they spend their days working on vintage Airstreams.

Amy and Ed sit outside their house in the Hudson Valley that they designed and built themselves. Courtesy Amy Rosenfeld

Amy Rosenfeld and Ed Potokar love designing spaces. Over the past decade, they've built three houses in the Hudson Valley and renovated an apartment in New York City. Now, they spend their days working on vintage Airstreams.

Co-owners of Hudson Valley Airstream, Amy and Ed scour the eastern US for out-of-commission Airstream land yachts from the 1960s and 70s and convert them into tiny modern homes.

Exterior view of 'Roberta,' a 1973 vintage Airstream. Courtesy Amy Rosenfeld

Co-owners of Hudson Valley Airstream, Amy and Ed scour the eastern US for out-of-commission Airstream land yachts from the 1960s and 70s and convert them into tiny modern homes.

"We really love to be styling the Airstreams from the late sixties to the seventies, because that's when they started making round windows. They were square before then," Amy told Insider.

Rear view of 'Roberta,' a 1973 vintage Airstream. Courtesy Amy Rosenfeld

"We really love to be styling the Airstreams from the late sixties to the seventies, because that's when they started making round windows. They were square before then," Amy told Insider.

To date, they have renovated four trailers, which they found through word of mouth and browsing Craigslist.

Exterior view of 'Roberta,' a 1973 vintage Airstream. Courtesy Amy Rosenfeld

One of their latest renovations, a 29-foot trailer from 1973 named 'Roberta,' was in such bad shape that they had to spend a month fixing it up before they could even drive it from Ohio back to the Hudson Valley.

Exterior view of 'Roberta,' a 1973 vintage Airstream. Courtesy Amy Rosenfeld

One of their latest renovations, a 29-foot trailer from 1973 named 'Roberta,' was in such bad shape that they had to spend a month fixing it up before they could even drive it from Ohio back to the Hudson Valley.

When Amy and Ed first saw Roberta, she was filled with clutter: cereal boxes, broken lawn chairs, and ripped polyester pillows, among other decaying treasures.

Interior of 'Roberta' pre-renovation. Courtesy Amy Rosenfeld

Amy has come to expect as much when purchasing vintage trailers. "It was disgusting ... They're all rotting because they've been outside for 50 years," she said.

Interior of 'Roberta' pre-renovation. Courtesy Amy Rosenfeld

Before starting on the renovation, Amy and Ed sat down to decide on a name. They chose 'Roberta' for Roberta Flack, who released her 'Killing Me Softly' album in 1973, the same year the trailer was made.

Flat lay of Roberta Flack's 1973 'Killing Me Softy' album next to keys and an Airstream key chain. Courtesy Amy Rosenfeld

Before starting on the renovation, Amy and Ed sat down to decide on a name. They chose 'Roberta' for Roberta Flack, who released her 'Killing Me Softly' album in 1973, the same year the trailer was made.

The couple has named two other Airstreams after famous female singers. Their 1969 trailer is called 'Janis,' after Janis Joplin who performed in Woodstock that year.

Photo of Janis Joplin circa 1970. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

They also renovated a 1974 trailer named 'Dolly' in honor of Dolly Parton's 1974 album 'Jolene.' "It's a way of paying homage to the years that the Airstream is from, and also honoring women that we think are awesome," Amy said.

Country singer Dolly Parton performs onstage with an acoustic guitar circa 1974. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

They also renovated a 1974 trailer named 'Dolly' in honor of Dolly Parton's 1974 album 'Jolene.' "It's a way of paying homage to the years that the Airstream is from, and also honoring women that we think are awesome," Amy said.

Name chosen, Amy and Ed got to work gutting the interior, removing the plumbing, shelving, floor, and 50-year-old wiring and insulation.

Interior of 'Roberta' during renovation. Courtesy Amy Rosenfeld

Next, Ed laid the floors, rewired the trailer, and replaced the interior fiberglass shell with new insulation.

Ed stands in 'Roberta' during renovation. Courtesy Amy Rosenfeld

Amy and Ed thought that their experiences building houses would prepare them for their new endeavor. But renovating an Airstream comes with a unique set of challenges, Amy told Insider. "There are no straight lines. So everything has to be custom made," she said.

Interior of 'Roberta' during renovation. Courtesy Amy Rosenfeld

Amy and Ed thought that their experiences building houses would prepare them for their new endeavor. But renovating an Airstream comes with a unique set of challenges, Amy told Insider. "There are no straight lines. So everything has to be custom made," she said.

Once Ed had updated all the plumbing and wires, he mapped out where each utility would go on the floor in blue tape, and Amy began sourcing materials and fixtures.

Interior of 'Roberta' during renovation. Courtesy Amy Rosenfeld

In total, Roberta took nine months to complete, with the majority of work taking place between April and November 2019. "When the weather is awesome, we're working really long hours ... like eight, nine hour days," Amy said.

Ed stands in the doorway of 'Betty Jean,' a 1972 Airstream. Courtesy Amy Rosenfeld

In total, Roberta took nine months to complete, with the majority of work taking place between April and November 2019. "When the weather is awesome, we're working really long hours ... like eight, nine hour days," Amy said.