Mountain Life
  • Daily Content
    • Trips & Expeditions
    • Climbing
    • Mountain Biking
    • Mountain Lifer
    • Multiplicity
    • On The Trail
    • Paddling
    • Photography
    • Skiing
    • Snowboarding
    • Stay & Play
    • Surfing
    • The Great Outdoors
    • The ML Interview
    • Travel
  • GEAR
  • VIDEOS
  • STORE
  • Magazines
    • ML Coast Mountains
    • ML Rocky Mountains
    • Vie En Montagne
    • ML Blue Mountains
    • ML Annual
    • ML Subscriptions
  • ABOUT
    • What is ML?
    • Our Team
    • Newsletter
    • Adventure Grant
    • Distribution
  • Podcast
  • Contests
  • CONTACT
    • ML Agency
    • Advertising
    • Contribute
Subscription Form

Get notified of the best News

Social Links
Instagram 22K Followers
Facebook 0 Likes
Twitter 0 Followers
Pinterest 1K Followers
Vimeo 34 Followers
LinkedIn 0
22K Followers
0 Likes
0 Followers
1K Followers
Mountain Life
Mountain Life
  • Daily Content
    • Trips & Expeditions
    • Climbing
    • Mountain Biking
    • Mountain Lifer
    • Multiplicity
    • On The Trail
    • Paddling
    • Photography
    • Skiing
    • Snowboarding
    • Stay & Play
    • Surfing
    • The Great Outdoors
    • The ML Interview
    • Travel
  • GEAR
  • VIDEOS
  • STORE
  • Magazines
    • ML Coast Mountains
    • ML Rocky Mountains
    • Vie En Montagne
    • ML Blue Mountains
    • ML Annual
    • ML Subscriptions
  • ABOUT
    • What is ML?
    • Our Team
    • Newsletter
    • Adventure Grant
    • Distribution
  • Podcast
  • Contests
  • CONTACT
    • ML Agency
    • Advertising
    • Contribute
  • Mountain Lifer

Argosy Dream: Liesl Petersen’s Groovy, Little Capsule Of Comfort

  • June 25, 2017
  • Mountain Life Media
Total
30
Shares
30
0
0
0
0
0
Total
30
Shares
Share 30
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Share 0
Share 0

It’s a tale as old as the mountain town itself —outdoor junkie falls in love with town, inflated housing market blows it out, costs jump, and the colourful locals that make up the community tapestry are forced to scramble, or get crafty.

TDP 7110Feature
Home Sweet Rolling Home. Photo: Thomas Burden

words: Brian Peech.

Sandwiched between a booming Vancouver real estate market and Canada’s marquee mountain playground, Squamish‘s rental pricing has been steadily skyrocketing and housing availability is scarcer than ever.

While that would be enough to push anyone into the tiny home movement, it was a friend in need that inspried Liesl Petersen, a local painter and muralist, to jump headfirst into her 1976 Airstream Argosy.

“She was a friend who had nowhere to go, so I was like, ‘You can move into my apartment tonight; I’m going into the Airstream.'”

Airstream 4
Photo: Thomas Burden

Having just returned from a climbing trip with her then 8-year-old daughter, Liesl pulled up her sleeves and got to work. “By the time we got home, my daughter and I were acclimatized to van life,” she says. “So we just said, ‘Let’s do it. Let’s rip this thing apart.’ I gutted it down to the bare hull, the exterior skin, and then stood there for a moment going, ‘Oh shit, what did I just do?’ But it became a blank canvas.”

“We just said, ‘Let’s do it. Let’s rip this thing apart.’ I gutted it down to the bare hull, the exterior skin, and then stood there for a moment going, ‘Oh shit, what did I just do?’ But it became a blank canvas.”

Today, the 24-foot, unassuming bullet is replete with in-floor heating (“If you’re going to have a tiled shower floor, it might as well be heated”), wood stove, and a live-edge maple countertop.

LieslAirstreamTDP 7133
Photo: Thomas Burden

There’s also a high-efficiency, washing machine that washes and dries clothing in a single cycle, a dishwasher, and a queen size bed that stashes neatly under the dinette.

As a painter, Liesl had been exposed to construction trades, but had never tackled a job like this. With help from friends, and through the expected trial and error any DIYer encounters, she set out to rivet and repair the sheet metal, install the hot water tank, do the plumbing and frame the interior.

LieslAirstream TenlyBedroom
Photo: Thomas Burden

“I had a plumber stand me up, so I ended up being on my own,” she says. “It was actually really fun, and once I got the hang of it, it’s not as terrifying as I originally expected.”

The colourful floor of the Argosy covers the entire spectrum of the rainbow, beginning with red and ending in a purple shag carpet in her daughter’s room, where Liesl gave carte blanche for her to create her very own dream space.

In fact, there was very little Liesl didn’t do on her own — something she hopes will have a lasting impact on her daughter. “Now she understands how much work, effort and planning goes into a construction project,” Liesl says. “As well as just knowing that even if you’re completely homeless and living in your van, it’s possible to be comfortable and happy.”

Airstream 6 300dpi
A family moment in a handmade home. Photo: ixostories.com

The colourful floor of the Argosy covers the entire spectrum of the rainbow, beginning with red and ending in a purple shag carpet in her daughter’s room, where Liesl gave carte blanche for her to create her very own dream space.

“She had a lot of hand in the creative process,” Liesl says. “She’s quite artistic and creative herself. It was fun to give her free run in her own bedroom, just to see what she came up with.”

LieslAirstream TDP 7098
Photo: Thomas Burden

With decorative textiles and recessed lighting, the Argosy is truly a bright and cheery piece d’art. But the biggest reward for Liesl is that she’s been able to continue living in the town she loves.

“I was able to narrowly escape a crazy housing crunch that would have definitely harmed me,” she says. “People are starting to leave town because they’re having a hard time finding a place to live. But so many people don’t realize how comfortable living simply and tiny can be.”

ML

Check the ML Podcast!

ML-podcast-cover
Total
30
Shares
Share 30
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Share 0
Share 0
Related Topics
  • Airstream
  • COAST MOUNTAINS
  • Liesl Petersen
  • Squamish
Mountain Life Media

Previous Article
  • Photography

Behind the Photo: Chris Collacott’s Brandywine Falls

  • June 23, 2017
  • Ben Osborne
View Post
Next Article
  • The Great Outdoors

Beyond the Northern Lights: Five Must-Hike Trails in the Northwest Territories

  • June 29, 2017
  • Ben Osborne
View Post
You May Also Like
John-Haines-Simcoe-Street-Collingwood2-at-CreativeSimcoe-Street
View Post
  • Mountain Lifer
  • Ontario

Tribute: ML’s Map Artist John Haines

  • Ned Morgan
  • June 1, 2023
Kathryn-Corbiere-artist-Indigenous-Ontario-Blue-Mountains
View Post
  • Mountain Lifer
  • Ontario
  • The ML Interview
  • Women

Artist Profile: Elevating Awareness 

  • Editor
  • May 29, 2023
Fisher-Monahan-illustration-illustrator
View Post
  • Mountain Lifer
  • On The Trail

Sweetgrass Chronicles: Walking from BC to San Francisco

  • Editor
  • May 26, 2023
ML-Blue-Mountains-cover-trilliums-crop
View Post
  • In This Issue
  • Mountain Biking
  • Mountain Lifer
  • On The Trail
  • Ontario
  • Paddling
  • Photography

ML Blue Mountains 20th Anniversary Issue Out Now

  • Ned Morgan
  • May 18, 2023
Cracked-Dams-removal
View Post
  • Mountain Lifer

Cracked: The Future of Dams in a Hot, Chaotic World

  • Mountain Life Media
  • May 15, 2023
jeremy-Down-artist-surfing
View Post
  • Mountain Lifer
  • Ontario
  • Surfing

Artist Profile: Jeremy Down’s Georgian Bay Series

  • Mountain Life Media
  • May 8, 2023
Bruce-Peninsula-home-Ontario
View Post
  • Mountain Lifer
  • Ontario

At Home in the Woods

  • Editor
  • May 2, 2023
mario-rigby-kayak-lake-ontario
View Post
  • Mountain Lifer
  • Paddling
  • Trips & Expeditions

ML Podcast Episode 26: Eco-Explorer Mario Rigby

  • Editor
  • April 25, 2023
Featured Posts
  • Kathryn-Corbiere-artist-Indigenous-Ontario-Blue-Mountains 1
    Artist Profile: Elevating Awareness 
    • May 29, 2023
  • Mike-Traslin-Andy-Traslin-ski-touring-KootenaysBC 2
    The Traslin Brothers: 200 Months of Earned Turns
    • May 30, 2023
  • Leslie-Timms-Devils-Glen-Nutcracker-Colin-Field 3
    Behind the Devil’s Glen Climbing Route Closures
    • May 25, 2023
  • Helly-Hansen-Oya-Shirt 4
    Father’s Day Gifts for Active Dads
    • June 2, 2023
  • Fisher-Monahan-illustration-illustrator 5
    Sweetgrass Chronicles: Walking from BC to San Francisco
    • May 26, 2023
RECENT POSTS
  • John-Haines-Simcoe-Street-Collingwood2-at-CreativeSimcoe-Street
    Tribute: ML’s Map Artist John Haines
    • June 1, 2023
  • benno_bikes-46er-sea-otter-tour-web2
    Gear Shed: Picks for Spring & Summer
    • May 24, 2023
  • Paul-Manning-Hunter-Kananaskis-River-surf
    Mountain Life Takes Home Multiple Awards
    • May 23, 2023
Social Links
Instagram 22K Followers
Facebook 0 Likes
Twitter 0 Followers
Pinterest 1K Followers
Vimeo 34 Followers
LinkedIn 0
INSTAGRAM

Warning: preg_match(): Unknown modifier '0' in /home/customer/www/mountainlifemedia.ca/public_html/wp-content/plugins/powerkit/modules/lazyload/helpers/helper-powerkit-lazyload.php on line 146
avatar
mountainlifemedia
Mountain Life
25K Followers
Here's your reminder that Father's Day is June 18th! 11 1
Check out our signature 20th Anniversary tees that just dropped in our shop! 🔥 12 0
For 15 years the Ontario artist drew ML’s gatefold map for both the Blue and Coast Mountains editions. 19 1
Just your average day on the trails…nothing to see here. #mountainlifer #onewheel 25 4
How many turns did you earn last winter? Most skiers and boarders would be proud to say they logged a week with no chairlifts and zero auxiliary help to the top—or toured exclusively for a month. 52 2
onekwe didn’t set out to become an artist. She first became a welder with the intention of establishing herself in the trade. But, as good welding jobs are few and far between where she lives on Manitoulin Island, she began doing commissions for architectural pieces and modern furniture. “From there, I found the opportunities and the abilities in myself to create art,” she says. 76 1
ML and partners offer a gear list curated for spring-summer stoke, including the latest sunnies, trail shoes, sun shirts, e-bikes, headlamps, racerback tanks, Rollerblades and sun hats. In alpha order. #linkinbio to check out all picks! 23 0
"Alright—where to begin? Between the months of July and November 2022, I walked about 2500 kilometres from British Columbia to San Francisco. Yes—I walked." 48 4
🚫The sweet sound of the wilderness at Devil’s Glen… 78 5
✨It's time for another giveaway! 73 144
Follow

Subscribe

Subscribe now to our newsletter

Here's your reminder that Father's Day is June 18th! 11 1
Check out our signature 20th Anniversary tees that just dropped in our shop! 🔥 12 0
For 15 years the Ontario artist drew ML’s gatefold map for both the Blue and Coast Mountains editions. 19 1
Just your average day on the trails…nothing to see here. #mountainlifer #onewheel 25 4
How many turns did you earn last winter? Most skiers and boarders would be proud to say they logged a week with no chairlifts and zero auxiliary help to the top—or toured exclusively for a month. 52 2
onekwe didn’t set out to become an artist. She first became a welder with the intention of establishing herself in the trade. But, as good welding jobs are few and far between where she lives on Manitoulin Island, she began doing commissions for architectural pieces and modern furniture. “From there, I found the opportunities and the abilities in myself to create art,” she says. 76 1
Mountain Life
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Advertising

Input your search keywords and press Enter.