I ordered a 15 gallon fresh water tank, pump, and 6 gallon grey water tank from www.etrailer.com. The pump and fresh water tank will sit below the larger bed (seen in the picture to the right) and the grey water tank is under the sink. It's more portable for easy emptying. I have the sink and faucet and still need to get the shower wand for the back. I am hopeful I can figure out how to make this work without a plumber. I know how I want to set it up, but don't know if it will work. The plug for the pump is long enough to connect to either the AC outlet in the back or the battery-powered outlet in the back (if I want to have water pressure when I'm "off the grid."
The sink base is pretty much like the rest of my framing. Functional. But the top came out nicely. It's made from scraps of a wood slab we used at the shop. There was enough for the countertop, a backsplash, and a "sidesplash." I used Watco Butcher Block oil on the surfaces (even a couple coats on the backs/bottoms,) sanding between coats with 320 grit sandpaper, because it was the finest I had. I think I ended up with four coats on the sides that may see some wear and tear.
I have an electrician friend who I called on for this part because it's another area I didn't want to tackle myself--especially being inside a metal shell. It won't be a terribly complicated setup. We're going with 30 amp service with an RV hookup port. There will be three outlets inside, a breaker box with two 20 amp breakers, and some interior lighting with a switch. This process overlapped some with the insulation and interior walls since we needed to plan the interior in conjunction with the electrical. There will be two outlets under the rear bed. One will connect to the battery and one to the 20 amp circuit. So, at a campground, I can plug the refrigerator and one other item into the campgrounds electrical hookup.
What began as a "simple" project grew more complicated when my friend suggested using a solar power/battery system to power everything but the A/C and one outlet for a heater. That meant more research for me because I was uncertain about what capacity system I'd need to power everything in the camper. And, I don't know how long the batteries would be able to continue powering everything. But, one add-on I did get through talking with him about solar was a neat trailer tongue storage container. His thought was using it for the batteries, but if I don't go the solar route, it could store the cable for hooking to campground power, etc... It's actually too large for the current tongue setup due to where my jack is located. But, I am going to talk to a welder about moving the jack. Here's a link to the storage box.
Here's a picture of the solar panels and storage box. The panels are hinged and have 50lb hydraulic lifters (from a VW New Beetle) that raise them up. To put them at anything other than a 0 degree or 90 degree tilt, I'll have to use a bungie cord or something to stop them at a desired angle. They have since been connected to the battery and I put in a small battery monitor that shows the amount of charge remaining, the voltage, and the temperature (I assume of the battery but it could be the outside air.) We also installed the Campground 30amp hookup in the right side of the box along with an outlet that I can plug the into that will allow everything in the trailer to run off campground power.
We went with two 3" "pancake" lights, both mounted in the angled corner between the wall and the ceiling. One is above the door and one above the sink area. They allow you to adjust the color temperature to five different settings. I think we're sticking with 5,000K. The outside light was the most aerodynamic one I could find in a 120V configuration. It's shown in the photo on the left.
My electrician friend came back for the final installs and wiring. We
spent a lot of time on this project, probably more in the thinking and planning than in the actual work, but it came together nicely. There is an outlet in the back that runs on campground power and one that runs on battery. There is one above the back bed that will be for the television. There is also an outlet below the electrical panel as seen in the picture on the right.
In the end, I paid $300 for electrical help, which was worth it for his experience and ideas. I know that in terms of the time he spent on the job, I definitely got a good deal. It may have gone quicker had I had a good idea of how everything would be laid out before we started.
This page is about the framing of the beds, cabinets, etc... The walls are addressed here. The plan is to have one bed across the back of the trailer, above the refrigerator and some cabinets/storage areas. This bed is 30" x 69". A second bed, 30" x 75", will be on the far wall, across from the entry door. It will have storage underneath as well.
The cabinets under the smaller bed will be accessed from inside and some from outside. On the right, I am putting in a slide out shelf that will hold a two burner propane grill and could store a generator underneath it, if I decide to carry one. I've started putting some small shelves in the back too for whatever I decide should go there.
Installing the insulation and wall covering was the first order of business. I went with 3/4" foam board (R-value of 3.8) and a layer of Reflectix reflective roll insulation, with an air gap between because I keep seeing to do that. So, the foam board will be glued to the metal to maintain the gap.
I initially cut the foam board with an X-acto knife and a 4' metal "yardstick" that kept me cutting fairly straight. Later, I got a quality box-cutter with a wider blade that was less likely to curve. I would do a small incision first, to get my path, then go back and cut the board more deeply with the first cut helping guide the second. It usually didn't cut fully through on the second cut, so I'd hold up one end of the board and let it sort of open up the gap and I'd run the blade through to cut that final thin layer of foam.
Despite my careful measuring, I seemed to have to trim most of the pieces once I got them into the trailer. Some areas had braces that required a little extra workaround, but in general, it came together fairly easily. I managed to only cut my fingers (thumb, actually) once but it was a pretty deep cut that took about ten days of Neosporin and band-aids to heal.
A can of Great Stuff insulating foam would fill the gap between the bottom of the foam board and the subfloor. I'd forgotten how much that stuff expands and what I left to dry had tripled in size by the time I returned a few hours later. That was fine, though. I took my blade and just trimmed off anything that came up above the subfloor level.
Installing the Reflectix roll insulation (it's basically bubblewrap inside of two space blankets) was fairly easy but really would have been better with two people. I could have used someone to hold it up as I applied the Reflectix foil tape, but I managed to do ok on my own. I checked with the company to see what they thought of my intended insulating plan and they said if I didn't have a good way to attach it beside the metal wall, this was the next best way. The lady who responded said my R-value in the walls would be 6.0. That's not bad. It will be the same in the ceiling, I suppose, since I'm doing the exact same thing. That's not great for a ceiling, but it's better than a tent's R-value. As this layer goes on, the inside of the trailer is starting to look like a lunar lander.
A year ago, a RV repair business was beside our Campfire Homes facility. They outgrew their location and had to move elsewhere in Lenoir. I was not comfortable doing myself because it involved cutting into the metal and welding and a mistake would be very difficult to repair. So, I contacted Chris with General RV Repair and asked them about putting the windows and a door latch in. They also had a used A/C unit that I had them install. The total for all three of these items was just under $1,750, including tax, labor, and shop supplies. Remember, I had already purchased the windows for $350.
The windows are sliders but also open completely for emergency exit. Note: The door latch they installed (removing the bar that would allow me to be locked into the camper) also has a deadbolt. It's pretty solid.
Now time to get my electrician friend to help me put in some lights, outlets, and get that A/C running.
$1,000 Trailer
$ 350 Windows
$ 500 Window Installation
$ 500 Roof-mounted A/C
$ 150 A/C Installation
$ 300 Door latch & Installation
$ 300 Taxes and Materials
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$3,350 Current Total
This will be a recurring part of the process. There's only so much that can be done on CAD and no matter how many measurements I make, I'm sure I'll have to make adjustments on the fly. It appears that I have 5'9" of width, 11'7" of length, and about 5'11" of height to work with before any paneling. One thing that is pretty hopeful for me is that I can lay out the interior with at least one bed along the short, back wall. I'm 5'7", so it's gonna be close.
I went through many revisions of several different layouts, one including an inside toilet/shower. I knew in all the plans, I wanted a mini-fridge and microwave. A TV is easy to add because it doesn't have to be wall mounted. I also wanted two beds and some storage. For a time, I had a deck that folded out from the back doors, I tried putting the kitchenette on the back, accessed through the rear doors, and many other features that wouldn't make the final cut for one reason or another.
The primary usage for the trailer is intended to be something to take to races. I don't know if my wife will ever stay in it--it certainly hasn't drawn her interest so far--but a friend might come along, hence the second bed as opposed to a larger, single bed. I was concerned about finding a mattress that would work since there are standard sizes, but I located a company that does custom sized foam mattresses for not-unreasonable prices. It's not memory foam, but hopefully they are reasonably comfortable for a night or two.
So, as of this writing, the final plan has a bed along the back wall, elevated at 3'. Below that is a cabinet, mini-fridge, and a water-holding tank for the adjacent sink. A shower "wand" for rinsing off will be accessible when you open the back doors. There will also be a small storage area for miscellaneous items I don't want in the main living space. Back inside, below the sink will be a grey water holding tank. Under the second (and longer) bed will be storage. The TV will be sitting on a small storage cabinet by the foot of the short bed. The long bed will double as a sofa for watching the TV (which will only have an OTA antennae and maybe a DVD player. On the right, as you walk in, will be a tall cabinet that can handle some hanging items and a night stand for the long bed. There may also be some wall cabinets along that front wall.
When pressure washing didn't get all of the black "stuff" off of the side, I realized I'd have to repaint the trailer walls at some point. Getting the non-profit's decals off was a challenge until I got a bottle of spray Goof-Off and let that soak in for a minute. A razor blade pulled the decals right off with minimal effort.
It wasn't until I got onto a ladder that I realized the metal roof had rust on it. I sanded that off and started with a good coating of oil-based metal primer. I also picked up some Flex Seal and may actually consider covering the entire top with that in hopes that a rubbery surface would hold less heat than the metal roof. I also sanded and primed the wheel wells.
Here's a picture of the solar panels and storage box. The panels are hinged and have 50lb hydraulic lifters (from a VW New Beetle) that raise them up. To put them at anything other than a 0 degree or 90 degree tilt, I'll have to use a bungie cord or something to stop them at a desired angle. They have since been connected to the battery and I put in a small battery monitor that shows the amount of charge remaining, the voltage, and the temperature (I assume of the battery but it could be the outside air.) We also installed the Campground 30amp hookup in the right side of the box along with an outlet that I can plug the into that will allow everything in the trailer to run off campground power.
spent a lot of time on this project, probably more in the thinking and planning than in the actual work, but it came together nicely. There is an outlet in the back that runs on campground power and one that runs on battery. There is one above the back bed that will be for the television. There is also an outlet below the electrical panel as seen in the picture on the right.
The cabinets under the smaller bed will be accessed from inside and some from outside. On the right, I am putting in a slide out shelf that will hold a two burner propane grill and could store a generator underneath it, if I decide to carry one. I've started putting some small shelves in the back too for whatever I decide should go there.
A year ago, a RV repair business was beside our Campfire Homes facility. They outgrew their location and had to move elsewhere in Lenoir. I was not comfortable doing myself because it involved cutting into the metal and welding and a mistake would be very difficult to repair. So, I contacted Chris with General RV Repair and asked them about putting the windows and a door latch in. They also had a used A/C unit that I had them install. The total for all three of these items was just under $1,750, including tax, labor, and shop supplies. Remember, I had already purchased the windows for $350.
