Low Cost design contest…

[catrinka]

Just for fun I took shrugs list of parts and tried to find canadian sources to figure out a price. First off I found that most Canadian websites don't list prices. You'll see references to timbertown flyer, these are prices taken from a flyer that came to my door. The windows are the killer, definitely have to find a better source before we start to build. This is not meant to be an entry, unless you are going to run a Canadian version.


Trailer 4 x 8 canadiantire.ca 0408012P (1) $449.99 $449.99

Birch Plywood timbertown flyer (7) $49.99 $349.93
4 x 8 x 1/2'' shop grade

chrome locking L-handle go-rv.com 40229 (1) $11.99 $11.99
inside L-handle go-rv.com 43030 (1) $2.99 $2.99
HD draw pull catch go-rv.com 41730 (2) $9.99 $19.98

12x18 slider windows go-rv.com 62654 (2)$184.95 $369.90

woods double burner stove canadiantire.ca 76-2652-6 (1)$59.99 $59.99
36 qt. coleman cooler canadiantire.ca 85-3400-8 (1)$34.99 $34.99
water jug canadiantire.ca (1) $6.99 $6.99

continuous hinge 2 x 72 go-rv.com 41735 (1) $19.79 $19.79
continuous hinge 2 x 48 go-rv.com 41734 (1) $13.39 $13.39

Rustoleum Primer (2) }
Rustoleum Paint (2) } can't find a cdn. source online
rubberized undercoating (1) }

Vantage arctic oak panel timbertown flyer (4) $8.99 $35.96

Rona carpenters glue rona.ca (1) $7.99 $7.99

garrity closet lite canadiantire.ca 0653001P (2) $10.99 $21.98

R5 2 x 8 insulation sheets rona.ca (8) $9.77 $78.16

door insulation (haven't found yet)


Total $1,484.02

And this still isn't skinned!!!

[Shrug53]

<singing>Blame Canadaaaaaaa.... It's not even a real country anyway!</singing>





Sorry, too much South Park!

[Laredo]

Okay, I'd make a change here because I'm not comfortable without a spare. I'd get the $199.99 Harbor Freight Trailer : US General# NG-215
ITEM 42709-1VGA and then I'd get a spare tire from HF for $29.99.

Then I'd get a different stove.
I could get by with one of these: Harbor Fr ITEM 91613-1VGA $9.99 If you really have to have two burners, you're still only spending $20 (plus the cost of canisters, 2 for $7 at Wal-Mart).




OR if you really want something inexpensive ...

... can be had for $1.98 each from Cheaperthandirt.com (plus shipping). I have a couple of these already. You can burn Esbit tabs in them, or tealight candles, or sterno. They're Swiss army surplus. The corrugated part is the stove, and the bottle, which can be closed with a cork that comes with it, holds about a liter of water. The bottle slips into the stove, the cup turns upside down over the top, and it all snaps together with the wire handles. You can also put the cup into the stove and heat something in it directly.

Note -- Northern Tool has a trailer on for 179.99. It comes with everything except wheels. It's Item No. 12571 at their web site.

[Guest]

Houston... We've got a problem,
I agree with Cathy's point of view. There is no way our friends, north of the border, can compete with the prices here in the states. I checked the price on the following hinge:

continuous hinge 2 x 72 go-rv.com 41735 (1) $19.79

I went to the site and the closest dealer to me is in Fort Bragg, CA
A sleepy little coastal town south of here. They sell the same hinge for 12.09.

[mikeschn]

Cathy,

What you have to do is get a trailer built and registered in Canada. Then come to the states, bolt together a teardrop at US prices, set it on your canadian trailer, and drive home! Sounds like you'd save a bunch of money!

Mike...

[catrinka]

There is a place just south of me that sells used rv parts. I'm sure if I went there that I would be able to find windows cheaper. I also won't have the expense of stove, cooler, etc. We seem to have a surplus there. Neither one of our ex's wanted camping stuff so we have 4 stoves and about the same number of coolers in various sizes. That is probably why they are ex's. I also noticed when pricing out wood that the US price is lower than the Cdn price for BC wood. Go figure!

[mikeschn]

One thing that I realized after doing my materials list is that the bulk of the price in not in the shell... it's in the hardware and accessories.

So having a used RV supply source is a good thing! And for the shell, it's still a lot of work, even if it doesn't cost that much!

Mike...

[mikeschn]

Looks like we are going to have to revise the prize, as the "CD of plans" is not going to be available. So we've still got those two lights... plus we are working on the second part of that prize for you. We are reviewing the prize thread where you guys and gals have been sending ideas... plus if you have any other ideas, now's the time to let us know!!!

Mike...

[Shrug53]

Catrinka, I do not know how customs laws and things work, but a lot of what was on my list can be mail ordered. Couldn't you mail order stuff and have it shipped? Also I do not know how far you are from the border, but if you were close enough you could come in to the states and pick things up.

A fellow in my car club does that. He drives in to New York to get parts for his US built Ford truck.

Just a thought.

[Eric Adams]

There is a place just south of me that sells used rv parts. I'm sure if I went there that I would be able to find windows cheaper. I also won't have the expense of stove, cooler, etc. We seem to have a surplus there. Neither one of our ex's wanted camping stuff so we have 4 stoves and about the same number of coolers in various sizes. That is probably why they are ex's. I also noticed when pricing out wood that the US price is lower than the Cdn price for BC wood. Go figure!

How do the border guards like people dragging wood, etc across the border to Canada? Buy it here just over the border then haul all the wood back in your new US-bought Harbour Freight trailer...

[catrinka]

The nearest US city to me is probably Great Falls Montana and that is a 10 hour drive. You also have to remember that a US dollar is not equal to a Cdn dollar. You have to add another 30% to the US price to get the price in Cdn dollars. And there is a certain amount that you are allowed to bring back, think right now its $500 in Cdn. dollars/year. As for ordering, that will work for some things but when you work in the exchange rate and the shipping costs its not always the best deal.
For now we'll just have to find better sources up here.

[Shrug53]

Another thought, maybe you could have a friend in the states pick up the stuff and UPS it to you.

[Laredo]

I sat down and figured and figured and figured.
I think Shrug's gonna be tough to beat.

[Rick R]

I'm not throwing this in as a serious entry, just as an example of whats possible if someone was willing to go to extreme lengths to save money. Its also a take-off on what I'm planning for my Love Shack, but taken to a silly extreme.

299...Harbor freight trailer
5...Gas used to go pick up the HF trailer from the trucking company, because they could not get a tractor-trailer in where I live
0...gas stove and 5-gallon water jug from existing camping supplies
100...latches, hinges, safty glass and/or plexiglass, 12v lights, and car battery, all gotten from junk and scrap yards...probably less than 100
0...windows...see "wood"
0...doors...see "wood"
0...hatch...see "wood"
40...screws from Lowe's
17...Titebond II Premium Wood Glue, gallon
0...home-made wood filler putty (Titebond + sawdust)
10...sandpaper, assorted, a good supply
40...exterior paint, stain, or varnish
10...Wood, from salvaged skids and boxes gotten for "FREE"...Actual cost maybe 10 worth of gas for the car.
521 Total

The entire camper would be made from recycled wood gotten from "free" skids and shipping boxes. By looking and asking around, lots of these things can be found, in sizes up to 12 by 12 feet, and maybe even larger. Granted, a lot of the wood is junk as far as building much is concerned, but by looking thru the pieces a lot of re-usable wood can be gotten. And the rest can always be used for firewood. A friend and I once used this method to reframe the doorways and replace a pair of doors on a large two-car garage, when we were both strapped for cash. The new doorframes were far stronger than the old ones ever were, and supported the heavier new doors with no sag at all. And the new doors were basicly a framework, to which overlapping wood slats were screwed. Afterward people kept asking us why we would spend so much money making such a fancy new door for run-down old garage. They could not believe that the only money we spent on it was for some screws to put it together with.

It would take more time, and a lot of work, but the same could be done to build a teardrop or tiny trailer. And most of the normally-expensive hardware could be found in junkyards and scrapyards for next to nothing, except for the effort of finding and removing them. And that includes glazing for the windows, which would be put into wood frames.

So the whole trailer could be made for under 500, with a brand new HF trailer. Or for far less, if you can pick up a scrapable pop-up with a decent frame and wheels. A good scavenger, maybe using a bit of "horse trading", could even get the paint, glue, and screws for next to nothing, by using other people's leftovers, while maybe getting rid of some of their own leftovers. I could see doing an entire trailer for well under 200 bucks this way.

Would this be a reasonable thing for an average person to try? No. Most, including myself, would not have all the skills, connections, and abilities to pull it off completely. But most have enough of these things to at least bring the costs down by a fair amount, if they try to. For example, I will be "skinning" my Love Shack with recycled wood from skids, making wooden windows and doors with recycled glazing, roofing it with recycled "tin" roofing, and maybe---if I can find them--using old lockable door knobs for the doors. By using recycled materials where they would fit in with the design, I'm hoping to keep the total project cost under 800 dollars. Thats far from free, but shaves a great deal off the "normal" cost of building one.

[mikeschn]

Rick,

Thanks for posting those thoughts... It shows how low you really can go if you a good at scavenging... I'm sure Chip could come up with some really low numbers too doing it that way. While it won't qualify for contest, it'll certainly give people an idea what they can do if they really want to.

Thanks

Mike...

P.S. I actually thought for the contest there would me more homemade stuff like home made windows etc. While the materials have to be bought at the store to qualify for the contest, homemade windows would probably be cheaper than purchased ones.