Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

hello to all that replied to my post yesterday and thanks for the warm welcome. i'm sure you hear this all the time, but what is the average cost to build your own tear? now i mean just materials only for a 4x8 benroy with alum skins. nothing fancy, this will be my first, and i like cheap. i need only raw material, cause i'm a mechanic be trade as well as a welder and sheet metal fabricator. my dad is a carpenter, between the two of us we have every tool needed plus a nice shop to work in. i will be building a little at a time of course, but was just wondering what kind of total cash i need to buget for? thanks for any help.

Monk, if you go really cheap and are a good scrounger, you could probably build for a grand, realistically, I would say to triple that number and you should be OK...of course, you can go crazy and spend double that or........
madjack

I just finished and am right at 3 grand total. I bought what I wanted over 5 months of build so it was not that bad. Once your camping in it you'll soon forget all about the price. I say build it the way you want, if you dont you will always regret the fact that just a few $$ here or there it could have been what you really wanted.
Just a thought...

Dave

Size Matters! AND those mistakes add up real fast.

It's your budget, build to match it

John

From the headline... made me think.... "how much $$$ does it cost to started?"...... NADA ... $0.00 ...

cuz you've already found it ...

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FREE WEBSITE

FREE PLANS

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FREE YOU TUBE VIDEOS of RV Crazy and a couple of big TD gatherings

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...... once you've started with that though, you'll not think of the money for materials....

Seriously, I saved the receipts for every nut and bolt and piece of wood, and it totalled right at $2000 when I got it campable. Even after this recent 'remodel' it's still much more valuable because of all the cool friends and people I've met and the mini vacations that were cheaper than therapy and drugs! haha

Getting started doesn't cost much, it's finishing that will drain your wallet.

Seriously, when I started building mine I bought like the Johnny Cash song, "One Piece at a Time." It made for slow progress and required a lot of advanced planning, but it was definitely affordable. I also built my body before the frame, the main reason was that buuilding the body was relatively cheap if I decided to abort the whole project, I wasn't out a lot of money. The other reason was space, the body didn't take up much room.

I'm at 2400 and counting. Thats with buying a door and a couple of windows from (used) from a local RV dealer and a Petcool that added $400. I think I have all materials except a few sheets of ply and the trim for the aluminum sides. I should end up between 3000 and 3200 unless I make too many mistakes or get too fancy with options.

I'm campable for $900.00 but I am "super scrounge"

I'm at about $2000 right now without the aluminum, outside trim, battery, electical stuff, new tires, and a few odds and ends. It adds up quickly...I just can't wait to camp in mine. Good luck with it.

Bobhenry love your unit.

Monk.... I'll be saying that to you real soon too.
I have built mine over the past 4 years slowly affording new machinery to build it with getting a part here and there as I needed it.

The biggest part and often the most maddning thing is planning.
You are going with plans. someone else swetted out most of that stage. But you will have changes on your unit that is to sote you.

I started to do a cost listing when I started and I have most of the rec.'s but I would guess under 3000 for mine. I used a free boat trailer for my wheels. Steve B. donated my over head cross beams.
And using LEDs is more expensive but worth it.

Just start the money will come and when it is a choice between a more important thing with that wk or months money it will sit and wait or new parts but just keep whittleling at it. One day you will have all the parts and realize that they all fit and it comes together like a butterfly from a coocone.

Mine is still not finnishes but I can now camp in it and that is the other half of the camp out finding out what works and what needs to change.

Ron D.

I just finished (well, OK, 95% finished) a 9X5 Benroy on a Harbor Freight trailer. I have an aluminum skin, and upgraded the axle and wheels to accomodate the extra width. I also added an air conditioner. I just added up all of my receipts and I ended up at $3400. Pretty much in the ball park of how others have responded.

Joe

madjack wrote:Monk, if you go really cheap and are a good scrounger, you could probably build for a grand, realistically, I would say to triple that number and you should be OK...of course, you can go crazy and spend double that or........
madjack

Sounds about right, I'm at about 3500 right now with a battery still to buy. I don't think I went crazy

I figure I'm around 2k now, including all hardware, windows, petcool, torsion axle.

Mine is pretty basic. Got the 1,800# h/f trailer on sale plus a 20% coupon, so it was around $250.. of course, the torsion axle added another $250, but this one has all the updates I want and should last me for years.

Which brings up a point. I did not cut any corners since I don't want to have a phase 2 on this one.... I will have to go over it next year and fill in some staple dimples and seams a bit better, plus another coat of latex house paint... but all in all, I am quite happy with the way it is turning out.

The curve in the front walls makes that part much more time consuming. I'm working on the second front shelf now and will post some more pics on my web page soon.. I finally got moved and my new shop set up and am making some project headway. No. 1 has been sold, ironically to a fellow who had read my first web site about the build, and first 5k trip.. His in-laws live in the next town and he drove by from out-of-state, stopped and said when I wanted to sell to let him know... He now is the proud owner of no.1.. I figure in another easy month, no.2 will be done.

Have to install windows, do a bit of work on the hatch (the gap came out a bit too large. Oh, doors will have to be fitted, and will require some work, as I made a few minor problems.. again, because I tried to put a curve in them, and I didn't have a router.... so, will have to buy some bondo and fix some 'irregularities'..

A couple of hundred for the HF 4ft trailer, about another hundred for the 1 3/8 hollowcore door floor, some plywood and pine, piano hinges and my 6 footer is ready for 16 bucks worth of house paint. Total, less then 3 bills.
Roly, king of cheap

thank all of you for you input and quick response. i do see a pattern and now have a good idea of what to buget for thanks.....this may be a "duh" moment, but what's a petcool? i envision a small ac unit.