Lets talk about Doors (self built vs. bought)

[DasBaldGuy]

I am sort of at stopping place until I get this door situation figured out.

I thought I would just buy 2 doors when the time came but for some reason, I am having a hard time justifying the $500-ish it will cost to buy 2 locking doors with screen/windows.

I am building this entire TD from scratch yet for some reason the idea of building the doors seems daunting (mostly whether I can get them to look ok and be watertight).

So I am open to thoughts/discussion/advice etc.

I'd love to hear from folks who have built their own doors successfully and also those who know where I might buy some doors cheaper than 2 for $500.

...as always, Rock on!

[dan galvin]

Well i thought long and hard also that is a lot of $ i made my own
3/4 ply 1/2 insul and 1/8 berch i used a panio hing t alum on the outside trim the inside with 1/2 alum angel went on line got two windows
w/screens 60$ for two two locking door handles
WALA LA TWO DOORS 100$
i found the windows by typing in[ little windows] i think it came up in e bay
make them your self its fun
see them in my album
Dan

[doug hodder]

I've built my own doors on 4 going on 5 and the last one is a standy. I only did single wall ply on the first 4. I've found that once you cut them, lay them flat out of the way till you are ready to install them. Don't lean them against the wall in the garage, they will want to cup. Once you get the window installed, and if you use Grants door hinge, it really stiffens them up. Make sure you allow some clearance for the weatherstripping, I do an outer flange with stripping on it, and don't get carried away with the weatherstripping. While thick may seem like the way to go, it will cause the door to bow under pressure while closed at the latch. A uniform allowance around the door is much better.

I know that Danny trims around his doors with J moulding and it really helps with road splash. I'm doing that on the Nomad. On a tear, I put a small splash strip along the bottom on the interior to keep any spray from working it's way in from the bottom of the door.

To each his own, but I figured If I can make all the rest of it, I can do the doors too. No reason you can't. Seal all the edges, I do mine so that when it's done, once painted, it looks like it is molded, no sign of wood grain. If you do a metal trim around either the door or the body...seal the ply as well. Metal trim doesn't stop the water alone. Just my opinions. Doug

[hugh]

A friend gave me an old door from a motor home he had stripped. The wood was pretty rotten from standing around outside but the alum frame and the window were OK. So I stripped it down to reuse those pieces, all it took was some cutting on the frame. Add 2 new pieces of plywood and all it really cost was a new locking door handle. Maybe look around your area and see if you can find a junkyard with old motorhomes and then you will find the pieces to make your own.

[bobhenry]

Took a felt marker a framing square and a 9" dinner plate and layed out mine. Grabbed the saw and instant doors. My 3/4 internal wall framing was added as a stop and the door closes on 1" of it.

The one thing I wish I had done is to have made them a standard size so that down the road I could retro add the factory built doors if I were to hit the lottery.

[Dan & Julie CO]

WoW I am going through the same thing stressing, on the same thoughts
the bottom line is like you I can't afford the $500.00 price tag I purchased stanley strap hinges the chunky ones I just have to move foward funny thing is I install shutters w/ door panels for a living

I'll let you know how I do. I was suppose to build the door this weekend
but work came our way, "that's a good thing"I will have to work on this during the week between school bus routes
don't be discouraged get to hammering make some saw dust

[Grid Runner Adventures]

i am gearing up to build my first camper. i am going to seek out a junkyard camper/motorhome and if one cannot be found i will have to take a crack at it myself i guess. craigslist and freecycle are the places to hit up for camper doors/windows i think though.

[stomperxj]

Check out my build thread. I built my own from 1/2" outer, 1x2 frame and 5.2mm inner skin. Pretty easy to build really. Just make sure they are built flat and use a lot of clamps....

[Toytaco2]

If you can build the rest of the TD and the hatch, you can do the doors too. If I can do it, you certainly can. I think building the doors yourself won't be any harder than cutting a perfectly sized hole in your walls for the factory built ones. Besides you can have your choice of windows if you build your own. Just my opinion.

Good Luck Mike

[Mike_La]

I opted for these cargo doors.



I added a door latch and a RV window. Makes for an easy installation.
After the door latch striker is set in place, I'll remove the thumb latches and fill the holes with a decorative button.

[afreegreek]

unless it wouldn't fit the look, I'd go for the factory made one.. they're pretty hard to beat.. OH, and there's no rule against cladding the door and the trim with wood either. I've done a faux raised panel door face on an aluminum door (on a boat) and you'd never know till you saw the edge.

[parnold]

I also opted for the cargo door, bought for 20.00 plus 15.00 shipping on ebay. I have not gotten a window for it yet, but eventually will. Building my own door was the most feared thought when first thinking about building my tear.

[absolutsnwbrdr]

I'm with Paul... building and sealing the doors was the part that scared me the most about construction! I feel that I have a good game plan for the galley hatch seal, but the side doors was another issue. I ended up blowing about 1/3 of my budget on the "drop down feed doors", but I think in the end it will have been worth it.

[Kevin & Sandy]

FEAR NOT the building of the doors !!!!

I had a guy look at the door of my TD and said, "See, something like this I could never figure out!" 2 years ago I would have maybe said that too. I just had to realize it was one piece at a time, one step at a time etc.
Do some searches, look at some photos and take your time.

Put a plan together, or a little trial and error never hurt either !!

[Newman39Fan]

I too have considered the pre-made doors. I think I have decided to build my own. Not because of the cost, although I am like some on here that $500 would be 1/3 of the budget! But when you add up the cost of the handle, aluminum trim, hinge, paint/stain, etc. it is really not that much more for the amount of time and worry these would save. The reason I have decided against them is the design. The prevailing design I have seen is that the bottom of the doorjamb should be mounted 1/2 the height of your mattress. So if you use a 4-inch mattress, the bottom of the door should be 2 inches from the bottom of the trailer. This will allow you to enter/exit the TD by sitting up without the door jamb cutting/pressing into the bottom of your legs. However if you follow this design with the pre-made doors I see a major issue. The windows on these doors slide open from the bottom. Therefor the mattress and your bedding are now covering most of the screen window defeating the purpose. In addition to this I can see a nighttime rainstorm sneaking up on me before I have a chance to close the window and now my blanket and mattress are soaked. In order to avoid this you would have to mount the door higher, but it would then cut/press into your legs making it uncomfortable to get in and out. So unless anyone can make an argument against my concerns, I will build my own. And please feel free to make this argument, as these doors do look sweeeet!