Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I'm trying to get my head around the door issue.

On the one hand, I like the flexibility and shape of home made doors - I can make them look swanky and be whatever size I want them to be. This is important because I would like to have a step inside the trailer onto which I can take off and leave shoes without getting things dirty. (I'd build up 9" to provide some boxy storage under the mattress, but leaving that hollow beside for dirty footwear... if that makes sense). I want to be able to easily sweep out the bottom step right outside with no lip; the door could be designed to simply close onto edge of the step.

Now, a pre-made door would simplify construction, but there are two problems. One, all I can find so far are 26" x 36", and I'd like a taller door (because I'd put it low to that step I was mentioning). A 36" tall door would not look good on a 60" tall trailer. The other problem would be the frame, which would not allow me to easily sweep out the foot well.

The pre-mades (if I can even find them in the size I want, 26" by, say, 48" or 54" or something like that) would be a bit pricier, which now becomes an issue if you're following the travails of my trailer base purchase.

But I'm worried about the mechanics of building the door. It seems... finicky to me. I build houses, so I have some skills, but still... handles, hinges, etc etc.

So the question: are home built doors really that hard to make? I imagine they'd be the same sandwich as the chassis. But what about trim and gaskets and such. ANd what stops the door on the inside? I imagine I could simply extend out the interior 1/4" finish ply to backstop it, but I see problems with that too.

Alternatively, where can I find some oversized doors?

I'll also say that this video outlines a great way to cut out and mount the doors. I'm just not sure it addresses all of my concerns, re: backstopping and weather stripping.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMllRnIkFAo

Edit: This video (the same in the series linked to, above) has details for the door stop. It all seems very detailed, and a LOT of work to me.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAT-O0oamgA[/youtube]

I found that doors are not that hard to build. It just takes a lot of time and can be expensive. The best piece of advice that I can give is to understand your complete door assembly before you start building the door.

Things to consider are:

1. Decide where you want to place the door seals. Typically doors seal against the sidewall, seal against an inner jamb/doorstop, or both.
2. Allow space for the seals. Seals typically should be not be compressed more than 25% to 33%.
3. Assuming your door is the same cross-section as your sidewall, decide if you want the door to be on the same plane or "flush" with the sidewall, or if it is okay for the door to be offset.
4. Decide what type of hinge you want to use - piano hinge, strap hinge, etc.
5. Decide what type of door lock/latch you're going to use - "slam" latch, RV door lock, etc.

Below is a sketch of how I built my door:



My doors and sidewalls are constructed in the same manner/thickness. I offset my door 1/8" outward of the plane of the sidewall to allow room for seals. I used a 1/8" spacer on the sidewall side of the hinge to get the offset. (I had planned on using a two seals; however, the outer seal worked so well that I never installed the inner seals.) All sides of the door, including the hinge side, have t-molding. If t-molding is installed on the hinge side of the door, a piano hinge cannot be used. Strap hinges must be used. Please note that the centerline of the hinge must be outside the outer edge of the t-molding or the door will not open.



As a side note, I used an RV-type lock. Some of these can be very difficult to fit into the door. You may want to try a mock-up before you start cutting on the door itself.

Take care,
Tom

My doors turned out to be easy to make but they are square corners. I cut out the door from the wall. The outside of the door has a 'flange' of 1x3s about 3/4" over the edge on the out side. This overlaps the exterior wall. The door fits the hole in the wall it is cut from. A 1x3 is is placed as a vertical batten next to the door and secured to the wall. This vertical batten is then hinged to the 1x3 on the door. I used another vertical 1x3 on the latch side and a horizontal 1x2 on top. The latch is a $10 locking screen door handle from a home center store. I used an aluminum siding J channel for a gutter along the top 1x2. The doors do not leak in torrential rain on the highway or ever. This without foam seal as the labyrinth on the edges works fine.

I suggest using a 1x4 through the middle and cutting the upper third of the door to make a dutch door. :-) I wish I had done that but I was having enough problems getting my trailer finished while I had the energy.

I make note that I'm not a woodworker and have limited tools. I design things to be the fastest and easiest to assemble and still work. A crude hack really.

T

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=57192&p=1034964#p1034964 I did my own, they don't leak

I suppose it depends on where you live . Here doors cost 500.00 - 600.00 each so it was far cheaper to build them myself , more fun too

aggie79 wrote:

Hi Tom,

I am going to redo my doors and I love the way you show these pictures for the design. How did you seal the gap on the hinge side on your picture?

Thanks!
Joe

PS..I sure wish I could build it again :-) So many things I would change.

The way that I did my hinges allowed for t-molding on the hinge side of the door. I used D-shaped weather seal around the perimeter of the door on the leg of the t-molding that projected beyond the door. I was going to use an inner seal too but it wasn't necessary.


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aggie79 wrote:The way that I did my hinges allowed for t-molding on the hinge side of the door. I used D-shaped weather seal around the perimeter of the door on the leg of the t-molding that projected beyond the door. I was going to use an inner seal too but it wasn't necessary.


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You rule. Thanks!

Sorry to be a pain...

I am trying to find hinges like the one in your drawing. Is this similar? It seems like it might be huge for a small door.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201498209291?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

I have scoured this site and I haven't found any links to sources for hinges like the one you used.

wingloader wrote:Sorry to be a pain...

I am trying to find hinges like the one in your drawing. Is this similar? It seems like it might be huge for a small door.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201498209291?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

I have scoured this site and I haven't found any links to sources for hinges like the one you used.

The hinge you provided the link for is very similar to the one I used. I purchased my hinges from McMaster Carr (http://www.mcmaster.com) but all they seem to have now are the stainless steel versions of the hinge. I believe the ones I used were die-cast. The hinges you referenced may be slightly larger than what I used but if so they are not substantially larger. Two hinges are sufficient for the door. I used three because I thought it looked better.