Newbies about to build in Michigan!

[casadelamour]

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to post a quick intro. We are starting a teardrop build which we've named "Casa Del Amor" ("The House of Love"). My boyfriend, Greg, is an engineer and I (Sarah) a Realtor. We've done a lot of home improvement projects together and we're really excited to build our teardrop!

This all began with our desire to haul a new kayak and mountain bikes behind Greg's VW GTI. We usually tent camp and actually never expected to want to trailer camp but all of a sudden, the idea of building our own teardrop was all we could think about!

We've been researching the forums for a while now and I'm sure we'll need some help along the way! Looking forward to corresponding with everyone!

[Roly Nelson]

Hi Sarah, welcome this the forum, the best one on the net, you need not look any further. Good for you, stepping up from a tent and into a teardrop of your own design and efforts. There are free plans on this board, all kinds of helpful building hints and many former builders anxious to answer any of your questions about what you are about to accomplish. You will soon find out that teardrop and tiny trailer people are a special breed. All of our activities are outside of our rigs, and it is common for us to strike up new friendships very quickly. If you have a chance, do attend a TD gathering there in your neck of the woods.

As a matter of fact, the head knocker of this board, lives right there in your home state. (I think his name is Mike.... :-) Check out all of the build info, the Hall of Fame and the various areas that interest you. There is a great Teardrop group called Tear Jerkers back there and nation wide, and you will probably be hearing from some of them, asking you to attend a local get-together. Do touch bases with other TDers and builders, they have a wealth of info, and a look-see is worth a thousand words. Good luck on your build, and on your maiden voyage, swing on out West and visit, the coffee is always on.
Roly, the li'l ol' So Calif woody guy.

[AlgoDan]

Hello and welcome aboard. This site will give you all you need for your build. What style/design do you plan to build? Good Luck and post pics as you build

[Tabazooron]

Welcome to the group. You might also check out the Tear Jerkers link and sign up. The Great Lakes Chapter(and others close by) is active and there's a GIANT gathering in Indiana this July. Gret chance to see a whole bunch of ideas, even if you think you're done building by then...lol
Again, Welcome to the group.

[casadelamour]

Thanks so much for the welcome! I didn't know Mike was from Michigan! I should have known...all good things come from the mitten state

I'm definetly going to check out the tearjerkers chapter! It'd be great to meet up and see some of the builds in person!

We are on somewhat of a tight timeframe and so some if the bells and whistles may have the be completed after this camping season. Here are some planned highlights of our build:

Teardrop style
Built on 4x8 frame (but TD will be 10' at its widest point)
Skin - totally undecided! We really love woodies but now we are considering wood sides and aluminum top so only time will tell!
4x3 "moonroof"
Bars on top for our kayak
Mountain bikes either at front or on receiver hitch

As I write this, we are leaving harbor freight and on our way to Menards! Lol! Hope to have the build journal up tonight or tomorrow

[Jdw2717]

Thanks so much for the welcome! I didn't know Mike was from Michigan! I should have known...all good things come from the mitten state

Ha, me too. Oscoda, many moons ago.

While I am a newbie poster myself, I lurked here for over a year before I started my build. I am now in the finishing stages and assure you that I would not have been able to do it without the information (and the many pictures) from this board. I think I looked at over hundred build threads and stole a bunch of my design from the folks on here. So look, learn, steal (ideas) and good luck with your build.

[casadelamour]

Just testing uploading a picture.... Yes, he's building that in the living room! Yikes! This build has moved to the garage now, thankfully!

[Vedette]

I will second that Welcome from B.C.
This is an easy forum to get hooked on!
Good Luck with your build!
Brisan & Sandi

[Junkboy999]

Wow that is a rare and scary sights. An Engineer with a tool in his hands. At least he looks like it is being
supervised closely.


As Roly stated above, everybody looks into a Teardrop for different reasons. They can adapt to just about any
use. For the life of me I can’t figure out why I still carry a small tent and sleeping bag inside my TD. I guess a
storage closet is a good use for one too. Enjoy your build, have fun and post pictures. And a big welcome

[mezmo]

Hi casadelamour Personas,

Welcome to this very friendly and helpful forum.

Just wanted to pass along, that U-Haul is a source
to get a hitch for the VW GTI. We had one put on
our 2007 VW Rabbit there last year.

Good luck with the designing and building.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo