In the planning stage...

[plectrudis]

Hello tnttt--I've been lurking for a year or two, but this is my first post.

I'm aspiring teardrop builder in the stage of narrowing my choices and listing the steps of my plan.

I'm only moderately handy/crafty--my husband's and my biggest projects so far have been some industrial-grade rose trellises made from livestock panels and 2x6s, the design and installation of our 12-zone irrigation system, and a ~1,500-gal pond that we dug ourselves. So we're not afraid of work, but when it comes to professionalism or precision... well, we've got a ways to go.

I'm hoping that the purchase of a few decent power tools + a plan that's not too fancy will result in something road-worthy, rain-proof, and cute!

I'll have a lot of questions as I go, but issues on my mind at the moment are:

(1) We want to use a real mattress, not a foam mattress. I'm thinking of making a latchable door in the bottom of the bulkhead between the galley and the cabin to allow us to install/remove a real mattress. Is this a bad idea?

(2) I LOVE the Vistabule (but not the $$$) and want lots of windows--would it be crazy/structurally unsound to put windowed doors + porthole windows in each side of cabin + a skylight in a Cubby or Grumman 5x8 type teardrop?

(3) I live in Texas, so an AC is non-negotiable--I'm debating between a ClimateRight CR5000 http://www.climaterightair.com/products/climateright-models/climateright-5000-btu-a-c-heater.html and a MUCH CHEAPER mini-window unit http://www.amazon.com/Frigidaire-FRA052XT7-000-BTU-Window-Conditioner/dp/B003F4TH6G/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden. Any guidance on the pros and cons on this would be appreciated.

(4) Is there a free or cheap program for modeling plans that's suitable for utter newbies/non-engineers? All I have access to at the moment is MS Visio--not sure if it would be worth my time to find something made for drafting.

Thanks so much for putting together this terrific forum and thanks to all the teardrop gurus who keep it packed with excellent info!

[plectrudis]

Here's a very rough not-to-scale image of what I'm thinking about:

[pchast]

Welcome!

It seems that your extra windows and skylite should add a bunch of heat in
your locality. The AC on the tongue will increase your tongue weight a bunch
You should get the balance spreadsheet and check the effect of that weight.

Check http://www.t.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=59449

[tony.latham]

We want to use a real mattress, not a foam mattress. I'm thinking of making a latchable door in the bottom of the bulkhead between the galley and the cabin to allow us to install/remove a real mattress. Is this a bad idea?

When my wife and I were almost home from Zion a couple of years ago, she turned to me and said, "It's not that big of deal to come home anymore."
"Sweeet Jesus," I said to myself, "Have we got some relationship issues?"
Now this was on our first big trip with our newly completed 5x10 and many years behind us with the 4x10.
So I glanced at her and said, "What are you talking about?"
"Our teardrop mattress is as good as our bed."

Whew. Double whew.

In fact, on the way home we needed a shower and got a motel room in Tremonton. The bed was horrible. We both agreed we shoulda staye in the 'drop.

We have a 5" foam mattress with a 2" memory foam topper in our 'drop and it's sweat. Hard to beat. Scratch that: Can't be beat.

Bad idea? I wouldn't throw it in that pile. Our teardrop –for material reasons is 60" on the outside and the walls are 1.25" thick. (There's a real good reason that it's built 60" wide and not 60" inside.) Thus the interior isn't quite the size of a queen mattress. But a good queen sized foam mattress fits just fine. Even with an access door, I don't think you could slide a 60" wide mattress into a 57.5" interior. If you're bulidng with 3/4" walls, I still think you want it 60" on the outside, not the inside. Is it going to fit in a 58.5" interior?

I might have to take a nap in Flash tomorrow. Sweat, quite, and comfortable.

T

p.s. That skylight could be a challenge. A flat window on a curved surface. I'm sure it's doable thought.

[tony.latham]

We want to use a real mattress, not a foam mattress. I'm thinking of making a latchable door in the bottom of the bulkhead between the galley and the cabin to allow us to install/remove a real mattress. Is this a bad idea?

When my wife and I were almost home from Zion a couple of years ago, she turned to me and said, "It's not that big of deal to come home anymore."
"Sweeet Jesus," I said to myself, "Have we got some relationship issues?"
Now this was on our first big trip with our newly completed 5x10 and many years behind us with the 4x10.
So I glanced at her and said, "What are you talking about?"
"Our teardrop mattress is as good as our bed."

Whew. Double whew.

In fact, on the way home we needed a shower and got a motel room in Tremonton. The bed was horrible. We both agreed we shoulda staye in the 'drop.

We have a 5" foam mattress with a 2" memory foam topper in our 'drop and it's sweat. Hard to beat. Scratch that: Can't be beat.

Bad idea? I wouldn't throw it in that pile. Our teardrop –for material reasons is 60" on the outside and the walls are 1.25" thick. (There's a real good reason that it's built 60" wide and not 60" inside.) Thus the interior isn't quite the size of a queen mattress. But a good queen sized foam mattress fits just fine. Even with an access door, I don't think you could slide a 60" wide mattress into a 57.5" interior. If you're bulidng with 3/4" walls, I still think you want it 60" on the outside, not the inside. Is it going to fit in a 58.5" interior?

I might have to take a nap in Flash tomorrow. Sweat, quite, and comfortable.

T

p.s. That skylight could be a challenge. A flat window on a curved surface. I'm sure it's doable though.

[Vedette]

Welcome to the Forum!
We too have a Teardrop 58 1/2 " inside Miss Piggy with a 4 " thick foam mattress and a 1" waffle topper.
All Sandi and I can say is.......Wonderful!!
We have a great bed at home, but after a few weeks on the road we find ourselves sneaking out to the teardrop while we are at home..... for a "Great" nights sleep!!
As for the actual building from a plan? There is a how to build manual that has been mentioned here a lot, that apparently is very worthwhile!
Good Roads
Brian & Sandi

[plectrudis]

Pchast--thanks for the tip about the tongue weight! I'll be sure to look into it. If it turns out to be prohibitive, then that clarifies my options re: mini-window-unit versus ClimateRight. I am a little worried about the heat from the windows, though I was hoping tinting/curtains would mitigate it. Or perhaps I should use little mini-skylights instead.

Tony and Vedette, I'm delighted to hear that your foam mattresses are so comfortable. My husband has a bad back, so I assumed we would need a real mattress; but after your testimonials, I think we should reconsider. I was planning to attach the walls to the outside of the floor (one of the build logs I've looked at did this), though I do have some reservations about the stability of that approach. So if the foam mattress gets a thumbs up from my husband, we can take the more conventional approach, which will probably be easier and stronger.

[Vedette]

Yes, it is!
And for what it is worth Sandi and I are both very careful about our backs....but we don't even give it a second thought any more while TD Camping!