Homesteader Inn

[adamhusband]

So here is the beginning. Drove 6 hours to New Tazewell Tennessee from Newark, Ohio a total of 368 miles one way. The things we do for our dream. Waited 4 weeks to pick up, waiting for the tires to be delivered. Ironic that the tires came from Reynoldsburg, Ohio only 25 miles from me. But here it is. 1st I will strip out the walls and insulate to include front nose and roof. I'll include the pics for all to enjoy and think about.

Adam in Ohio

[Oldragbaggers]

Great start. Good luck and I hope you have lots of fun with it.

[dustboy]

Looks like a well crafted CT, can't wait to see what you do with it!

[roadinspector]

Enjoy!!

[adamhusband]

Ok so I got it insulated today. I used 1/4" insulation and tripled it so each section has a total of 3/4" insulation in the walls. As for the quality of this build by Homesteader they really put this together well. The walls were sealed to the floor with caulking and I didn't do the nose because I didn't want to mess with the structural integrity. When I tried to remove the passenger side wall you can see there is some damage to the front top corner. They really have those walls sealed and wedged in the front corners. I will cover the sides and nose with paneling and put some insulation behind the paneling if I think it's necessary. Windows will be put in in a few weeks after I decide on them. Leaning toward a 14"W X 16"L that will fit in between the studs toward the nose side of the wheels. I had to score the sealant on all sides and I forgot to do it where the damage happened so chalk it up to a lesson learned.

Adam in Ohio

[Rainier70]

Nice trailer. How big is it?

[adamhusband]

The trailer is a 4x8. Interior dimensions are 45"Wx93"L and 48"Tall. It is a Homesteader Aerodyne.

Adam in Ohio

[Blotto Bros]

The Aerodyne makes a great base unit!! Mine has been through several 15 degree nights in the snow.

[adamhusband]

Well after several sleepless nights I decided to upgrade my insulation. I was not completely pleased with the work I had done and after some consideration I went with 1" foam board insulation. I was going to do just 3/4" like the prior Aerodyne conversion(Blotto Bros) but my Lowe's here had either 1/4",1/2" and 1" so I decided to go with the 1' so my pieces would be 1 solid piece in between the wooden studs. So I had to rip out the 3/8" plywood and towards the front nose I had to cut it out with a Dremel tool with a 90 degree attachment. So no more split plywood on the passenger side in the nose portion which was really bothering me. So with both side re-insulated I am very happy. Much better craftsmanship overall in my opinion(as my wife shakes her head asking what the he#* are you doing?) But it's better period! So now I am debating on just putting up some nice paneling or put up the 3/8" plywood again and carpeting the sides? Any thoughts will be appreciated. I used the original 1/4" insulation as a template which really made it easy and a tight fit. Plus in the nose area on the sides I was able to better insulate those panels.

Next I will drill a hole in the nose floor in the middle for my electrical system which will probably only be a 25 ft extension cord. I will encase the hole with PVC so that water will not damage the floor and I will also seal it with some sealant.

Still need to decide on paneling or plywood with carpeting.

Then it's windows.

So here are pics of the progress so far.

Finished walls.

So this 1" insulation board will give me a R value of 5 as you can see in the pics.

[dustboy]

That should be nice and cozy. I guess it's up to you whether you do carpet or paneling, carpet will offer a bit more insulation while paneling will not collect dust (and it looks better IMO).

Did your insulation come with one shiny mylar side? Mine did and I wasn't sure which way to orient it. No help from the manufacturer either.

[adamhusband]

Mine did not have a shiny side but my understanding is that the shiny side would be a vapor barrier if it looks like aluminum foil. I don't necessarily need that since my frame for the walls is wood. If you have steel studs on your frame then you would need the foil part to be wrapped around the steel so that heat will reflect back and not create moisture in your walls. At least that is my understanding of the need for a vapor barrier in a trailer. If I am misinformed someone please correct me.

Adam in Ohio

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

Hi Adam

If you want the worlds best insulation, then I would recommend a solid sheet on the walls, roof, floor, ceiling & doors.
the wood studs and windows make a large thermal break.
Im using 2" Dow Blue board in my new build, "Over the studs" with about 3 x times the standard amount most guys are using.

Since your unit is so small you body heat should work to heat your trailer down to 10 deg if you do it my way.

below is about 1/2 of the insulation my 7 x 18 will require.....
I figure it wont need heat down to 10 deg "just my appliances" and body will heat the joint
and only use about 2,500 - 3,500 Btu cooling in 100+ deg weather.

a down bule board.JPG (98.94 KiB) Viewed 3697 times

Jerry

You can follow my work at the 2 links below, I am now starting version # 2.0


http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=44951


http://overthetopcargotrailer.blogspot.com/

[adamhusband]

Over the Top Cargo thanks for the insight. I do plan on putting up paneling to help with the heat/cool loss. I also just finished putting 1/4" foam board on the framing studs for a little better R value plus it brings everything flush for when I put the walls back. Next I will do my roof and the nose with 1" foam board to close it all in. I have to make sure I have the right screws to secure all so I don't penetrate the outer shell. Here are some pics of the finished insulated walls.

[roadinspector]

I would advise putting the plywood back in. It is generally part of the structural integrity of the CT. It adds important cross bracing to the walls.

Good looking CT! Hope you enjoy it.

Earnest

[adamhusband]

70 degrees and sunny in Ohio this afternoon so I got motivated to work on the Homesteader Inn. I cut a hole in the floor for an extension cord to enter the nose and insulated the nose and the ceiling. I used some left over brackets from another project to secure some of the foam board in the ceiling and nose with some 1 1/2" drywall screws. I used a sawed off broom handle to hold up the ceiling until I got it secured. I measured the screws so I was sure not to pierce the outer shell. As I was walking around the trailer I noticed that I had pulled the passenger side and nose apart exposing a gap and damaging the seal when I took out the plywood wall so I pounded it back in place with a hammer and a piece of wood so as to not damage the trailer. I will need to reseal the outer shell again with some clear sealant/caulking so I am 100% sealed again which I was going to do all anyways so no big deal. Using a golf ball to block the hole for now until I treat it with some Thompsons Water Seal along with the underside exposed plywood.