Re: The Pup's Penthouse - 7/17/12 - Flooring

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Welcome back! You've definitely been busy!!

[Cliffmeister2000]

Nice progress! Welcome back!

[synaps3]

Thanks for the welcome back.

I did a bunch of work today.

I finished insulating the inner roof and installed the inner roof panels:


Next, I finished skinning the rear panel, which involved putting on luaun, securing it, then using my flush trim bit on the router to get the door opening perfectly flush:


Then, I built the back door. Here is me figuring out how to do so (my fiancee took the pic):


She took another of me building it:


I built a frame out of 1x3s, sized to fit the extra window I had, and built it. Here is the frame after I insulated it:


And here is the other side, with the window mocked up:


The door construction was the same as the rest of the camper. I've developed a basic build strategy for building light and strong:
1. Construct frame out of 1x3's. Use primarily pocket screws using my Kreg jig
2. Rough out luaun plywood, attach to the back, and trim to fit the edges using the flush trim bit.
3. Flip the part over, insulate.
4. Rough out luaun plywood on the other side, attach, and trim to fit the edges again using the flush trim bit.

The last thing I did today was add a second layer of luan ply to the roof. I did the top of the roof carefully, but got a bit precarious when I was closer to the ground. My fiancee called me out on it, and called me an idiot for it. Rather than helping, she took a picture...


And another:


Then came the video of me busting my ass (she was right, as usual):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nA8CGIlb7A

I was low to the ground, so I just got a scratch:


Despite my injury, I finished the job. I'm ready to seal now, and would have tonight, if it weren't for the rain coming right after I finished.

Here is what the trailer looks like now, before sealing it:






And from on top the roof:

[CliffinGA]

Looks great Dave! Love the shape your trailer has taken!

Cliff

[synaps3]

I started my day today by finishing the rear door.

I needed to finish cutting out the other side of the door, so I drilled holes around each edge:


Put my router with the trim bit through:


Making sawdust:




And done:


The last thing I needed to do before starting to seal was build the doorframe:




I couldn't resist mocking the door up:



Next, it was time to start sealing. I'm using Titebond II:


Titebond II is awesome because it is nontoxic, cleans with water, and dries completely waterproof. I watered it down, mixing 2 parts Titebond, 1 part water for the base coat:


Thoroughly mixed, ready to apply:


I applied using a standard paint roller:


I started with the door:


Here's before / after applying:


Once the door was done, I started sealing the roof (with a skeptical look on my face):


Roof almost done:


One side done:


Other side done:


Once the base coat was mostly dry (it dries clear), I began the "ghetto fiberglass" process.

Step one: Take a sheet, mine were about 1'x3':


Step two: Dip the sheet in thinned down Titebond II, I used a 1:1 water : titebond mix:


Step three: Squeeze out the excess:


Step four: Apply to surface, smoothing it in place:


Step five: Squeeeeze out all the bubbles:


And done:


Repeat until done (I've still got a long way to go ) :


I would have finished, but it started to rain.

I'll finish tomorrow though, assuming the weather cooperates.

And here is an obligatory dog pic:

[synaps3]

Oh, and if you use Titebond, WEAR GLOVES, it will turn your hands yellow:




Edit: here is a quick video of how to lay Titebond II that I uploaded: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjwW3308Ah0

[synaps3]

I've been out camping and living life, too busy to get back here and update.

It's starting to thaw out finally though, so I'm getting the build bug again. I'm going to start working on the interior and improving the looks of the exterior... But first, I'll catch you guys up.

I finished all the tightbonding, and painted over the whole trailer with aluminized roof paint for the time being. It's ugly, but functional, and we've already made 4 trips using the camper in its half-built state.

Backing into our campsite at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park in Florida:


A bit closer up:


Side view:


Back (we brought the scooter along):


The only pic of the inside I have... It's still unfinished, so you're not missing anything.


She doesn't leak, and tows straight. Fully loaded, with the scooter inside, I got roughly 14mpg on the trip down. I think I'll get better gas mileage with my new truck though (2006 Ford Ranger Edge v6). I'll have to bring myself to disconnect my dirt bike first though:



My friends have dubbed the camper fugly ("D#%N, that thing is F*&@ing UGLY!") I think there's a lot of potential to pretty her up, but I need to get the surface smoothed with some bondo and paint. I'll probably paint to match my truck. But, since the ugly finish is functional, I'll probably at least build the interior before working on the outside.

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Ugly and functional is better than not functional at all!

The aluminized paint just gives it a rustic weathered look. Congrats on finally being able to go camping!

[synaps3]

Thanks for the congrats, I appreciate the encouragement.

I worked a few hours today and yesterday on the interior, framing out the bathroom and cabinets. Rather than make the cabinets outside and bring the frames in, I just built them in place to save weight. Please excuse the poor picture quality, I seem to have misplaced my camera, so all these were taken from my cell phone.

Here's where my standie has been living:


I built this carport at the end of last year, you can kinda see it in the updates from the end of last summer. Anyways, I made one of the stalls into a workshop:


The whole place is a giant mess, but I'd rather build while we have nice weather than organize my tools, especially because we're getting a bigger house in a year or so. My wife's already talking about kids, so gotta get a bigger house soon. Our current house is under 800 square feet, with 2 bedrooms and one bath. I've seen campers bigger than our house! We could afford a bigger house now, but I don't want to have to pay two mortgages. We need to hold on to the house we are in now for another year and 3 months to keep the $7500 first-time homebuyer's credit we got back in 2010, then sell it and get a new one. For the next house, I have gotten her to agree to letting me buy a house on a lot of land... More space for toys, and the mandatory giant workshop / mancave. I can't wait.

Back on topic though, I went inside and framed up the bathroom. It only took an hour or so:


Then I started framing the cabinets. Don't mind the dog.


Here's where the fridge will go:


I added a bit more length to the lower cabinets, and then made the upper cabinets:


Here's a close-up of the lower and upper cabinets, complete with MS paint annotations of what will go where. There will also be a point-of-use hot water heater underneath the sink, providing hot water to both the sink and shower. The LED undercabinet lighting will be white LED lighting that I bought after Christmas for $1 a strand. I bought all 6 strands, and will use 2 as under-camper lighting to illuminate the ground around the camper, 2 as under-cabinet lighting, and the last 2 for interior lighting elsewhere. Still not sure what I'm going to do for lighting in the shower, but I'll figure that out...


Finally, here is the view from just when you walk in the door. Off to the left (not pictured) is where the shower door will be. I'll use a nice shower curtain as the shower "door" to save weight.


Weather and time-permitting, I'm going to work on the interior more this weekend. The interior will be mostly white, with cabinet doors and accents made of wainscoting for a bit of texture.

[eaglesdare]

i like your build very much. love the ghetto fiberglass!

[Martiangod]

Such a cool look, Keep coming back and going through the thread,
Your doing an awesome job.
I could see that profile on a manufactured trailer, its just so cool lookin...carry on

[synaps3]

I'm looking for ideas for paint...

Here's the driver side profile:


Passenger side profile:


Front:


Aaaand back:



Here's what I came up with after a few minutes tinkering in paint:

But I don't entirely like it... It's the best I can come up with though. I have no clue what I'm doing when it comes to paint. I'm hoping someone more creative will have a better idea... I'll ask my wife for input tonight though. Either way, if you have any ideas, feel free to contribute. I always love asking the community for ideas, someone always has a concept that is better than what I could come up with on my own.

Edit: Some details on the paint... I'd like to keep it mostly white. The chassis at the bottom will be black no matter what, I'm going to use bedliner paint for that. Otherwise, I'm open to ideas.

[Martiangod]

[Martiangod]

or predominatly white

[Martiangod]

The black was a bit much