TERRA6, Van cab and chassis 7*14, 4" Polystyrene

[Projector]

George, no, thank you for your work, effort, info shared, videos and help with my build. Can't be said enough.
And thank you as well GPW for the same. Your thread on Foamstream, which was my main inspiration and proof that a larger foamie could be built.
Am glad to pay it forward and share my experience on here with everyone as the two of you have done.

[Projector]

So the saga of TERRA6 continues and on with the build.
Had the walls assembled, covered and painted. Three sides is enough to assemble the box, the rear wall would be assembled and attached last.
I could raise and stand the side walls solo but difficult to get into and drop into position without messing up the glue and messing it everywhere. Was going to need help and I was in luck. The friendly ferrier happened to be there that day and I asked him to come over and give me a hand when he was done. I had prepped mounting points and holding brackets as well as bracing till the glue was set. I quickly gooped glue wherever necessary. This wasn't the situation to apply sparsely. It's the glue in the corner joints that holds the whole thing to together. And my walls were bigger, longer and heavier than any I have seen online. They would be exposed to stronger forces given the increased size, height and application.
There was nor is any proven comparable out there at this size or construction type/materials/design. A box is strong, till you move it.
Foamstream rounded the top portion giving increased strength over a box. Smart choice. Takes longer to build and adds a degree of complexity to the build that wasn't in my options. Loved the CNC trusses but no access to that.
I was counting on the adhesion of glue between plywood and 4" styrofoam to create structural rigidity and make this one strong piece.
Even now, I wonder if I should have laid the glue thicker.

The pros who build commercial cargo rigs use special, expensive, adhesive with incredible bonding strength. Glued metal pieces will shear at the metal before the bond disintegrates. They also use tight tolerance extruded metal to insert their panels, extensively tested the glue type, application method and glue quantity to ensure maximum adhesion, strength and durability. They use destructive load tested to assess breaking or failure point. I was attempting to duplicate this in a yard with common building materials and methods. The test and results will be ongoing with the completed rig.
This is a total leap of faith and no certainty by any means.

So the first side wall goes into place no problem. Up, over and on, snug against bracing and props. Great. It was dusk and the winds had dropped. The second wall didn't go so well. Placed into position fine when one of the holding braces popped off and the whole wall dropped off onto the ground from 30" up. The top of the wall fell 10 ft in an arc to the ground. My helper tried to hold it as it was going over. He wasn't any bigger than I was. I yelled to let it go. Injury wasn't worth it over a couple sheets of styrofoam, wood, canvas, glue and paint. In what seemed like slow motion, watched the whole panel, teeter and then gain momentum, falling to the ground. Cussing internally, did I damage or ruin the wall? more cuss words.
Could it be repaired or would it need to be replaced and whole new wall built? Damn. All these thoughts raced through my mind. Jump off the deck, assess the situation and determine the damage. Was my helper ok? Slight strain trying to retain it but ok.

The panel.
I had reinforced the wall with extra bracing for moving and installation. I had noticed prior when moving them, that the weight of the wall and the span length created flex and exceeded the strength capacity of my glued joints. Without bracing and until glued into box position, the wall was fragile and could not be picked up like one would a sheet of plywood. The leverage effect due to the length and weight of 14' was greater than the strength of the 3 narrow 4" joint bond in essence. Every joint and bond is the weakest point of any structure and requires extra reinforcement to overcome.

Picked up the wall and other than surface dents, appeared ok. The wall fell flat, so the whole surface absorbed the impact evenly. Had it fallen on an angle, who knows if the bracing would have been enough?
Took another crack at it after reapplying more glue and this went fine. More bracing installed until the roof was set and the glued dried.

This actually was the second time a wall had fallen. It happened once before when the wind changed direction as I had it leaning up against the bed. It fell over onto a 5 gallon bucket of paint and on the ground. Created a circular indentation into the foam. Wall appeared fine but once again, who knows if the internal glue bonds were weakened. Like airplane metal fatigue, not easily determined.
What an adventure TERRA6 was turning out to be.
They say that adversity builds character.
Must be why I'm quite the character.

I'm starting to get really excited, it's looking like a structure that might turn into an RV.
My imagination is coming to life.

[Projector]

It's said that a picture is worth a thousand words.
And that I talk too much.
Here ya go...

[Projector]

Starting to look like an RV maybe.
With a hell of a big sunroof.
Notice the roof panel laying on top of the garage, waiting to be craned into place.
When did you say you were coming over with the crane?

[Projector]

The roof.
The roof.
I have stressed over the stresses of the roof. It takes the brunt of the load, flex and stresses. And add to that driving down the highway at foamie land speed record speeds, plus dirt and off road flex and impacts.
Stresses cause stress. Strong yet light is the mantra.
Only experience can determine how to build it strong for my situation and application. Had none.
And a budget, but was going to see what I could do.

The walls are up and glue dry. Sufficiently bonded? I hope so. Now to get the roof, from the roof of the garage, onto the walls to make the roof of the box. I waited a day for a helper, no luck. I painted in the meantime. Another day goes by and nobody around that I could ask.

Damn, had no time to waste. Could I do it alone? I wasn't tall enough. Problem. Solution? I had off cuts of 4" styrofoam that I could use as a platform to walk on and increase my height. Platform shoes.

So I waited till dusk, the wind died down and went for it.
I unbolted the panel from the garage roof. Good thing I did because the wind whowled and the panel was longer than the roof, so it stuck out past the edge by a foot. Perish the thought if the wind got under there. Catastrophy.

Off the roof onto the deck. With all the extra bracing I had on it, it was heavy and at the top of my arm's length reach. Could lift it and nudge it. Get under it, push it off the roof. Moved a couple inches, hanging in the air and then stuck. One of the braces was catching. Damn, it was getting dark fast too. Lift and raise it with a block. Remove the brace in the way. Remove block. Couple more inches.

Then pulled and pushed it onto the notch I had made on the side walls. Fit snug and perfect. Great, love it when design and plans works out well. Push and pull a little bit more, move it another foot or so. It was starting to get harder as I went along for two reasons. One, the panel was being supported less by the garage and more suspended over the span between the van and roof. Second, my notch was a tight fit and the panel was at a slight angle and thus catching in the notch because it wasn't parallel to the wall notch. Damn, more cussing.

It's getting darker, the last rays of sunlight are dispersing and getting fainter. Back up on the roof to align the roof to the side walls to properly slide into it's notch. This was precarious in itself, getting up off a 6 foot ladder and scrambling onto an 8 ft high roof ledge. My father at this same age had fallen off a ladder going up on a roof and it didn't end well for him. The thoughts that go through ones mind. I was cautious yet agile at the same time. It was getting darker by the minute.
Back down and nudge it another couple inches. It was getting heavy with all of the weight now mostly suspended and required to be pushed into position. The friction of the notch increasing the resistance the further I went along. Persistence. Keep at it, got to finish before it gets dark. Couldn't leave it hanging or wait for anyone, wind was supposed to blow again tomorrow.
Push, grunt, sweat, strain, cuss. Break, push some more. Difficult when at the end of your arm reach and overhead.
Managed to finally slide it onto final position. I think. Was it? Damn, it was catching on the front nose cone on an obstruction. It wasn't flush. But it was off the roof, set into place. Should be fine, right? Could stay there and deal with it tomorrow. Would be ok, right? Was concerned that the side walls would hold. Once again, had no reference to confirm that it would. What is the load bearing capacity of a 4*8 sheet of 4" styrofoam?Someone knows this but it isn't common knowledge. Well, so far so good.

[Projector]

More pics anyone?
Can't just be boring foamie all the time.
The reason for the foamie, travel.
This is why I built it.
To explore, travel, visit.
Adventures await.
Must hurry, my time is not infinite.
This shot is of a beautiful NM sunset last fall.

[Projector]

Ok the roof is on. But how did I get it on and glue at the same time. One of the on the fly methods that must be developed for assembly. Can't put glue and just drop it on. Needed a crane. And where were you with your crane when I needed you?

So I would get the roof on, raise it up off the notch with blocks, goop the glue into both sides of the notch. Remove the blocks and let it drop into the glue. Weight be sufficient to press it into the notch for a tight, secure, waterproof joint. Ideally. Hopefully. Maybe.

The thing is, these styrofoam sheets are not precision machined for straight and uniform edges. They kind of are. And my hand cuts and notches are the same, kind of sort of even and straight. One does the best with what one has.
And so I did. Propped, glued and dropped. And it's here were one sees how straight and flush all the pieces come together. Or don't. Or kind of, sort of, mostly in this case.
If anyone has any construction experience, things are never a perfect fit and require adjustments as you go along. Trim panels were invented to hide flaws if you didn't know. Oops. Forget I said that, it's a trade secret.

I had 5 sides to the box, yay!
I could feel the space, room and possibilities for the interior now that the roof was on. I was excited. The hardest part was over and it was all smooth sailing from here on. Ideally. Hopefully. Possibly. It had better be.

Everything from now on would be easily handled and done. The large blocks were done, only smaller pieces now.

[Projector]

Ok, looking like a liveable space now.
Or potentially. Yay.
At this stage, it is shelter.

You will notice that at this stage, inner bracing and support is every 48" on center at every seam/joint with flat boards for the walls and my homemade T trusses for the roof. Made the decision to go minimal and light at this stage. Should more be required, I could always flush mount more bracing for more support.
I was also relying upon the interior build to give further support to the external structure, stiffen the walls, help support the roof and to give additional ridgity.
At least that was the theory. Ideally, hopefully... You know the rest.
But you haven't seen any pics or design of the interior you say? Well, I didn't have any at this stage, just a couple thoughts and ideas floating around in my mind.
Besides, we all like surprises right?
Didn't want to blow all my cookies all in one shot now...

[Projector]

The corner notch.
See how well machined and precise the notch fits?
Or not. Time for the great stuff foam to fill, seal and glue.
Actually used the GE spray can foam. Or was it the Loctite? They both claim denser so I tried it.
Don't know if it's better.

[Projector]

This is the canvas cloth from Harbor Freight for $16.
They stock two types and this is the better one, if available.

[Projector]

Exploring the final frontier, enclosing the final wall.
The back wall is an important structural piece. The flex, twist and bounce will be enhanced the most back here as the 14' length will act as a lever, increasing as it went backwards and the farthest point behind the axle. Most flex and impacts will be hardest back there. And as it wasn't directly tied to the floor, it would feel the most force and flex, so important to reinforce as much as possible in all axis. So it was boxed at the top, stiffened cross wise and T trussed in the middle. The only 2*4 used in the build was used to box and strengthen the top corner. That's how critical I considered it.

[Projector]

Lots more good stuff coming with lots of pics.
Ideally.
Hopefully.
Maybe.
A little teaser...
TERRA6 on the road.

[Projector]

While still finishing up on the last back wall, which would be easy peasy at this stage, right? Not really but anyway, contemplated how to layout, design and plan the interior.


Have seen a few campers and layout wasn't rocket science for such a small space. Counters, kitchen, bed, dining, bath, storage, entertainment. Cram it in there somehow. There are those who delight in this detail and design. I'm not one of them. Basic will do for me, other things I had rather spend my time on.

In my preplannig had a few objectives.
1. Be able to stand up and thought about height. Being 5'7", wouldn't need to be tall but then not great for others possibly. What is tall enough? Thought about average height, room and space. The taller I made the inside the more material and exposed area on the outside. What was ideal or optimal? Six feet was an old standard I think. Figured that about 6'4" would be sufficient for maybe 95+% of the population and that's what I decided.

2. Comfort. Wanted to be able to stand, sit and sleep comfortably as those would be the main functions inside.
Once the walls are complete, you have shelter. It's all about comfort after that. Standing is height plus area around you. Many RVs are packed to the gills with every possible thing leaving little open space just to move and breathe. Find that constricting and imprisoning. It's all about compromise designing a small living space, of course. Adding one thing takes away from another. There is always a price to be paid and it's determining the happy medium which is different for all.

I determined that one luxury that I wanted was free open space. To minimize stuff and to maximize space. Feel free, open and liberated, not confined and imprisoned by stuff. Stuff doesn't really make you happy beyond the moment and actually becomes a golden handcuff. You have to haul all that weight around losing valuable space, adding weight and penalizing your fuel economy. Would try to keep things open and stuff minimal.

Sitting comfortably. Don't find that the convertible dinette to bed standard was effective. It's a great compromise but not the best sitting nor for sleeping on generic covered chunks of foam. For sleeping ok but seem to always be falling into a crack. A real mattress was the way to go. As were proper cushioned, dedicated seats. Ok, how to do this well and economically? Had a couple ideas. What can you suggest?

I had no intention of having 4-6 people over to sleep. Maybe one. IF she was a good looking female.
And behaved herself.
This is why I did not use the cabover section for a sleeper, only storage. It was too high to access comfortably, would require much more structure and reinforcement and hence weight. I wasn't sleeping up there and neither was anyone else. Required only one bed, simple and cost effective. The cabover would be great storage, aerodynamic and light, simple to build.

3. Kitchen and bath. Upon assessment, determined that these weren't important to me and that the space allocation would be minimal for that. How much time and use do they get? So with space being precious, allocating as little as possible seemed like the way to go. Just like airplanes and boats, must be efficient with interior space planning. Single burner would be fine, small sink or just a storable dish pan. Bath, hmm. How about using a garden sprayer for tank, pressure and supply to both sink and shower?
How about a pull out basin from underneath a seat as an on demand shower pan? Toilet would be some portable or????
Let's get controversial, should one even do ones business in a small confined space that they live and eat in? Saw a comment on one YouTube interview where the gentlemen questioned the health of this. Thought that it was interesting and valid.

4. Storage space needed to be maximized yet light and accessible, economical as well. Use the walls, floor and ceiling as two of the sides to save on material and weight. Only need to build the face and horizontal surface, save weight and cost. This could also be used to reinforce and box in sections, giving more structural rigidity. Nice. Seems like the way to go and how I would build it.

These were my design objectives that I determined were my priorities and preferences. Develop a plan and design would start with that. Now that I had the actual space enclosed, I could get a feel for the area to determine, what, where, dimensions, space, etc... Imho, no software can come close to designing by actually being in the space for measurement and reference. Of course, there are people who are very good with design software and spatial results and measurements. I'm a visual so like to see and feel it.

I knew that the bed was going on the back over the extension. It was light and the best thing to put back there. It was also going to be a Murphy bed that would fold up and out of the way during the day, liberating space. Had a couple more ideas tied into this but would get more specific when I got to that point. Right now I was still finishing the exterior and lots to do.
But the thinking process was still going on for the next stage.

[Wolfgang92025]

This will be fun to watch.
Keep at it and keep posting lots of

[GPW]

"If anyone has any construction experience, things are never a perfect fit and require adjustments as you go along. Trim panels were invented to hide flaws if you didn't know. Oops. Forget I said that, it's a trade secret. “ Also reinforcing strips of canvas cover many sins , and add great strength on the less than perfect seams .

"Many RVs are packed to the gills with every possible thing leaving little open space just to move and breathe. Find that constricting and imprisoning “ Yes , a lot of that was for somebody’s idea of home decor ( pretty for the Ladies ) , little of it practical in application , none of it Comfortable …. The reason I left mine basically Empty with lots of cushions and pillows … room to move things around in the limited space and not claustrophobic at all …

You’ve got a great large space there , don’t be in a rush to fill it up …. not until you see what you really need and am willing to haul around all the time … Remember , it’s easy to add something, harder to take it away!!!

Just an idea , if you feel you need more strength in the wall to roof join , you can always add some Foam “Arches” inside that can be decorative and provide a lot of strength …especially with 4” thick material …you could cover those with old bedsheets and they would add lots of “flex” strength to the roof/walls ...