Granite State Newbie

[Terri]

Hi Karen, My name is Terri and I am also a newbie from the Granite State.

Our first experience building on a tiny scale

fort trier fall.jpg (79.53 KiB) Viewed 1545 times

[Greg M]

Just pop a bed in that covered wagon and you're done

[Vedette]

Well Hi Terri Welcome to the Forum!
It is usually customary to introduce yourself on your own thread.
But welcome.....it sounds like you are ready for teardropping!
Hope you enjoy your build and your new found direction in life.
Good Roads
Brian & Sandi

[nhstt]

Hi Karen, My name is Terri and I am also a newbie from the Granite State. I love this website/forum and a super excited to build our tiny house on wheels (for camping) next summer. My husband and I live in Henniker with our two children. I designed our house 13 yrs ago and hired builders to construct it. It is definitely not your average house. It's not fancy, but lots of fun. After we finished with that project, we set out to build our kids a fort area on a section of our land. Fort Trier consists of three small buildings, a jail, a lookout tower, and a covered wagon. We added a huge fire pit and used to love having parties out there with friends and family. Now that our kids have grown, we are looking for a new project...and I think we found it! Good luck with your build.

fort trier fall.jpg

Terri,
Great to hear from another NH newbie! Will you be building your tear? My husband and I designed and built(incomplete at this time) our house also. My children are 23, 12 and 10, so I have a little ways to go before the last two are grown. New Durham is in the Lakes region and we live 5 minutes from Lake Winni. Where is Henniker? I hope you go ahead with your build, maybe we can help each other with inspiration and ideas. This first trailer for me will be little more than a bed on wheels. The idea is to have it done soon! With all the gear packed and ready to go. I have very little free time and just packing food and clothes for an overnight would give us added opportunities this summer. I've purchased a Harbor freight tiny 40" by 48" trailer. Find Roly's Half Nelson and Stacker. His Stacker is my inspiration. Hope to hear more from you soon.
Karen

[nhstt]

Hi Karen, I'll try to answer your questions, so here goes. First, I beleive the 4x4 trailer HF has on sale is only 40 inches wide, and that is the one I used for my Stacker. However, my woody is built on the longer, 48 inch wide foldable trailer. The reason you see a bit more overhang past the rear of the trailer, is that I was told that the wheels should be 1/3 of the distance from the rear of the trailer, which worked out just great for me. I altered it to make it fixed, which was fairly simple to do, but didn't move the axle, just moved the trailer frame farther forward, which worked out fine. I have the silly notion that it is the ridgid wooden trailer unit that gives the teardrop it's strength, not a flimsy metal trailer.

Now in regards to the size and quality plywood, very few agree with my contention that 1/4 inch would work just fine, since many builders want a more substantial side wall and roof. To each his own. Regarding the quality, if I remember, the 1/4 inch lauan plywood I picked up from Lowes, was about 12 bucks a sheet at that time, 10 years ago. It is a bit more now, but not anywhere near what quality marine plywood costs. That plywood is very expensive and has higher inner core construction than ordinary, cheap lauan. I've been told that all plywood is laminated with waterproof glue, and there must be some truth to that, since I show no de-lamination of my ultra-cheap wooden sides or roof. However, my tears are well protected from the elements, and if yours is destined to be exposed to sun, snow, rain, etc, you better plan on a more substantial quality, not necessarilly top-quality marine plywood.
Roly ~~ Good luck, and keep in touch.

Roly,
After Hrs of lurking on this and tearjerkers I can't find a design that I like better than your stacker. So hope you'll answer some more questions.
I bought my trailer and it arrived a few days ago. It's the harbor freight 40 x48 I'll do a partial over the wheel to get 48 wide then follow your 6' length. I want to build off the frame then attach after. I don't need a full galley only a shelf.
Do you remember if what you used at Lowe's was Sureply? and do you have any more pictures of your stacker build?
I'm off to Book talk club with my husband and son's. It's Dr. Suess night!
Karen

[Terri]

Henniker is 20 miles west of Concord. I am not sure what type of unit we will be building as we like all of the styles. Good luck with your build. Terri

Hi Karen, My name is Terri and I am also a newbie from the Granite State. I love this website/forum and a super excited to build our tiny house on wheels (for camping) next summer. My husband and I live in Henniker with our two children. I designed our house 13 yrs ago and hired builders to construct it. It is definitely not your average house. It's not fancy, but lots of fun. After we finished with that project, we set out to build our kids a fort area on a section of our land. Fort Trier consists of three small buildings, a jail, a lookout tower, and a covered wagon. We added a huge fire pit and used to love having parties out there with friends and family. Now that our kids have grown, we are looking for a new project...and I think we found it! Good luck with your build.

fort trier fall.jpg

Terri,
Great to hear from another NH newbie! Will you be building your tear? My husband and I designed and built(incomplete at this time) our house also. My children are 23, 12 and 10, so I have a little ways to go before the last two are grown. New Durham is in the Lakes region and we live 5 minutes from Lake Winni. Where is Henniker? I hope you go ahead with your build, maybe we can help each other with inspiration and ideas. This first trailer for me will be little more than a bed on wheels. The idea is to have it done soon! With all the gear packed and ready to go. I have very little free time and just packing food and clothes for an overnight would give us added opportunities this summer. I've purchased a Harbor freight tiny 40" by 48" trailer. Find Roly's Half Nelson and Stacker. His Stacker is my inspiration. Hope to hear more from you soon.
Karen

[George Taylor]

Nice to see a few newbies from nh. I live just outside of Manchester, nh. I built our camper a few years back and used 5/8 ply for the side. But I used strips on the inside and installed foam, then used birch ply to clever that. I have 1 inch foam in the roof and under the floor. I will tell you it makes a huge difference when the temps are cold. In the hot days we turn the roof fan on exhaust and open the window at our head and it is like having a/c. Pm me if you have any other questions.

[Terri]

Nice to see a few newbies from nh. I live just outside of Manchester, nh. I built our camper a few years back and used 5/8 ply for the side. But I used strips on the inside and installed foam, then used birch ply to clever that. I have 1 inch foam in the roof and under the floor. I will tell you it makes a huge difference when the temps are cold. In the hot days we turn the roof fan on exhaust and open the window at our head and it is like having a/c. Pm me if you have any other questions.

George,

I drive through New Boston every once in awhile. Nice town. I work in Manchester at WMUR television, so I am in pretty close to your town several times a week. Do you have photos of your camper? Perhaps, some day I can drive out and see it.

Terri

[Terri]

fort trier fall.jpg

[/quote]
Terri,
Great to hear from another NH newbie! Will you be building your tear? My husband and I designed and built(incomplete at this time) our house also. My children are 23, 12 and 10, so I have a little ways to go before the last two are grown. New Durham is in the Lakes region and we live 5 minutes from Lake Winni. Where is Henniker? I hope you go ahead with your build, maybe we can help each other with inspiration and ideas. This first trailer for me will be little more than a bed on wheels. The idea is to have it done soon! With all the gear packed and ready to go. I have very little free time and just packing food and clothes for an overnight would give us added opportunities this summer. I've purchased a Harbor freight tiny 40" by 48" trailer. Find Roly's Half Nelson and Stacker. His Stacker is my inspiration. Hope to hear more from you soon.
Karen[/quote]

[Terri]

fort trier fall.jpg

[/quote]
Terri,
Great to hear from another NH newbie! Will you be building your tear? My husband and I designed and built(incomplete at this time) our house also. My children are 23, 12 and 10, so I have a little ways to go before the last two are grown. New Durham is in the Lakes region and we live 5 minutes from Lake Winni. Where is Henniker? I hope you go ahead with your build, maybe we can help each other with inspiration and ideas. This first trailer for me will be little more than a bed on wheels. The idea is to have it done soon! With all the gear packed and ready to go. I have very little free time and just packing food and clothes for an overnight would give us added opportunities this summer. I've purchased a Harbor freight tiny 40" by 48" trailer. Find Roly's Half Nelson and Stacker. His Stacker is my inspiration. Hope to hear more from you soon.
Karen[/quote]

[George Taylor]

If you are a member of Tearjerkers, check out my gallery. There are a number of pictures of the camper when I finished it. Let me know if you are going to be in the area.

[nhstt]

George, I'll check out your pic's! It's been a slow start here winter hung on so long and now my husbands going to need knee surgery. Ive got most of the harbor frame built hope to move it outside under tarps this Sunday. Haven't got the build journal figured out yet that's next. Boy's off today so we're off to the Children's museum in Dover. Hope to get a little work done tonight. Karen

[George Taylor]

I will be home all weekend doing the dad thing since my wife works this weekend. If you and your husband are free and want to stop by let me know. I am about 5 minutes from the center of Goffestown, just where rt13 goes south from rt114.

[nhstt]

George,
Sorry we couldn't stop by this weekend. I'd love to see what you've done with your tear and ask questions. I work most weekends, but would like to arrange a time to stop by. My boys are 12, 10, and 23. The last two are helping with construction.
We have the harbor frame built and are working on the wood frame and floor.
Karen

[nhstt]

I've started my build journal and as a newbie really need the feed back please come see me at Ladybug-out build journal viewtopic.php?f=50&t=55602
Karen