Newbie in Colorado

[Chilton82]

Hey ladies and gents,

I'm starting my first build here in Boulder, CO. I'm a school teacher and out on summer break so building the teardrop is this summer's job...hopefully it won't take up the entire summer. So far I've got the trailer assembled and painted, the frame built, sealed, and insulted, and the floor laid (the glue is drying as I type). I'm still struggling with the radii for the front and rear. I'd like to maximize head space but I don't want to fight the inner skin too much.

I'm using a 4'x8' trailer with 4' side walls. I'm thinking about a 20" front radius and a 38" rear radius. This may turn into a PITA but I have the side walls sitting on top of the frame which adds about 3" to the overall height. Should I cut the top down to make the top to bottom 4', should I just use 5' sheet metal (cost goes up by ~$60 for three inches of head space), or should I just skin down to the asphalt coved sides and leave them exposed and/or get a hold of some flashing?

Also, I'm trying to source my sheet metal for the outer skin and came across some .025 sheets, has anyone tried this stuff or would you think it's too thin? The guy at the metal shop says that it is obviously very thin and that people have trouble "crinkling" it. I've currently got some 3/4" cabinet grade plywood for my outer walls that the metal will cover.

Lastly, I can't seem to find any numbers on the length of roofing metal. I know the numbers will change based on the radii but, how long is the top metal piece usually from the front end to the galley?

Anyway, thank you all for the tons of resources that you've been compiling here. I've been lurking for a very long time and now that I'm finally able to pull the trigger on the project, because of all the information you've shared, I feel like I'm pretty well informed.

Cheers,
Adam

[Graniterich]

Welcome to the forum! I used. 040, are you covering the roof with plywood first , if so how thick? My front piece was 117 " similar front radius, back is an ellipse

[bc toys]

welcome from Las Vegas Nv good luck with your build but it will eat up most of your summer break but what a better way to enjoy a summer other then camping in a tear

[Chilton82]

Welcome to the forum! I used. 040, are you covering the roof with plywood first , if so how thick? My front piece was 117 " similar front radius, back is an ellipse

I was planning on covering it with 5 or so mm birch.

[Kaz]

Welcome to the forum: Nice project for the summer, hope it doesn't take your whole summer and you get to use it. I have gathered so much information and knowledge from this forum. I have heard people build them in 2 to 3 months and SO-CAL Teardrops say they can put one together in about 100hrs. I must be doing something wrong because I've been going 9 months. (part time). Good luck with your build!