7x12' Camper Conversion

[Jcholsted]

Hello all,
My name is Connor and I've been a reader on here for a while now. I have recently converted a 7x12 Haulmark trailer with the 6'6" interior and tandem axles. It's still not fully complete, but it's useable close to finished inside. I wanted to share my designs as well as take any advice given in this forum. Here we go!
Background: I'm 20 years old, a full time college student, and I'm planning on traveling the country when I graduate in a year(ish). I bought the trailer used for $3400 and as of now I've spent around $2000 on the conversion. I filmed a tour of my trailer and put it on YouTube, but I wanted to offer a detailed write up of my design. Looking forward to comments and ideas, and happy building!

Tour link: https://youtu.be/H9gNue2NUuQ
Let's see if the pictures will load, still a little confused on how to upload them.

Thanks!
- Connor

[featherliteCT1]

Great job Connor … I like what you have done

[Jcholsted]

featherliteCT1 Thank you! There are a few things I would have liked to change but overall I'm very pleased with the turnout

[Agfadoc]

Great job! love the clean aspect, this is my gameplan when mine comes. Same setup.
I like the 7x12, easy to manage and tow.

[Jcholsted]

Agfadoc, thank you. When I was deciding on a size, I figured that a 7x12' would give me everything I need and eliminate my want to add unnecessary stuff. Haven't weighed the trailer yet, but I assume it is around 3,000lbs.

[Jcholsted]

Alright so I don't have a ton of pics from the very beginning of my build, guess I was too eager to start! I knew I wanted matching tongue-and-groove ceiling and walls, so I started with the ceiling to get the overhead work out of the way. I used 1" insulfoam from Lowes for the roof and it went in rather easy, but messy! The tongue-and-groove is a thin pre-packaged siding that was cheap and lightweight. The wall and ceiling combined cost about $100, but there are close to 350 screws total!

While it was a lot of work, it was exactly the look I had imagined and one of my favorite parts about the trailer.
However, if I could go back, I would have used something a little thicker so I could mount stuff on the walls. Lightweight = thin!

[Jcholsted]

Window time!
Yes, it is as nerve-racking as everyone says it is. I spent a few years in high school welding so the framing and install wasn't a concern of mine, but cutting the sheet metal was stressful. Just measure a ton of times, then 2 more, then just start cuttng. I used an angle grinder with a cutoff wheel and taped everything out to try and prevent scratches in the paint. I left a 1/4" gap all around the window to try and absorb any of the road vibrations. As far as the actual windows go, I used basic "project source" windows from lowes for 2 reasons: First, the price. Both windows were $90 total. Secondly, the framing seemed to be the easiest install that I could find. I have not had any issues with the windows or leaking, so let's hope that continues!

The large window above the fold out table is a 36x24" window and the vertical one above the bed is 18x24" - the opening fits my 6000btu window unit during the summer.

Both window frames were welded the same way using 1" square tubing so it would fit snug with the wall studs. The outside window flanges are screwed into the square tubing using self-tapping screws and sealed with window silicon.

Lots of thought and measuring involved with the install, but having windows makes all the difference!
- Connor

[McDave]

Very nice work young man. You can be proud of what you have done here. The future holds great things ahead for a man of your talent and drive.
Thank you so much for sharing your fabulous work.
Merry Christmas.

McDave

[Jcholsted]

As mentioned before, the ceiling and walls are made out of the same tongue-and-groove boards. Here I start installing the passenger side wall and cut the boards to length around the window. Pure luck on the top two fitting with perfect spacing on the window and the bottom one aligning the same!

[Jcholsted]

McDave, thank you for the kind words. Merry Christmas!
- Connor

[Jcholsted]

Don't have any pictures of the bed frame, but it's about as basic and simple as they come. I had to get it built to finish the passenger-side wall and mark a full side off my list. It's a full size mattress and at 6'2 my feet just barely hang off in the gap between the mattress and drivers-side wall. the front half of the bed frame is on hinges to make it easier when sliding stuff under the bed, but honestly I've never really used the feature.

Layout of the trailer was somewhat tricky to decide on. I knew I wanted a bathroom as I travel with my girlfriend and the floor-plan allowed for it easily. Considering turning it into a shower someday so I wanted to have the space framed off if I do.

I'm no carpenter, so the front shelf was just framed in a way I thought would suffice. I left underneath empty as I had always planned on adding a sink at a later date. The framed wall acts as a brace for the top cabinet and will eventually hold a medicine cabinet in the bathroom when I decide to finish it out. The upper cabinet is also screwed into the wall studs but I wanted the extra support of the 2x4s in the bathroom wall. The bottom cabinet holds cooking utensils, and below is where my stoves stay as well as miscellaneous pantry storage.

After installing the upper cabinet, it is plenty strong to hold dishes and cups. Eventually, I add another cabinet off of the small one but that'll be discussed in a future post.

At this point, the layout of the trailer is coming along nicely, and I'm happy with the open space in the middle. The cabinets are all pre-built from Lowes and the modular style makes it easy to work with.

In the picture with the cabinets, you can see the 18x24" window that I installed the same way. I live in Texas so the only way to work on it during the summer time was with the window AC unit. The plan is to not have to use the AC during the summer time and instead just a 12v fan and mountain breeze. The trailer did not have a roof vent (sadly) and I didn't want to mess with cutting into the roof, but so far it hasn't been an issue when cooking.

Thank you to everyone who is following along, and I'm happy to answer any questions!
- Connor

[jwh92020]

Conner - I saw your youtube video the other night. Very impressive. Could you post a link of some info on the tongue & groove you used? I found some 1/4" t & g, but it prices out about $400+ for a 7 x 12. Great job on you build.

[Jcholsted]

jwh92020, this is the stuff I used. The packaging is poor so I recommend inspecting all 6 boards in the pack before buying. Overall, the quality is good and I'm very happy with it, but as I said earlier it is thin (5/16") so drilling into it isn't very secure.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/EverTrue-3-562 ... wyEALw_wcB

Good luck with your build!
- Connor

[Jcholsted]

Here come the countertops:
I used a 3/8" birch plywood for my countertops to keep the weight down and I liked the grain of the boards. There were 2 coats of a maple stain on them and then 4 coats of sealer. Not a professional job by any means but I love the contrast of colors with the cabinets and walls. I added a sealed trim and then used liquid nails to secure it to the counters.

The smaller counter is where I do most of my indoor cooking, so I used corrugated steel as a backsplash. Hopefully it will rust a little bit over time as the steam from the stove settles. I debated on using the same corrugated metal in the front v but instead I chose to continue the tongue-and-groove so it didn't look like a shipping container inside. The backsplash is just a stick-on from Lowes, I liked the look and it matched pretty well. Cheap and easy.

The corrugated metal went up easy, but it was annoying to cut. Just measure it out a few times and hope you don't waste the entire piece!
- Connor

[jwh92020]

Connor - Thanks for the link. I'll check the pkgs carefully.