"Big Tiny" Build

[philpom]

No pictures today but the actual progress has been very slow, we are topping out over 100f daily. Working in the garage is tough.

I have most of the roof spars installed and the vent hole framed. I'm ready to work on the rear bulkhead and wall this weekend. If that goes quickly I may even get the ceiling and insulation installed.

Going in to this I put lots of thought in to my plan, drew drafts etc but I know the way I work is a matter of iterative evolution. Things change as I go and this project i no different. I have dropped the 1' extension on the rear and opted for an external air conditioner. Both of these items changed to simplify the build and make future needs easier for example when the air fails it will need to be replaced, what a job if it is built in. I looked in to it and building a baffle box is very easy. I found inline vent fans at a good price also.

I am going to wait until everything is done before I decide specifically where the spare and batteries will go. I want to confirm balance, tongue weight etc first.

[philpom]

Almost ready to start installing the ceiling. I have the rear bulkhead framed and ready to attach, all 4 walls up and ceiling spars all in except 1. I opted for 1/4" maple for the ceiling and found some "Pink Panther" 1/2" foam board for insulation. I have a 1.5" cavity so 3 layers and R10-R11 will be my final insulation value. I'll use low expanding great stuff to seal the insulation in and an exterior grade 1/4" ply for the roof. This will later be covered with FRP.

The trunk will be mostly for the items that belong to the camper (chairs, tables, cook stove, fuel, screen tent etc) and after getting it together looks like it will be plenty big for that purpose. The final cabin space now measures 61" wide and 81" long.


The rear bulkhead framing. The trunk stops at this level, the remaining space will be cabin storage.


Additional trunk detail with the rear bulkhead almost fully in position.


Ceiling framed and you can see where the fan will go.


All walls up! As soon as I complete the ceiling/roof and cut a few misc access holes I'll be ready to start the exterior finish. I also still need to accomplish the following:

Wheel wells
Window/Door/Hatch mount rings
Interior shelving
Power and lighting wiring

Seems I have a fighting chance to get it done (well 99%) in 2020. They are never really complete right?

[philpom]

Over 100f almost every day, no progress

On the other hand plenty of time to consider some of the details. I don't need to have every detail nailed down to start but I am committed to every tiny detail of each "phase". Building a small camper is a big project, breaking it down in to steps or phases and purchase just the materials for that phases. Gives you a feeling of progress/accomplishment regularly through the build.

[Graniterich]

Almost ready to start installing the ceiling. I have the rear bulkhead framed and ready to attach, all 4 walls up and ceiling spars all in except 1. I opted for 1/4" maple for the ceiling and found some "Pink Panther" 1/2" foam board for insulation. I have a 1.5" cavity so 3 layers and R10-R11 will be my final insulation value. I'll use low expanding great stuff to seal the insulation in and an exterior grade 1/4" ply for the roof. This will later be covered with FRP.

The trunk will be mostly for the items that belong to the camper (chairs, tables, cook stove, fuel, screen tent etc) and after getting it together looks like it will be plenty big for that purpose. The final cabin space now measures 61" wide and 81" long.


The rear bulkhead framing. The trunk stops at this level, the remaining space will be cabin storage.


Additional trunk detail with the rear bulkhead almost fully in position.


Ceiling framed and you can see where the fan will go.


All walls up! As soon as I complete the ceiling/roof and cut a few misc access holes I'll be ready to start the exterior finish. I also still need to accomplish the following:

Wheel wells
Window/Door/Hatch mount rings
Interior shelving
Power and lighting wiring

Seems I have a fighting chance to get it done (well 99%) in 2020. They are never really complete right?

Correct, teardrops and tiny trailers are never finished!

Sent from my KFKAWI using Tapatalk

[philpom]

I guess this is the wrong time of year for quick progress between our anniversary trip, the holidays etc, I see 2020 slipping away. I am getting an hour in here and there but have tomorrow off and hope for a big push then.

I have finished the rear bulkhead/headboard/storage area, the ceiling is paneled and half of the foam insulation cut and installed. The insulation panels were cut marginally larger than the openings between roof rafters and needed to be pressed in tight. I did this to provide additional stiffness to the structure and keep it airtight as possible. There is substantial trim work and forward shelving remaining on the inside which will be one of the last things I work on. Tomorrow I hope to start installing the roof, I am waffling between going direct FRP or FRP over 1/4" plywood. The insulation will provide support behind the FRP and keep it lighter up top however plywood under it would be substantially stronger.

Once I complete the roof it will be time to apply the outer finish and seal tape, then to focus on the inside. Hopefully some pictures tomorrow.

[philpom]

OK, got a little busy with life but finally got back at it this week. Finished the ceiling insulation and got the roof on. I am not a wood worker but I have picked up a few good ideas along the way for example, instead of stressing about getting the roof panels cut perfectly I just intentionally cut them 1/4" oversized and used a router with a flush bit to make a perfect fit. (I am sure this is obvious to many). I used Sikabond to glue the roof down, it created a very nice seal. Hopefully it shows in the photo after resize. The roof is made of 1/4" pine BCX. The ceiling is R-8, once done the floor will be ~R-5.

Yesterday was the first time since it was born to leave the garage, no way I was going to router the roof inside and I didn't want it off of the jack stands until the box was completely done to prevent any weird twisting.

Detail of the nice roof seam.


Finished insulation.


It's outside for the first time, roof on!


I am still debating the outside finish even 1.5 years later but I have landed 99% certain on PMF, I have researched it much more and think I can do a good job with it. Wheel wells and tongue jack today.

[twisted lines]

Completely done to prevent any weird twisting.

Thanks for sharing; I am following with a shape like this in mind

[HonestAbe]

Thanks so much for sharing, My build is going to pretty similar to what you are doing. Can I ask does the 2x3 underneath mounted to the frame give you sufficient space over the wheels, still room to attach a fender? I have the 1720 lb HF Trailer on order and would like to expand the footprint to 5' wide, and was trying to consider the best way to get above the wheels without too much weight being added. Also what did you paint the bottom of the plywood and frame with for waterproofing? Great build!

[philpom]

Thanks so much for sharing, My build is going to pretty similar to what you are doing. Can I ask does the 2x3 underneath mounted to the frame give you sufficient space over the wheels, still room to attach a fender? I have the 1720 lb HF Trailer on order and would like to expand the footprint to 5' wide, and was trying to consider the best way to get above the wheels without too much weight being added. Also what did you paint the bottom of the plywood and frame with for waterproofing? Great build!

I covered the bottom with 2 coats of Zinser primer/sealer and 2 coats of Behr exterior gloss acrylic paint. We'll see how it goes but the base is BCX plywood and I have had utility trailers with unpainted BCX wood in the floor fully exposed for years without much issue. This will be mostly dry except while in transit on rainy days (almost never).

As far as the level goes, I did need to install shallow wheel wells for extra clearance, almost 3 inches of allowable travel. My fingers are crossed and if it ends up being an issue then I will shim the leaf springs for a little extra. I would have had to raise the deck 3X more to avoid wells at all and that would have made it pretty high off the ground. Here is what I installed:



Keep in mind that I am installing insulation (that will allow for channels to run internal wiring in the floor) along with padding and carpet. That will add about an inch to the floor and in turn reduce the height of the wheel well to under 7/8". The sofa/bed will just lay over the top. I'll put pockets in the bottom of the mattress if that is still an issue. This will also make accessing the wiring for repair or upgrades a piece of cake!

[HonestAbe]

Thank you so much for the information and the picture. This helps me a lot with visualizing what I'm going to do, which hopefully is something similar. I'm waiting on the trailer so I was unsure how high I needed to raise the camper box and this looks like a great solution to keep the weight down but get the interior space you need. Hope the build keeps going well for you, I'm following along. All the best!

[philpom]

Started the PMF work, did I ever mention that I hate ironing? This was the largest ironing operation I have ever done! The canvas was mostly wrinkle free but it was folded in half on the bolt to there was a strong crease down the middle. I used a partial sheet of maple plywood as an iron board.

I chose to do the large sides first because the corners will wrap around about an inch on the front and rear, about 5 inches on the top. I want the front to lap over and finally the roof to cover it all.

I did the work myself so I rolled the canvas up and hung it from the camper using some wire. This allowed me to work in sections as I moved top to bottom. I'd roll it down lift it back up, apply the glue, bring it back down and press in to place.

**This section is for all of those new PMFer's out there. I never really found this type of information and here is what I learned "real quickly"

1. You do not have much time to work, do 12"-20" at a time max
2. Have a large spray bottle full of water handy and use it often. Keep your roller wet, spray water on the glue, in the tray before you add the glue etc. This prevents clumping and keeps the glue "workable".
3. Don't apply too much glue to the wood, this will cause what appears to be bubbles but it's really a bunch of glue. Cover well but smooth it out before you apply the fabric, a thin coat is good, don't think you need a bunch.
4. When you start to press each section out start at the center top, pulling from the bottom while you work your way down and out to each side. If you don't do this you will have bubbles/wrinkles and other issues. Center, top to bottom and out as you go.
5. It's not that hard if you follow the basic advice above but you are going to have a few bubbles etc. Those can be corrected (see below) so don't fret!

I did have a few air bubble varying in size from 1" to 3" and I found an easy way to fix them! Spray the area with water, then roll on a good dose of glue and using a wide flexible blade press it flat over the area and work in a circular motion over the bubble until the glue starts to set up and hold it down. The air will work out and the glue will work in under the fabric and adhere it down removing the bubble. No need to penetrate the fabric etc.

I used a smooth foam full size roller cover, plastic sheet rock taping knife set and masking tape for the job, the most used blade was the 4" followed by the 6".

Here are some photos of the progress:







Almost half way done with this stage, I hope it keeps going this well. I do think these 2 sides are the hardest part as far as PMF goes.

[philpom]

Weather has cooled off and finally back at it. Major milestone, I completed the PMF work. This should allow for quick progress on additional build steps for example I still need to do some minor framing to get the wall thickness required around the windows and door for mounting.

Here is the finished PMF, I am not sure if it as the "best" way but I wet the cloth well for the front and top, applied slightly thinned TB II under the wet fabric, worked it in with a tape knife and then rolled on more glue to the top side of the fabric and worked it in again. This created what seems to be a very strong bond and hard surface. For the sides that I did with mostly dry fabric I did my best to work in watered TB II and t least on the surface got a similar result that I feel good about. Certainly recommend wet fabric for anyone going forward, that was great.

Went with Sherwin Williams Duration Satin exterior in Pure white. 3 coats on the sides and 4 coats on the roof. It took almost 3 gallons of paint. I also got the bottom trimmed up even with the bottom edge etc. I was originally going to wrap the bottom under by about 2 inches but changed the plan in the last moment. There will be 2" trim along the bottom that comes past the edge by maybe 1/2 to 3/4 inch, when I tar the wheel wells I'll tar the edge behind the trim to seal off where the fabric stops at the bottom. I feel that will prevent any water penetration. This camper will live covered or in my garage when not in use so I feel pretty good about the roof holding up. Any suggestions on a good storage cover idea?

[philpom]

Starting to feel a home stretch approaches! A few updates and photos then I'm back out to the shop for some work.

Just a picture from the inside, I dug around a bunch for interesting grain patterns for the interior. I'll probably just clear coat it and keep things bright. This is the "headboard" and just above you can kinda make out a shelf or cutout. That creates the cubby for interior storage, clothing/random junk, a place for phones, radios etc.



I got 1 window mounted, it was a pain and not nearly as easy as I thought it would be. I am using Dicor seal tape on all of the seals and butyl tape for the actual mount.


From the inside:


I also got the fan mounted, same protocol as the window for sealing it up. Fans are easy as pie to mount!!!


Trimming the inside up and it really makes a big difference in how refined and finished it looks. I might get the trim mostly done today.


This is just a shot of the PMF edge profile after it was all done. It turned out really well and left what I think is a substantial waterproof layer.


Things I haven't even started on include all of the wiring/lighting, tongue/battery box and exterior trim work. Still looking for the perfect tongue box, I am just about settled on the exterior trim and have a pretty solid plan on the wiring/lighting. I'm thinking I'll run 12 volt and 120 volts leads to the rear and create 2 combo jacks, 1 for each side of the sofa/sleeper that combine USB/12volt socket and standard 120V power a reading light on each side. A combo interior/porch light near the door up front and 1 more combo power jack on the front wall for easy access and the heater will be on the shelves across the front wall. It's getting close to camp time!

[philpom]

Looking good.

If you could grow that 32" tall door to 36" your noggin would appreciate it. (I don't know if you are building the doors or buying them.)



Tony

Solid advice, I bumped my noggin 3 times the other night climbing in and out to work on the inside Those are the only 3 times so maybe I learned my lesson! It's our 32" door now.

[philpom]

I almost feel like I could haul it off and camp right now.... minus lights, power, a bed etc . I'll start wiring tonight, the flooring and furniture this weekend and maybe paint the frame. Got some of the exterior trim work done, all doors, hatches and windows mounted, it's starting to really come together.






I need to work up some custom brackets of some sort in order to get the drive lights mounted in the correct location, I have a good idea for the rear but the running lights up front might be more challenging.