new to building

[Campageddon]

hello, I've tried several times to post a question, and even a video, heres hoping this works

the situation
my friend gave me a single axle popup tent trailer that sat in a field for at least 7 years with a collapsed roof. thus far I've gutted from the roof down to the wood on the siding.

the question
i literally know nothing about framing, I've watched videos and read things on here, looked at schematics and determined that 1x3 will be sufficient for most of the frame, where i need strength i have 2x4, on the corners i plan on doing 2 2x4's together. are the 1x3's too little and is the 2x4s too much?

trying to upload a sketchup file or video...

[western traveler]

It is important to know what you are going to build. A standy or an oversized TD? Is it going to be a square build from the walls up? Some sort of sketch would help. It doesn’t have to be a CAD. Just my thoughts.

[QueticoBill]

Structure is a lot about spans. Height of walls and width of roof between walls are key criteria.

[Campageddon]

first thing id like to do is show you what id like, its a "standy" i suppose i wanted to transform it into a just a regular camper, i have been trying in between work to find out how to post a picture or literally anything but have had little time to figure much out. i built the sketchup with the current hight of the original trailer of 7'10"

https://ultracampageddon.tumblr.com/pos ... 2512512000

the above is a work around for the picture problem

[QueticoBill]

So 7-10 from ground? maybe 6' deck to roof? So how wide?

Another preliminary question is what climate - how cc old and how warm - will you want to be able to use it.

[Campageddon]

so its a 7x12 platform thats stripped to the dutchman base, i was thinking 3" foam, i survived a brutal winter with snow up to the siding of the truck in a 70's era truck camper that was pretty much stock, so the 3" foam should be better than that. winters can be brutal here

ive added pictures of what im working with to the above tumblr link, tomorrow ill add more pictures.

[QueticoBill]

I would say over built but you don't indicate what the skins are.

3" of foam seems more than I've ever seen or read of here. 3/4" up to 1 1/2", maybe some 2", seems more usual.

YMMV

[KCStudly]

GPW used 3 inch beaded foam on the Foamstream. Probably overkill, but he did have a lot to carve to get the rounded shape, and it is one of the taller builds here with canvas and linen/chipboard skins (i.e. no plywood skins).

Ask him, he has no regrets.

[Campageddon]

GPW used 3 inch beaded foam on the Foamstream. Probably overkill, but he did have a lot to carve to get the rounded shape, and it is one of the taller builds here with canvas and linen/chipboard skins (i.e. no plywood skins).

Ask him, he has no regrets.

Hey, GPW, ive heard legend of your foamie building prowess.
TLDR: i was given a trailer and have always wanted to make a custom tiny home trailer. ive bought a lot of 1x4's 2x4's and was thinking 3" foam. but everyone so far has said thats over building.
Question one
So whats your thoughts on using the 1x4's with 2" foam and using that extra 1" to run pipe/wires through the walls? how does that sound.
Question two
are 1x4's too thin to frame windows?
Question three
using 2-2x4's bolted together for the corners, is this too much weight for a single axle 12' trailer? is it overkill? is it even something sane people do?

this is a link to my tumblr i made to post pictures of my progress. https://ultracampageddon.tumblr.com/pos ... 2512512000

[pchast]

What you are discussing seems awfull heavy. Is it to become a stationary tiny home or a travel trailer?

It takes surprisingly little structure to sustain a "teardrop". Mine contains more wood than it needed
in my current thinking.

[Campageddon]

its going to be a tiny travel trailer, so it was overkill on the wood? its 7x12, and update the floor is 90% fine the side is about 75%fine on the side that had water damage. so i can use the original base, ill redo the sides outside and inside, to match the build. also i noted that the original builders used 2x2s, like i don't know if thats going to work, so ill have to reinforce it? or is 2x2 the way to go? i mean i already bought a crap ton of wood but having extra wood isn't the worst problem around.

i also tore out the power inverter and furnace, going with a diesel heater and a working inverter. took a crap ton of pictures. now that i can see whats good and whats not in the trailer the OG plan is out ill have to work with whats available.

open discussion, if you have a comment, just say what your thinking, ill respond to all the comments i see. thanks in advance!

[GPW]

Camp’ , We used 3.5” beaded foam over a plywood and 1”X 2” framework . No regrets ! Check out the FoamStream thread for the whole story …

[OP827]

The sketchup model looks like a Tiny Home structure. They usually do not move as often as travel trailers do.
If you are aiming to travel with this trailer, then the wall and roof structures and anything inside might need to be designed lighter to save on fuel and tow vehicle costs. Traditional framed small trailers use 1x framing instead of 2x in houses, there are some factory videos on the net.
With a small space like popup trailer, insulation thickness is a tradeoff with ventilation, since air needs to be vented in and out for people to get fresh air/oxygen and also have inside humidity under control. I used 1.5" XPS insulation in my build, but we have to keep windows or vents open to get fresh air. It is probably more important to have good insulation in windows for cold winter use.
I also built on a donor popup trailer frame, 11' long, with an angled extension in the back for a bed.

[Campageddon]

its been a while since i posted, ive gotten the camper down to the frame, the walls were trash. the frame is pretty rusted near the water damage, im going to have to use an angle grinder to get the rusted screws out, its pretty bad. also on the list, is to remove the pop up mechanisms, however im worried that doing so will reduce the structural strength of the trailer itself, the frame is pretty thin. ill post pictures on the tumblr.

note, thank you for telling me about lightening it up, seriously ive built walls for my garage and some drywalling, thats all my experience as far as building goes. ive fixed a truck camper and a motor home before but never done anything from scratch, so i really appreciate all the help. this site is an amazing resource

[GPW]

Camp, your best friend is READING ! See what everybody else built and just take the best parts of their construction that suit your needs …
I used 3.5” beaded foam , because I found large blocks really CHEAP , and could cut large 3.5” thick planks from them … It’s Very Strong and has lasted many years longer than any other trailer I’ve had or made …

Ps. You want to do your best to restore your trailer as that’s what everything else sits on … For extra strength , you can weld or bolt on new metal to strengthen it …

1” X 4” maybe too much for window framing … Mine has no window framing at all … windows glued to Foam … The only place I used 2X4s was on the trailer as spacers between trailer and foam ( eliminating the need to construct wheel wells … )

We find making drawings and constructing a small model really helps plan things out …