Starting the build and wondering common side sizes

[Von Pook]

I am starting my tear build, and was wondering, what is the common side wall size? Do most people build 5 foot or 4 foot high? I think the 5 foot would be more spacey, yet would that lose some of the "cuteness"? Most important, does anyone know where to get 5 X 10 foot in Tennessee? Thank you folks, this forum is wonderful.

[TPMcGinty]

I am starting my tear build, and was wondering, what is the common side wall size? Do most people build 5 foot or 4 foot high? I think the 5 foot would be more spacey, yet would that lose some of the "cuteness"? Most important, does anyone know where to get 5 X 10 foot in Tennessee? Thank you folks, this forum is wonderful.

4 foot high by 8 foot long is the most common i think. 4x8 plywood is easiest to come buy and not as expensive as the 5 foot wide ply.

[Von Pook]

I plan to build mine 4 X 10 foot, I'll just make a decorative seam at the rear. The floor will be 5 X 8, I plan to go with a a modified cub design. Thank you for your input.

[planovet]

Mine is going to be about 4'8" high. I wanted it a little taller because I am tall and my wife tends to get a little claustrophobic. But, if I ever do this again I think I will go with 4' high. I have found that's it's much easier and cheaper to find 4x8 and 4x10 wood, aluminum, etc. than it is to find the 5x8 and 5x10 stuff. JMHO

[Toytaco2]

I don't think very many people build with 5' tall sides, although, that is what I chose to do. With the overhang of the frame/floor and the thickness of the roof, the interior height is approx 53 inches. Its definitely taller and presents an unusual profile for a TD. Sometimes I really like it and other times I'm not so sure. I do have a truck for a TV so the taller height is OK, but, I don't think a smaller car would like to tow it

If I were doing it again, I think I'd stretch it out to a full 10 feet instead of its actual 8'8" length. The neighbors who drop by all seem to think it looks great and I personally like the added interior space. One thing about TDs is for sure: "you can build 'em any way ya want" and if you don't like it you've got a great reason to build another one.





Mike

[planovet]

One thing I want to add. If you are planning to garage your teardrop, make sure it will fit. Make sure you take into account the height of the trailer, the height of the sides and the height of the vent (if you use one).

[Von Pook]

Thank you all again for the great ideas (so that I dont feel so lost building) Mark (and Cindi), what is the 500 club? I saw that next to your picture.

[planovet]

Mark (and Cindi), what is the 500 club? I saw that next to your picture.

That means 500 posts! There is the 300 club, the 500 club, the 1000 club and so on.

Cindi grew up in Nashville and Franklin so you are practically neighbors Welcome aboard and make sure to post lots of

[Von Pook]

Ah!! Gotcha, thank you very much. I am a long way from that level. Almost feels like a video game level to reach

[48Rob]

Von,

4' High is common, or standard.

Some build with 5' or higher walls, though they tend to be more of a stand up style, than a teardrop style.

4' High is generally chosen because of availability of material, and cost.

Though there are no rules set in stone as these are home built trailers and as such can be configured to suit personal taste, symmetry is important.

A good "rule" is 4' wide x 8' long x 4' tall.

5' wide x 8' long x 4' tall also looks pretty good.

Generally, if you build longer, the height needs to increase proportionately, or it just looks "off".

Mine is a close replica of the largest commercially available teardrop that was made.
It is 5'-2" tall x 7' wide x 12'-3" long...a monster!
(the original was slightly smaller).
But! The proportions, the symmetry, all work together to give it smooth flowing lines.


Build it how YOU like it, but pay attention to keeping it mainstream if you intend to sell it someday...strange, and odd, are okay while you own them, but can be tough to pass on when its time to sell...

Rob

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/1948rob/Cabin%20car%20project/66.jpg">

[sid]

Von Pook,

I've got a 4x8 and a 5x10 here in Smyrna if you care to come take a look see..... Both are 4' high.

Just let me know, I'm retired and here most of the time. Drop me a PM if your interested.

Mark

[Esteban]

My teardrop, that's under construction, will be 5' 3" wide by 4' 6" high and 11' 2" long (body length). At its tallest inside there will be 4' from the floor to the ceiling. My trailer frame is 60" wide by 117" long. The sandwich floor is 62 1/2" wide by 122 1/4" long. The walls will cover the trailer frame. The profile is inspired by Andrew's Grumman II plans.

Most of my reason for building a larger than customary teardrop is because I'm 6' 4" tall. Early on I decided to make room for a queen sized bed inside the cabin. The galley will have about 30" of under counter depth for a cooler on a slide out drawer.

The sides are sandwich construction with 1/4" plywood on the outside, with 3/4" interior framing and foam insulation in the middle, and 1/8" interior plywood. The outside walls, roof and galley lid are all getting covered with fiberglass cloth and epoxy from Raka.com. Not with aluminum.

I chose fiberglass, instead of aluminum, for multiple reasons. Most importantly it allowed me to much more easily build a teardrop larger than 4' x 8'. It costs considerably less and is much lighter than aluminum. I expect it will be very watertight because epoxy waterproofs the underlying plywood skins and eliminates the need for any trim on the edges with lots of screws penetrating into the underlying wood frame. Finally, I'll paint the teardrop a color of my choosing.

It's my first time working with fiberglass. Well almost my first because I tried to make a boogie board as a kid. The teardrop fiberglassing is coming along very well.

Steve Fredericks' Building A Wooden Teardrop CD has been very helpful and well worth fifty bucks.

HTH

[Arne]

My floor is 2 inches thick, having 1.5" of insulation sandwiched in. I sat against a wall, and marked where my head was. Turns out, I have about 6" of clearance using a 4' piece of plywood, so I could have gone a couple of inches shorter.

The plywood overlaps the side of the floor, and with a ceiling that is 1.75 inches thick, I have about 44-1/4" of inside room. Also, I am long in the torso, so I see no reason to go to 5 feet, given that in a trailer you are either sitting or standing... and to stand, I'd have to go way taller.

If I was able to do it, I'd drop the ceiling so I only had a couple of inches of headroom to make it more aerodynamic. To my mind, extra headroom in a t/d serves no useful purpose... keeping in mind I'm too old to be bouncing on the bed, at least standing up.

I would consider 5x10 (ripped to 4x10) to get rid of the seam I have in the wall, but I put it at the front of the door, so it it only visible above and below the door hinge.

Just something I noticed with my little box heater. The heat stratifies incredibly in a t/d. I can be cool lying down, but if I put my hand up, it is at least 5-7 degrees warmer. That was a problem because the heater was also near the ceiling on the top shelf. So, I had to diddle with the thermostat so that I could be comfortable.... the ideal thing would have been to have a small, quiet fan just to circulate the air. I never realized how difficult it was to find a quiet fan, one I could sleep with it running. The best I could come up with was a muffin fan from a computer, which worked pretty well.

[bobhenry]

I always do something stupid. I made mine 5'6" tall. By standing the sheets up. I chose to make the sheet breaks fall at the door opening and galley wall by ripping the sheets to something less than 4' that worked. I battened the inside with 1x4 at the breaks with the exception of the galley wall split. When I applied the luan veneer I staggered the joints the width of the door so the joints would not fall in line. My osb sub sides are screwed directly to a 2x4 rim below the floor.