
I live in an apartment so I’m building this in my offsite storage unit…with no electricity! Yep! A teardrop built by a woman with very little building experience, using only cordless tools…. People think I’m nuts, but I think I’m a determined, resourceful woman who understands the basics of building mechanics. I’ve spent an embarrassing amount of time researching this process and enjoying the creative ideas already out there! Despite all I’ve learned from research, trial and error has been my biggest teacher so far! Sound familiar anyone?? Now it’s time to draw on the wisdom and experience of those of you who have done this before me. (Teach me your ways oh wise one!!)
I’ve got pictures of my building process so far, but I need to reformat my pics, so I'll so I’ll add them soon. for now, I’ll just add a pic of my camper as of a few days ago and fill you in on my progress so far. I’m building on a 1982 Coleman pop-up frame. (I was going to modify the camper until I learned the floor was rotted-so I stripped it to the frame.) I’ve removed rust and painted the frame. I’ve also replaced the lights and electrical wiring for the tail and brake lights (and they work!!) I've built a sturdy floor, and attached it to the frame. I started to frame the walls but felt intimidated by the size of my project vs the size of my little Saturn 4-door. It looked HUGE to me and I’ve never driven more than a few straight miles with a trailer. I would feel more comfortable with something a bit more manageable, so I removed the framing and will scale down my plans to something smaller and a bit more simple (faster) to build. Decisions….decisions…. so many options and so little time. It’s now May and my summer begins in two weeks! I don’t want to spend it building, I wan to hit the road!
Anyway, I’m having fun, learning lots and it’s a great way to build confidence….I’m looking forward to reading lessons learned from those of you who have built and traveled before me. I hope to meet some of you on-line and on the road this summer!!