Hello from Texas

[rhoffart]

Hello, Rick from Boerne Texas. This is a great site. I always dreamed about renovating an old trailer, and then found this site. All I can say is WOW.

Can ya'll give a clue on how much a build can cost $$$. I know it will vary depending on this and that ... but is there a common cost of a build? All I have is an empty garage.

Thanks ... if I jump into this I may need to a lot of help.

[caseydog]

My current build is going to run me around a thousand bucks. I'm doing a pretty basic TD, and my chassis is a recycled boat trailer.

You can get really fancy, and spend a lot of money, but you don't have to.

Come out to a gathering, and look at some teardrops. Then, do what you want to do. That's the beauty of these things.

CD

[RogHodge]

Rhoffart?
First- welcome
You will find all the help you need here- I thnk you will find all the help you need on this forum- so… have faith, and don’t give up. Cost could range from a grand to… bill gates territory.
As we said in the guitar shop “Time Price Quality- Pick two”
Welcome
Roger

[Roly Nelson]

Welcome to the forum. Are you planning on renovating an old trailer, or building a new one from scratch? Prices vary greatly, depending what you intend to do. You have come to the right place for info, answers and friendly advice. Just ask and you will be told where to go.......hey, that didn't sound right. Good luck on what ever you decide.
Roly

[oklahomajewel]

Welcome.... that's right, you can be as plain or fancy as you want... and it depends on your abilities and what things you might have on hand.

Mine is a 5x8, got my frame for about $300... then all in all , ended up being about $2000. That includes A/C and battery etc. A few things were freebies .

But after 3 years (so far) of great friends and great camping and the learning experience of the build.... priceless!!!

Julie

[John T. Hodgen]

welcome,
Build/camp photos of the "Costta Lotta" are here; http://s215.photobucket.com/albums/cc145/panheadjohn60/ I started with a Tractor Supply no-floor trailer(300.00) and 300.00 in wood from Lowes. After 4 months of work, 27 trips to Lowes and less than 2000.00 I have a camper that I'm proud of and is an attraction everywhere we go. Even had a State Trooper pulls us over once just to check it out, so I gave him the 20 minute tour. I'm still amazed how much you can put in a 4x8x4high area. Build what you want and enjoy
Til later by the fire--John T. and Linda

[rhoffart]

Thanks, guys ... I'm thinking a scratch build but I'm going to do a lot more reading before I decide.

[John T. Hodgen]

hey rhoffart,
I never built anything on this level before--I too--read everything I could and bought Steve Fredrick's dvd from his Camping Classic website. It helped alot with how to build sandwich walls and the nuts/bolts of teardrop construction. You can also download the pages and make a manual to use in the shop without having to go back to your computer.
Til later by the fire--John T. & Linda

[aggie79]

Hi Rick!
Welcome onboard! Don't worry too much about tackling this project. I have some construction and woodworking experience, but I've never built anything like this before. Just grasp the concept of "teardrop time" and don't fret if it takes longer than you think. Part of my length of construction is that the details in my design, such as fiberglass fenders, turned out to be much more expensive than I thought. Poor cash flow has slowed me down as much if not more than finding time to work on the teardrop.

Good luck with your build,
Tom (Aggie79)

[BillandMarijo]

Rick,
Tom is right. Gotta get into the "Teardrop Time" way of building. Took me a year w/ the winter off to finish mine and actually there is still bugs I gotta work out.
Enjoy the planning and the build,
Bill and Marijo

[scotchale]

Welcome, your just up the road from us in Hondo. Ironic your in Boerne, just bought our TTT in Boerne from an individual there. We joined this site two weeks ago.

Cost, can't say much a the moment, we are new to this as well. The one we bought was $500 for a basic 4x8 box. Needs some fine tuning, lights and fenders added, but otherwise was ready to go for now while we decide what we would like to build next.

If you don't have a project yet, don't get rushed into anything, take your time and read up. If you can look at some in person, it makes all the difference in ideas.

Bryan

[nevadatear]

we just finished our 'woody' and the total cost for the build was right around $2700, 3000 including all the decor and new camping equipment I had to have to match the new decor!. Didn't include a few tools we "had" to have like a biscut cutter, but did include expoxy, all the wood (including the mistakes) lighting, wiring, door handles, hinges, battery, fan. The trailer frame (except for the axle, springs and wheels/tires) was free as my husband is a machinst and he built it out of left over steel. Could have done it a lot cheaper if we painted it and didn't do the custom cabinetry, but that is not what we wanted. We got exactly what we wanted, and at brand new for $3000 with all the bells and whistles we're happy.

[chorizon]

Welcome to the forum! I've been working on my TD off and on for about a year and a half now, but I've been making some pretty good progress lately...

Anyhow, I'm not sure how much I have in mine at this point, but I'd guess somewhere around $1500.

The thing that appealed to me about building my own was I could "meter" the TD "cash-flow". Almost like your making payments when you want. Rather than plunking down $3000 all at once, you'll end up buying the things you need week by week.

Steel for my trailer-frame -- $100
Dexter Axle -- $160
Wheels & Tires -- $120
etc..

Good luck!

[wlivesey]

You can get really fancy, and spend a lot of money, but you don't have to.

It's easy to let your imagination run wild and get ahead of your wallet. Trust me on that one...

[tinbender]

hi all new to this . started my td and adjusted for head room . camp 12 from drawing in this site. 69 in floor to ceiling.frame 1.5 x3 .125 t with added center support.
no drop floor. 3/4 ply with 5 mm ply skin.
frame $300, $700 wood so far. axle was salvage, with wheel and tires.
frame complete, walls complete, skin front to back across top complete.
working on wheel well bunks and hatch. in side all sin on but one section on top.stated march09, as money and time available. [/quote]