Typical cost of a Generic Benroy

[jasen7]

I am really wanting to try my hand at building one of these. The only thing holding me back is the cost. I was wondering if anyone could give me a rough estimate on what it would cost to build a no frills Benroy.

I realize it is usually the personal touches, trinkets, and fancy doo-dads that add up to big $$$$
This is why I am wondering what kind of cost I would be looking at just to build it without all of the personal touches.
Also, for the exterior, I am looking at painting instead of skinning.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[parnold]

Mine is not a Benroy, but is pretty no frills. I spent a total of 1800.00 329 was frame and 220 was mattress so both those could be saved on. Of course, remember, you can build it as you can afford it too, lot's of people here do that.

[kirkman]

Lets see with out all the frills.
One trailer, 3 sheets of 1/2" ply wood, 2 or 3 sheets of 1/4" ply wood, some 1by3/4 boards for spars and what not. 1 piano hinge 3 foot for the door, and 1 piano hinge 4 feet for the hatch with a old bike inter tube to go under and over it to seal out the rain. 2 of grants windows or two windows out of a old truck cap. 1 gallon epoxy.and 1 gallon of primer and paint. I would say just about $800 to $1,000 It could be done for cheaper if you scavenge most of your parts. I did mine for just about $1,000 with out the truck bead liner I used for the exterior. Plus I had it built and camping in 29 days.

[stevem50]

all said and done, about $1600, that includes air conditioner, fridge, gas grill, bed, and bedding. most everything was "shopped" for.. waited for the doorbuster deals. another cost dropper was making a deal with the local supply house, the guy at 84 lumber realized that it was gonna get a bunch of attention, so for the discount he gave me, when i talked to people about it, i directed them to him for building supplies. the birddog referral goes a long way when you work on commission. send them business, they cut you a break

trailer 269.99-minus 20%coupon
ac unit-89.00
fridge-59.99 minus 10.00 rebate
etc........

add a couple of bucks after the fact for stuff i have changed( just got wide whites and moon discs)
spend wisely and you can build it, then go on a trip for less than 2 grand

[BrwBier]

We have (I feel) all the frills and still spent less than $3000. Considering that we will have it probably forever, that is not much of an investment. Almost nothing was bought at full price, always wait for a sale. We were not in a hurry, it teardrop time. (I heard that here).
Brwbier

[Bigwoods]

My generic Benroy was a little under 1K. I scavenged a lot of the wood and parts or had them on hand. My biggest outlay was windows, trim, hurricane hinge and seals. It is basic, but that just what meets my needs.

[absolutsnwbrdr]

You can definitely keep the cost down by carefully searching for deals on trailers and materials. Wood choice made a big difference in the cost of my trailer. I used oak boards for the spars, and they were more than double the cost of typical white wood.

Like Paul said, buy and build piece by piece until your done.

My convertible cost about $1500 for the initial build, and I've added a lot since it was "finished".

[rowerwet]

I know mine cost over $1000, don't think it made it to 2k, my wife gave up on keeping track...

[absolutsnwbrdr]

my wife gave up on keeping track...

Probably a good thing! I have a budget (parts list) already for my next one and somehow its double my last one. The girlfriend thinks I'm crazy.

[Deryk the Pirate]

Yeah, I spent a bit over 2k on the first lil vardo, and the 2nd since its a bit bigger is gonna be a little more...sigh lol But its all in the materials. theres exterior ply and mdo ply, pine or cedar...you can build it cheaper and experiment!

[absolutsnwbrdr]

I think we'll all agree on this as well: start with what you're comfortable with. Use the first build as an experiment, and if (when) you decide to build another, you'll be so much more prepared.

And you'll have obsessed over this site for many more months, gaining so much more knowledge

[KenC]

I am really wanting to try my hand at building one of these. The only thing holding me back is the cost. I was wondering if anyone could give me a rough estimate on what it would cost to build a no frills Benroy.

I realize it is usually the personal touches, trinkets, and fancy doo-dads that add up to big $$$$
This is why I am wondering what kind of cost I would be looking at just to build it without all of the personal touches.
Also, for the exterior, I am looking at painting instead of skinning.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Jason,

Mine is a Benroy 5 x 10 not done yet but over 5k in it so far. My link will show some of the cost details, it adds up.

[Reddiver]

I have less than three grand in La Tortuga but that is with some really nice walnut radio vent fan tires fenders wheels well you get the idea. Could have done it cheaper but I spent a little money at a time never felt it

[john warren]

Lets see with out all the frills.
One trailer, 3 sheets of 1/2" ply wood, 2 or 3 sheets of 1/4" ply wood, some 1by3/4 boards for spars and what not. 1 piano hinge 3 foot for the door, and 1 piano hinge 4 feet for the hatch with a old bike inter tube to go under and over it to seal out the rain. 2 of grants windows or two windows out of a old truck cap. 1 gallon epoxy.and 1 gallon of primer and paint. I would say just about $800 to $1,000 It could be done for cheaper if you scavenge most of your parts. I did mine for just about $1,000 with out the truck bead liner I used for the exterior. Plus I had it built and camping in 29 days.

very simular to mine. i gad a 4x8 utility trailer to build on. used 1/4 ply outside with 1x framing, with 1/4 masonite inside. made my cabintets out of leftover 1x and 1/4 inch ply with firing strip and masonite doors. 3/4 inch foam insulated. painted with eurothane porch and deck enamel. i think it all came in around $500.
its about 6 years old now and i/m probably going to take it apart this winter and rebuild it using top of the line stuff, like ribon mahogony marine ply, with redwood trim and custom fancy cabinets. im thinking around $2000 for this build.