Rob's Cabin (warning lots of pictures)

[droid_ca]

So after deliberating for a while and spending lots of time on here researching trailer ideas I think I have come up with a plan...Well of sorts no actual construction will start for a while but I did want to get the ball rolling so to speak. So I thought I do up a build thread in advance so I have a place to post some of my thoughts on what I'd like to do.

Here is my basic idea:
I'd like to have a cabin to sleep in when I'm out in the woods but building one at all the different locations that I like to go would be very costly so I came up with this idea on tinyhouse talk there is a trailer that I just can't get out of my head
here is the link to it http://www.tinyhousetalk.com/tiny-house ... on-wheels/
and here are the pictures cause I know how much we all like them






So yes it does look like a tiny house now here is the research that I have been doing I'd like to make it a little bigger then what is pictures since I have a small dilemma... er um rather 3 of them my dogs ok I love them to death but they need their space as well
&
so to make it bigger I thought how do I find out the weight of a small build and then it hit me I looked up back yard storage sheds and looked at their shipping weights bingo there it was the whole time so if I build it lighter then what you buy in the store then all should be ok...so for 592 pounds I could have a cabin that is 8 x 12.5 feet WOW here is the link check it out your self http://www.homedepot.ca/product/lifetim ... hed/943032
So now I just have to stay under a few hundred pounds er weight so I have decided to build out of aluminum to help keep that down and to prevent it from rusting I have a max tow weight of 2000 pounds with my little 4x4 so that is the goal to be able to pull it with that good on gas and the possibilities of bringing a cabin with me wherever I go now that speaks volumes

I'd eventualy like to be able to build a bigger trailer for me to live in but that will be another time...So I'm eagerly awaiting all your questions and comments

[mikeschn]

Any interior shots?

Mike...

[droid_ca]

Any interior shots?

Mike...

No sorry Mike there are none that I have found from my understanding it was basically like a tear drop cook outside and sleep inside they did have a king size bed in it but their website is down I tried to message them on facebook but still nothing I'd like to do it up similar to how the Rondack Lodge is set up but be able to have cooking inside for those cold days up here

[droid_ca]

Robert, I like your idea, that looks so cool
Would you have any problems with insurance up your way with a design like that?
Now I understand your wood stove thread a bit better and why you want one!

Hey biziedizie Thanks for checking it out I'm going to try and do the insurance in two phases I would like to have the trailer welded up as a flat deck essentially and then it will be registered and insured as a U-built and then I can add my cabin to it after we have a lot of U-built trailers in my area so its not that hard of a thing to do here There is under 600 people that live in my town so we all kinda know who is who and who to get certain work done that wont get hassled so it does save some time and lots of paper work. As for the wood stove it's mainly so when I camp I don't need to go through lots of propane I'll have a 2 burner insert in it as well but I just thought if I can go for a hike and get some wood then it's an added bonus the pictures show my basic idea I'm probably going to double the length of the actual cabin so I have some maneuvering around room...But I have so many other crazy ideas I need to sort out ....

[droid_ca]

I hear you when it comes to the insurance red tape. I'm doing the same thing as to register something they've never heard of will be a headache plus I'm sure the yearly cost will be on the high side.
I meant to ask you, how many dogs do you have?

Steve

the insurance shouldn't be that bad I was talking to a friend of mine and he has full coverage on his U-built trailer and it is somewhere around 170 for the year I figure mine will be a little more say around 400 or so but that will cover everything...
My dogs I have 2 European boxers and 1 Belgian malinois (she is being trained to be a police dog..could of bought a trailer for the price that it cost to get here registered as a service animal) they are in the pictures up above

[M C Toyer]

Have you seen Bob Henry's "Barn on Wheels" based on a gambrel roof storage shed design? That might allow for a loft bed leaving more space below for necessities and dogs to sleep.

http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=30307&hilit=barn

I like your concept and I think doable within the limits you propose. It might be better suited for longer camp times and fewer travel times.

What insulation requirement do you anticipate in the areas you camp? Will you have access to water, power, bath facilities or will you need to be totally self-contained?

Lots of possibiliities. Keep us posted.

I've extended my planned Log Cabin to 7-1/2 x 13-1/2 feet with a full size murphy bed. I expect to be under 2000#, not aerodynamic at all, but don't have the tow weight limitation, nor will I be traveling long distances.

I opted for a bit more room as I plan to use mine for a base while I do historical research. I will have a fairly complete office set-up and be fully self contained.

I've got two small dogs but they are content with a small pet bed. I also have a compact folding pen for outside.

[droid_ca]

So as for a frame update I think I found the one setup that I'd like to use it is in the Campster12 plans

I just have to move the inner rails in a bit more to match my wheel base but that shouldn't be a problem

here it is with some dimensions, just have to figure out how thick of aluminum I'm going to go with as the steal frame adds up to 208 pounds (that's not too bad either)




This trailer is Jäger aproved He wants to go camping

[droid_ca]

Have you seen Bob Henry's "Barn on Wheels" based on a gambrel roof storage shed design? That might allow for a loft bed leaving more space below for necessities and dogs to sleep.

http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=30307&hilit=barn

I like your concept and I think doable within the limits you propose. It might be better suited for longer camp times and fewer travel times.

What insulation requirement do you anticipate in the areas you camp? Will you have access to water, power, bath facilities or will you need to be totally self-contained?

Lots of possibiliities. Keep us posted.



I've extended my planned Log Cabin to 7-1/2 x 13-1/2 feet with a full size murphy bed. I expect to be under 2000#, not aerodynamic at all, but don't have the tow weight limitation, nor will I be traveling long distances.

I opted for a bit more room as I plan to use mine for a base while I do historical research. I will have a fairly complete office set-up and be fully self contained.

I've got two small dogs but they are content with a small pet bed. I also have a compact folding pen for outside.

Thanks M C Toyer I have seen Bob Henry's Barn that was one of the trailers that inspired me to do this but for my needs it seems a little too tall...Hmm loft bed that is a good idea but I think if I build it light and with as little insulation as possible it might end up being a 3-dog night...I can get water pretty much any where so I'll be living off of batteries I had posted another thread about a dc-generator as that might be a good way to recharge things while I wear them down..I can camp withing an hour of my house and I'd be 6500 up a mountain so its more for camping then traveling there are so many back roads here I just thought it would be nice to have a functional trailer..Hence the cabin design as compared to the teardrop style I just imagine telling people that I got a cabin here and here and here so I kinda talked myself into this ...Thanks for showing interest I'll have to take a look at your thread and see what ideas I can borrow

[M C Toyer]

I can't read the deminsions in the second graphic but the frame is almost identical to a pop-up frame I acquired some time ago. The deck measures 7' x 12' and overall length is 17' with a 4' tongue and 1' extension of rear bumper.

It has a torsion axle and came with 13" wheels but can accomodate the 15" shown on the axle above. I just bought that 2000# axle
to go on my original build that has the heavy forged drop axle which had too little ground clearance and not enough width for the larger tires. The pop-up frame already has 4 leveling jacks, battery and propane bottle frame, propane plumbing and a 7 wire harness and the a-frame jack.

Around here these are pretty easy to find for $200 to $300 after the canvas goes and the owner parts them out. A few can be had with sink, cook top, holding tanks, furnace and roof air conditioners. This one had already been stripped and the 1" deck installed. I never weighed it but seems pretty light - the frame is all c-channel but the crossmembers are a lighter gauge.

I decided not to use it for my log cabin because I wanted the wider wheelbase on the boat trailer I am using for stability and the extra 2' of tongue for cargo.

In the background (under the ladders) is a 24' tandem axle trailer frame (28' overall) for a more ambitious future project. It came stripped also but has two sets ot steel drop-down steps. You can also see my back-up tow vehicle, a 96 model with 375,000 miles that still gets the job done. It has the 351 CI V8 and automatic transmission. I pull a 8 x 16 foot cargo van loaded with tools and machinery weighing close to 8000# that still gets 12-14 mpg

All the trailers I have were re-purposed with very little modification and cost less than half of the materials needed to build from scratch. Here (Texas) under 4000# can be licensed as home-built with no title or inspection. The pop-up was already titled and licensed as a travel trailer so was easily transfered to my name, again with no inspection.

[Deryk the Pirate]

looks interesting, but will have drag if its too tall

[droid_ca]

looks interesting, but will have drag if its too tall

I'm going to try and fight that bay having a bay window in the front to give it a more streamline feel, then with the extra space I was thinking of placing my sink there so I'm hopefully gaining some much needed floor space..Thanks for following Deryk yours was a very inspirational build I hope mine goes as well as yours did

[Deryk the Pirate]

Thanks man, yeah I wanna see how yours works out...I do like the look of it and Im a sucker for the porch on it with driftwood and all, so fits my crazy tastes lol. I am seriously leaning for my next build to use a rv style door. Yeah it breaks with the traditional look a bit but they are generally better sealed and It has to have a screen door so you can leave it open and have air flow in side. Lots of windows is also nice...only negative is when your trying to sleep inside and the harsh evil daystar is shining in there trying to brighten up my sleeping tomb lol

deryk

[droid_ca]

Thanks man, yeah I wanna see how yours works out...I do like the look of it and Im a sucker for the porch on it with driftwood and all, so fits my crazy tastes lol.

deryk

As for my porch I'm thinking I'd like to do it out of diamond willow a friend of mine has introduced me to it a few years ago and I'm really liking how it looks just need to get a UV stabilized treatment for it

[droid_ca]

So just thought I'd give an update on one of my ideas

I was talking about cupboards and I had found a Etsy site that makes custom signs out of 3/4 inch pine..
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Lovejoystore
She uses a cnc machine the prices seem not to bad so I have discussed other possible ideas for patterns as I'd like to have some nature type pictures just need to do a double frame around them in order to mount hardware and make it look nice they can do the signs in any size


Oh as another thought there is a chemical glass etching kit that I have seen on YouTube and thought that if I were to do my exterior windows with this kit that it might also tie in with my cupboards here is a video to see what I'm talking about
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5h8YpXOvUZc

The devil is in the details as some would say and I'd like to express myself as much as I could with this little project...Who knows I might end up living in it

[droid_ca]

so in order to keep it light weight I think I have decided to do a drop floor instead of building the whole thing taller and making it all look "too scale" if I put in a drop floor that can solve a lot of problems for me such as Dog door or emergency exit...what ever my ride height should be tall enough to have either a box section that rises up or I can have it offset and fold down "some assembly required" either way that is a lot less headache then building it taller as I'd like to stay with in my ride height of the vehicle....would love to get some feed back on the idea of using a dropped floor system I think I might have to borrow the idea that vairman used in his Super Tear viewtopic.php?f=50&t=33829 I love this site so full of so many good ideas... until latter