The Ultimate DIY thread - Ubuilding (Pics)
Hey all, There is another, albeit smaller, side to this whole RV thing - those crazy folks who build their own for whatever reason. Whether you've scratch-built it from the ground up, assembled a kit...
Forum Discussion
recycler, thanks for your thoughts on this. I don't profess to be any sort of expert so I like questions about why I'm doing it.
My thought with a 1/4" skin over 1" foam for the countertop was that the foam is the same as for the rest of the build so I'll be able to use scraps for a lot of the little jobs to minimize the waste - countertops, gussets, cabinet gables, etc. I hummed and haahed on the plywood for a bit, but went with 1/4" because that (plus whatever laminate I choose) are a thermal break between the bottom of a hot pot or pan and the foam which melts pretty easily. Now, I know *I* would never put a hot pot onto a bare countertop....but that's not why I went that route.
As for why I decided on 1" foam overall ?
I tow with a Ranger so I limited the width to something I could see past without adding extensions onto the side mirrors. I live on the west coast of BC - the terrain tends to be pretty tight in some of the areas I like to get to get to and I like knowing that, if my front fenders make it through then the whole mess will make it through. I recently picked up a brand spankin' new trailer for a guy I work for and I spent most of the trip checking the mirrors....
Long story short, my outside width is 65". That leaves me with about 63" inside
width. 1" will provide plenty of insulation for my needs and maximize interior volume. I had thought about going with 1 1/2" or even 2" foam but I don't see an advantage that's worth the cost to an already-tight floorplan.
In a project like this, I see the cabin space as being the shortest path between working perfectly and a dismal failure. I have no problems building something that is structurally bombproof and would survive a tornado on top of a tsunami, but the ergonomics aren't my strong suit.
Maybe I just spent too long building workboats that are function-over-form, but that's why I went with 1" foam.
Lol.
Sonic, I looked through your mods and, I gotta say, it looks like what you've done shows someone who's got some pretty good ingenuity. Had I bought my moho from you and you had said it was 'good to go', I would have the impression that you would have noticed and dealt with any 'surprises'.
Little things like covered toothbrush holders: trust me, I know how hard they can be to find !
And I've been going back and forth between swivel chairs and a dinette....
How are those EZE gutters holding up ? I'm going to track some down when I get to that point.
Is using the blank tank rinse easier than rinsing via a hose into the toilet ?
cargo, I'm a sucker for cherry:
I can't wait to see overall pics when it's all together...wow.
My thought with a 1/4" skin over 1" foam for the countertop was that the foam is the same as for the rest of the build so I'll be able to use scraps for a lot of the little jobs to minimize the waste - countertops, gussets, cabinet gables, etc. I hummed and haahed on the plywood for a bit, but went with 1/4" because that (plus whatever laminate I choose) are a thermal break between the bottom of a hot pot or pan and the foam which melts pretty easily. Now, I know *I* would never put a hot pot onto a bare countertop....but that's not why I went that route.
As for why I decided on 1" foam overall ?
I tow with a Ranger so I limited the width to something I could see past without adding extensions onto the side mirrors. I live on the west coast of BC - the terrain tends to be pretty tight in some of the areas I like to get to get to and I like knowing that, if my front fenders make it through then the whole mess will make it through. I recently picked up a brand spankin' new trailer for a guy I work for and I spent most of the trip checking the mirrors....
Long story short, my outside width is 65". That leaves me with about 63" inside
width. 1" will provide plenty of insulation for my needs and maximize interior volume. I had thought about going with 1 1/2" or even 2" foam but I don't see an advantage that's worth the cost to an already-tight floorplan.
In a project like this, I see the cabin space as being the shortest path between working perfectly and a dismal failure. I have no problems building something that is structurally bombproof and would survive a tornado on top of a tsunami, but the ergonomics aren't my strong suit.
Maybe I just spent too long building workboats that are function-over-form, but that's why I went with 1" foam.
Lol.
Sonic, I looked through your mods and, I gotta say, it looks like what you've done shows someone who's got some pretty good ingenuity. Had I bought my moho from you and you had said it was 'good to go', I would have the impression that you would have noticed and dealt with any 'surprises'.
Little things like covered toothbrush holders: trust me, I know how hard they can be to find !
And I've been going back and forth between swivel chairs and a dinette....
How are those EZE gutters holding up ? I'm going to track some down when I get to that point.
Is using the blank tank rinse easier than rinsing via a hose into the toilet ?
cargo, I'm a sucker for cherry:
I can't wait to see overall pics when it's all together...wow.
