Dealing with rotted studs and flooring

I have rebuilt 3 trailers with water rot problems.

(As far as any new floor material, I would go with exterior grade/sheathing plywood as it uses waterproof glue)

How do I make up the curve in the front with the studs? (You may have to use something like a 2x10 ETC. and use a saber saw to cut a curved shape)

How are the studs attached to the aluminum siding.(Aluminum siding is installed from the top down. Where there is a seam, top alum piece has a leg that extends down the back side, and it is secured to stud. Then next piece of siding is slid into a slot and secured the same way. If you need to take siding off, you will have to start from the bottom, remove all items on side of RV to get siding off to nearest joint, if there is one)

The rot is inside the front closet but it seems like the closet is screwed on from the outside in. Any hints on how I deal with that? ( Yes that is correct as one fellow said closet was probably secured from the outside through interior paneling. Or sometimes it is secured from the inside before paneling is installed on closet walls. In which case you can take off paneling and take out screws to remove closet. You could try using a hack saw blade from inside the closet to slip between closet and outside wall to cut screws, so as not to damage visible paneling)

If you want to send me a PM I will try to help more.

You can do the job with simple reasoning and basic carpenter skills.
Take your time and start tearing it apart. When done it will be like new for far less than getting another trailer.

Pogoil.

Shomemule wrote:

westend wrote:
You can do it and don't let the armchair engineers tell you not to. I'm assuming throwing away an otherwise serviceable RV is not the way you want to proceed.

Look at the build thread in my signature line, the Cowboy/Hilton. I replaced frame and flooring and it is all pictured there. If you have a particular question, let it fly or shoot me a PM.

Thanks westend. I guess my biggest challenge is securing the new framing to the aluminum siding. I can remove the old from the siding with a sawzall but I'm not sure how I'll secure the new since the studs are screwed from the outside in. Construction adhesive is one alternative but I'm not sure how well it will adhere to the aluminum.

Most aluminum siding on Rv's is not fastened to every framing member. If you have a bad corner section, remove the trim rail that covers the corner, remove staples or screws that fasten the siding to the studs. Remove siding by removing screws or staples that fasten it to studs, top plate, and bottom sill.

I think you'll find that the floor sheathing is underneath the wall. With judicious use of a sawzall, grinder, or a small reciprocating saw, I was able to remove fasteners that attach the wall bottom sill to the frame. I then slid new sections of plywood floor underneath the wall framing and reattached the wall through the new floor. I also replaced some floor joists and sistered new joists underneath any new floor joints that I created. While I was pulling floor, I insulated the open space between joists with foam sheets.

Construction adhesive like PL400 or Liquid Nails should be your new best friend. It sticks to anything clean and I used some in every joint of the framing I replaced. It helps to hold everything together when the trailer is in motion.

Shomemule wrote:
I guess my biggest challenge is securing the new framing to the aluminum siding. I can remove the old from the siding with a sawzall but I'm not sure how I'll secure the new since the studs are screwed from the outside in. Construction adhesive is one alternative but I'm not sure how well it will adhere to the aluminum.

I don't understand why driving the screws from the outside is a problem. In my wooden-frame trailer the aluminum siding is attached to the framing from the outside. And in not too many places, because it's mostly held in place with S-locks. The siding sheets are 2-3 ft wide (from bottom to top) and have S-lock at the top. The topmost sheet is attached first - yes, it may have screws into the frame near the roof. Then the lower sheet goes under, overlapping by about half-inch, and is held in the S-lock, no screws. Then another one, and the bottom-most sheet has both S-lock at the top and a few screws along the bottom frame, 3 or 4 ft between the screws (can be spaced closer where there are lids, hatches etc).

To remove the siding, you start from the bottom-most sheet and work your way up.

I agree with most other people that unless you really love this trailer and are willing to spend all summer on it, or maybe are on a a limited budget - forget about it. Judging by the words like "front bathroom" it looks like a pretty big rig, so a new one would cost over 18K.

Getting a trailer with metal framing - yeah, well, maybe... The problem is that with metal frame you will also get - usually - a much cursed fiberglass siding with block-foam insulation. Let's not open this can of worms right now, this debate has been going forever.

Thanks to all for the great advice and comments. I think I'm good to go on this project.