Update: On my RV Building Plans....
UPDATE: On my RV building plans Well, you spoke..... and I listened. Thank you to all those that provided feedback to me on my RV building plans. Your ideas and suggestions have been very helpf...
Forum Discussion
beemerphile1 wrote:myrvplans1 wrote:beemerphile1 wrote:
If you were building this yourself I would say go for it. I'm not sure but it appears you intend to have this built by others.
If you have this built you will spend twice the price of purchasing a factory TT.
You will have a trailer twice as heavy as a factory TT.
You will have a trailer only half as functional as a factory TT.
You will have a trailer that no one will give any money for if you want to sell.
BEEMERPHILE (ok, no purple)
- It is true I will spend more in building this travel trailer than I would purchasing one of similar size off a sales lot. (Gee, I sure hope it won't come in at "twice" the cost, but I accept that "custom anything" in life costs.)
- You state that the trailer will be twice as heavy as a factory TT, but you provide no factual data to support that. I've removed so many unneeded factory items (stove, burners, slide outs, dinette, etc.) that I would have to disagree with you.
- You suggest that the trailer will be half as functional as a factory unit, but yet you don't state how so? I could understand your point better if you gave examples.
- You imply that a trailer of this type would not retain sales value? Again, you don't state why? If I was intent on selling it I believe as a custom unit it would be very appealing to some and would not depreciate any more or less than any others. I also believe that a trailer of this type could be a very marketable item to people traveling solo. (a niche market perhaps, but a growing segment)
Thanks for the feedback. -Darla
Just giving you some thoughts, I don't feel the need to prove anything or try to convince you but I will give a little of my reasoning.
There is another thread on here where someone was paying to have living quarters added to a horse trailer. After two contractors they still have an unfinished trailer and are very unhappy.
RVs don't use normal construction practices. Unless your builder knows RVs in detail it will end up very heavy.
Half as functional because you are leaving out many items that make an RV what it is.
Resell value - how many people do you think will buy an RV that you poop in a plastic bag and dispose of it like dog scat?
You might want to Google "vandwellers". There is a group of people that convert vans, cars, and cargo trailers for living off grid. Many live a very simplistic existence and you might glean some ideas from what they have done.
BEEMERPHILE
You write that you “don't feel the need to prove anything or try to convince” me. Well, that’s my point. You don’t need to convince me or prove anything no more than I need to accept or implement the same. Got it? However, if you want others to take what you say credibility then you should be prepared to support your statements with facts and back up what you say.
You cite a single documented RV “bad builder” experience with a horse trailer. I’m sure there are sub-standard RV builders out there. There are sub-standard services of all kinds in the community. There are bad home builders and bad swimming pool installers out there....does that mean no one should have a house built or a swimming pool installed? In the example you cite did the person do their due diligence and check out who they were doing business with first?.... did they have depictions of what it is they wanted the result to look like? .... did they visit the factory and see the quality of the work the contractor did prior to hiring them? .... did they first come to this forum to present their concept, exchange ideas and seek the input of others? The bottom line is anyone can be ripped off or get bad results in any service category. It’s happened to all of us in our lives. We can only increase our odds of success by doing our homework first. So I still don’t see how your comment supports not custom building?
Yes, I do understand that building an RV is not like building a house or a tool shed. If this was a house I would have had it built with sod on the lawn 18 months ago. RV’s are vehicles and things in motion have weight, size and power limitations. But you still don’t provide a single example of how my trailer will be “heavy” or heavier than others or unsafe or in violation of law?
You state that I left “out many items that make an RV what it is.” What exactly makes an RV what it is? If I leave out a stove and burners because I don’t cook inside does that make the RV non-functional? Some would say the more you can leave out of an RV the more efficient it becomes (more space, less maintenance, less cost, less weight, etc.) So I don’t think your point on this holds up.
Actually... compost, dry toilets, incinerator toilets and a host of other new toilet innovations are a growing segment of the RV industry. Do your homework before you speak. (I did). Even people in high end motor homes are swapping out their black water tank toilets for these other options. A non-black water tank toilet sure has a lot of advantages. Since when does a “portable toilet” make an RV unsaleable?
Yes, I have researched all kinds of things like “vandwellers”, “vansteading” and “living off grid” and there is quite a lot of information and resources out there from which to learn and get ideas. You finally made a constructive point that all of us can benefit from rather than spewing useless confrontational “Burbs.” (get it B-man?)
Thanks for your comments. - Darla
