Its been started...

Mine uses all square head screws. I think they're called robertson head screws. My subfloor runs under the 2X2 wall studs Attaching to chassis ears every so often. What is racking and what does it look like? I'm also replacing all the fiberglass junk with spray foam closed cell insulation. I plan on leaving the aluminum siding on until all the interior luan is replaced and subfloor. Although, The siding is NOT stapled to the floor. It actually hangs below the undercarriage by about an inch or so.
As far as building like a site built house, I will use 2X2 studs still and light material. I don't mind using "rv type" material as long as its a more universal kind and doesn't have the look. Like a plastic sink.....Stainless weighs the same and looks so much better. I'm doing alot of balancing with weight vs. cost, functionality, and appearance. Also carefully planning out the floor plan. Thinking of keeping the same plan but making minor changes. mine doesn't have the bathroom closet but instead a sink and the "closet" is over the elec. distribution block. Thinking of deleting the bathroom sink altogether and enlarging the bathroom area or putting a closet there. Things like that. Trying to not only keep weigh down but also evenly distributed.

be careful on how you build if you build it like a traditional house, it will get HEAVY!

Good luck!

Cruiseomatic wrote:
On the sub-floor, What would be the best way to replace it? I mean the entire floor. In one of the pics, You can see where it looks like the wall has pushed the floor down right beside a patch panel. It may not be that bad but still. I was thinking once I get the interior stripped out, One sheet at a time and no patches. I was thinking of a method to re-use the existing screws and holes in the studs. I was also told that the luan panels and aluminum siding plays a part in the structure. Is that true?

I pulled most of mine up and replaced a small bit, underneath the water heater location. My Starcraft has the walls attached onto the floor sheathing. In some areas I was able to detach the wall from floor, remove the fasteners that remained, and slide the floor sheathing under the wall. In a couple of areas I cut the floor sheathing 6" back from the wall, installed the foam board insulation, installed a ledger under the cut seam, and used the same piece of flooring to reattach. Of course, it's easier to use the original holes to reattach the floor sheathing but isn't mission critical. Also, my whole trailer used clutch drive screws for fasteners. Those were replaced with conventional philips head screws, whenever I removed a clutch drive screw.

Yes, in all travel trailer framing where there is no foam board insulation or, if fiberglass bat insulation is used, the aluminum siding and the interior paneling play a significant role in the structure's integrity. If you replace any fiberglass bat with foam board cut to friction fit or use a spray foam, it will greatly increase the trailer's frame rigidity.

When I restored the Starcraft, I left the exterior siding on. I didn't have any issues with frame movement as I repaired and insulated the frame. If frame "racking" looks like it may happen, you can prevent that by temporarily attaching a 1 x 3 or similar on an angle across a wall frame. Two such supports, one in each corner on an angle will add more than 25% to the wall integrity. Be aware of this frame movement as there have been posts on this Forum of owners removing both exterior siding and the interior paneling, resulting in the frame racking/moving and making new siding or paneling installation a very frustrating experience.

On the sub-floor, What would be the best way to replace it? I mean the entire floor. In one of the pics, You can see where it looks like the wall has pushed the floor down right beside a patch panel. It may not be that bad but still. I was thinking once I get the interior stripped out, One sheet at a time and no patches. I was thinking of a method to re-use the existing screws and holes in the studs. I was also told that the luan panels and aluminum siding plays a part in the structure. Is that true?

Exactly. I could of bought a newer one. But I'd of spent more and ended up with a smaller one paying more and would still have to demo the interior.

By the time you're done, depending on what you put back into it, it will have less formaldehyde (or other material) off-gassing than a new trailer.

For Hohenwald and others curious about reasoning--I gutted mine and rebuilt it because I wanted something I couldn't buy, a highly insulated TT that had appliance efficiency. The decision was made before I started to buy a trailer with "good bones" because I knew I wouldn't have the heart to demolish a good used one. I accomplished my goals and the total cost was lower than the price of a good used TT (not considering labor).

This sort of project isn't a good undertaking for most. The skills have to be there and, as Cruiser states, you need to have a long time-frame for completion. Most folks would rather be camping than building.

Maybe I should add this.... ( Didn't think I had to...)

I'm not looking for "It'd be cheaper to get a new one..." Or, "Ewww, A fema trailer they're so toxic..."

I know what it is, I know what the costs are. We're doing a custom build so nothing new will work.
Formaldehyde is in EVERYTHING. Your rig, new car, house, Everywhere. It's a preservative. That new car smell is it actually. New cars and trailers have a chance to air out. So do new houses. Fema trailers didn't because they went from factory to site so quickly.
So, Unless its beneficial to this build, Don't bother. I hate to sound so abrasive but Getting tired of reading the same thing about it already.
I'm looking for help on the build, Not advice whether or not I should. I am no matter what.

hohenwald48 wrote:
For those who have done this before, is this an economical kind of project or is it just something you do for the fun of it? Seems like a good used travel trailer would make more sense from a dollars and cents point of view.

A few years ago I bought an old TT for the purpose of setting it up permanently at a hunting camp. Got it for a decent price, and yes it was a fun project, gutted and rebuilt much as the OP shows in the photos. By the time it was done, I could have purchased a much newer used rig for the time and material cost. Another one of those live and learn situations.

For me, Its a lifelong home mamma and I are building. I bought the thing a few years ago and it definitely did what I bought it for. And a mortgage on a cookie cutter house with no yard is not for us. And we'd still have to make it into what we want. This way, When we buy some property where we plan on, we can take this when were done and live in it until were ready to build a house. People don't do this for economical reasons or to flip. Not on this scale. And its something we can do together we both like. She does the carpentry building the cabinets and I do electrical and mechanical.

For those who have done this before, is this an economical kind of project or is it just something you do for the fun of it? Seems like a good used travel trailer would make more sense from a dollars and cents point of view.