Forum Discussion

swimmer_spe's avatar
swimmer_spe
Explorer
Sep 09, 2015

Rebuilding a rotten wall (or 2)

So, my trailer is worse than I thought. Basically the back end on the driver's side is rotten to the sheet metal.
The roof seems solid. I have put down plywood, and now the floor is sold enough to stand on.

My exterior wall on the driver's side and the interior wall that houses my fridge and furnace are both rotten. Basically, now that no more water is coming in, it is drying out, and the wood is now turning to dust.

Anyone ever rebuild walls without removing the exterior metal sheeting?

I was thinking of making a wall following the frame holding the roof up and then using wedges to jack op the sagging section.

It looks like the singular interior wall is the issue, and if I remove my fridge, rip out the old wall and rebuild it, without removing the furnace.

This trailer cost me nothing to get. It is not being moved again. So, any work I do to it just makes it better.
  • Coolerman's avatar
    Coolerman
    Explorer
    Sep 11, 2015
    Westend, I just read your entire thread and have to say I am impressed! I love that new paint job and the DW loves your western decor. Your skill sets are many, including writing well. My hat is off to you!
  • myredracer's avatar
    myredracer
    Explorer II
    Sep 10, 2015
    Mark Polk of RVEducation101 has a great series of vids on a major rebuild of a travel travel down to skin and bones to repair extensive rot. You might have to subscribe to access them.
  • RVcircus's avatar
    RVcircus
    Explorer II
    Sep 10, 2015
    I did my roof at the same time as the walls, no my situation was a bit different. I did rebuild the balls from the inside without removing the siding though.
  • westend's avatar
    westend
    Explorer
    Sep 09, 2015
    swimmer_spe wrote:
    westend wrote:
    I rebuilt my walls from the inside. Look at the restoration thread in my signature line, "The Cowboy/Hilton".


    I like what you did. However, i am not doing a complete gut job. Only the bad section is where I plan to rebuild.

    Did you replace the wall joists? How did you do it without the roof coming down?
    Wherever there was a problem with the structure supporting the roof, I used home made jacking posts (2x4 tee) to support the roof trusses.

    My trailer had bad wall sections where the wall studs, the wall top plate, and the rafter ends were missing or rotten. By supporting the ceiling rafters with the aforementioned jacking posts, I was able to remove sections and rebuild the wall framing. I've done this stuff for years but anybody that can build a dog house can do it.

    My number one piece of advice would be to keep everything straight, level, and plumb while proceeding. Some folks that try this get a bad fit for the siding at the end of it and develop spots where there are gaps, especially where walls intersect or at the corners.
  • swimmer_spe's avatar
    swimmer_spe
    Explorer
    Sep 09, 2015
    westend wrote:
    I rebuilt my walls from the inside. Look at the restoration thread in my signature line, "The Cowboy/Hilton".


    I like what you did. However, i am not doing a complete gut job. Only the bad section is where I plan to rebuild.

    Did you replace the wall joists? How did you do it without the roof coming down?
  • westend's avatar
    westend
    Explorer
    Sep 09, 2015
    I rebuilt my walls from the inside. Look at the restoration thread in my signature line, "The Cowboy/Hilton".

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