McJen,

 Welcome to HTW you will learn alot from this site about your project.

 I did mine about 1 1/2 years ago all from scratch and this site is what got me through it. As for your question about the household fridge yes you can use a small one in it but you will really rather have a dual fuel (electric and gas) trust me on this one. I have a small electric in my horse trailer but I have a dual in my motorhome.

Getting started you should use some blue painters tape to lay out the areas on the floor and walls. I would even use some cardboard and duct tape to make life size closet, cabinets, table or what ever you are putting in there to make the best use of ALL the space available. I know it sounds like a lot of work but you need to get a look at the sizes of things before you start cutting up lumber.

Here is a link to some pictures of my DIY LQ

http://pets.webshots.com/album/573068102VpSZxX

Good luck and I hope you and your hubbie have alot of patience

The most difficult task is determining what will fit into a given space. Look into photos of the trailers for sale sections for comparable sizes to yours. Go to the various manufucturers' web sites for floor plans. Talk to owners that have LQs and ask their likes and dislikes. Talk to dealers who have LQs on display.

A couple of years ago we built a LQ, whilst essentially copying an existing LQ. By not having to design and fit the interior, the project was made much easier. Copying the best work of professionals, is much more simple than trying to design your own. That isn't to say that their plans can't be modified to your specifications. Once you have the large pieces located and planed, the little things will fall into place.