I am all ears and eager for some suggestions!

I recently purchased a new trailer, and it is fantastic... The tack room is probably 8' and is a gooseneck.  I camp in my trailer at shows and for a month or so in the spring when I head south for competitions.  So I'm going to be basically living in this thing!  Can anyone suggest concepts, ideas, etc for building my own living quarters in this space? 

So far we've accomplished some things... Have a bed in the nose, A/C and power, insulation, carpet, and mini fridge. 

Can anyone offer some suggestions?  Stories?  THANKS!!!

Here you go...this was a great inspiration to me!

http://todd.redwrench.com/index.htm

I camped for 3 years with a friend that bought a basic trailer and slowly had the LQ done.  She sadly made mistakes along the way, but it has turned out quite nice. 

The 2 biggest mistakes were not setting the trailer up for propane.  She has an electric fridge which is essentially a cooler when camping unless there is electric available.  She does have a generator, but you can't run it non-stop and most of the places in FL, don't have electric.  The other is she didn't insulate the trailer at the beginning, but had it done later which cost alot more.

    Once you start camping you will find that you will probably want all the extras as it does make camping so much easier and nicer.  Put in propane for a fridge, hot water heater, and cooktop if you can.  The cowboy showers (in the horse area) work fine, though not quite as nice as a shower inside the LQ.  Storage is always an issue, so plan on as much of that as you can fit, and countertop space is vital. 

 I have a small  weekender (5' LQ) as it has a cowboy shower. But I have propane fridge, hot water heater, & cooktop, dinnette which I wasn't sure if I'd like and I love it.  The top gives me a nice area to sit and prepare meals.  Also have AC, microwave, screen door, pass-through door, awning, generator, and cabinets for storage, though I could use more. Lastly I have a haudraulic hitch which is wonderful!!  No cranking for me. It's just a 2H, but since I only have 1 horse it works out just fine.   I only need electric or the generator for the microwave, AC, and a small electric heater and can be self sufficent if there isn't any electric and have gone on small trips without starting the generator.  

   Check out other trailers, talk to the owners, people love to show off their trailers and will tell you the pros and cons of each.  This website is a wealth of info and there are many on here who have done incrediable LQ's.  Good luck and happy camping.  

Hey there HHFarm,

As someone else has already posted, "maccwall" was also my inspiration for my DIY LQ.  My photos are posted on Webshots  http://community.webshots.com/user/kdlackey1?vhost=community    Maybe you can get some ideas.  It was great fun and talk about instant gratification!  It was great to see the progress made at the end of every day spent working.  You can doit!  Good Luck!

Thanks for the complements, Dunagain.  We did everything ourselves.  My husband did the construction, electric, plumbing and I did the decorating part.  I made the cabinet doors, the bench cushions, window headers and covers, and did the tiling. 

We hauled the trailer to an RV shop that used to do trailer conversions and they were happy to list all the  valves and fixtures we needed for the combo potty/shower and ordered them for us from their wholesale connections (Country RV in Sequin TX).  They also gave us installation tips.  They made money, we got valuable help.  Tip: You will save money on faucets and shower heads, etc., at your local home improvement store rather than buying over priced and cheaply made RV fixtures. 

KDL, awesome job, we are currently doing my DR in my trailer. We aren't quite through yet, I did use Todd's web as inspiration, I love yours also. I have kept a photo journal, not quite as extensive as yall's but it will go in my memory bank for sure.  I looked and looked for the soft ceiling vinyl with no avail, and opted for faux leather covered luan that I got at Lowes, it is a chocolate color.  My cabinates were pre-fab, my boot box and microwave were made by our builder.  I am so excited I can hardly wait.

Our main deal now, is I'm all electric, I did not want propane or a generator, I only haul to one or two night shows, with just my son.  We are working on the proper way to wire up my box and make sure it is correct for RV hook-ups. 

Good luck, keep up  the good work to all, this has been a real experience for me, with alot of trial and error, but doing it on our own we know we don't have  a cheaply fabricated interior.  I have a few photos if you'd like me to email them to  you..  Renee J.

We are in the  porcess of converting our 95 Sooner dressing room in to a week end LQ.  It has a tapered nose with curve corners at the ceiling.  What did ya'll do to frame that in?  Does anyone have pictures of that step?  I have the insulation in except for the curved ceiling in the nose.  I figured i would need 2 sided tape to get that to stay before the frame goes, so am waiting until I am ready for that.  I have the old carpet off the floor and have insulated the floor and cut the wood base for that.  It was already wired and has a window unit a/c, however, they put it on the long wall side and it is in a spot that hogs precious wall space.  We left the hooks and blanket bar on the horse wall because it is welded to good and it would be hard to get off.  Guess we will work around those.  We did get the clothes bar off the ceiling.

We are going to put down a wood laminate flooring.  I did find a DVD with great footage of how she did hers, but there wasn't details on the ceiling.  that will be a honey do job, so I want to have something to show him.   We show POA shows and the places we show have showers, so we will jsut do the week end thing with a place to sleep and keep cool.  I have a little dorm fridge and microwave already, so we will work with what we have on hand.

Thanks in advance for all your ideas and help!

Jeanne

Hello "4everenbluejeans" and welcome to the forum,

When we insulated the curved areas where the walls meet the ceiling, we used the foil-bubble type insulation, two layers of it.  Since it is flexible, you can make it fit most anywhere.  You may have to notch it at the front where the nose tapers, but it will be much easier than trying to make the foam board fit.  When framing, possibly you could place fur strips along the ceiling and nose floor to "straighten out" your curved corners and fasten your paneling or whatever you're using for walls, to the front of the fur strips and make straight angles instead of curves. (very hard to describe without pictures or drawings).  You would only lose a few inches of space. 

Or, maybe, depending on how long the nose is so you still have enough length for a mattress, make a 90 degree angle wall across the nose at the point that the curved wall starts.  Put a door in it and use the very front of the nose for storage.  You could still insulate it, but you wouldn't have to worry about paneling it and making it pretty.

Sorry if that makes no sense at all.  Just some ideas for you to kick around.  You may find some pics of what we did at the Webshots site that will help.

Good Luck 

Thanks!!  My son came over today and we  played with scraps of wood to see what we will get for corners.  It comes to almost a 90 degree with a slight gap.  I have friends tha used rope in their house instead of crown molding, and my light came on.  Wouldn't rope be a cool edging for a trailer?  I will have to try that. I need to move the conduit and stuff before I can start the furing strips.  I hate workign with wood, so this will be a honey do job, unless I get brave.  Our frame work is close together on the long wall and the uprights are not solid like on a steel trailer, they are more of a c purlin.  I have a huge admiration for someone who has done this and stayed married and sane

We have to work around the breaker box & an A/C hole at 32" high and very close to the long wall.  It would be easier to start fresh.

I love the bubble insulation idea for the roof of the nose and the curves!  thanks.  I have a friend that might have some scraps from their barn.  Did you put the flooring down before doig the furring and walls?

Happy trails

jeanne

I did go look at the pictures on wegb shots.  Can I print some for my non comptuing husband?

Hey Jeanne,

Print all the pictures you'd like.  I did the same thing from "Maccwall"s pics to show my husband.  I'm glad I could help.  The rope sounds like a cool idea.  If you are asking if we put the OSB flooring down in the nose before we fur'ed out the walls, yes.  On the floor of the LQ, we already had a factory plywood base.  We built the sofa/bench, shower, closet, and bath cabs and bench prior to putting down the laminate flooring. The only thing on top of the laminate is the kitchen sink cabinet, drawers and the stuff in that corner.  We wanted the fridge and water heater on top of the laminate.  It was that much less expensive flooring we had to buy.

By the way, we also put a layer of the foil bubble insulation next to the aluminum roof and the then 2 layers of blue foam board.  The ceiling is over R21. 

Good luck and keep us all posted on your progress.

Umm...  that was probably a bar / handle to help you pull yourselves into the sleeping area. : ) It does double as a place to hang clothes on hangers though.

I wish I had one!!

My GN was / is a barebones model. No carpeting, no insulation, nada in the 4' shortwall DR. MacWall and some others have been my inspiration.

The darn bar was way over from the so called step that it wasn't worth having!  I am going to cut out the blanket bar next, but leave the hooks on the slant wall. They will be handy for something.  I want floor space for a sleeping bag.  I am trying to figure out what to use on the ceiling.  I saw some white plastic/vinyl stuff today, but I wasn't sure I liked it much. What are some things that work nice and don't break the bank?  I got screws today for the floor ( .50 each! OUCH) and then some for the furring strips and some more furring strips.  I work on it a few hourse each eve, as it cools off by then and I give riding lessons in the mornings.

I love the fold up bed that is on a site that Todd had on his links page.  Anyone have any deminsions for something like that?  I won't do an upper bunk, don't want the grand kids falling off.  I can see us getting this all neat and seling it because we want more room.  My husband woud shoot me for sure!

i will try to get some  pictures of the mess I'm making to share.

It's so nice that so many have shared ideas and tricks to those of us just venturing out.

Jeanne

Another question for you experienced pros.  I am close to having all the furring strips in and got my sweet husband to drill the flooring down.  ( I don't have the extra push needed to do that part).  The trailer has a place over the entry door and another one in the noxe that holds factory lights on an angle.  How did you handle going around those things if you have them?  Should I pertend I don't see them and leave them plain and uncovered? I was all set to go with the 90 degree angle where the walls meet the ceiling, but it won't work there.  Can I cry now or do you guys have a simple solution?  I can see why LQ conversions are so darn high.  If I ever order a new trailer again, I will request a naked dressing room to work with.

Oh, question 2, did you use paneling adhesive and nails on the paneling or just nails? We got a knotty pine look for the walls and a lightly patterned white/tan for the ceiling.  Not something I went crazy over, but it was on hand, afforadable and I can live with it one week end at a time.

It has turned very hot in western OK this week, so I am only wokring on the trailer in the early eves when it starts to cool down some.  I had to quit early last night because my help was a coming 3 yr old grand daughter! Not much gets done with her help, unless you call losing screws and tools helpful.

Jeanne

Hello Jeanne

We had the same predicament.  Here is an idea for your lights over your doors.  My husband took off the outer plastic frame which allows the lights to fit in the rounded area at the top of the walls.  Somehow he popped it off.  The remaining light is usually a sealed component.  So he then carefully drilled a hole on each end through the clear front cover and all the way through the white opaque back.  Be sure and pick a spot where you know you won't drill through any wires.  He then ran the wires behind the paneling and mounted the lights with screws a little lower on the wall over the door.   In our case, we put crown molding at the top of the wall and ceiling.  I can't figure out how to add pictures here, but there is a photo of this where my LQ pics are posted.  Or, let me know your email address and I will send that pic to you.

Also, we did not use paneling adhesive on the walls, just brad nails.  We did use adhesive and screws when we covered the door since you can't use fur strips there.

Denise

Thanks Denise, here is my email address.  Jstucker @ copper.net  Remove the spaces and it should wokr.  I wasn't usre if this site would show it.

I looked at you web shots and could not figure it out from those.  I'll take pictures of mine and send you when we write privately. 

Now if it will just cool off a bit quicker at night. It has gotten so hat now.  I guess summer had to happen down here some day.  We jsut were never ready for it. 

I have the light losened away from the bracket.  The little wire is short.  I can get my son to re wire it if needed.  I just need for Ted to come and do the work for me, but he said the idea is to save $ LOL

I hang wallpaper and people often ask if they can do the striping to save $.  Sure I tell them.  YOu know that in a few days or hours, they call and ask me to do that part of the job too!  I know how they feel now.

Jeanne

Hi everyone, well my LQ is coming along slowly, its just a weekend job for us.  Talking about ceilings, I found some cool panel type board at Lowes that looks like brown leather, it is really cool up there, againist the light colored bead board, the only drawback is it was $28 a sheet and I had to order six sheets.  My cabinets are in place, micro and fridge stationary along with my 10 gal. hot water heater for my cowboy shower.  I ordered a copper sink from ebay that is hexagonal with stars embossed in the sides. My counter tops will be black formica to match the micro and fridge and the copper sink will be drop dead georgeous..

I've got it all wired 30 amp without a converter, I'm all electric, thanks Denise for the encouragement.  I hope to take photos tomorrow to share. 

I was unsure of window coverings so I found spring rods and took three thick woven placemats in a dark sage green and stenciled brown stars on the bottom, and stitched leather strips to roll them up when I wanted light, it is real rustic looking and works with my Star theme throughout.  My sconces have white shades that I stenciled stars on  also.  It is so cozy in there I can't wait for my first show.  Renee

Ah, yalll sound like you are doing great on your trailers.  I had a rough week on mine.  Cut some stuff too short and forgot that the darn ceiling arches, which caused a ruckus on the wall panel that not only was a pain due to the arch, but the darn 58" hook rack.  I wonder how big of a rope I'llhave to use for my moulding?*^$#^&)!(*^$%!% Next trailer will be bare bones dressing room with nothing to take out first!  Husband says this is the last one he will help me with  

I am not so sure I could stomach another one for a few years.  Maybe by then it will be like giving birth, you foget the pain and do it again

We get get some wall panels up and I don't like the ceiling color with it.  We went with a faux look that is not expensive.  I am going to paint over it and do a faux leather look.  It's easy to do and I already have the base color and galze from another project.

I did get nearly all of the laminate flooring in.  I did not read the directions first, and then discovered I need to do the plank ends that join for each row before adding the side row.  So I learned you can hit them and start over.  Gee, I would  have finished it up if not for that.  I ran out of day light.

We work in the morning on week ends, then break, go out again later and work until we poop out or the sun goes down.  My dad is pushing 87 and he wants to help me, so he is designing the boto box/bed combo and my cabinets.  Mom is tickled he has a project and I just hope he doesn't kill himself doing it.  He has cancer and is running on a bad heart, but happy as can be to be useful again. 

Horse.com has some cute rugs in the new catalog for $20.  We are leaning towards a bandana & denim look.  I have an embroidery machine and can do the curtains with a paisley motiff.  Of course, I have a ways to go to do the fun stuff! 

If you order anything from www.horse.com on line, please consider using the country care code of SUNNYSIDE.  They give a percentage to our therapy program and all the proceeds go directly to offering no cost lessosn to challenged riders.  Thanks so much.

have a great day and great fun.  Jeanne

If you go to the hardware store you can get a carpenters square (ask if you need to) to help you find the correct angles.  They also make a rubber molding that looks like wood.  I've seen it at Lowes.

Molding on curves....you need to make a template of the curve...then slowly steam and bend the molding in a jig in your shop...once you get the curve correct or close enough for Govt Work...only then can you install it...

Setting up angles for windows you need a powered miter saw and some training......you might check to see if your local Home Depot or Lowes has a Saturday session on making frames...

AH, Misery loves company! I worked a bit more this afternoon, it cooled off a bit, probably is not over 95 LOL

We an ugly mess on the slant wall where the ceiling arches and the paneling didn't.  I think I will get a neat knotty pine board and do a trim.  You can use paper to make your template.  I am just going to cut it out flat and attach it.  If it will work, it should look neat.  If not? I'll just close my eyes!

When we paper and have a tricky area, we sometimes use a scrap to see how it will trim and lay and then we have a guide.  One job had the trickiest moulding around the huge stove vent.  there was not room to get in that space to trim so the carpenter made us a side slice of the moulding adn we did it from the table.  not the way we like to do it, but the only way to do that one.

Keep trying.  I wonder if you can cut some kerfs in the back of the moulding to help on the curves? 

 For the windows. take some heavy paper sacks, cut them to the size of your trim. Then tape them around your window and fold them as needed for your miters.  Then cut them and test the fit.  Mark them so you will remember and then pray hard as you cut!

I am not good at measuring and cutting for accuracy.  I've used this method on many things, tile is one that it works great on.  Guys buy tools, I use bags! LOL

hang in there. 

Jeanne

Hey Memory, good luck!

I did insulate the braces.  I used a white foam board for the insulation.  It was quite a bit less $.  I was able to slip it in and slide it down beyond the lower cross piece. I thought it would crumble a lot and it wasn't too bad.  In the nose where the curve is I had trouble and now wish I had gotten some bubble insulation for that, but we are 75 miles from a Lowes, so I did what I could with what I had on hand.  I used duct tape and did not tape each seam all the way.  I could not find the house wrap tape that so many use.  If I was changing something about the insulation, I would have used two layers in the ceiling.  I have enough to add more to the side walls in the goose neck and just might do that since is was so easy to cut to fit.

Today I plan to get the goose floor insulated and put down the plywood for that.  We are due for some rain so I figured I could at least be wokring on the nose since there won't be much else to do.  We have a POA show in 2 weeks and I hope to have it ready to at least sleep in by then.  We will see.

I think I finally have a useable floor plan.  I want to keep as much floor space as I can for hauling the shavings and hay if needed.  Sometimes we haul an extra pony for a rider and lose that 3rd stall.  We don't plan on spending mch time in the trailer.  Mainly sleep and change clothes, and have a place to cool or thaw out. there will not be a TV, but we have a little portable DVD player for hte grand kids, so we can pack a movie or two.

I am having trouble deciding how to do the trim around the door.  The angel steel above the door is quite thick and the welds are a mess to work around.  I think I will use 1x4 and then trim them and plane them down to make a door frame/trim.  Lucky for me I have my dad's wood planer.  that is very handy.  I should have planed down the furring on the out side top frame, as it was just a tad higher than the cross braces.  it threw off the ceiling panels and made them want to dip down.  I am hopoing the trim covers taht and brings them back up.  Maybe we should all buy a trailer we don't want, do the dressing room, learn from the boo boos and then get a nice one to do right?!

My father said that is what trim is for, to hide mistakes!  As a paper hanger I find that the framers think the sheeter rock will hide it, the sheet rock guys say the trim will hide it and the finish guys say the paper will hide it.  The paper hanger wants to cry becasue paper is like a wet bathing suit and shows everything!  But the home owner thinks the paper hanger messed up!

I did take some pictures last night.  I'll try to figure out how to use web shots or something.  Are we able to add pictures here?

Jeanne

I'd insulate the ceiling. I remember one day laying back in the goose, sticking my feet on the top of the trailer and nearly having blisters form.

I tried the paper bag trick - very cool and I think would work w/some one more patient than I.  We ended going back into town last night and wandering around Home Depot.  Mr. Bells pointed out a very flexible garage door bottom that is the perfect size width wize. It is rubber and very soft; not the hard rubber almost plastic ones that I am used to seeing. I brought it home and am testing it to see if it will stand up to glueing and stapling.  I think this will work and will look great:) 

I also found a more flexible trim that may end up working.  Right now it is sitting in the front of the trailer being slowly forced into the correct shape.  I'll have to sand and stain it as it is untreated. 

I'll let you all know how it goes next weekend.  Thanks for all the feedback!

I tried a punch.  I'll try a drill bit on one of them and see what happens.  My husband is going nuts that I'm ripping into this trailer we just brought home last week. He about had a heart attack when I told him that I had to screw into the bracing for the furring strips.  He couldn't understand why I wanted to insulate the bed floor and main floor. I just smiled and said because that is how you do it.

Bells, we are at the curved molding issue also, my beadboard doesn't quite fit next to the ceiling. I've thought of rope also, but how do you hold it there till the glue drys.

I did find PVC molding in white and wood grain at a local hardware store to go around the corners, it is a little plastic looking compared to my bead board but it may be all I can do. I may paint it black to match my appliances and formica.

Good luck, keep up the good work. Renee J.

You will love this, I am 53, still young, right?  Dad is pushing 87 and I have to send him home becaseu I am worn out! LOL  Of course, her sits and marks and tells me what to do and I climb in and out of the trailer, to the barn to cut or to the garage to run the table saw. 

This is agreat for my weight loss plan, not muc snacking when you run all day!  And Sweat?  Gosh in our heat and humidity taht we have had this month, I shoudl lose 10 lbs.  But then I come in hot , thirsty and hungry, so there goes the progress! LOL

 We about have the boot/bed box made!  Yippee.  I have to haul a mare to the trainers tomorrow and will have to take all the tools out because with the laminate floor, they'll slide everywhere.

As for rivets, I think the can be drilled out.  I never have done that because my husband does that for me.

Our brush box was on the DR door, so I took it off, cleaned it and put it on the rear tack door, where it needs to be anyway.

I am curious about the garage door stuff.  can you senda  picture or tell me where it's at in the store?  I coudl then check it out.

For sticking the rope up, my plan was a hot glue gun.  I am worried about our ceiling material now, after hearing horror stories of that stuff warping.  I am almost ready to take it out and redo the ceiling.  Lord forbid that Warren hear my thoughts!

last night my daughter helped me lay the insulation and chip board down on the goose neck floor.  We decided to cut the big piece in half becasue we could not get it in easily becasue of some framing.  It worked great.  there will be a bit of a pain to try and screw it level, but we figure the bed will take care of that.

I had to use pieces to finish up the front and so I did the template trick becasue of the curve.  Worked great and I only had to recut a few spots due to one side being a bit different than the other. 

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Let me know how the trim stuf wokrs for you! 

Jeanne

when we did my trailer we did a suspended cieling.  Pics  can be seen here.  http://www.debknudson.freewebspace.com/photo2.html

AH, the ceiling looks great!  How do the panels go when travleing down the road?  Do they bounce out?  I liked seeing how you handled the slant parts where the steel light plates were.  That gives me some hope for mine!

Did you use standard size cabinets or did you buy fronts?  We are still trying to figure out how we want to do the steps up to he bed area.  I want to maintain as much floor space as we can, as between classes we need rom for two girls to change clothes, along with Mom's to help them out with their boots, etc.  it can get quite tight at times. 

Did you paper it or use the vinyl covered board?  I seriously considered hanging paneling inside out and priming it and papering, but decided the worse part was hanging the paneling and after all that work, I would skip the papering. We are seriously considering redoing the ceiling since some say what I used might warp, but hubby think we sould use it and see how that goes.  I know I am returning the plasitc moudling.  That stuff is awful to work with.  I figure real wood would hold up better to the job we need it for.

I will try some rope and hot gule on a board and leave in the traielr ans see what happens.  I have found that my trailer stays pretty cool as long as the windows and doors are closed ( the air is not hooked up yet, so when we work, I open it up).  I would think that the glue would not get too hot inside.  We live in western OK and it gets pretty hot here.

Jeanne

OK, I hope this works, here are some very early photos and one with my closet, micro and refridge in..I used placemats over spring rods and stenciled stars and stitched leather to the top to hold up when we want natural light. Renee

http://community.webshots.com/user/renee92355

Wow Renee - your trailer is looking great!  I like how you trimmed out the windows - I may end up ripping out mine ---screw it and go square I like it!  That I can do.

The stuff that I found that goes under gagage doors was found in the insulation section.  They were products made of of 2 very different types of material - a really tough hard plastic and a soft rubbery very flexible material.  I tried the soft rubbery stuff and it was easy to install I'm just not sure I like the look of it.  I may end up pulling it out and doing what Renee did.

Mine is no where near as far along as yours:  http://good-times.webshots.com/album/560109399MxNunj

The suspended cieling works great.  It also was easy to insulate.  The squares don't fall out.  They also have a bit of insulation on the back of them. 

The paneling is the wall papered patterned ones we got from menards.  The cabinets I just got from Menards and/or home depot and stained them.  The one in the nose can be pulled out for more room.   For the sink, I bought a 3 ft bathroom vanity at menards and happened to also find a counter top in their remant isle there to fit it.    For the water tank we used a 15 gal spray tank.  It had a electric pump and hose on it so all we needed to do is just hook the hose up to the sink and then add a battery.  It works great.   It is under the pull out couch/bench.  I made the cushion for it from foam and material boughten from Macs. 

I get alot of compliments on the work my hubby did in the trailer.  I think the wood work in there really adds to it.  I think it looks nicer then some of the professional jobs that I have seen.   You would think it would add some value to the trailer. 

I used hot glue to make the curtains in my LQ, and they held up beautifully. It was even used to make the curtain that goes on the entry door, and was under a LOT of tension...stretched on the two curtain rods to hold it tight and flat. None of the glue gave up. If you use enough of it, and it is on a fairly pourous surface, it should adhere well. It would have to get REAL hot in there to melt it.

Thanks, I think I've got the go ahead and use the hot glue for the rope. Really cool how you glued your curtains also, mine are just placemats tacked with thread and I added leather strips to pull them up.. Renee

I'm still making progress.  I got the rivets out by drilling them. Put the floor down, ready to put on the furring strips. 

    My question is what does everyone use to attach the paneling on the ceiling strips and wall strips.  Screws,nails,glue, and or combination.

And what size?                                                                                                                                                                                               

how many furring strips between the ceiling side ones does everone put up?

Lynn   

Hi, I found my ceiling at Lowe's it was $29 a sheet but it is a wall panel board and had to be special ordered and had to be five sheets..so I have extra to cover my boot box.  My sink is an ebay find under "Mexicopper" they are imported but have some cute ones, they are mostly ovals and large, so this was the one I got to fit in the space...Yes, I awwweeee at my LQ every day..My hubby has a carpenter doing it, and I just supply the ideas..I am all electric with a ten gallon water heater from Lowe's also, I also have a cowboy shower in the first horse stall, but you can't see it in the photos. I am just about set, we need a drain hole for the sink, the boot box and the overhead trim, plus finalize the electricity.

Thanks for the complements...friends, Renee

Wow!  I am so impressed and proud that so many women have taken on the DIY living quarters construction (with a little/lot of help from our hubbies).  We rock!

To answer the question about attaching the paneling to fur strips, we used a brad nail gun that takes various length brad nails.  5/8" to 1- 1/2" I think.  The thickness of your paneling will determine how long the brads should be.  We got a great deal on a package for compressor, brad nailer, and other various accessories at Home Depot for about $150.  We also used it for many other things during the construction.  The cost of the nail gun and compressor was well worth it when you consider how quickly the paneling can go up and the brads barely show.  The compressor has come in handy for so many other things since then.  

FYI: I spoke to a conversion company about doing my ceiling before I got the courage to do it myself.  She said that construction adhesive that is available on the retail market will not hold for trailer walls and ceilings in the heat in the South.  They buy some super-duper adhesive but did not offer to tell me what it was or where to get it.

For glue use what Todd suggested:

PL Polyurethane Contractors Adhesive.  Greatest stuff ever - everything sticks and stays up.  I'm in NM so it is really hot but every thing is staying in place.

Rose

When I did the ceiling it set up pretty much right away.  I did use some duck tape to hold the insulation up and then a few hours later came back and removed the duck tape.  When I put in the paneling I also used some along w/staples/brads and didn't use the tape.  

I have to admit I'm not sure if it would stand up in the horse area - I don't think it would fall but I'd still be nervous.  I guess you could always try it in an empty area one summer and watch and see?  Todd (http://todd.redwrench.com/) might be a better person to ask about the horse area and how safe it would be. 

Renee,

I have a regular type short-queen mattress I ordered from an RV catalog.  If I could do it over, I would just get a slab of good foam made for that purpose.  The mattress is so thick, it makes it extra hard to get up in it and it took up valuable head room.  And it is as hard as a rock.  It was too expensive to start over.  So choose your mattress carefully.  Not too thick, not too hard, etc.

Years ago when I first got my trailer, my daughter and I slept on an air mattress - one time.  It kept going flat in the middle of the night, and there are NO insulating qualities in an air mattress, and it was COLD.  So, unless you insulated the heck out of the floor in your upper area, you might not want an air mattress either.   

So it sounds like my thoughts on an ari bed was not a good one!  thanks for the heads up.  This list is great. 

Was the 4" of foam about right or did you wish you had more?  I am getting close to having the nose finished out and will get the bed in as soon as I can.  My fold out bed/box thing will need a custom cut foam for seating and to sleep on.  I considered 4".  Would that be about right?  Academy sports has foam?  Are these designed for just camping?  I was wondering about Hancocks fabric store foam.  Od you think it might be too light weight?

wea re trying to decide on a way to get up in the noses.  I want the floor space and don't have a ton of room for steps.  any thoughts? At first we were going to build a small box for a step/storage near the counter, and use the counter to hlep us up, but the A/C is right near there and sticks out a lot.  I was stuck with it's location and so am wokring around that.

Friens came over with their trailer and yep, the new ones are made differently and probably easier to re do.  Something to sure think about for the next one.

Have a great week end...Jeanne

The 4" foam is fine. Since there aren't any springs or anything to 'feel' under the foam it works great.

Hancock fabric has foam, but it is much more expensive than Academy. Yes, it is in the camping section.

I made my own boot box/step, too. It is in 3 sections that I put in one at a time to save me having to carry a huge box. The short wall is 4 feet, so there is no room there for the box to have any size. I made that section a triangle. The next section is a rectangle, the third another triangle because I wanted to be able to utilize the space under the counter. Each section has a separate top that is on a hinge and covered with carpet. The I forget the height, but the first 2 sections are a good height to sit on, or step up on. I am short, and that height wouldn't get me into the bed, so I made the last section about 11 inches taller. That is my step into the bed. I should take a photo.

I have a new used Featherlite that is bare and am considering insulating. What do you use as insulation?  I read about the foil bubble but do you use one layer of the thin foam or two and do you use the thicker styrafoam on the walls?  I have found so much useful info on this forum already and would appreciate some help.

Thanks so much.

I put together some photos of my Exiss trailer LQ that I have remodelled. I hope the link works! Please let me know if it doesn't.

It was a pretty basic weekender when I got it. I took out the carpet and put down plywood and a vinyl floor. Added small cabinets. Took out the fridge and made that a cabinet...I hardly used the fridge. Added 'tin' to the kitchen. Made a microwave cabinet. Built the bootbox/step. There was NONE before. Built the TV stand/cabinet. Put in luaun covered in faux tooled leather...I did all the gluing of the fabric. Added shelves. I did ALL the work myself. My husband is no handyman!

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v120/yorkhrse/My%20horse%20trailer/

Password is guest

Try the password guest. Let me know if that works!

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v120/yorkhrse/My%20horse%20trailer/

Hi Jeanne,

Here is a link to a website that sells upholstery supplies.  http://www.garysupholstery.com/upholstery-foam.html  They sell foam for every thing.  It is not only the thickness, but the density of the foam.  They explain this very well and make suggestions for which foam to use for different applications.  I got 5" foam for my sofa/bench seat, but unknowingly went overboard on the density because I didn't want it to "bottom out" when you sit down.  Now it is a little too high and too hard.  Wish I had seen this before I bought mine from a local upholstery supply shop.  

As for step ups, my bottom step the same heighth as my sofa/bench.  I left it open underneath at the front and found a basket which fits really well, and when lined with a bag,  makes a perfect trash receptacle.  The 2nd step is a separate box on top of that, 1/2 the size, and the carpeted top comes off for storing small things like CD's, DVD's, etc.  When closed, it doesn't look like the top comes off , so it is a great spot for hiding things like keys and wallets while at the shows.  Just an idea for you to make the most of every inch of floor.   I think this link will take you to a photo.   http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2319330000100973377yeaEOv

Denise

I talked my cousin today and she highly recommended the "Memory Foam"  type mattress, and  said I can get it cut any size locally. She suggested the 4" size.  She is very familiar with it because she uses a thicker grade to cover and make "Western Style" furniture. 

She also said that it was under $300 dollars, which is reasonable. 

Luckily my conversion for my wiring came in today, so hopefully my AC will be back on in my LQ tomorrow. I got the PVC molding to go around the corners today and need to figure out a way to secure the Flat Screen TV so that it won't topple over.  It is on an oval base with a neck then the screen attaches to that.  I really didn't want to attach it to the wall, so we will need to work on that too. 

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. Renee

I remember seeing a picture of a fold out step.  It folded flat up against the jack wall and when you wanted to get up in bed you just pulled it out.  I'll try to find the link for it.

Here it is.  If the link doesn't work google JNJ Conversions.  Its in the pictures of the 10ft short wall, picture 6.

Jhttp://www.jnjtrailersales.com/photoalbum.asp?id=54444&page=1

Great trailer pictures!  I am about done with the paneling.  I made a major goof yesterday, so used that piece on the door.  I need one more sheet and the paneling will be up.  Hubby got the wiring done today and we have the A/C in, but not secured yet for the road.  I framed out the goos windows with a split 1x4 and it turned out good.  I made those go up with screws in case I had to take the window frames out to e repair screens some day.  The bed/box is nearly done and I am ready to get going on the cabimets.  I do need some help on how to do the carpet roll over the wall.  I framed that little wall out with 2x2's because I wanted more than just the alumimun wall for support.  I put the top one down about 3" or so to avoid running into the thick angle braces and also becasue I needed a board there for the A/C support.  Now what?  Any ideas? 

I have decided that I woudl rather hang paper 5 days in a row than spend 1 hour cutting paneling to fit about outlets, etc!  I used some side walk chalk on one today to help mark it.  That worked pretty well.

It has turned terribly hot here, upper 90's with humidity and so I work a bit and then come in to cool off.  I try to ride in the early morning or eves, so I don't always get much done.  Bit by bit is my motto on this project.  The house is a mess and I havene't cooked much since I started! LOL Great for weight loss.

TTYL

Jeanne

WHY?  LOL so was your air mattress one of those nice ones that are designed to replace a bed for guests?  I have slept on one before, but not camping in a trailer.    I know why your fingers hurt, as I had to hand nail my paneling up.

My daughter got some denim for the seat cushion covers and some bandana print for the curtains.  She is ready to decorate and I am ready to just get done with the trim and cabinets.  Too bad she can't do the rest, it might make her understand a bit more about how hot and painful this project is.  I had her hold a board for me while I cut it.  This was the heavy stuff for the sub floor.  She closed her eyes because of the saw dust and let go of the board when I finished the cut.  I have a nice scrape and bruise on my shin.  I wanted to whack her with the board!  She is 30, not a little kid.    A RN to boot!  So at least I had good first aide care on hand if needed!  Needless to say, she held on better the next time.  I told her I could very well have dropped the board on myself if I had wanted to do so.

OK is expected to hit the 100's this week in our area.  I am sure glad the A/C is ready to use.  I figure I'll cancel riding lessons and get some things done in the house and in the trailer.  The heat makes it a great time to go to the sewing machine instead of the saw.

Oh, did you guys put carpet pad under your carpet in the nose or just use tape and lay it that way?  I have not gotten it yet, but am pretty close to ready.  I put a 1x4 for furring along the sides of the nose for a bit more strength where I felt the wall woudl be most likely to be bumped.  Furred around the windows with 1x4's too.  This gave more nailing places for window trim. 

OKC has some cabinet outlet stores and I am going to see what they have in blems that might work.  I am just concerned about size and weight.  I know a cabinet is just a box with doors, so not hard to build, but ready to go sounds so nice at this point.

have a great week

Jeanne

Once we ripped out the existing carpet we put down carpet pad on the nose and I ran my carpet all the way down to the floor.  My carpenter is on the way to complete the wiring so we can plug in the AC.  I don't have a show for two more weeks and I hope we will be finished by then. 

I need to replace a rectangle piece of rubber matt in the horse part, does anyone know of a source to get this? I bet the shipping is tremendous on this, hopefully someplace local will help me out..

I also have "old school " colors on the stripping on my outer sides and would love to replace them with grey, black and charcoal.  I called a sign place and they didn't want anything to do with it, so I may call a custom car detailer to redo it.

Renee

My storage cabinets at the end of the nose is are going in as I type, the Flat Screen TV/DVD mount is hung and waiting for the TV.. my entire ceiling is up, now it just needs the stripping to go over the joins. The PVC molding that I "thought" was so wonderful is wanting to crease in the bends, so maybe scoring it on the back side or heating with a heat gun will help it curve better.. 

Check out todays photos...

http://community.webshots.com/album/560187815uQnMVB

I'll keep yall posted...Renee

I  want to thank everyone who answered my questions while I was working on my living quarters.  I am just about finished.  I have to be on the road with it on Thurs.  My brother is putting up the breaker box tomarrow.  Where should he run the ground wire to the frame?

     I did use an old piece of paneling to cut my corner piece of my ceiling, saving me wasting a good sheet. I had to recut twice.   It made a good template. When I get home I will work on the molding.  I am sure that it will fustrate me.  What sizes of trim do people use, and what size around the windows?    Lynn

I'd find a Master Electrician and ask. I be wary of grounding the trailer to the 110v side, because you MAY find that the trailer becomes electrically charged should you have a ground fault. I know when I wired the pole shed, the Inspector didn't want the shed bonded through the sub-panel for this very reason. He had me drive ground rods.

Grounding and bonding is pretty confusing.

Dan

Well, my 5" foam mattress came in today, so now I'm about to make a slip cover for it.  I added rope around the LQ door window today with hot glue, I wound thread around the ends and cut the rope and then added hot glue to the end.  It looks great.  Tomorrow my molding goes up and hopefully my boot box goes in by Sunday PM...

My first show in it finished will be next weekend..I will take photos this weekend to share..Renee

Sounds like ya'll are moving faster than me!  Are you doing your own cabinets?  I started on mine this week.  I have the tall one in and am working on the short upper ones.  Doors?  Gosh, I wish I could find some ready made to work, but will suffer through them too!  I have made some blunders and keep thinking, hug your cabinet man today, if you have one.  He works hard!

The hardest part is leveling the stuff.  If the trailer is not perfect, you can't use a level.  I have been using a square and figured that should at least keep the cabinet square.  It's just a trailer, right?  The next one will be a 6' short wall, at least and I want to do it differently, like have someone else do the work!

However, this is a great exercise plan, I have found muscles I didn't know I had from laying on my back, stretching to nail the ceiling, crawling around the nose and weird bends to nail the corners, etc.  I keep thinking I'll get pictures, then I get so tired, I come in and forget the camera.

I have all the paneling in but the bit around the door.  I need to do some furring strips with glue and a strip of paneling with glue over the door where it is slanted.  that will be a job for when I am not in a hurry and won't be in there to smell the stuff. On second thought, do you think the fumes woudl make the job more fun?!

The boot box bed is done and I have the foam all covered with denim & the curtains are made!  I have the rope glued around for my crown moulding and even used it on the vertical seams.  I used my pruning nippers to cut it.  I didn't think about wrapping the ends with thread! Good idea.  I just put glue on the ends and called it good.  I might live to regret that one.

The carpet store had a nice plush rememant for $25!  I was tickled.  It was a bit more taupe than I wanted, but most of it will be covered with a mattress anyway, so it works.  The price was sure right.  It was the best deal I have come up with so far. 

My husband has a table saw and I have learned to use it for ripping and cutting.  I love it, except for the saw dust mess!  It palys with the alleriges.  I ripped my 2x4's to get my strips for hte ceiling seams and they went up fast yesterday.  Having the A/C running sure helps me stand it in there.  The tall cabinet will block the air to where I sleep some what, but it will be nice storage. 

My daughter has some left over tile from their new home and we thought about using it for our little counter top.  How has it held up with the movement of a trailer?  Any thoughts on this?  Should I prime the plywood before tiling it? I can set tile pretty good and it would sure be a nice way to go since I can do it and we have the materials on hand.  A 30" x 22" counter will be much inicer to do than a floor in sevearl rooms!

I am still stuck on the step up.  Might go with a little folding ladder that I can use at the shows as needed for hanging fans, etc.  It would serve a dual purpose. I want to preserve floor space for shavings and stuff that won't work in the pick up if we have a full trailer.

So far we have spent about $600, including the window A/C.  There was already a hole from the old one, so we went back that way.

We had to replace all the screens, hubby got new screws since the ones on the outside were rusted and that bugged him.  I got window mesh screens for the drop down, new rubber bumper stops, little things that add up.  The paneling, flooring, carpet, ceiling, wood, etc ahve bene the biggest expense.  I'll be glad when it is done and ready to camp in.  Hopefully by next week end, as we have a show.  It might not be finished, but close.

Well, time to feed the starving POA's, and start working on the cabinets again before it turns back to 100+ today.  have a great week end, enjoy your finished projects!

jeanne

I didn't read all the posts as were headed out to Sea World in a few....

Here's mine:
http://www.horsetrailerworld.com/forum/photos/photo-thumbnails.asp?albumid=32

The bed is a full size futon with a down mattress topper over it.  I wanted to keep as much headroom as possible so that combo works great for me.

HAVE FUN!!

Dawnya, Awesome, doesn't if feel great to be finished.. I love the fabric you chose, I wish I could find pleasure horses like that.  I covered my boot box cushion with a Southwest fabric and what I thought would be easy took about four days to get it just right..now I fear that my boot box will be used just as a step up after all that work.

Do you fear that the heat of the DR when not used will undo any of the Liquid Nail welds or mess with your TV? Just a thought.  Renee

Have fun at SeaWorld, we went to Schlitterbaun and it was a welcome break

Renee,

I have had my TV in the trailer for a year now and I have had no trouble with it at all and it has been pretty hot here in central Texas.  Also, when I bought it I told the guy I was going to put it in an RV and he said that would not void the warranty at all and pointed out that these type TV's are put in custom car jobs all the time.  

Whew! that was good to hear about the TV/DVD, It was an investment and I hated to see it go bad.. 

We just had a major incident with the PVC molding for the top edge, that I thought was "incredible", when we went to bend it around the front corner it wrinkled and looked really bad, we tried to heat the back, score the back, flame the back and nothing worked..so because it is going over 2" strips of bead board I suggested cutting 2" strips of molding and tacking them up side by side like that..My carpenter just scratched his headand said, why didn't I think of that...so...we will see how it goes as the afternoon progresses.  Luckily the AC is in full cool mode and he's not a lobster yet..

Have an awesome weekend..Renee

Here is a link to the work that we did today.. Check it out..Renee

http://community.webshots.com/album/560253440RfoZQN

Great pictures!  I have almost gotten the cabinets done yesterday, as far as framed in.  Today I'll tackle my door frames.  It's wearing me out.  I know why the video I got has no sound during the taping, but a voice over instead! LOL

We have decided to stain the cabinets with a red barn look.  The cushions were a bit short after covering, so if you do cushions, make the foam about 1" longer than you need.  Once you get the fabric sewn and them stuffed, it is a bit shorter.  I am going to round the corner of hte fold up for the bed/boox box to avoid a sharp corner when it's up.

Got the plywood cut for the counter, it's only 29" long, so will tile it today.  I have a wet saw, so cutting isn't a problem.  I have set a lot of tile and doing a little counter will be the fun part after all the other stuff.  I think furring out the ceiling was the worse.  Those screws get hot!  Do not touch them for a while after drilling them in!

We think we have the carpet roll figured out.  I need to put another piece of wood on the wall.  I avoided going into that thick framing steel, but will have to glue something for the carpet to be nailed to.  Then we can add a moulding for the joint of carpet & paneling.

If iw as doig this over, I would have planned my cabinets first, then put furring strips in places where I needed them.  Instead, I had to work with the strips and that is a pain in the seat.

thanks for the links to pictures.  they are sure great to see!

Jeanne

You have done a fantastic job!!  Your trailer is beatiful...where did you find that sink...I absolutely love it!

 Updated link:  http://community.webshots.com/album/560280129DDXEwt

Thank you we are happy with it.. I got the sink on ebay it was from a seller called "Mexicopper" it took about four weeks to come in but it was worth it. They had an oval with horseheads, but it was way too big for my area.. I was worried that this one would be too big, but it is fine.  I had my trailer acid washed today and just went and put in the new quilt and pillows.. I think I'm gonna give it a trial run tonight.. School starts for me tomorrow so all the fun is about to end.. Thanks again.Renee

Awesome! Very cozy.  I know you can't wait to use it.  I have been doing house cleaning in mine today.  Doesn't take very long.  Wish my house was that quick!

Congratulations,  great job.

Well, we had our first "OUTING" on Friday night, of course with Hurricane Dean bringing in rain it was wet, but the LQ was just fine.  My hubby got all the snacks and my son and I packed all the horse stuff.

We did fine, except putting the Microwave on while the AC and water heater was on tripped the breaker, but we figured that out really quick.  My cowboy shower was fun, I used clothes pins to put up the shower curtain and brought a rubber door mat to stand on and we did just fine.

My son who is 7 won his first 6th place in 13 & Under Showmanship against 13 others so it was well worth the weekend.. Thanks for your support on this forum, I really enjoy the photos, keep them coming...God is good...Renee

Way to go for your son!  I love it when the little kids do so well.  my grand daughter is 5 and missed her lead line classes yesterday because we were chillin in the trailer.  Follwoing the wrong schedule!  So she rode in 8 & under.  She had a blast and felt pretyt grown up.  She got 2nd out of two! LOL But she loves red ribobns and sometimes wants pink instead of blue!

We had our first outing too.  I don't have everything finished, but figured a week end would tell me what to change.  Light!  We need more light.  I also should have packed a blanket becasue the A/C blew on me and I had to keep it cool for the ones in the goose neck.  I took the fold out bed. At night the barn lights kept me awake so I hung a towel over the curtains.  I am going to make some panels that I can add with clothes pins for sleeping. 

I got some rope light and will run that around the ceiling and it will help, plus look neat.  We also put a swing out lamp on the cabinet end so it lights up the counter or goos nicely.  If I was doing this again, first, I would wait until fall to tackle it and be cooler.  then I woudl have more lighting.  I knew it would take an act of congress to get my guys to help, so I went with what was easy for them.  Next time they won't be so lucky!

I'll post shots at www.hobbyacres.homestead.com/trailer   I have to go make the page first, but it should be done sometime today.

happy week end.  Hope ya'll don't get too wet,  there is major flooding in OK, but we are fine, as we are out further west.  We got 5" last night!

jeanne

No probems with the paneling and Liquid Nails.
If it's real hot outside (Texas hot) and all the windows are closed, I can smell the glue a little.

I also leave my LCD TV in there 24/7 unless it gets real cold, for the same reason - they leave LCD's in vehicles!