Awhile back, someone posted asking how much everyone had spent on their DIY projects...I finally got around to putting all my receipts into a spreadsheet. I think I'm glad I waited until I was nearly finished LOL!!!  I went from a BARE 4' SW shell (AC installed, wired incorrectly though) to a weekend package/LQ (depends what you want to call it).

I am nearly finished - primarily trimming/finishing type work left and I think I have 99% of the items needed

I will have the following when finished (all which has been purchased): a shower and sink, electric hot water heater, water tanks (one inside and one on the hayrack for the horses), 12v water pump, accumulator tank, filter, port-a-potty (with electric flush), foam mattress with memory foam topper, nose cabinets, cabinets over my counter space, cabinets at the corners of the nose on each side, fridge, microwave, 19" flat screen TV/built in DVD player, generator w/ electric start, water lines with pex tubing and sharkbite fittings (kinda pricey, but very easy to use), several interior lights, pine "plank" wall paneling, vinyl flooring, "pretty" carpet in the nose (not just the stuff that came from the factory) with padding installed under that, thoroughly insulated (all walls, all floor areas, all ceiling space), 12v ceiling vent fan over shower (blows in or out - 3 speeds and EASY to install), laminate countertop.

The extent of outside help I had to have was an electrician (actually went through two of those - the first didn't ever come back to finish then the second one told me the work the first one had done would have burned down the rig probably the first time I used it - needless to say - I was a bit upset)...all the electrician did was the 110 wiring. He didn't have time (and I was hurried thanks to unreliable people lying to me for several weeks) to do the 12v stuff so my hubby had to do that....Hubby also had to build the wall that is between the cabinets/fridge and the shower (the wall the shower head sticks out of)....I was going out of town the following weekend and while trying to finish my trailer and get my horses ready to go (massages, chiro, dental work, etc) - I over-used myself and was flat out exhausted and terribly sick to boot. HATED asking for help (especially since my design plans and his understanding and decision TOTALLY didn't match up - but it will work) but I finally had to give in to my hard-headedness.

I've already stayed in it for 4 days...everything worked GREAT - even my $479 4400 watt generator (69dbs noise level)....really wasn't terribly loud...and definitely no where near the loudest - at the barrel race with over 1000 entries.

...and back to my original point - so far, we've spent around $6000. That's probably a lot considering I could have had it done - including "most" of what I've stated here - for $5700 (absolute lowest quote I got) and even with that quote - I would have been supplying the TV, Fridge and Microwave (~$700 is what I spent on those items)...and I feel that the materials I used are a much prettier, higher quality product than what I was told would be used. Not to mention that as I went through this project, I got to change my mind and add things here and there and adjust things where I couldn't have done that if someone else did the work. That also includes materials bought that I decided I didn't like or that I screwed up the first time around (ie: plywood for countertop then design/size changed and had to be re-done or the metal for the ceiling that I cut wrong or didn't line up correctly with other sheets and had to be re-done).

I can't wait to get it TOTALLY finished, but after getting in a rush and stressing myself beyond belief, I'm taking a mini-break. I was coming home from work and working on the trailer until 9-10pm everynight, then riding horses until 12 or 1am, then going to bed, just to get up and start all over again everyday. My weekends were packed with trying to go to barrel races and well as work on the trailer as much as possible.

Besides - I got past the big barrel race I had been looking forward to (and didn't do too bad) and with diesel like it is, it was probably the last "big" one I will be attending between now and September...and those are relatively close....so there's no longer a rush to knock it out so quickly now.