Posted 2012-02-20 10:00 AM (#141243) Subject: Finishing out a living quarters
Member
Posts: 5
Location: Oskaloosa, IA
I recently purchased a steel horse trailer with an empty shell for a living quarters. It has an 11 foot short wall, a 15 foot long wall and the camper door is located on the short wall. There is also a walk thru door to the horse area. We are wanting bunk beds and a dinette for sure, and possibly a toilet. After that we will add anything else there is room for but nothing is mandatory other than those first 3 things. Does anyone know of a good website for floor plans? Maybe a website I can design my own floor plan? Also what types of materials does everyone use that is good quality while still keeping the trailer fairly light? Any input is appreciated! Thanks!
Posted 2012-02-20 12:06 PM (#141249 - in reply to #141243) Subject: RE: Finishing out a living quarters
Regular
Posts: 87 Location: Williamsburg VA
We spent a lot of time visiting different trailer dealers and looking at alternatives. Then we sat in the trailer and made decisions about what to include and where. Look at the web site below as it contains a lot of good information on completing the project.
Posted 2012-02-20 12:15 PM (#141251 - in reply to #141243) Subject: RE: Finishing out a living quarters
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 504
Another good thing is to look at the horse trailers for sale on this site. You have so much space (compared to mine), I wouldn't know how to use all of it! That company in Georgia that was mentioned yesterday on another thread - sorry I don't remember its name but will see if I have it bookmarked - has some bunks in their designs if it's the company I'm thinking of. I know I had the same question when I got mine little one, and it really is more of a look around and find something you like.
On this site, there is also a photo section where members have posted photos. That's a good place to go. You can search back for a year using the search feature. I think that's about 60 pages. Beyond that, you just do a page at a time.
You can also search websites for well-known interior designers such as Cowboy or Sierra.
Posted 2012-02-20 10:20 PM (#141272 - in reply to #141243) Subject: RE: Finishing out a living quarters
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
The "SEARCH" option is used like a data base, indexed with key words. If you search under insulation, ceilings, flooring, fridges etc., you will be shown threads that contain those ideas. You don't have to search each full page, although by doing so, you'll gain a lot of insight. The SEARCH function only goes back a year. After that it's page by page for the info.
Posted 2012-02-21 6:08 AM (#141278 - in reply to #141243) Subject: RE: Finishing out a living quarters
Regular
Posts: 69 Location: Washington DC
The Todd Redwrench site was really helpful when getting the "how did you do this" portion of my DIY LQ build out. As for materials. I looked a long time before settling. I didn't want it to look like a regular camper trailer and wanted some home touches. I found after laying the 1" insullation on the floor and a 1/4" plywood it was easy to put a floating laminate wood down. On the walls I used 1/8" masonite and wrapped it in a paisley stamped faux leather material. It was pretty easy with spray glue and turned out to be a lot easier than I thought.
I looked and looked for a program that could be used to design my own but eventually just ended up going to dealer website, stealing an image of my trailer and pasting it in a windows paint type program to play with. The dimensions and ratios weren't exact but it worked and I was able to conceptually lay out lighting, plumbing, power, gas, grey and black H2O. etc.
Posted 2012-02-21 10:16 AM (#141283 - in reply to #141243) Subject: RE: Finishing out a living quarters
Regular
Posts: 58 Location: Clearwater, MN
I plotted most of mine out on graph paper. I finished our last trailer and one tip I was told was to use cardboard boxes the size of the cabinets you were thinking of installing. They move around easily and give you an idea of the size and set up.
I found a leather finish paneling that I used, it looked awesome. My trailer was a 4h steel so weight was a concern as well, but it was only a 6'SW so I used real cabinets from Home Depot.
Posted 2012-02-21 1:11 PM (#141288 - in reply to #141243) Subject: RE: Finishing out a living quarters
Expert
Posts: 1391 Location: North of Detroit, MI
You've gotten some great replies so far.
Todd's site is good. Someone sent me a powerpoint document of their work.
I have been "doing" the inside of my 4' SW GN since I bought it. I had to keep my weight down, so my options were limited. This past summer I finally got the courage to build 2 cabinets over my counter/sink. They came out quite nice.
I am using a pre-built drawers/cabinet from Suncast. The stuff used in garages. It's lightweight and the drawers stay closed most of the time! (Rough roads in the back country will jiggle them open!)
Very important, I think, is to be sure to use the correct hardware to avoid rust and mixed metal problems. I sought out stainless steel screws for my all steel trailer. Using cardboard boxes or something similar to simulate what you want is very key. RV manufacturers install emergency exit windows at each bunk ... something to think about.
Also - be aware of mattress sizes before building anything to assure you have enough length for the mattress. Short versions are available through camp / RV supply outlets (Camping World is one site to skim.)
My most difficult item was around the windows. : ( still not done - but curtains cover the lack of "sills" between the paneling and the window.
Posted 2012-02-21 2:34 PM (#141290 - in reply to #141243) Subject: RE: Finishing out a living quarters
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 402 Location: Valentine, NE
I would just talk to LQ conversion companies that are close to you. Do a google search for LQ Conversions companies within 500 miles and start calling. Take your trailer to them for ideas and education. Even if they don't do it, you will get a lot of ideas of materials, design, feasibitlies, etc. My good friends do this quite often for people--they only end up doing about 15% of what they design and price.
Keep in mind it is pretty tough to get a "packaged" LQ blue print as there is a WHOLE LOT that goes into the plans. Things like floor stringers, bracing, trailer height, trailer materials, age, nose length, height, budget, tank placement, door placements/heights/sizes, window placement, etc, etc all need to be reviewed to make it work.
We were going to do our first trailer ourselves. After talking to a LQ company and seeing what they can get/offer/save us, we just hired them to do it. They can get a lot of things and have a lot of experience that most can't compete with. If we paid retail for products, was actually going to cost us more than having them do it.
Posted 2012-02-22 7:27 PM (#141331 - in reply to #141243) Subject: RE: Finishing out a living quarters
Regular
Posts: 73
Gabz, you mentioned the lack of a "sill" at your windows. We used that plastic trim that is covered with the wood-grain looking contact paper. We used the stuff that is "L-shaped", I think you'd call it a corner molding piece, it is about 1" each way, it comes in 8 ft long pieces. Not sure if it is big enough to cover the area you need.
Posted 2012-02-25 9:14 AM (#141416 - in reply to #141331) Subject: RE: Finishing out a living quarters
Expert
Posts: 1391 Location: North of Detroit, MI
I think I know what you're referring to ... used in lots of mobile homes and campers.
I'll have to give that a try when the weather warms up. Maybe I can submerge the plastic-y kind in hot water and bend it around the curves (cutting notches as necessary).
Finishing out a living quarters
