Posted 2009-12-05 10:05 PM (#113992) Subject: Purchasing a trailer with 'home done' interior
New User
Posts: 2
Location: Calgary, AB
I have finally found a trailer that I can afford and that fits my big horses, however the living quarters was a home job and looks like it might need a bit of refurbishing. Just for reference sake do you know how much it would cost to get a 10' LQ totally gutted and redone (worst case scenario)?Also it has no furnace, I have no issue with heating with a space heater, but is there any way I could set up the fridge to run off of propane so it could remain cold while I am traveling?Thanks for your help!
Posted 2009-12-05 10:43 PM (#113994 - in reply to #113992) Subject: RE: Purchasing a trailer with 'home done' interior
Expert
Posts: 2957 Location: North Carolina
Originally written by nicander1998t on 2009-12-05 7:05 PM
Just for reference sake do you know how much it would cost to get a 10' LQ totally gutted and redone (worst case scenario)?
Just to help your decision process...
It will cost MORE than getting a bare shell and starting from zero. Consider the labor to tear out the existing LQ. Then, there may have been alterations to the trailer structure that are not compatible with the new LQ. That will add more costs to fix. If you salvage some of the interior work and materials, then it's not the worse case scenario.
Posted 2009-12-06 3:19 AM (#113995 - in reply to #113992) Subject: RE: Purchasing a trailer with 'home done' interior
Veteran
Posts: 241
I've seen several nice DIY jobs on this site, but most in the real world are trash. There are so many thing one needs to do to get it done properly and very very few of the people doing the work themselves are doing it right. I would avoid a DIY like the plague unless its done by someone who really did their homework. I spoke with a sales person who said almost every DIY job he's ever seen decreased the value of the trailer.
Posted 2009-12-06 9:23 AM (#113997 - in reply to #113992) Subject: RE: Purchasing a trailer with 'home done' interior
Expert
Posts: 2453 Location: Northern Utah
To gut it, you will be paying labor by the hour. I don't know whats inside your trailer or how it was attached. But when we gut a home to remodle it, It comes out much faster than it went in. I would imagine two men could gut the trailer in a day. So if you are paying two carpenters $25 an hour x 8 hours each . You'd have $400 in labor to gut, plus $100 or $200 for the fee to haul the garabage to the local dump.
Posted 2009-12-06 11:24 AM (#114003 - in reply to #113992) Subject: RE: Purchasing a trailer with 'home done' interior
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
Why can't you gut the interior yourself? A hammer and Stanley bar, a dumpster and a little time is about all you need.
A complete 10' LQ installation, can easily cost more than the used trailer in which it will be installed. A modest, but equipped 4' "Weekender" costs $10k. The options you choose will directly effect the final tally.
Many of our members have built quality interiors for their trailers. Very few of the posted photos we've seen, would indicate any decrease in value for their efforts. In many venues, the only difference from an amateur's product and that of a "professional", is how much the latter charges for his product. We have seen many instances of competent and professional results from DIYers.
Price around with the numerous conversion companies. They have various packages and floor plans that can be adapted to your space. Then price used trailers already equipped with professionally installed LQs. I think you'll find it more expensive to purchase a trailer, strip it and have a new LQ installed, than buying a used, completed LQ equipped trailer from the beginning.
Posted 2009-12-06 1:12 PM (#114008 - in reply to #114003) Subject: RE: Purchasing a trailer with 'home done' interior
Veteran
Posts: 241
Originally written by gard on 2009-12-06 11:24 AM
Many of our members have built quality interiors for their trailers. Very few of the posted photos we've seen, would indicate any decrease in value for their efforts.
BOLÂ Gard
Very true Gard, with your help I did it myself. The thing is the folks here are the ones doing their homework. A lot of the DIY LQ's are not done very well at all.
Posted 2009-12-07 5:55 AM (#114033 - in reply to #113992) Subject: RE: Purchasing a trailer with 'home done' interior
Expert
Posts: 1283 Location: Home of Wild Turkey Whiskey
You can have a very nice LQ installed in a used trailer, that's really not an issue. The issue is that nobody wants to go in and try to "make right" a LQ that is already together. I did that once and won't do it again, the nicest trailer I have ever finished was a ten year old trailer that I completely gutted and started from bare walls. It also brought alot of money on re-sale.
Purchasing a trailer with 'home done' interior
