Posted 2011-01-03 12:12 AM (#128460) Subject: DIY weekender, or just buy?
Member
Posts: 6
Location: Mid-Missouri
Hello folks.I have an older GN trailer with a small-ish dressing room in it. I had planned this winter to sandblast and paint it, however, my plans have been (unexpectedly) changed when I severed my foot and broke my arm in a buggy accident. Thank the good Lord above, the foot was saved, but, there is no trailer repair in my future. Which has got me to thinking...which way do I want to go?The dressing room is small. 3ft short wall. We had already made a walk-thru door to the horses, and have cots the kiddos sleep on in the back of the trailer when we go anywhere. I had planned to install roof air this winter, also. So anyway, as I'm thinking all this thru, I figure minimum will be $1000 to have it blasted and painted. $400 for a/c. I'd like to put in a small fridge, so another couple hundred for that, and a small water tank. Plus just the cost of finishing the inside - wire, insulation, wall cover etc. So...from a financial aspect, I don't have a lot of money, so, any advice on whether it would be better to finish this trailer, or spend the money towards a finished one? I figure I can get $2k easy out of this trailer as it sits. I figure I could spend $5 or $6k additional without breaking the bank on a different trailer.Any thoughts? Also, if we do finish this trailer, any suggestions on a usable layout for the small space?
Posted 2011-01-03 6:37 AM (#128462 - in reply to #128460) Subject: RE: DIY weekender, or just buy?
Elite Veteran
Posts: 824 Location: Kansas
I guess the first question to ask yourself is-will this trailer be what I want if I do the weekender or will I be settling for what I can do? If you are hauling kids, would you be better off to get a trailer with a larger DR to start with? So your answer might be: both. Sell, get something that is close to or what you really want. You can always do things a little at a time.
Posted 2011-01-03 3:16 PM (#128471 - in reply to #128460) Subject: RE: DIY weekender, or just buy?
Regular
Posts: 79 Location: Shelby N.C.
Unless a person just has ALOT of time they want to spend climbing in and out of a horse trailer I suggest you buy one already finished. I did the DIY 3 diffrent times on the same trailer and I finally have it the way I want it. I spent about $3500 in parts and cant even estimate the labor cost. It is a pretty satisifing acheivement but I wont do it again. Here is a link to some pictures I took during the build and If you still want to do it maybe they will help.
Posted 2011-01-03 3:16 PM (#128472 - in reply to #128460) Subject: RE: DIY weekender, or just buy?
Member
Posts: 6
Location: Mid-Missouri
I'd be settling, for sure. I guess after thinking about your response, my best bet is to make simple improvements to this one to make it a bit more usable for us until we find what we want. I can put a roof ac on it, and a corner water tank, and not reduce the value any...forgo insulation and wall covering. If it takes us a while to find another trailer, I can probably still have it painted and not lose money on that, either....Thanks. Sometimes my brain just needs a shove in the right direction.
Posted 2011-01-03 4:44 PM (#128476 - in reply to #128474) Subject: RE: DIY weekender, or just buy?
Veteran
Posts: 231 Location: Illinois
If it were me I would find a trailer with more room / finished..especially with kids...cause you know they are going to get bigger and out grow the space really fast...granted you spend most the time outside..but when you are all inside is it going to be "comfortable" for all of you ? JMHO
Posted 2011-01-03 5:50 PM (#128477 - in reply to #128460) Subject: RE: DIY weekender, or just buy?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 430 Location: TN
We had the same debate. We looked long and hard at our options, weighing costs for materials and labor versus purchasing an already finished living quarters. We purchased a finsihed living quarters for a very reasonable price. We also looked at sending our trailer out and having an interior put in.
The good news is that if you want a used living quarters, prices are still very reasonable. Another trand I've noticed is many companies are introducing entry level living quarters in the low $30K price range depending on how many horses. We bought a 4 horse Hart Medallion that was a 2008 leftover last year for less than $33K. It is a well made trailer with a well equipped living quarters but not huge. It is a 6 ft package with separate toilet and shower, small fridge, 2 burner stove, microwave, air & heat strip, cd player & antenna, and awning. The price was reasonable enough that we took out a regular vehicle loan from our local bank at a lower interest rate for only 60 months. It is no worse than making a car or truck payment and the trailer will be paid off long before the depreciation is too bad.
Posted 2011-01-03 6:43 PM (#128483 - in reply to #128460) Subject: RE: DIY weekender, or just buy?
Expert
Posts: 3853 Location: Vermont
Originally written by fatbull on 2011-01-03 1:12 AM
Hello folks.I have an older GN trailer with a small-ish dressing room in it. I had planned this winter to sandblast and paint it, however, my plans have been (unexpectedly) changed when I severed my foot and broke my arm in a buggy accident. Thank the good Lord above, the foot was saved, but, there is no trailer repair in my future. Which has got me to thinking...which way do I want to go?The dressing room is small. 3ft short wall. We had already made a walk-thru door to the horses, and have cots the kiddos sleep on in the back of the trailer when we go anywhere. I had planned to install roof air this winter, also. So anyway, as I'm thinking all this thru, I figure minimum will be $1000 to have it blasted and painted. $400 for a/c. I'd like to put in a small fridge, so another couple hundred for that, and a small water tank. Plus just the cost of finishing the inside - wire, insulation, wall cover etc. So...from a financial aspect, I don't have a lot of money, so, any advice on whether it would be better to finish this trailer, or spend the money towards a finished one? I figure I can get $2k easy out of this trailer as it sits. I figure I could spend $5 or $6k additional without breaking the bank on a different trailer.Any thoughts? Also, if we do finish this trailer, any suggestions on a usable layout for the small space?
My goodness...I hope things are better for you now...personally, I think you would be better served going for a finished product in the current economy
Posted 2011-01-04 2:57 AM (#128508 - in reply to #128460) Subject: RE: DIY weekender, or just buy?
Member
Posts: 6
Location: Mid-Missouri
Thanks, Paul.. I'm healing! Trying to keep a good thought for likely a summer off riding!One more question about this...if we don't insulate but put air on what we have *for now*, how well will it cool the area? My main concern is for sleeping at night.
Posted 2011-01-04 11:42 PM (#128555 - in reply to #128460) Subject: RE: DIY weekender, or just buy?
Member
Posts: 6
Location: Mid-Missouri
We haven't had trouble with condensation so far. I hope I'm not jinxing myself, cause I haven't been to it this winter, but so far we've not had a problem. I do keep vents open in the warmer months, tho, when its sitting, just in case.
Posted 2011-01-05 1:02 AM (#128558 - in reply to #128460) Subject: RE: DIY weekender, or just buy?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 504
Someone on another forum was talking about using carpeting instead of paneling for lining the walls and ceiling. That might be a compromise between insulation-panelling and doing nothing.
Posted 2011-01-22 11:44 PM (#129159 - in reply to #128460) Subject: RE: DIY weekender, or just buy?
Expert
Posts: 2828 Location: Southern New Mexico
We had a roof a/c with no insulation and we had condensation on the outside of the trailer when the AC was going. Never bothered me since I was inside but I got lots of funny looks.
DIY weekender, or just buy?
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