Homebuilt Camper questions (teeny tiny house?!?)

[Freeholdfarm]

I have a project that I want to do this year -- I want to build a camper for the back of my pickup.  DD and I lived in a six-foot-square box on the back of a small pickup for four months after my marriage broke up, and I want to have something slightly larger than that for a temporary home for us.  Thought about getting a commercially built camper, but if they are in good shape they are expensive.  I'm pretty sure I can build a decent one of plywood for a fraction of the cost.  Also, they are laid out for camping (naturally!) rather than for living in them, and they have systems that may or may not be useful for that.  I learned quite a bit from our previous experience; for one thing, six feet square is *almost* enough (in a pinch). 

So, on to my questions. 

My pickup is a '97 F-250, with 4-W-D and an extended cab.  The bed is seven feet long and six feet wide.  The little truck we had before had a flatbed (that my ex built after removing the rusted-out bed), and I think I'd need to remove the (perfectly good) bed off this pickup and build a flat-bed on it before starting the project.  Thankfully, I watched my ex build the other one, and should be able to do it myself. 

I'd like to make the box 7 1/2 feet wide by 8 1/2 feet long -- it would stick out nine inches past the cab on each side, and a foot and half back from where the bed is now.  Is this too much? 

And with the bed sticking out so far in the back, would I be able to hitch a trailer?  Is there some kind of hitch extender for pulling a trailer when you have a camper on the truck?

My other question is how do I get still shots out of SketchUp to post here?!?  I've been working on the plans and would like critiques.  I could scan in the printed copies that I've made and then post those, but there must be an easier way!

Thanks!

Kathleen

[Redoverfarm]

If you can save them to "jpeg" and then send them to site via Photobucket.  I asked the same question not long ago about posting attachments to the site and I was told it is not possible without going through Photobucket first.

[MountainDon]

John (redoverfarm) has it. You first need an image file, or two.  Shetchuo should be able to save to jpg or png.  Then you need an image host site, like photobucket (free). Upload to there, copy the "IMG Code" from photobucket and paste into the message here.

There is a tutorial under forum news, but photobucket has kept changing the way it works.

[RainDog]

I'm sure you've come across Tiny House Blog, but just in case:

http://tinyhouseblog.com/

Lot of articles, as well as plenty of photos, about just your sort of project.

There's also a Tiny House newsgroup for discussion:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TinyHouses/

Good luck!

[IronRanger]

Here's another site I frequent:

Teardrops and Tiny Travel Trailers

http://www.mikenchell.com/forums/

[Freeholdfarm]

Thanks for all the answers.  I'll check out those links and see what I can find.

Kathleen

[John Raabe]

There is a new image capture gadget that can be added to Firefox. It is called Fireshot and it gets added to the tools menu. (Go to Tools, Add-ons, Get Add-ons).

It works like the commercial program Snagit and can save images of anything you can see on your computer screen. You can crop and edit the image and export it to the Desktop where you can upload it to Photobucket. That's what I did with the image below (copied from an earlier post of a SketchUp image on the forum).

[Freeholdfarm]

Okay, let's see if this works!

Yup, it worked!  This shot shows the tiny kitchen area on the left, just inside the door, and you can see one of the bunks in the back part.  This bunk has a seating platform (and extra bed) underneath it.  I'd put a foam pad or something down there, and some pillows, and have a little table that would fold down from the wall.

Kathleen

[Freeholdfarm]

Looking the other way, you can see the other bunk in the back, with storage underneath (access to drawers inside, and through doors outside that you'll see in another view).  To the right inside the door is the shower and a sawdust toilet -- curtains would screen this area.

Kathleen

[Freeholdfarm]

Outside view showing those doors that access storage under the bunk (shallow storage).

Kathleen



Front view of the camper.  I don't think the roof would be too difficult to make, with thin plywood.  Keep in mind that this is designed to sit on a flatbed (which is going to make it awfully high off the ground, and it's plenty tall enough to stand up in, too). 

[MountainDon]

Not to discourage you, just keep in mind that these things tend to get a bit heavy when lumber built. Keep the capacity of the truck suspension in mind.

[Freeholdfarm]

I know they do -- my truck is a 3/4 ton with a heavy-duty suspension.  I've had a ton of hay in the back and didn't even know it was there.  (Doesn't affect mpg, either, but it only gets 12 mpg, loaded or not.)

Kathleen

[MountainDon]

Just wanted to be sure...    460 Ford?

[Freeholdfarm]

LOL!  That I don't know -- could probably find out.  That's the engine size, right?  (I'm NOT a mechanic!)

Kathleen

[Don_P]

Not sure if you're taking screen captures or exporting the graphic. In SU under "file" you can click "export" and then "2d graphic" to save a jpeg of the view on the screen.

My FIL built our motorhome from chassis up. He welded 2 "roll bars" that are buried in the floors, walls and ceiling. From there it has a 2x2 wood gridwork frame that was skinned in 1/4" ply and covered with 2 layers of fiberglass. Inside it was foamed and panelled. I'm now having to replace the skin as he used interior ply which has delaminated over the last 35 years but all in all it has performed very well. Big block chevy, it could pull the queen mary and get the same gas mileage. If it hadn't been for the nice lady in the volvo I'm sure I would have drug the pickup down to the differential and never noticed. Apparently it was quite a show behind me  .

Ply bends in one plane well, it gets difficult in more than one. I've always wanted to build a topper like a stripper canoe so it could curve both ways. Well, I've always wanted to build a car that way too  .

[Freeholdfarm]

I discovered the 'export' and 2D Graphic features, so am using that -- seems to work just fine.  Thanks!

I'll use exterior grade plywood and probably just put a good-quality coat of paint on it.  I haven't worked with fiberglass and don't really see much need for it, except maybe on the roof?  I've seen boats made of painted exterior plywood that lasted for a long time.  The six foot square box that we had on the little truck had a canvas roof, stretched over bent EMT, and with a couple of coats of good exterior paint on it (white).  We traveled clear across the country twice, putting over nine thousand miles on it, and kept the box on the truck for over a year, and at the end of that time it looked as good as new, including the canvas top.  The only problem with the canvas top was that, in spite of the paint, it leaked if you touched it when it was raining (and with our beds so high, it was hard not to touch the roof while getting in and out of bed). 

One of my cousins in Alaska built a cedar strip canoe a few years ago, then he and one of his uncles went down the Yukon River in it for a couple of weeks!  Sounded like a really neat trip.  But I don't think my woodworking skills (or my equipment) are up to a project like that.  (I wish!  My cousin has made some beautiful things -- he does it as a hobby, but could easily make his living at it.)

I'm thinking that it would be best to build this thing independently, that is, not permanently fastened to the truck.  So it should probably be up on camper jacks or something so it would be easy (relatively speaking) to get it on and off the truck.  The six-foot-square one wasn't all that heavy -- my ex and I were able to move it around with just the two of us.  But it was just lightly framed and a few sheets of plywood.  This one will need insulation and interior paneling, plus it will be bigger and will have some cabinetry built in, so I know it's going to be heavy.  Probably less than a ton of hay, though.

Kathleen

[river place]

While your self build may look promising I would think finding a used one is till the best option becuase a lot of the packaging issues have been solved.  I saw a 4 wheeler light weight in bed camper on Craigs list for $500 and should have bought it but waited too late.

What's your price range if you had to purchase a used one?

[Freeholdfarm]

While your self build may look promising I would think finding a used one is till the best option becuase a lot of the packaging issues have been solved.  I saw a 4 wheeler light weight in bed camper on Craigs list for $500 and should have bought it but waited too late.

What's your price range if you had to purchase a used one?

It would have to be under a thousand -- I might spend a little more on building one, but it will be as I can afford it.  The thing is, I don't want a commercial camper because I'd have to gut it out and rebuild it the way I want it set up.  For one thing, I don't want a double bed -- I HAVE shared a bed with my daughter before, when we were visiting at someone else's house, but I'd rather we have our own beds, and every camper I've looked at has had a double bed in the cabover part.  I don't want plumbing to mess with, or outdated and probably non-functional appliances.  I will probably put in a tiny rocket stove for heat and cooking (I've been thinking about this project off and on all day and now I need to re-draw it!).  It needs to have more storage space than 'living' space, because we'd be doing most of our living outdoors.  I'm willing to have things be a little 'non-conventional' in order to fit it all into such a small space.  Oh, and it needs to be a little better insulated than commercial campers usually are. 

Kathleen

[MushCreek]

I think you could keep it pretty light. Tear drop campers are usually thin plywood over a 1X frame, and they are very light, even including the frame underneath. The key to using wood is to make sure you glue everything with waterproof glue. Fastenings will work loose as you drive around, but glue will keep it tight. If you do a good job fitting everything, and keep paint on it, you shouldn't need fiberglass, but it will last longer and look better if you do. It should be laminated on with epoxy, or the glass will peel after a while. Visit www.mikenchell.com/forums/ and read through how trailers are built. The same principles apply. Nice group of folks over there as well.

[Pritch]

The problem isn't just the weight, but also the height.  The higher you carry your weight, the more prone to tipping over you are.  (Just ask Dolly Parton!)    

Rather that a lumber frame and plywood skin, you may want to take a look at an aluminium frame and a courogated plastic skin.  The turtle expedition built a camper like that a few years ago in order to keep it light enough and to maximize space to size.  Here it is: http://www.turtleexpedition.com/vehicles/turtle5.php. 

Good luck.

[Pritch]

Another skin material that might be useful for your project is the stuff they use to build the Hexayurt, either Thermax HD or laminated hexacomb,  http://www.appropedia.org/Category:Hexayurt_project

[RainDog]

Another skin material that might be useful for your project is the stuff they use to build the Hexayurt, either Thermax HD or laminated hexacomb,  http://www.appropedia.org/Category:Hexayurt_project

Interesting you bring that up, was just thinking about that Hexayurt project last night, and wondering what the material was that it was constructed out of.

Ever seen Thermax HD up close and personal? Pretty rigid stuff, or more like foam board insulation with a bit of skin on it?

[Freeholdfarm]

The problem isn't just the weight, but also the height.  The higher you carry your weight, the more prone to tipping over you are.  (Just ask Dolly Parton!)    

Rather that a lumber frame and plywood skin, you may want to take a look at an aluminium frame and a courogated plastic skin.  The turtle expedition built a camper like that a few years ago in order to keep it light enough and to maximize space to size.  Here it is: http://www.turtleexpedition.com/vehicles/turtle5.php. 

Good luck.

LOL!  I think Dolly Parton is so short that she doesn't have to worry about being prone to tipping over! 

I had thought about height, though.  The bed of the truck is already pretty high off the ground, and then adding a camper high enough for me to stand up in is going to make it really tall.  I don't want a short canopy topper, though -- if you are stuck indoors for a day or two when it's raining hard, it's nice to be able to stand up.  I was looking at my drawings and I think I could lower the roof by a foot at the front and three inches or so at the back.

Kathleen

[Pritch]

Ever seen Thermax HD up close and personal? Pretty rigid stuff, or more like foam board insulation with a bit of skin on it?

I haven't seen it in person.  In one of the Heayurt youtube videos, the designer referred to it as a form of polyiso rigid insulation made by Dow.

[bayview]

   You may want to consider a "convertible" dinette/bed on the lower side of the bunks.  The top bunk could be on a hinge to fold up against the wall.


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