Low cost shop

robinson46176 · Post by **robinson46176** » Sun Sep 25, 2011 6:35 am

Diana and I were looking to upgrade our old 24' travel trailer this summer and we spent a fair amount of time looking at low cost travel trailers (we don't camp enough to justify putting a lot of money in one). I have finally decided that for our short term needs I am just going to do a major refurbish on the one we have including some floor plan changes.
Now I have "mentally" built wood shops in all kinds of places including barns, sheds, shipping containers, tents and of course garages.

This trailer is no exception... Sitting in it and planning the rebuild as well as looking at a herd of other travel trailers I couldn't help myself, I had to consider shop space possibilities.

We saw a lot of trailers in the 20' to 30' range that had localized interior problems for under $1,000. Several with more serious problems under $600.
It is a pretty fast and simple matter to gut one, reline it, and have plenty of room for a Shopsmith, a bench and lots of extras. In "most" communities around here, even in town, a travel trailer that still looks like a travel trailer and still on wheels does not raise eyebrows parked in a drive or beside a garage etc. I do realize that you just can't do such things in some communities but if you moved into one of those I just feel sorry for you.

Not my kind of place at all, just skip this message.
In many areas you would be required to keep a valid license plate on it but that isn't usually a big factor (check local laws).
You would not have 10' ceilings and would have to carry a 12' x 2"x4" outside to turn it around but many folks have limits like that in small buildings or basements. The main point here is that at least you could have a fairly nice, heatable shop even if you are renting a house without a garage.
The little LP furnace would heat it and you could even get fancy if desired and leave the little bathroom especially if it was located in a back corner. Of course then you would need to take it to a dumping station a few times a year or use a more creative method to empty it (they make tanks on wheels just for that). If you don't want the bathroom you might want to leave the little room and make specialized storage in it. If I were doing such a thing with our old trailer there is a closet and a lot of drawers that I would leave or reuse.
There is nothing unusual about an RV sitting in a drive on leveling blocks and a power cord running to the house or garage. In most communities their main concern would be if you had someone living there not because a trailer was just parked there.
Also if I were making a shop in one (with my lack of restrictions here on a farm) I would consider cutting about a 4' door in the side and building about a 8' x 16' smooth floor deck on runners (not attached to the real estate) up at the same height as the trailer floor so I would have an outdoor work area in nice weather where I could roll stuff out. I do like working outside in nice weather. Being able to roll a SS or just a big project outside makes a shop seem much bigger.
Just a thought... Everybody needs a shop.

ss50th · Post by **ss50th** » Sun Sep 25, 2011 8:23 am

Have you thought about a used "toy hauler" trailer?. Those already have a large rear drop down in the back but still have the other "amenities" (bath, heater, air conditioning). Just a thought.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sun Sep 25, 2011 8:58 am

I did this a few years ago and it was one of the greatest nightmares I have ever had. I mean it - it was a nightmare for duration of the task but it was at the same time a great experience. I would love to do it all over again but SWMBO forbids it.

My nemesis was in the fact that I had a 1968 Airstream. In an Airstream there are no straight lines except that ones that you create. Even the walls are not straight neither vertically or horizontally.

paulmcohen · Post by **paulmcohen** » Sun Sep 25, 2011 4:32 pm

One of my neighbors had such a toy trailer parted in his driveway and one day he returned from shopping and found it gone. When he contacted the police they said they see it all the time. Thieves look for things they can sell and they back a truck up to these trailers, cut the locks and tow them away in less that 2 minutes. He lost $30,000 in tools are robot parts.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sun Sep 25, 2011 4:54 pm

paulmcohen wrote:One of my neighbors had such a toy trailer parted in his driveway and one day he returned from shopping and found it gone. When he contacted the police they said they see it all the time. Thieves look for things they can sell and they back a truck up to these trailers, cut the locks and tow them away in less that 2 minutes. He lost $30,000 in tools are robot parts.

I would bet that the thieves were not stealing the trailer; they were after $30,000 worth of tools and parts that they knew were in the trailer. Of course, there was an insurance claim. No one packs up $30,000 worth of tools in a chest on wheels without carrying insurance on it.

paulmcohen · Post by **paulmcohen** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 1:01 am

[quote="dusty"]I would bet that the thieves were not stealing the trailer]

There was no insurance, it was a storage unit for a volunteer student robot education effort and the stuff belonged to dozens of different people. The community chipped in and raised money to replace most of it but four of the groups had to share two robots.

robinson46176 · Post by **robinson46176** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 10:22 am

Understand that my first post was totally hypothetical... I have no interest in making a shop in a travel trailer myself. In my case it is purely mental exercise and perhaps a direction for those that say "I wish I could have a shop but can't".
In my own case my shop planning is constantly hampered by having too many options. That and my increasing indecisiveness.

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I retired from the shoe repair shop about 16 years ago and sold most of the heavy equipment. A few years ago I decided that I would set up a western boot rebuilding shop as a retirement business (for when I get old

). I acquired the heavy equipment again (not quite as bad as buying a lot of SS's but I do have some excess) and it has mostly been sitting... Yesterday I about wore out a 25' steel tape trying to figure out the best home for it. I have 4 buildings that any one of them could house it fine but so far I expect to set it up in the building it is sitting in. The most difficult machine to place is a little over 8' long but needs at least 2' of added working space at each end. It also weighs close to half a ton so it is not something that you shove around. Several of the stitching machines weigh about 600 pounds each. A half dozen other units are lighter but still fairly heavy. Few of them lend themselves well to mobile bases so frequent rearranging isn't a fun option.
Like my collection of Shopsmiths this stuff came from several locations. Most of it came from just south of Davenport Iowa but some of it came from Akron Ohio and several other places. I wanted to get it bought both while I had the money available and while I was in good enough shape to load, haul and unload it. If I can get it wrestled into place soon then the rest of the set-up will be pretty simple. It isn't a super priority since this is actually pretty much “plan C”. I just wanted to be in a position to make a little money from something if I needed to and I don't really expect much to flow from the woodshop.

STB · Post by **STB** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 5:31 pm

I have been using part or our garage for my SS and projects. But SWMBO is giving me a hard time because sometimes things get a little messy. This is what Have been looking at for a low cost shop. http://www.wayfair.com/Arrow-Utility-Building-10-x-25-GA1025-NK1227.html

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 6:20 pm

stumpbuster wrote:I have been using part or our garage for my SS and projects. But SWMBO is giving me a hard time because sometimes things get a little messy. This is what Have been looking at for a low cost shop. http://www.wayfair.com/Arrow-Utility-Building-10-x-25-GA1025-NK1227.html

I spent a few winter days in Cedar Rapids that would prohibit shop activity in that building but other than weather it looks like it would make a comfortable work area.

Would you insulate it? Would it be secure?

STB · Post by **STB** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 7:09 pm

dusty wrote:I spent a few winter days in Cedar Rapids that would prohibit shop activity in that building but other than weather it looks like it would make a comfortable work area.

Would you insulate it? Would it be secure?

I spent 20 winters in Cedar Rapids & it is cold in the winter. You are correct it would prohibit shop activity. My Iowa shop is heated and air conditioned. I intend to use the shed beside our home in Boulder City NV. All of the homes in the neighborhood have tall cement block fences and iron gates. I was thinking about lining it with ridged foam & whatever paneling or plywood I could pick up on CL.