How bad am I screwed? 1982 Fleetwood Prowler 16 ft.

[secondchances]

Hi there! I purchased a TT to park permanently somewhere for my son who has mental health issues. Right now it is parked by out house and hooked up to out hot water. Paid $2400 and we did not do our due diligence and look underneath when we purchased it. It had a major leak which is now fixed but when we removed the soft flooring, this is what was below. At that point, husband crawled up underneath and didn't see anymore rust.

I want to gut it to address mold which we know is there from the previous leak. He would rather not. I think with his build skills, we can remodel this on very small budget. For cooking, he will use a plug in induction burner and toaster/microwave and we are considering a compost toilet. Instead of replacing all the cabinets, we will have most open shelves and very open concept.

Any thoughts or advice besides scrap?
Thanks in advance!

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

I'm with him, not because gutting it is a bad idea but it's easy to declare what should be done by someone not doing the work. I veto "projects" and "ideas" on a regular basis not due to appropriateness but by motivation and desire. If you want to gut and rebuild it, have at it. If hubby doesn't, I understand. The solution may be to scrap and start over if this is a hill you and he will die on. Or strike a compromise and change the scope of work, or who will do it.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[SeilerBird]

Way more work than it would be worth.

 

[secondchances]

I'm with him, not because gutting it is a bad idea but it's easy to declare what should be done by someone not doing the work. I veto "projects" and "ideas" on a regular basis not due to appropriateness but by motivation and desire. If you want to gut and rebuild it, have at it. If hubby doesn't, I understand. The solution may be to scrap and start over if this is a hill you and he will die on. Or strike a compromise and change the scope of work, or who will do it.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

How do you know when a gut is necessary? And why are these things so damn leaky?

 

[secondchances]

Way more work than it would be worth.

If I put another $5000 in it to give my son a home for the next 5 years or so, I think that would be worth it. Of course, I have never owned a camper or gutted one. We used to own a small custom furniture business and my husband is a handyman and can do all the plumbing and electrical. I can do the inside demo, only 800 or so square feet...

 

[SeilerBird]

I would be shocked if you can make it livable for only $5000. That is just enough to put on new tires and have the roof redone.

 

[secondchances]

I would be shocked if you can make it livable for only $5000. That is just enough to put on new tires and have the roof redone.

Tires are in good shape. We do not know it if needs a new roof yet. We walked on it and no soft spots on there. My husband thinks the leak was from a pipe.

My son is living it now and doesn't want to stop living it just as it is. $10,000 for home for the next 5 years? paying a couple of hundred in rent? That is $166.66 per month. He is working so he will be reimbursing us for expenses plus more to cover utilities.

 

[SeilerBird]

The tires need to be replaced no matter how good they look. RV tires are judged by age and at 7 years they need to be changed. That is a 40 years and i would bet anything the roof will be need a major overhaul. But it is your money so knock yourself out.

 

[Rene T]

Welcome to the forum. What Tom was referring to he’s right. But in your case, the trailer will be parked for the next five years so don’t even worry about them for now. But when it comes time to move it five years from now, that’s when old tires may become a issue.
In your first post you said the trailer was hooked up to hot water. Was that a misprint?

 

[edjunior]

I agree with Rene, you shouldn't need to worry about tires if it's going to be parked and lived in (not moved). As to the renovation, I think it is going to depend on how far that rot extends. You only have a small corner cut out, but it looks like it goes much further on and up. If you can get away with just cutting out the mold that you see, and replacing that, you may be okay. Even though a complete gut and rework may be the right thing, if it is only temporary, you might be able to get away with it. I've seen people go with a complete gut and replace, and I've seen people cut their losses and walk away. Good luck with whichever way you decide to go.

Oh, and welcome to the Forum.

 

[secondchances]

The tires need to be replaced no matter how good they look. RV tires are judged by age and at 7 years they need to be changed. That is a 40 years and i would bet anything the roof will be need a major overhaul. But it is your money so knock yourself out.

Is there a thread about this that you are aware of is so we will know what an overhaul looks like?

 

[secondchances]

Welcome to the forum. What Tom was referring to he’s right. But in your case, the trailer will be parked for the next five years so don’t even worry about them for now. But when it comes time to move it five years from now, that’s when old tires may become a issue.
In your first post you said the trailer was hooked up to hot water. Was that a misprint?

Thank you, glad to be here! No we ran new pipes and hooked it up to our hot water heater.

 

[SeilerBird]

Is there a thread about this that you are aware of is so we will know what an overhaul looks like?

Search the forum. There are plenty of threads about it.

 

[secondchances]

I agree with Rene, you shouldn't need to worry about tires if it's going to be parked and lived in (not moved). As to the renovation, I think it is going to depend on how far that rot extends. You only have a small corner cut out, but it looks like it goes much further on and up. If you can get away with just cutting out the mold that you see, and replacing that, you may be okay. Even though a complete gut and rework may be the right thing, if it is only temporary, you might be able to get away with it. I've seen people go with a complete gut and replace, and I've seen people cut their losses and walk away. Good luck with whichever way you decide to go.

Oh, and welcome to the Forum.

My biggest concern is with the wiring. We have found no issues yet but it had mice in it. I just can't see a gut costing that much though if we do it all ourselves and we do have to tools and the skills. If you or anyone knows of a post here that does a cost analysis of this kind of stuff or what it entails, that would be helpful. I have been searching and have come across some great posts but can't find those details yet. Thanks again for the comment and the welcome!

 

[Sierranevada]

Seiler Bird,. I am a new member and need to ask you a question. Why do you have a negative attitude, the op is asking for help and you give nothing but negative talk. George

 

[secondchances]

Seiler Bird,. I am a new member and need to ask you a question. Why do you have a negative attitude, the op is asking for help and you give nothing but negative talk. George

Maybe what he means is that is how "he" feels about it? I personally try to see the cup as half full. Since purchasing these old "hunks of junk" and gutting them is a "thing" now, not sure why we should just throw in the towel. I just want a safe place for my son that he can call his own.

I also looked up a roof repair and it is only like $500.

. That can wait til next spring and we can tarp it for now.

Any home is an investment and will require upkeep and repairs. I mean what kind of house would anyone expect to get for the price we paid? Of course it needs work!

Anyway, I did ask if we should scrap so I guess it's my own fault.

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

Most people won't go through rebuilding a damaged trailer with limited intrinsic value. That's not to say it's not, or shouldn't be done. If you're "handy" it's not a terribly complex or necessarily expensive proposition for the materials, mostly just time and aggravation. It would start with peeling back the existing interior until you stop seeing damage then formulate a plan to build it back up. This is a trailer, not a nuclear reactor. Materials and fixtures can be sourced at box stores, anything else off the internet. The plus is you can make it anything you like. Most folks buy a trailer with the idea they'll go camping, not become Bob Vila. But if you're bound to trying to make lemonade out of this lemon it won't be "worth it" but in the grand scheme if it checks a box for you then it is. You might make a case where you couldn't buy a trailer with the degree of finish you intend to build for that amount of money, so you invest the sweat equity and move on. The bigger question than the money is the time. As someone that's devoted literally years of my evenings and weekends on top of a day job and side business to home renovation I am very selective what projects I'm willing to adopt. If there's a "willing" labor element then great but if not just give the thing away and find something in better shape.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[JayArr]

I suggest you go watch videos of how these are made in the factory, it is very very different from how a house is built.

The first thing they do is put the wooden floor frame on the metal trailer frame. Then they build the trailer on top of that platform in paneled sections.

Your main wooden floor frame is rotten and everything else in the trailer is sitting on top of it so replacing it will be very very time consuming.

I replaced the front of my trailer last year, from the floor frame to the roof, the entire front wall and floor. Materials weren't too bad for cost, I'd say $1000. I'd also estimate that I spent 80 hours doing it and I have a very nice woodworking shop. That includes careful disassembly, pattern making to duplicate what's there, construction of the panels, swapping good panels for bad, and finishing up with paint and interior trim.

The correct way to repair it is to start on the outside and carefully remove the aluminum siding. The bottom layer will have staples underneath but then it will all come off in order. The metal was the last thing to go on at the factory and once it's off you'll be able to see the rot and you'll have access to the sill plates and rim joists which will need replacing. You can do it from the inside, and many people do, but I'd say its more work. If it was easier that way then the factory would assemble it that way.

Trailers leak because the seams fail and we drive them through the rain. If it isn't going to move anymore just seal it up, once the leak is fixed the wet areas will dry up and the mold problem will abate.

 

[Mr Lars]

As the Father of a special needs son(now an adult), I can sympathize with you wanting a place for your son, that he can consider ‘his own’. Does your son really like the TT?
Sure, it may not ‘make financial sense’ to re build it, but if this gives your son some joy, and comfort, and if he is able to pitch in on some of the labor, that’s a plus all around.

 

[Oldgator73]

As the Father of a special needs son(now an adult), I can sympathize with you wanting a place for your son, that he can consider ‘his own’. Does your son really like the TT?
Sure, it may not ‘make financial sense’ to re build it, but if this gives your son some joy, and comfort, and if he is able to pitch in on some of the labor, that’s a plus all around.

Our son has some mental issues also. I purchased a used TT for him that was supposed to have been renovated. Looked great but it actually had rot in walls and roof of the slide and bathroom. But he enjoyed living in it for a couple of years. He was a welder and carpenter in the military so he has some skills. And he enjoyed working on it. He now lives in a Uhaul box truck he converted to an RV. He enjoys that kind of life.