I've been on this site for a few years now, reading topic after topic and hoping someday I might even be able to build my own teardrop. The place I've been living in the last 4 years has no space for a build so I pretty much gave up on this dream indefinitely.
What has changed the last year-and-a-half is I met someone very special and we are now engaged and we couldn't be happier! I have mentioned to her numerous times my desire to build a teardrop for us to go camping in and she loved the idea. Our goal is to marry a year from this coming September and I figured once we find our own place perhaps I'll have a garage or something similar and can build this Beast.
I started thinking outside of the box a bit and have come up with something. I would like to build this teardrop over the next 12 months or so and present it to my bride on our wedding day as a present for both of us. She will be completely surprised and overwhelmed.
But the challenge of where to build it was still a hurdle that needed to be overcome if I was going to have it ready on the day we are married. Today I started driving up and down the street talking with neighbors because many of the them have barns and large garages since I live out in the country. I did not find anyone home but when I finally did I spoke with a guy named Bill and he gave me the thumbs up! He has a humongous space that is not only covered but is also secure (and of course has power) and I can come and go as I please. We settled on $100 a month for as long as I needed it and I think that's a pretty decent price.
I'm super excited now to start with the preliminary stuff like purchasing the trailer, etc. I hope I will be able to do this. About 5 years ago I built my own hot dog cart and it was a pretty little thing and I was really proud of it so I feel like I can maybe do this too. I'm a bit worried about having it completed by the time I need it only working weekends here and there and some evenings after work. I would be curious as to what some of you might think about the timeline?
It's going to be a simple teardrop and the galley will be very basic. My biggest worry is the roof and the ceiling inside, what materials to use for it, etc. I'm still not even sure if I'm going foamie or not. I love everything about the foamies except for the texture of the canvas over the foam on the outside. I would prefer a more finished and smooth look. I think I saw that someone cover theirs with aluminum? Not sure and I'll have to look into that more. I also think that I will steal an idea from my hot dog cart and put a sink with running water in the galley. On the cart I simply used a stainless steel bowl, drilled a hole in it, ran the correct piping to a grey water tank. I had to have it be able to heat up for the food department but I wouldn't even really need that honestly. I'm sure there are better ways to do it but that was one thought that I had.
At any rate, it's great to be back especially when it feels like I'll actually be able to start something this time around. It's very hard not to get overwhelmed with all of the information on the site and try to figure out where the heck do you start but one step at a time....