Should I make or buy doors

[drobe56600]

Hi teardroppers
I'm trying to decide if I should buy pre-made doors or make my own. I don't really want to spend the extra money but I don't want to fight leaks for years either. Are the pre-made doors leak proof? It looks like pre-made are way easier to install?
Dave
Tracy CA

[absolutsnwbrdr]

I think it all depends on how much time you want to spend on building your own doors, and the aesthetics that you're going for. If you're building a teardrop and going for the total retro look, the manufactured doors may not jive with your design.

A couple nice things about the manufactured doors is that they take about 15-20 minutes to install, and they already have a built-in sliding window and door handle/locks. It really doesn't get any easier. But as you've probably found out, it'll cost you.

Comes down to personal preference, and then how much time vs. money you're willing to spend. There aren't too many things that are guaranteed leak-proof, but I have the manufactured doors and I've weathered some pretty good storms without getting wet.

Also,I remember reading someones post about how building their own doors really didn't save them a whole lot of money. A sliding window, all the lock & handle hardware, weatherstrip, hinges, wood, paint, etc. can all add up. There are some people here who say that the only spent $20 building both of their doors. But it all depend on how thrifty you are, and what finished product you will be happy with. Everyone has different tastes.

[bobhenry]

All of my builds have home built doors. After cutting the opening in the side I place trim inside as a door stop. I allow about 3/4 to 1" of this trim exposed to bump against the door blank. I add the same trim to the door with a 1" overhang on all but the hinged side, Any water will have to travel 2 1/2 inches in a serpentine route to invade the interior. To date no leaks have been detected and Chubby my first build has sat outside in all weather since 08. ( he just recently got a nice place out of the weather)


Here are a couple shots of my 4x7 tiny build's door construction.







NOW ! If I were made of money I would purchase the premade doors. I helped a good friend with his and the took about 20 minutes to install. Simply outline and jig saw out the opening and install the door. So simple a caveman can do it !

[len19070]

I've built a lot of doors in my time and it has taken me a long time to get good at it. The only way I would do one now is if it HAD to be an odd size.

The one thing I have learned is;

That if you were to pay yourself $1 an hour to build it, plus everything else....It would be cheaper to buy them.

The window, hardware, lock, seals, metal, wood Cost about $200 (plus possible shipping) and it takes a good day to assemble.

You can get a Manufactured door for about $300.

And a Manufactured door takes longer to get out of the box than it does to install!









Happy Trails

Len

[grantstew8]

I'm making doors and wanted to put a frame on the outside of the door that sealed against the body.
Using a standard hinge this does not work as I found out to my dismay. You need a cranked/hurricane hinge with the pivot point further away from the opening
The diagram make it clearer...I hope this is going to work for me

[aggie79]

I've built a lot of doors in my time and it has taken me a long time to get good at it. The only way I would do one now is if it HAD to be an odd size.

Happy Trails

Len

While I've only built one set of doors, the only other reason to build in addition what Len said is because you can't buy the door in the look that you wanted.

It's been awhile, but I know I spent at least 8 weekends building my doors. I didn't save any money and their construction took up a lot of my minimal down time.

For what it's worth, my recommendation too is to buy manufactured doors.

[working on it]

Hi teardroppers
I'm trying to decide if I should buy pre-made doors or make my own. I don't really want to spend the extra money but I don't want to fight leaks for years either. Are the pre-made doors leak proof? It looks like pre-made are way easier to install?
Dave
Tracy CA

Lots of discussion has been posted on this matter. I took a personal perspective review of why I made my own doors (solid, without windows) and what other choices there were. http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=57301 I was spurred to do so by Esteban's thread on the same subject http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=57273. If I were to build another trailer (want to!), I would probably buy one with the window-in-the-door; then, after designing the rest of the trailer to match, I'd be done with it, instead of separating the functions of door and window. But, I overbuilt for strength (and weight, alas); I'll lean toward a lighter, more traditional type of build for #2. Good luck with your build!

[grant whipp]

I think Zach pretty much nailed it ... it really boils down to your style preference and budget and available time. I've said it before, so I'll say it again: despite all the rhetoric from the naysayers, building your own doors is NOT that difficult, ALL the proper materials for doing so are readily available, and so are lots of free advice, guidance, & support! Depending on several factors, building your own doors can save you some money ... and also depending on several factors, they can take a few days or a few weeks to build. There is no one right way to build your doors, but there lots of incorrect ways, so be sure to study each method carefully and ask lots of questions. It would help if we knew what style of teardrop you are considering and the construction method you are thinking about.

BTW ... I've been doing this for a l-o-n-g time, and I can tell you without reservation that there is no such thing as a leak-proof door (unless you're building a submarine ... ...!), but there are any number of ways to make sure you've taken all the reasonable steps to minimize the possibility of water intrusion.

If I can be of any assistance, please don't hesitate to ask! Good Luck, and as always ...

CHEERS!

[eggsalad]

You can build a door. You can buy a new, factory-made door. The first will cost you a lot of time. The second will cost you a lot of money.

The third choice, if you're cheap like me, is to buy a used, factory-made door.

This one cost me $30.



You can't build it that cheap!

[KCStudly]

I'm with Grant; Zach said it well.

I'm building my own doors for several reasons: the look I want; I thought it would cost less (schmaybe); I am using lift off hinges (I think this will aid in construction and maintenance, and gives me options for screen doors or an AC insert at a later date); the thickness of the door will match the wall (foamie construction); the materials and finishes will match the walls inside and out; but mostly because I feel that it is part of the process and challenge of hand crafting a custom creation.

I want to be able to say, "Yes, I designed and built it myself... from scratch!" Sure, the windows are bought, and the axle is bought, and the wheels, and the jacks, and lots of stuff is bought, but I am building this thing and no one can take that away from me!

[markhusbands]

I'd be tempted to buy premades on a future build, especially if I was going with a more modern design but at this point I've made on eof two, and did not find it all that hard. And I certainly did not spend $300 on it. I used the routed cut outs from my solid sides, the cleaned up cut outs from my aluminum skin, bought hinges, a couple other trim pieces, and handles. I benefited from freebie refurb windows.

[kayakdlk]

I started out planning to use pre made doors on my build. I liked the black color and thought they looked good. The biggest I could find was (26" wide x 36" tall) and they would of cost $600 shipped to my house for a pair. After I bought Steve Frederick's build manual and decided to use his methods of construction I investigated making my own doors. The issues I found while researching premade doors is the widows are small and usually slide rather than crank out. Some only have small portion of the windows that opens and they were towards the bottom which I thought would interfere with the bedding and block ventilation. They were aluminum and would be cold when you rolled next to it. My wife and I decided during our card board mockup and pattern build we wanted wider doors than I could buy premade (mine are 30" wide a 36" tall), I wanted large crank out windows (so they could be open in the rain) for good ventilation and I wanted larger windows (mine are 15" tall and 24" wide). The cost for windows, door handles, and hinges, wood for the door seals, and router bits if you do not have them is not any cheaper but I got the flexibility to make them my way. I am not planning to use any aluminum trim on my doors, but instead I will epoxy and paint my doors and body.

If you just want to use a single sheet of plywood for the doors forget about making them and go buy the pre made ones. The single sheet will likely warp over time. If you don't have the desire, time or wood working skills then I suggest you go buy them. I used Steve's stress panel method with door seal spacer and frames and they were pretty easy to make and the warp age is greatly reduced with the stress panel doors. My doors are 1/8" Baltic Birch skin inside and out with 1x3 pine frame and foam insulation in the voids, with epoxy and cloth on the outside. The test fit worked great and I expect them to seal up just fine, look great, be warmer, quieter, and are wider than anything I could buy pre made.

Dan

[KCStudly]

Great points Dan!

I should have mentioned that my doors are also larger.

[doug hodder]

Good post Grant and Zach! Like mentioned, the door styles for a pre-made one may not fit with the overall appearance of your build. While a door may only cost 2-300, doing 2 that's twice the money and you may not get them in the color you want or with a vintage type handle is that is your look. Paddle handled doors won't convert to a vintage latch easily.

They do take some time to build, I learned a lot on the first tear, and after the last 2 standies, I prefer my built door to a manufactured one. It took a long time on the first one, that was the learning curve, but now it's not that big of an issue. I also build my own hinges so I can have a screen. I was unable to find the correct sizes for my standie doors anyway, so building was what was gonna happen.

Little things like a stepped up flange along the interior bottom edge and J trim in front of the knuckles on the hinge help make them more water tight. When you cut out the sides of the walls if a solid wall, lay the door pieces flat for storage and don't let them cup, that will help a bunch. Build in some allowance for a D seal, don't make it an afterthought. Think it all through, like Grant said, it's not all that tough. I've done 8 solid doors with no warping afterwards so it can be done. Just my opinion. Doug

[greekspeedoman]

As mentioned already. It is a preference.

At Overland Trailer, we've built 30+ trailers. Our customers can choose a manufactured door or a custom built door. The cost for materials is about the same if you go with the dead soft aluminum trim for the custom built door. Custom doors take longer to build but they also look retro. If you build them yourself, be sure to use a 13 ply x 3/4" plywood for your door so they won't warp 10 years from now.

Cheers!