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La_Luz
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# Posted: 8 Feb 2012 09:50am
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Hello to all, I am truely the new kid on 'block' who needs guidence and direction before I head possibly down a wrong path ;~)
I was given a very old mfg slip in truck camper (maybe 40+ years old). It's is a very large cab over camper the weights the proveriablly ton. All the appliances work very well with a small kitchenette, three burner stove/oven, radiant propane wall heater (no blower), propane/electric fridge (replacement that is prolly 15 yrs old, but runs great/gets very cold), 12 volt indoor lighting, one gas light, small hot water heater and an old inverter. But, it doesn't have a tolet, nor shower, that was removed. I believe it was built in Indiana, but as for the company, that has been lost to the winds of time, even the previous owner didn't know. As for condition, it was very well taken care of, except the roof is in bad shape.
I've thought about 'recycling' every component of this camper into a small cabin. Even the cabinets, counter top, windows, fresh water tank, aluminum siding, lunber, copper plumbing, pvc drain pipe and even the front door. I could even use the aluminum ladder on the outside of the camper that goes to the roof to go to a bunk bed or loft in the cabin.
Or keep the camper intact, go 'country getto', build a small pole barn and park it under that. If I fix the roof, the camper would be available to go hunting or camping, although when I do those activities, it is with a backpack and tent. I just haven't converted over to this whole camper thing...yet.
I ask a local RV dealer what he thought the value of this camper was worth and his opinion was about $1000 if that. Because he mainly deals in pull behind campers and the truck campers, especially old ones can be a hard sell. Yet, I looked up what some of these appliances (modern versions) are on ebay, kind of pricey. All and all this camper only went on yearly one or two week vacations through it's life.
Sorry this is a loooong post, but I really would welcome your opinions and advise. Would this be throwing good money after bad? The real reason for the small cabin idea is I want more space to move around in, instead of how the camper is, one way in, turn around and back out the same way...if that makes any sense.
Thank you again for any of your thoughts,
Eric
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dstraate
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# Posted: 8 Feb 2012 10:48am - Edited by: dstraate
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I just sold a 73 travel trailer that sounded somewhat similar to yours. The dealer might have trouble moving old ones, but on craigslist, it seems like you should be able to get 750 for it. Of course, if you strip down the plumbing, appliances, etc, you'll end up paying somebody to dump it.
It sounds like you're coming into a similar situation that my wife and I hit. The land was perfect, but the living situation was cramped and uncomfortable. I think if you sold your camper, you'd have a good little chunk of cash to start working with. There are tons of builds on this site that went up very inexpensively. I loved our camper, but it was time for somebody else to get some good out of it.
I absolutely hate the pole shed over your camper idea. That's just me though, it's your land. I think in terms of quality, value, and resale, you'd be much better off building yourself a little cabin, and camping in cabover until you finish. If you're building a structure to accommodate a leaky roof, it seems like you're spending a lot of money on what should be a relatively simple fix. Good luck, and post pictures, even if you go country ghetto!
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turkeyhunter
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# Posted: 8 Feb 2012 12:20pm
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i know a guy who built a nice house around a single wide mobile home----he still has insurance on a mobile home--he still has to buy a mobile home decal ( tax) on a mobile---i would have never do it...put up 4 posts and some tin,shed roof over the camper--hunt/camp enjoy/ out of it till you build a cabin---it nice having a place to stay during your cabin build
==incase you want to get a early start one morning :-))
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 8 Feb 2012 01:02pm
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I think it depends on how much use you will be getting out of it,how much time spent there.
My opinion, is that I like RV's when used for their intended purpose, mobile camping.
We've had an RV since '65 and just finally sold it last year. We liked to travel in it. Once we bought or mountain ridge we used it as a temprarily permanent place to stay over the first two years. That was mainly weekends but also included several weeks at a time in the summer. It was not as enjoyable for extended stays as it was when we used it mobile. And RV's, unless a very deluxe model, are cold in cold weather. Or use a heck of a lot of propane to stay warm. Poor wall insulation and single pane windows for the most part. Poor roof insulation too, making them heat up quickly in hot summers.
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La_Luz
Member
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# Posted: 8 Feb 2012 09:00pm - Edited by: La_Luz
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Thank You Gentlemen,
I would absolutely abhor the thought of the 'country getto' motif, yet it would definately work during the construction phase of a small framed cabin. I've even considered adobe as a building material, because I've made really good bricks from the soil in our backyard.
If you see a common thread here, it's not because I'm a miser and like life on the cheap. But I do look at things and materials and think about how to incorporate them in a tactfull way that looks nice or unique. And really that is sort of the way I viewed that slide in truck camper, because of all the appliances, windows, metal, and plywood. Yet, its also been stated, somewhere, that the road to hell is paved with good intentions:~)
I was just trying to balance out in my gray matter, if I had to buy all of those appliances for the cabin, would they equal or exceed the value of selling the camper?
But, Thank You again for all your insight, I appreciate it.
Eric
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Malamute
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2012 10:26am
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If it were me, I'd use the appliances, heater etc, which can be expensive to buy, but not try to overdo it in using every possible thing, and having something that looked like a recycled camper for a cabin.
If you came out well on using the appliances, whatever you did with the rest of the camper, sell for very cheap, give away, pay some small amount to get rid of, you'd still be in good shape.
I'm using an old camper stove in my cabin. I had a nice base made for it that matches my other kitchen counters, and it works fine. I paid about $150 for the camper, got the stove and gas bottle out of it, and sold it for about the same amount. I used it in the back of my truck for several years before using it in the cabin. It was a good investment.
I also have an older Winnebago. It isn't worth a lot, even tho functional. I'm thinking about using the appliances/fixtures out of it and selling the rest of it for whatever I can get, using the things in a small guest cabin. There's a multi-power fridge, not very old Suburban furnace, water pump, tanks, stove, sinks, (forgot I have RV sinks in my current cabin also)etc. At the very least, I'm keeping the furnace and fridge.
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Just
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2012 05:06pm
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Quoting: La_Luz 'country getto'
if you keep it neat and tiddy it's better than staying home for 5 years and saving for a cabin. I often think some fokes wait to long with thoughts of grandur. As you can clearly see [ I did not ]
to be honest we have another place at the lake but that took a lifetime to save for.
no grandur but lots of fun
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