Post by John on Feb 14, 2016 16:23:58 GMT -5
I have published this before, but I feel compelled to post it here.
A Rounder's Tail Or My Personal Tail Of Woe
Once upon a time a few years back, there was a model railroader with the dream of
having a train building. He was driving down a street not far from his home, when
he saw a trailer home for sale. An idea popped into his head, this idea seamed
plausible and brilliant at the time. So deed was signed and a moving permit was
issued, and soon a trailer home was setup and secured on this dreamers
land right beside his home.
Great plans were made, and with the help of a son and a son-in-law The inside
walls and other miscellaneous stuff was dispatched from inside of the house. Oh!
The excitement was great as the track plans were formulated.
Then reality set in. The roof was inspected and found to be lacking. The manual
laborers agreed to remove the roof. The son cut one side of a $180.00 ladder in
half with a sawzall. With the cost of a new ladder, the trailer, the cost of
moving, setup, and the amount he paid to the sons, abandoning the project was no
longer an option, so funds were secured for the material for a new metal roof.
The new roof was in place and the rafters were repaired. Calling them rafters
is a real stretch of the term, Ah! but I digress. Soon a false sense of project
completion was felt. the Son-in-Law was going to help him move the door to the
center of the room, this move turned into an 12X18 foot addition. This was going
to be the meeting room for all of his train friends.
Again track plans were revised and the project creep raised it's ugly head. The
track plan now filled the trailer and the new addition. With the help of any body
he could beg, con, or hire they poured two concrete slabs and added the new 12X16
foot meeting room and a 10X16 foot shop.
OK! Now it is time to wire and finish the inside of the train rooms. The square
footage of the two train rooms was 666 square feet. What! Now there was reason
for pause.
Well! Guess what! the trailer walls are structurally lacking. So funds are
allocated and 2x4s and $267.28 worth of long dry wall screws are purchased after
several trips to Lowes. The walls are up and covered, and he is now waiting on
the funds to to put up a ceiling.
Ok! The train room is nearing completion and the table saw and the miter saw need
a home. A simple wood shop is added to the back of the existing small shop. Since
he no longer has any friends willing to help, he tackles this job as a Summer
project. This is completed, just as his wife begins to talk about a divorce
The good news is that the floor is OK, it is the only part of the trailer that
was not reinforced or replaced. A Google satellite photo confirms that the hobby
building is now larger then his house.
He keeps asking himself "Why didn't you just pour a slab and build a building".
He now knows, it would have been faster and cheaper!
**********************************************************************************
The conclusions I have reached after the above endeavor:
1. Consider the labor and cost to remove the interior walls an
old plumbing
2. Consider the cost to modify windows and doors locations in the
unit to fit your needs.
3. Inspect the mobile home for additional repairs that may be needed.
a. Electrical wiring
b. Additional insulation
C. Wall structures
d. Roof structures and possible leaks
e. Floor structures
f. Heating and cooling systems
4. Guard against project creep, and be realistic with your plans to have the
time and resources to complete your dream room.
My project would have benefited from more realistic planning and a custom built
hobby building.
The photos are the state of my hobby building when I left Midland.
That Is My Story, John
Good judgement comes from experience. Sometimes,
experience comes from bad judgement. <> Junior
A Rounder's Tail Or My Personal Tail Of Woe
Once upon a time a few years back, there was a model railroader with the dream of
having a train building. He was driving down a street not far from his home, when
he saw a trailer home for sale. An idea popped into his head, this idea seamed
plausible and brilliant at the time. So deed was signed and a moving permit was
issued, and soon a trailer home was setup and secured on this dreamers
land right beside his home.
Great plans were made, and with the help of a son and a son-in-law The inside
walls and other miscellaneous stuff was dispatched from inside of the house. Oh!
The excitement was great as the track plans were formulated.
Then reality set in. The roof was inspected and found to be lacking. The manual
laborers agreed to remove the roof. The son cut one side of a $180.00 ladder in
half with a sawzall. With the cost of a new ladder, the trailer, the cost of
moving, setup, and the amount he paid to the sons, abandoning the project was no
longer an option, so funds were secured for the material for a new metal roof.
The new roof was in place and the rafters were repaired. Calling them rafters
is a real stretch of the term, Ah! but I digress. Soon a false sense of project
completion was felt. the Son-in-Law was going to help him move the door to the
center of the room, this move turned into an 12X18 foot addition. This was going
to be the meeting room for all of his train friends.
Again track plans were revised and the project creep raised it's ugly head. The
track plan now filled the trailer and the new addition. With the help of any body
he could beg, con, or hire they poured two concrete slabs and added the new 12X16
foot meeting room and a 10X16 foot shop.
OK! Now it is time to wire and finish the inside of the train rooms. The square
footage of the two train rooms was 666 square feet. What! Now there was reason
for pause.
Well! Guess what! the trailer walls are structurally lacking. So funds are
allocated and 2x4s and $267.28 worth of long dry wall screws are purchased after
several trips to Lowes. The walls are up and covered, and he is now waiting on
the funds to to put up a ceiling.
Ok! The train room is nearing completion and the table saw and the miter saw need
a home. A simple wood shop is added to the back of the existing small shop. Since
he no longer has any friends willing to help, he tackles this job as a Summer
project. This is completed, just as his wife begins to talk about a divorce
The good news is that the floor is OK, it is the only part of the trailer that
was not reinforced or replaced. A Google satellite photo confirms that the hobby
building is now larger then his house.
He keeps asking himself "Why didn't you just pour a slab and build a building".
He now knows, it would have been faster and cheaper!
**********************************************************************************
The conclusions I have reached after the above endeavor:
1. Consider the labor and cost to remove the interior walls an
old plumbing
2. Consider the cost to modify windows and doors locations in the
unit to fit your needs.
3. Inspect the mobile home for additional repairs that may be needed.
a. Electrical wiring
b. Additional insulation
C. Wall structures
d. Roof structures and possible leaks
e. Floor structures
f. Heating and cooling systems
4. Guard against project creep, and be realistic with your plans to have the
time and resources to complete your dream room.
My project would have benefited from more realistic planning and a custom built
hobby building.
The photos are the state of my hobby building when I left Midland.
That Is My Story, John
Good judgement comes from experience. Sometimes,
experience comes from bad judgement. <> Junior
