The Incredible Shrinking Trailer

At some point in the near future the trailer posts are going to switch from demo to construction. But, not today. Over Christmas break Sam and I have been peeling back layers of this very stinky onion. The aluminum skin has all been removed. After about a million rusty nails, screws, and staples we can see the full extend of the remaining wood. This project is less of a restoration and more of building our take on a 1965 Shasta Compact since the frame and windows will be the only things we are keeping.

 Up front I found some structural wiring.



On the streetside I found a dead weed that had grown a couple feet up into the body. I would expect boats to have less exposure to water than this poor trailer. Notice the leakage on the inside of the skin and this was the "good" side.  

 Gratuitous aluminum shot. The roof with all its roof sealant is off. It had layers of black roofing tar and white aluminum roof sealant. At this point I think the 1/4 inch insulation was providing structural support.



Now that the skin has been removed we have a pretty good picture of all the previous owner's home fixes for water damage. Here are the top three.

3. Expandable foam sprayed around the rear window to seal what appeared to be a rear window leak. After some investigation the leak wasn't from the rear window so the foam just pressed the existing sealant apart, creating a leak. The structure under the rear window was completely gone.

2. Black and white roofing sealant used around the vent in the kitchen. The trailer has been sitting in a dry area for a couple months. Funny, the only wet spot on the trailer was under the water proofing since the white type didn't really bond with the black stuff. The structure under the vent, around the door, and floor under the door was completely rotten.

1. Giant hole on the roof. Luckily it was covered with masking tape and coated with the roof sealant. Water ran in the hole in the roof, down the back wall, and rotted out the back wall.

The take home message for hillbillies looking to fix their trailers, don't use 2 inch drywall screws when the walls are only 1 inch thick and, roofing tar should not be used on things that aren't buildings.