Mothra Metamorphosis

[masterplumber]

Ha, 1/4'' per foot is the plumbing code for waste pipe, guess how I know. ; ) That measurement is actually not just so the water will flow, but so it doesn't flow too fast and not carry the solids along with it. As for Grant's idea, what would be the reason you you would want a larger bow? If it's for aerodynamics you would need to bow it front to back also, like Flying Kurbmaster suggested. My trailer has a curved roof, which is one of the reasons I bought it. It allows full stand up height in the middle without having to add 6'' to the outside walls like most other manufactures do. I can't imagine you need more interior height? For ease of building I think I would keep the slope fairly shallow. Water will readily run even at 1/8'' per foot which is the code for a shower base floor. A shallow roof also doesn't raise the overall height as much - think about how many RVs make it under a gas station canopy only to hit they're air-conditioning sticking up there. If you arch the roof too much you'll be just as high. Just some food for thought.

 

[highdesertranger]

actually here in CA concrete is 1/8 per ft. asphalt is 1/4 per ft. but if you want really flat try Black Rock Playa where they hold burning man. I can't find the exact elevations right know but if I remember correctly there is an elevation change of 3 inches in 30 miles, now that is flat. highdesertranger

 

[Gary68]

also with roofs the pitch varies for climate,the more snow the more pitch you need

 

[GrantRobertson]

I would be curving the roof purely for my own aesthetics. The current ceiling height will give me enough headroom, even if I drop it some for extra insulation. However, that will leave the entire space feeling claustrophobic. There is just something about an open ceiling that makes a space FEEL so much roomier.

I have yet to see a gas station overhang low enough to get anywhere my roof. I will not be concerned about snow. And I know I don't need a steep slope for water to run off.

I just think I would like to do it. After all, if I have to rebuild from scratch, why not do what will really make me enjoy being in that space. The nice thing is that I can even wait till much later to do it. The current roof isn't leaking and it isn't going anywhere.

 

[GotSmart]

I would be curving the  roof purely for my own aesthetics. The current ceiling height will give me enough headroom, even if I drop it some for extra insulation. However, that will leave the entire space feeling claustrophobic. There is just something about an open ceiling that makes a space FEEL so much roomier.

I have yet to see a gas station overhang low enough to get anywhere my roof. I will not be concerned about snow. And I know I don't need a steep slope for water to run off.

I just think I would like to do it. After all, if I have to rebuild from scratch, why not do what will really make me enjoy being in that space. The nice thing is that I can even wait till much later to do it. The current roof isn't leaking and it isn't going anywhere.

Lighting and paint color can make a small area look much bigger.  As does doing this~~~

 

[masterplumber]

Ok, I totally get the aesthetics part. I bought my trailer because the curved roof allowed me to stand up straight, but I do enjoy the look of the rounded ceiling. I also painted it a slightly off white to lighten up things since most everything else is wood tones.

So given that, I would look at framing it with plywood cut in curves. much easier then trying to engineer just the right truss, and also lighter and potentially stronger. depending upon the severity of the curves you can cover it with either 1/2'' or 2 layers of 1/4'' plywood. Then I would have a roofer cover it with fully adhered EDPM. Basically a rubber roof. The EDPM shouldn't cost more than about $500 to have installed and as long as you don't get a rip in it from a low hanging branch or something you should never have to worry about a leak again.

 

[GrantRobertson]

Ok, I totally get the aesthetics part. I bought my trailer because the curved roof allowed me to stand up straight, but I do enjoy the look of the rounded ceiling. I also painted it a slightly off white to lighten up things since most everything else is wood tones.

So given that, I would look at framing it with plywood cut in curves. much easier then trying to engineer just the right truss, and also lighter and potentially stronger. depending upon the severity of the curves you can cover it with either 1/2'' or 2 layers of 1/4'' plywood. Then I would have a roofer cover it with fully adhered EDPM. Basically a rubber roof. The EDPM shouldn't cost more than about $500 to have installed and as long as you don't get a rip in it from a low hanging branch or something you should never have to worry about a leak again.

Interestingly, the curved part isn't as important to me as the trusses themselves. Though I wouldn't want a peaked roof. I have already planned a lot of it out in my head.

I will have to check on just how much EDPM stretches. As this roof would essentially have two curved surfaces that intersect at an angle, any sheet or fabric that doesn't stretch some would therefore have wrinkles that may be hard to deal with.

Well, this is all in the future. I can figure out the rest later.

 

[Patrick46]

I will have to check on just how much EDPM stretches. As this roof would essentially have two curved surfaces that intersect at an angle, any sheet or fabric that doesn't stretch some would therefore have wrinkles that may be hard to deal with.

Easy. Overlapping seams. (which is not as bad as it sounds)

 

[GotSmart]

It is not easy mounting Solar on a curved roof.

 

[LowTech]

Unless you put it on a rack.

 

[BradKW]

We turn flat roofs into pitched ones using tapered ISO foam boards fit together like a puzzle, usually going from 3 or 4" down to 1\2", then cover with fibertite, a heat gun welded membrane...

 

[rvpopeye]

More info on fibertite please....

 

[GrantRobertson]

We turn flat roofs into pitched ones using tapered ISO foam boards fit together like a puzzle, usually going from 3 or 4" down to 1\2", then cover with fibertite, a heat gun welded membrane...

Yes, tell us all about this Fibertite stuff. That sounds so cool, it deserves its own thread.

P.S. Who is "we"?

 

[GrantRobertson]

Yep. It is exactly as ugly on the inside as it looks. You are correct, Sir. There IS a giant hole in the side by the door. Heck, half the door is missing too. But it is nothing I can't easily handle. Most of the floor actually feels pretty solid and seems to be 3/4" plywood. I will treat all the wood that I keep with waterproofing sealant. All the interior walls that you see will be coming out.

Can everyone please click the green arrow, above, and then see if they can see the pictures in post 16. Then please also tell me if you have a Google account and what browser you are using. I am trying to figure out why some people are seeing these and some are not. These pictures are in a Google Photos album and I got the link to each image by right clicking on the image and copying the link to the image using the browser's context menu.

Here is another test: Tell me which of the following images you can see:

[img=300x300]https://goo.gl/photos/5VGMqYwAywwS27ai8[/img]
Front View - Sharable link provided by Google Photos. {OK, I can't even see this one and I own the album on Google Photos.}

---

[img=300x400]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/9...e6ENvg_pGNye4urQg0S0IU3EBw=w514-h685-no[/img]
Side View - Right-clicking on image and choosing "Copy Image Location" or similar command.

---

Rear View - Uploaded file to CRVL site as attachment and then inserted into post. (This is probably the most reliable, but I figure if I can let Google handle storing the file and providing the bandwidth to serve them up, then why not.)


Bob Wells, which method do you recommend?

 

[B and C]

Rear View - Uploaded file to CRVL site as attachment and then inserted into post. (This is probably the most reliable, but I figure if I can let Google handle storing the file and providing the bandwidth to serve them up, then why not.)


Bob Wells, which method do you recommend?

Glad to see you finally start to fly Grant.  I was getting worried you were going to plan it to the grave  

To me, uploading the file instead of the "Copy Image Location" method makes more sense.  I have looked at old posts where there is just a little placeholder where a picture used to be because the original image got moved or deleted.  A little more trouble, but not much.

Chrome

 

[Almost There]

Can't see the first one, but can see the 2nd and 3rd.

I don't know about Bob, but I find that uploading the pics directly from my computer to CRVL and the inserting them in the post is about the easiest and surest thing to do. Why go through a 3rd party like Google?

I always resize my pics with Paint before I upload them. They show up in the post at a nice size and when you click on them, they all fit on one screen width without having to use the slides. They also come out crisp. I find that the pics that are posted on here full size are always blurry because of poor resolution.

 

[BC Guy]

Can't see the first one, but can see the 2nd and 3rd.

X2.  Still nothing in #16.  I do NOT have a Google account.  I am using a recent version of Firefox.  It has been a while since I posted a pic that I took myself, so I do not remember if I had any issues.

 

[highdesertranger]

x2 on what Almost There said about viewing the pics and posting pics. highdesertranger

 

[GrantRobertson]

Got a little bit more done today. Mostly cleaning out junk and trash. I filled up two large city trash cans. I also got the front seat bolted down properly. Oh, didn't I tell you? The driver's seat was not even bolted down. The PO had tried to move it to another van but then gave up. He left only the rear two bolts, and they were only hand tight. When driving, I had to hold on tight to the steering wheel when accelerating, kinda like when riding a motorcycle. So, I cut out all the nasty carpet on the driver's side (no there was no sound-proofing underneath), vacuumed up about a pound of crud, and bolted the seat back down properly. It is actually pretty comfortable to sit in.

I got one of those "Bucket Head" shop vacuum things. Though I had to go t Home Despot to get it. With it you can turn a standard 5 gallon bucket into a shop vac for only $22. I expect to fill a couple of buckets, cleaning out Mothra's innerds.

Sorry, I did not take any pictures. Pictures are going to be a very low priority for a while. I will try to take some as I go, but no guarantees that they will be posted in a timely fashion.

Tomorrow, I gotta go in to get the title transferred and register the thing.

 

[highdesertranger]

go Grant go. hihdesertranger