2012 Fish House Build

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

I changed the framing a little bit from my original plan, so I ended up a sheet short on siding. OOPS! Both sides are done as far as I can get them.

I'm done working on this until Wednesday. Wednesday & Thursday will be diamond plate and the roof, and then next weekend will be wiring. Everything has gone better than expected so far...hopefully that continues with the electrical!

Here are a couple interior shots:

[BartmanMN]

must be great using nice Straight metal studs.

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

The metal studs are great. Not only are they perfectly straight, the siding goes up way faster than using wood studs.

[wyattboche]

Who made the chassis for you?

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

Who made the chassis for you?

Ice Assault.

[bkerschner70]

What are you using to secure your siding? I don't see any rivets so I'm assuming a glue of some sort.

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

What are you using to secure your siding? I don't see any rivets so I'm assuming a glue of some sort.

3M VHB...basically a 2 sided foam tape.

CV62F on the studs and corner seams

4936 on all other seams

I can tell you that the second the aluminum touches the CV62, it is bonded for life. There are no second chances with this stuff!

[bkerschner70]

Any ideas where to buy this tape reasonably? I'm assuming you did plenty of research before you bought it and judging by the looks of your trailer you know what you're doing. PM me if you're not allowed to mention the place you got it. Thanks.

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

I bought a case (9 rolls), which is the cheapest option (per roll). It'll show up on auction sites from time to time by the roll. I may have some extra.

[bkerschner70]

What was the reason for 2 different kinds? Just wanted something a little stronger for studs and corners and saved some money on the rest?

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

What was the reason for 2 different kinds? Just wanted something a little stronger for studs and corners and saved some money on the rest?

Just needed a thinner tape for the seams so they don't stick out as far. If I remember right, I paid almost $200 for the roll of seam tape.

[slammer]

What will the total build cost? I understand if you do want give out that info. Great looking house and nice work.

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

What will the total build cost? I understand if you do want give out that info. Great looking house and nice work.

Well, it's going to depend on a few 'luxuries' I'm debating (automatic satellite, etc), but $15k +\- $500 will be pretty accurate. The steel studs and aluminum roof add quite a bit, but the finished product will be really nice.

[Finlander]

Great work! Lots of good ideas!

[LMITOUT]

I see Ice Castle is offering a sky light in some of their models. Is that something you would ever consider? You have pretty good sized windows so light probably won't be an issue, but in most houses I would think the light from the sky light would be nice.

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

I see Ice Castle is offering a sky light in some of their models. Is that something you would ever consider? You have pretty good sized windows so light probably won't be an issue, but in most houses I would think the light from the sky light would be nice.

The sky light is a cool option. My initial thought is that I wouldn't personally do it with the combination of wood studs & fiberglass insulation (like the Ice Castles), as sky lights have a tendency to leak and condense, and that could be a major problem that might not show up for a few years. With board foam or spray foam you'd either see a leak right away, or everything would be sealed up tight.

[Kyle]

Are you planning on selling this, or are you just building it for yourself. I've thought about building one to sell and see how it goes. Not sure how big the market is for a $15,000 shack that has no brand name...

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

Are you planning on selling this, or are you just building it for yourself. I've thought about building one to sell and see how it goes. Not sure how big the market is for a $15,000 shack that has no brand name...

Hopefully never selling it, or at least not for awhile. This one will have pretty much everything you could ever want in a fish house, so I should be good for a long time.

Building one to sell, with hopes of making a profit, is probably a losing proposition. I've given it a lot of thought, and unless you can do it in mass quantity to get purchasing discounts, or get into high end with bigger margins, there is no room to make money. Not when the #1 name in fish houses has the market saturation (and top of mind awareness) they do.

[BartmanMN]

I'm guessing if he did sell it to start a new one, he wouldn't be selling it what he made it for. More likely a $18-20K shack that has a detailed build sheet with the best products available.

[c0untryf1sh3r]

I think it would be well worth the price IMO. If you look at a comparable Ice Castle it would probably be in the same price range but you wouldnt have the satisfaction of sitting in a house that YOU made (minus the frame) to YOUR specs and not a cookie cutter house. Just my 2 cents. Another job well done LRG.

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

I think it would be well worth the price IMO. If you look at a comparable Ice Castle it would probably be in the same price range but you wouldnt have the satisfaction of sitting in a house that YOU made (minus the frame) to YOUR specs and not a cookie cutter house. Just my 2 cents. Another job well done LRG.

Thanks! Hoping this one turns out as good as the last one!

The closest comparable Ice Castle to this is their 21' RV Edition on hydraulics for around $22k (selling price, not MSRP). That one has a couple things mine won't (a/c, water tanks and water heater for ~$1000), but mine will be a much higher quality product with a beefier frame, metal instead of wood framing, smooth siding, spray foam, way better interior finishing, LED lights, etc. I probably have additional material costs of about $2500, so I'll be almost $10k ahead (including nothing for time).

[eyehunter78]

Looking good! Can't wait to see the finished result! Love to see these fish house builds, they just never get old.....

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

Siding is done & roof is on. This weekend will be spent doing the diamond plate, window trim, installing the door, roof trim, and running lights. If all goes well I should have the outside finished on Sunday.

I just left Fastenal going after buying stainless screws......

[hawkeye43]

You a little surprized were you. That place will always hurt the pocket book. Think of the big picture and smile because you know you did it right. Nice build.

[anderson_dc]

Thanks for taking us through this build with you, I know I really enjoy checking out the photos and reading about the progress. Sure the up front cost is high, but you're building it right and it should provides years of enjoyment for you and your family.