Construction conundrum

Hi all, I have a conundrum, partly based in that I have almost no construction experience.

My trailer, listed as 24' x 8', is actually 100" wide. The blueprints/plans I bought, the frame is actually 8' wide, 96". This leaves 2" on each side extra. I kind of presumed that this 2" would be taken up by the sheathing and siding, but my friend who is helping me build is convinced that the frame should go all the way to the edge of the trailer. Which of us is correct? If he's correct, what's the easiest way to solve the problem without buying a whole new trailer, or whole new plans (three of my six walls are already constructed)?

Hey Ben;
I vote to build it as is.
Add some flashing at the bottom to keep the rain away.
The roof overhang will extend over the side, diverting most of the rain.

thomas rubino wrote:Hey Ben;
I vote to build it as is.
Add some flashing at the bottom to keep the rain away.
The roof overhang will extend over the side, diverting most of the rain.

Ah interesting, would that be like, the kind of flashing one would put around the base of a chimney where it enters the roof? And would you sort of bend it into an "L" shape, with the upright portion going between the sheathing and the siding, and then the horizontal part of the "L" lying down on the sill, pointing outwards? Does that make sense?

That is done to get as big a tiny house as the legal limit:

. The frame extensions are 100 inches wide with the fenders being at the legal highway limit of 102 inches.  A little extra room makes a big difference inside a tiny house.  When it comes to tiny houses, wider is better.

https://www.ironeagletinyhousetrailers-mobile.com/

Which three walls have you finished? Especially if only one is an end wall, I would stretch the end walls by two inches on each edge to fit the frame. If you don't want to start fresh, I would just add wood as needed to make up the gap. Exactly how to do this depends on what the framing looks like; I could advise with photos and/or the plan drawings you are working from. The roof framing will have to be stretched as well, of course, and the only difficulty there is that you may need to start with some 10' lumber instead of 8' for cross rafters.

It seems odd that, if 100" is a common width for trailer-houses to maximize legal space, the people who drew the plans didn't know that.

I think the issue of maximum width may be an issue to check.
it may bite you.
I would check with the trailer people, the registration branch and the plan supplier and explain clearly what your needs are.

That sounds like a tricky situation. From what I understand, your frame being 8' wide while the trailer is 100" means you've got an extra 2" on each side. If your plans were meant for a 96" wide frame, then your friend's right—the frame should ideally match the trailer's width to fit properly. Since you’ve already built some walls, you might not need to start over. One option is to add some additional framing to fill the gap and make the sides of your trailer flush with the frame. This way, you won’t need to scrap your existing work or buy new plans. Just make sure whatever adjustments you make are solid and secure to keep everything aligned and safe.

What roof overhang does the design call for? If this is designed to be legally drivable on the roadways, the roof overhang very likely has to fall within the footprint of the trailer. 2" is a very small overhang, but given that it's a very small house, it might be the case. If that is the case, they make what's called Z-flashing for metal buildings to go on the walls where 2 sheets meet, it goes behind the top sheet and in front of the bottom sheet. You might be able to find something pre-made to fit your situation.

To clarify - if the roof overhang is 2"on both sides, you absolutely do not want to 'stretch' the walls as you would be removing the overhang from the design. Having a flush fit of wall to roof edge is almost always a bad idea. As well, going beyond 8' will make so many complications with construction I would argue it would not be worth toying with. You would need to get so many more materials and be wasting most of them.