Your dad would have a blast, I'll bet. If my grandfather were still alive when I learned about teadrops I would have loved to build one with him. He always had a well-equipped shop and built a few houses in his time and most of my college furniture.

Spend the next few weeks scouring the Teardrops & Tiny Travel Trailers forum. There is a wealth of information there and all manner of skill levels -- from the most rudimentary to artisans.

A lot of those folks who've built (the emphasis at that forum is on building but lots of manufactured info, too) find themselves building one after another.

T&TTT has a library of building plans that you can download, for free.

If you go to the T&TTT for sale section and the Newbie section and say in both that you are in the market to buy as well as being interested in building, you could get a great deal.

Best wishes. My first year with the teardrop we camped over 50 nights. Last year about 30 nights. A heck of a lot cheaper, and more fun, than renting a cabin or hotel/lodge room.

And my teardrop is dog-friendly so it gets Gidget's vote!