Chinook RV

Great to see your photos. Lots of good ideas, and I think we are all able to look past the "work in progress" factor (it's not like you can just work on "one room at a time" in a small RV - nope you have to make the whole thing a giant mess all at once ).

dougm wrote: November 2nd, 2018, 5:30 pm I dont like the way the small microwave is installed in a massive square box at head level so im kicking ideas around for that also...

I don't know if this would suit you, but what I did was just make the over-dinette cabinet extend back over the stove as well. So in other words it's about 8 feet long and has three doors, basically just like the one on the sink side. I like how it looks, and no more "limbo cooking," but it wouldn't work if you want to keep a microwave there (I didn't).

Well i kinda want to keep the nuke box because sometimes i need a midnight bag of popcorn and i feed my dogs actual meat which i cook up in several meal amounts and refridgerate 6 or 7 meals of it at a time so the microwave allows me to warm it a bit when its their suppertime, but i think theres a huge volume of wasted realestate behind that microwave so as to allow it to be moved back several inches towards the wall and decreasing the depth and height of that particular cabinet. I want to trash that atwood stove and get a flat cooktop which means a new countertop as well, but thats fine because i want to build a new cabinet on that side which will extend forward enough to cover that wheel house..... just gotta sit down and start drawing some ideas on paper.

Ah, gotcha. And yes, there was a *massive* amount of space above and around and behind the microwave. Some of that is needed for ventilation, but not likely all (and not likely behind). If you haven't removed yours, I did a post way back in the beginning showing removing mine which will give you an idea of the space.

I suppose the reason it is so far "out there" is that there is a specification for the range hood spacing (to be above the stove), and also of course that made the cabinet even with the fridge box which made it easy to trim out (that's another thing I had to move back - I just couldn't handle that pinched entryway/sight line out the back door).

I have seen it below the stove top in some Chinooks, but that might not work very well if you are tall or don't like to stoop over to cook

Speaking of the fridge: My new one is a 4.7 cubic foot compressor refrigerator. Installed on top of the generator box (with enough room for some insulation) the countertop above it is about 46' from the floor. So there is all the space from there to the overhead for a potential microwave. I wanted visual openness plus a "set down" or staging space for either going-out or coming-in, or bathroom stuff, so I just have a "matching" overhead cabinet to the rest of the overhead cabinets, plus some shallow shelves against the outside wall (6" deep or so). That gives me a nice big counter space for the staging space. But you could have a microwave there, as another option. (I know you don't shy away from projects once you know what you want ).

As an aside, I have the same "problem" as you with the dining side space. The original club chairs and table were "fine," but I don't need to seat five, and they weren't as comfortable as they looked (for me). Schemes I have tried:

1) Original club chairs and table.
2) Removed rear club chair and just had front one and table (plus club box in rear position).
3) Removed rear club box and built a plywood box that basically just encloses the wheelwell (doesn't project into room then).
4) Removed table and added 20" x 48" table/counter in place of original table and rear club chair.
5) Removed forward club chair and used plastic drawer units plus 20" x 72" piece of plywood to make long credenza/desk (had knee hole in center for sitting on various chairs I tried).
6) Back to #4 but mounted Chrysler "stow and go" seat on club box/swivel instead of club chair (has arms and headrest, plus back tilts and it moves forward and back plus swivels - handily for me it was able to be much lower to the ground so I could put my feet down - club chairs were really high).
7) ??

Now I'm thinking about two new options:
a) Full length bench along the wall, but actually designed like a seat should be (i.e. seat and back both slope at about 15º), then mount my Lagun table to that. So I'd sit there facing the couch window using the table, plus the table could be swiveled over to serve the couch/bed. I have a tiny "bedside table" but would like a larger one. (Obviously the bench could be any length from 24" to 72" so the remaining space could be used for whatever).

b) Mini dinette (probably something like 30" wide front seat/22" wide rear seat or maybe no rear seat) with table. (I like a wide aisle).

Either a or b could be made into a second bed with some adaptation. That's not a priority for me most of the time but sometimes I do have a friend along (so far, although it sounds awful, the most comfortable was just to plunk a ~3" Thermarest type pad down in the aisle for sleeping, thus being able to maintain the table spaces for stuff instead of converting constantly).

Okay, back to your awesome project

i know you had posted several mockup photos which i did see but did you post any final photos?

By the way i also installed a tongue and grove subfloor underneath the vinyl plank flooring, the spots where the studs stick up were drilled approximatley 1/4 inch deep into the subfloor with a bottoming style hole saw so that the flooring layed flat and level.

No, because it's still not done! It all started when I decided to be sensible and have a real cabinetmaker do the cabinets. Then halfway through (maybe one-third!) cancer intervened and I was left to figure the rest out (my rig was basically gutted and several states away).

So I put it back together mostly using the original cabinetry (but modified to my new designs mostly), then made my own temporary upper cabinets (because the originals were cut up by then - did you feel the earth getting lighter? )

And then I got a bit stuck because really, the next step was/is to put new flooring in, then the cabinets, and to do that now I need to remove everything and start back where I was. Bleargh! And it's not just everyplace that one can remove/replace everything (needs to be secure, right temperature for adhesives and varnish, shop space, tools, able to get parts easily, etc.)

To the good, I like what I have now much better than original interior. My temporary upper cabinets (vs. the new "real" ones in storage) are just maple pre-fin, but I like them! I put a ~15º face slant on them which is much less than the originals but not straight like the Premiers. That's what's on my new "real" cabinets too. I like it a lot.

I wish they had made more "Maple" interior Chinooks (mine was dark/glossy oak which is just not my cup of tea).

But it's annoying because my nice new cabinets are just waiting to go in! But I've kept on using the Chinook to do fun things (it's all structurally as good or better than original, so it's fine from a structural standpoint), so that part is a win. And of course I've come up with some new or tweaked ideas in the meantime.

But so yeah, sorry about no new photos.

Looks Great! We just took posession of our 2000 Chinook Concourse yesterday, and I am already planning improvements. First to go will be the carpet, and we will install the vinyl planks to replace it.
A couple of questions for you -
When you take the carpet out, what surface are you left with?
What is in the cab area of your rig? I like the black, tough looking stuff. Did you do that, or did it come that way?

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

The floor under the carpet is fiberglass laminated wood. I suggest you get the rigid plank flooring that snap connects on all 4 sides. No the front of my truck came with carpeting like everyone elses, i yanked out the carpet and seats and installed a vinyl floor matt. Once you get the carpet out you will find that there are bolts with washers going threw the floor in differrent spots, you will have to decide how to handle those otherwise your flooring isnt going to lay down flat on the floor. I put down a tongue and groove subfloor over the existing floor and used a bottoming hole saw to make recessed holes in those spots so the subfloor layed flat against the existing floor. I layed the subfloor crossways from wall to wall, then i layed the vinyl plank flooring from cab to rear door.The entry step is not square so those pieces will have to be measured carefully and cut at an angle. Just measure twice and cut once or you will be ordering more flooring, take your time and think about what your doing. Purchase yourself a vinyl plank flooring cutter, it will save you a ton of grief and time. You can get this one at home depot and it works just fine....https://www.homedepot.com/p/Roberts-12- ... /100038849

An angle finder will also save you headaches and time when it comes to the parts that require an angled cut, lay the angle finder against the wall angle you are measuring and then lock it in place, then transfer that angle to the piece you are going to cut.

The last tip i can give you is lay the first 3 rows down in the center, you should be able to run those 3 rows all the way back to the rear step without doing anything other than cutting their length, then start laying outwards towards the walls from there. Those 3 rows will give you an idea of what you need to do from there to complete the job. You can cut vinyl plank by scoring it with a good utility knife and then snapping it but just take your time. Sounds easy but you have to do it in such a manner that allows you to hook the pieces together as you go.

The flooring i bought is waterproof so it should last a long time, but dont confuse watertight and waterproof. I put down a layer of underlayment between the subfloor and the vinyl flooring... this is what i used, but its not $250 at home depot, you can get a roll for about $50 at the home depot...
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Roberts-Air ... lsrc=aw.ds

Thanks so much for the great detail and advice. Have to admit, I am a bit daunted about the flooring in the cab . . .
As a 2x survivor of cancer my best to you!!