Passenger side remodel idea
Posted: May 2nd, 2018, 11:59 am
I've been toying with this idea for quite a while, but it's getting more serious as time goes on. I'm looking for feedback on potential problems and gotchas before I commit.
Short version:
Take out the dinette and all cabinets except those over the dinette along the passenger side - including fridge, stove, closet. Remove the fridge, microwave, and furnace. Replace with a continuous, table-height cabinet that runs from the back door to the passenger seat and includes a cut-out area for a desk.
Longer version:
The furnace is iffy, and I rarely use it. The fridge died, it was fussy before that, and I replaced it with an electric compression cooler, which has served my needs quite well. The closet is awkward, the stove has problems, the dinette is uncomfortable. Plus, the narrow walkway is a PIA with me and the dog in there - she can't pass by if I'm sitting on the edge of the bed. Basically, I have issue with that whole side of the coach.
So, here's a sketch of what I'm thinking about doing - I haven't measured to know what the scale is, exactly, just eyeballing based on a rough idea of the dimensions of the dinette benches:
What I want to do is rip it all out, except the upper cabinets over the dinette, which are rather a nice size, and the plywood "bulkhead" that I gather from Blue's posts exists to help reinforce the shell.
If I understand the anatomy of this thing properly, that would leave me with a big open space, a weird piece of plywood sticking out, a bunch of important wires and switches hanging around, and old carpet on the floors and walls. And a couple of boxes jutting up from the floor for the wheels and the generator. Oh, yeah, and some gaping holes where the furnace and fridge vent.
Seal up the openings ... somehow. Tear out the old carpet and lay down a vinyl plank floor (it's free, left over from a relative's project), and, ideally, paint or re-paper the walls. I'm fuzzy on what I'd do with the carpeted walls.
I also have to deal with the wiring, status panel, switches that live on that side. Boxes on the wall, with wires run through conduit? It would be neat if I could have them all together in one place instead of scattered all over the wall. I'm planning on having a helper for that part of the project who has done quite a bit of wiring work.
Once the wiring is taken care of, I can live in it again while I start on the new amenities.
Build out a series of table-height cabinets that can screw into the floor, about 16-18 inches deep (because that's the depth of my cooler). Leave an opening under the window so I can use that space as a desk. These would run in a continuous line from the passenger seat back to about the bathroom door. Most of it would be drawers, because I love drawers, but some would be ... special. For example, I want to put in a full size trash can. I'm working on the best way to do that, but it's definitely in my plans, as trash has been a recurring pain point. I also need to have a heavy-duty drawer or slide-out for my cooler, with 12v and 110 outlets behind it.
Where the closet is now, build what is essentially a bin for storing large, bulky things that I need when I travel, like a folding wire dog crate (so puppy doesn't wreck the place when I have to leave her alone), and my outdoor table and chair. The bin would have a wooden floor and sides, but the front would be something like a cargo net that can be unhooked to easily load/unload, and then refastened when it's time to go down the road. By making that less deep than the cabinets, I can also gain a little elbow and knee room by the back door for doing things like putting on shoes and hooking up the dog.
And by not having upper cabinets for much of the length of the coach, I have room to put up hooks for hanging up light items, like my clothes when I crawl into bed, or the dog's harness and leash, a jacket and umbrella, etc.
Concerns and questions:
I'm a bit worried about the weight balance from removing so much heavy stuff from one side. I don't have a clue how to weigh everything that's going out vs coming in, but I suspect that cabinets build from softwood lumber are likely to be lighter than the MDF that's in there, and adding a bunch of drawers may not make up the difference.
I'm also going to have to do some problem-solving along the way, like figuring out a good way to close off the vents, learning how to properly cap off LP lines, and working through what to do with the electrical components.
I'm not a great cabinetmaker, but I can build a square box, so this will be a good platform for practicing those skills.
Do you have any suggestions on the order you'd use to dismantle things?
Do you see other potential problems I might run into? Especially things that wouldn't be obvious until you start taking things apart?
Short version:
Take out the dinette and all cabinets except those over the dinette along the passenger side - including fridge, stove, closet. Remove the fridge, microwave, and furnace. Replace with a continuous, table-height cabinet that runs from the back door to the passenger seat and includes a cut-out area for a desk.
Longer version:
The furnace is iffy, and I rarely use it. The fridge died, it was fussy before that, and I replaced it with an electric compression cooler, which has served my needs quite well. The closet is awkward, the stove has problems, the dinette is uncomfortable. Plus, the narrow walkway is a PIA with me and the dog in there - she can't pass by if I'm sitting on the edge of the bed. Basically, I have issue with that whole side of the coach.
So, here's a sketch of what I'm thinking about doing - I haven't measured to know what the scale is, exactly, just eyeballing based on a rough idea of the dimensions of the dinette benches:
- Pink:things that would be removed. Green: things that would be retained. Yellow: New cabinets.
What I want to do is rip it all out, except the upper cabinets over the dinette, which are rather a nice size, and the plywood "bulkhead" that I gather from Blue's posts exists to help reinforce the shell.
If I understand the anatomy of this thing properly, that would leave me with a big open space, a weird piece of plywood sticking out, a bunch of important wires and switches hanging around, and old carpet on the floors and walls. And a couple of boxes jutting up from the floor for the wheels and the generator. Oh, yeah, and some gaping holes where the furnace and fridge vent.
Seal up the openings ... somehow. Tear out the old carpet and lay down a vinyl plank floor (it's free, left over from a relative's project), and, ideally, paint or re-paper the walls. I'm fuzzy on what I'd do with the carpeted walls.
I also have to deal with the wiring, status panel, switches that live on that side. Boxes on the wall, with wires run through conduit? It would be neat if I could have them all together in one place instead of scattered all over the wall. I'm planning on having a helper for that part of the project who has done quite a bit of wiring work.
Once the wiring is taken care of, I can live in it again while I start on the new amenities.
Build out a series of table-height cabinets that can screw into the floor, about 16-18 inches deep (because that's the depth of my cooler). Leave an opening under the window so I can use that space as a desk. These would run in a continuous line from the passenger seat back to about the bathroom door. Most of it would be drawers, because I love drawers, but some would be ... special. For example, I want to put in a full size trash can. I'm working on the best way to do that, but it's definitely in my plans, as trash has been a recurring pain point. I also need to have a heavy-duty drawer or slide-out for my cooler, with 12v and 110 outlets behind it.
Where the closet is now, build what is essentially a bin for storing large, bulky things that I need when I travel, like a folding wire dog crate (so puppy doesn't wreck the place when I have to leave her alone), and my outdoor table and chair. The bin would have a wooden floor and sides, but the front would be something like a cargo net that can be unhooked to easily load/unload, and then refastened when it's time to go down the road. By making that less deep than the cabinets, I can also gain a little elbow and knee room by the back door for doing things like putting on shoes and hooking up the dog.
And by not having upper cabinets for much of the length of the coach, I have room to put up hooks for hanging up light items, like my clothes when I crawl into bed, or the dog's harness and leash, a jacket and umbrella, etc.
Concerns and questions:
I'm a bit worried about the weight balance from removing so much heavy stuff from one side. I don't have a clue how to weigh everything that's going out vs coming in, but I suspect that cabinets build from softwood lumber are likely to be lighter than the MDF that's in there, and adding a bunch of drawers may not make up the difference.
I'm also going to have to do some problem-solving along the way, like figuring out a good way to close off the vents, learning how to properly cap off LP lines, and working through what to do with the electrical components.
I'm not a great cabinetmaker, but I can build a square box, so this will be a good platform for practicing those skills.
Do you have any suggestions on the order you'd use to dismantle things?
Do you see other potential problems I might run into? Especially things that wouldn't be obvious until you start taking things apart?
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