We had a bit of downtime between other projects today so we decided to start gutting things. We're committing to at least one day of playing each weekend this summer so it'll be slow going with the other projects that're in flight. The batteries were dead so I have them charging right now and then I'm going to move it to hook up spot because it's starting to get warm here and we will need the AC. Once it's moved, I'll be able to take the cockpit chairs out and gut that area and the kitchen next.
Why does the bed platform have that extended portion under the window on the driver side?
What are you thinking of using for flooring?
There's a pseudo utility bay under there where the water and electric connections are, plus a couple filters.
I want to do engineered hardwood but think we'll probably end up with vinyl planks to save on weight
A. I doubt engineered hardwood would weigh much more. We ( DW ) likes it. I'm a carpet type guy.
And B. More importantly I'm glad "gutting it" didn't include the overhead cabs, I was getting ready to dibs the tambor doors.
Weight- about as much difference as your brother in law living with you. Don't forget- engineered wood is spread out evenly
It looks like you're keeping the (tile?) flooring in the kitchen. I'm a fan of doing that - that subtle tone-on-tone checkerboard pattern laid on the diagonal is timeless.
That'll go to too (it's lenoleum). I'd like to tile the kitchen like you suggest but my wife wants wood (or similar) all the way through so I'll pick a different battle.
As for weight... I need to get weighed but part of my concern with the hardwood is that I'll also be loading this thing up with batteries, solar panels, and mini split. Paired with the little engine, I'm worried we'll be pushing our luck.
Another day of demolition in the books. It's real slow going pulling all the Staples from the carpet and scraping the adhesive from vinyl flooring. I think we have about another four hours before we can start prepping for new flooring and [gasp] wallpaper.
Elliott can you visualize the end result of this project, I never can and just kind of go with the flow, it's a massive undertaking good luck sir
Not really! We both have analytical brains so we aren't very creative. Good at problem solving though so we know what we want as far as furniture and work spaces but the styling/colors/patterns/etc is somewhere we'll struggle mightily
EVERYBODY who has to deal with removing the OEM carpet comments on the number of staples. I firmly believe the pay check for the shop hand who ran the staple gun was based on how many staples they used in each coach. MORE staples = BIGGER check!
Isn't it "fun" being an engineer? ;)
My favorite decorating/color rabbit hole is Colour Me Happy Blog - Interior Design Colour Advice for a Timeless Home (https://mariakillam.com/blog/)
Whoever installed mine probably retired very early. It's insane how many there are.
Lol - I think the creatives have more fun. I just have a lot of old things in the yard that run well and will never win any beauty contests.
Thanks for the rabbit hole, will share with the boss.
She needs her own account here on Foreforums ;D
Well, we got into the safe today. We will not be retiring early like the staple guy :(
Elliott, That engineer thing, especially the proactive attitude, gets me every time, but my wife saves me from myself. She is a K&B designer. I got emotional (as emotional as one can get for an earthly thing) and wanted to share this with you. It was a big mistake to have sold it. Maybe it will add to the inspiration you already have. Love what you are conquering, enjoy.
My previous FT/GV/94/U225 (https://youtu.be/0HMTeFZkquw)
Wow that thing was cherry. Do you have any more info on the drop-down TV?
Use a 4 inch grinder with a metal cutting blade. Decapitate Hundreds a minute.
I thought you'd never ask :) Take a look at my response to Brett :
What did you do to your coach today II / Reply # 375 (https://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=17940.msg144518#msg144518)
What did you do to your coach today II (https://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=17940.msg144518#msg144518)
I'm overdue for an update. Tractor woes have been keeping me busy so things have slowed down but we're getting there slowly. We decided on LVP because of how much dirt we end up tracking in when we're boondocking. The "life proof" claim will get a thorough test under our ownership.
As you can see, I replaced the couch with a small platform to hide all the wiring/plumbing. We plan to put two chairs on it and I'm going to build a fireplace/hidden TV box to go on the opposing wall. The unfinished parts you see in the pics will be covered with carpet. We are having the captains chairs reupholstered locally for ~$700/ea, which I thought was fair.
For the countertops, I'm going to cut a single piece of MDF and then wrap it in counter-top vinyl.
I'll be ordering all the solar hardware this week. Right now the plan is for roughly 3400w of solar and 600ah of lithium batteries. Given the lack of residential fridge, that should be... a lot. I'm trying to set us up for running a mini split in the future.
We're in that phase of the remodel where we have multiple projects in flight at once, so each one is moving slowly but when they come together it's all at once as well. Hopefully only a few more weeks before the interior is done and I can move onto the mechanical/electrical stuff. The wife signed us up for an Xscapers convergence in Vegas over Halloween so that's my absolute deadline. I would like to get a few shake-down trips in before that though.
With no residential fridge and 3400 watts of solar you should put in an electrical outlet to sell electricity at boon docking campgrounds.
Lol, yea it'll be a lot. The solar panels are the cheap part of the job so I figure might as well. I'm going to try to put 8 of these guys on top: New SolarEver 455W Solar Panel | SanTan Solar (https://www.santansolar.com/product/new-solarever-455w-panel/)
My math comes up with 3600 watts. Wish they were available at that price when I did my solar install.
I went with 4 of the 39x80 in panels , and 2 of the 69in panels . 80in requires removing the horns .
Lots to do yet but this gives a rough idea of what we're shooting for.
No lovee doveee couch ?
How are you going to hold hands when watching a movie?
Yes darn, I'll have to watch TV without my arm falling asleep now. Life may not go on
That's ok Elliott, we all have to make some sacrifices once in awhile!
Love the chairs....
But where's the footstool's
We have them but I need to put new longer legs on them given that the chairs are slightly elevated by the platform
Televator fireplace
It's cobbled together from various Amazon bits:
1: Televator stand: Amazon.com: VEVOR Motorized TV Lift Stroke Length 39.4 Inches Motorized TV... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08B1MS9SP)
2) Fireplace: Amazon.com: BOSSIN 30 inch Ultra-Thin and Silence Linear Fireplace, Recessed... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09Q63JPS6)
3) Brick veneer: Amazon.com: WASAIT 3D Wall Panel Peel and Stick,56.9 sq Ft Coverage Printable... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08TQWRR24/)
#3 is basically cheap foam. It looks good enough but wouldn't be up to U320 interior standards IMO. If I had a Unicaoch I'd do something different but I'm trying to be very weight conscious in the GV and also trying to take the easy way out on projects so we can get this sucker on the road.
what did you make the box out of?
We've been discussing potentially moving the TV off the front to in between the chairs and could possibly put a floor mount mini split in front of it.
Just half inch plywood with 2x1 framing. If I had the time and wasn't counting pounds, I'd have opted for 3/4" cabinet grade plywood stained to match. Or possibly use a 1/4" black walnut paneling with walnut veneer strips to cover the rough edges at the corners.
Well that is the last #%$@ing time I ever make my own countertops. What a nightmare. I'll figure out something better someday but for now it keeps us moving and doesn't weigh a lot (I'd really have preferred butcher block)
🤣🤣🤣, sorry for laughing Elliott, but your not the first person nor the last that has uttered that statement! There's plenty of us right here on this forum.
I made countertops one time for my grandmothers house... not exactly fun.
Looks like you painted the walls? I'm completely against painting the cabinets but the walls looks interesting. What color is it?
It's an off white/cream. The walnut paneling originally on the walls was just way too beat up so we had to do something. This actually works well with the warm wood tones and the carpet we put in. I agree on the cabinets, wouldn't paint them
Zach. Have you found a floor mount mini split that operates on 110v. Ive looked for hours but found nada. And as far as i know ( not much) a 220 mini split ain't gonna work ???
I have not found a 110v version but my plans would include either an auto transformer or two inverters in split phase to get that 220v.
While not as pretty as a faux fireplace, they put a hell of a lot more heat than the rv fireplaces. And AC of course.
Zach, don't think a 120 volt floor or floor/ceiling exists. 240 volt is typically available when plugged into pedestal. If you want to run on genset it requires swapping around some lug connections on outer end of genset to convert to 240 output. (simplified explanation, there are other considerations but is readily doable.) Another plus of the higher voltage splits is that they are typically quite a bit more efficient.
One other possibility is a direct tie to solar panels with a dc split. Prioritizes dc operation, falls back on grid or inverter to supplement or fully power as needed.
I suspect a high efficiency 18K btu split would come very close, possibly exceed, the output of roof units. Probably would need fan assist into bedroom.
My ideal is a 18k concealed unit but finding a place for this is difficult without cutting a large hole in the floor between the bay and living area. Either way, I'd stick with two 110v inverters that would accept 110v and then Output split phase or an auto transformer to create split phase from one 110v inverter. But anyways...
Hurry and finish that Reno, Elliott!
The powered blinds are in. No wires and they're all synced on the same Remotes and can be adjusted individually too. The real test will be the test of time but so far I'm pleased. All windows except the windshield came in at about $1500. The batteries in the blinds are supposed to hold a charge for 6months at a time while under use. The company supposedly gets great reviews when it comes to support so we'll see.
Amazon.com: SmartWings Motorized Roller Shades Work with Homekit, 100%... (https://a.co/d/39cBJ88)
Very nice Elliott and a better price than the ShadePro ones on Amazon. I like the fact that there are no wires to hook up. We really like our ShadePros, but would have opt for these if I had found them. Clean look as well. Great job!
The captain/copilot chairs are done. Total bill was $1700 at a place local to me.
Those look great!
Looks like you are close to being finished. It looks great. Now you can have a second job remodeling Fortravels. Either that, or buy, remodel and sell as a Foretravel flipper.
If any of you are interested in making a small fortune by investing in my Foretravel flipping business let me know. We just need to start with a large fortune.
We're still waiting on a set of photos showing the completed interior.
A couple more projects to wrap up this weekend and then we should be done. I'll post some before and after pics soon
Figuring out our work stations was one of the bigger challenges because of space constraints but they actually turned out to be pretty slick. Before I carpeted the raises box under our feet, I wired in outlets for each station.
Replacing the old stereo was fun since it wasn't a standard size. Had to get a little creative with wiring too but pretty happy with the end result. I added a toggle switch on the dash so I can kill power to it when we are parked at night.
This is the second voonoa camera system I've installed and am very happy with them. Went with a four camera system this timing so I can see the edge of the narrow roads when we're down in Baja.
Also caught our youngest making herself at home already
Another challenge we ran into was the foot stools for the recliners. Once I put the chairs up on the box I built they were too short plus they took up a ton of space we didn't have when stowed. My wife came up with this idea and it works really well.
The "dining table" folds out
Awesome
Kitchen still needs a bit of finishing on the trim but is otherwise done
It's amazing what you can do from a work station these days.
Like those Stressless chairs.
Hope you're bringing that thing to Quartzsite this year. Be a great place for us to check it out.
I'm hoping this year is finally the year we make it out that way ^.^d
This is where the ice maker once was. I wanted to keep it open so we could pull air in with the computer fans and pump it out through the vent.