Well, I am with Wendy. I think men design most of the RV's. There is alot of wasted space in ours so we got to work with adding more storage space. We took out the sofa and recliner and put in a regular sofa, like you would have in a s/b. We made two side tables that the top slides off for storage. (Mostly for my beading supplies). Then we removed the two monstrous tv's. We replaced the cabinet in the living room with a cabinet Bill made that serves several functions, wine cabinet, computer, printer, wine and glasses, liquor bottles and a flat screen tv and a dvd player. It all fits in a space of 32" wide, 8' tall and 16" deep at the bottom and 12" deep at the top. It swings open at the top and the bottom slides out to be wheeled to wherever we are sitting. We also use the TV for the computer monitor. it is now flat against the wall instead of on an angle like when the other TV was there. We also took the tv out of the bedroom and he made the closet reach to the top of the vanity so we could hang out of season clothes in there. He reconfigured the vanity to hold a dual laundry bag and on the other side a place for all our electrical chargers etc. The top is still flat so we can use that as a desk or whatever we need at the moment. Mostly the cats like to lay there and look out the window. We also got a new rain shower head and mounted it in the center of the shower ceiling. He also put shelves above the windows on the sides of the driver/passenger seats with a little rail that holds 'stuff'. We didn't have a dining room table so we bought a set that had a small table and two chairs. We are still finding places to reconfigure. i am now thinking of taking the oven out and replacing it with a cabinet. We seldom use it and when we boondock we usually cook outside. We have solar so if we wanted we could use the microwave if we wanted but seldom use that too.
Edit by moderator: Resized font. And no, I can't answer as to why it came out in two different sizes. Terry
-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Friday 25th of October 2013 07:18:46 PM
WendysPhotos said
04:32 PM Oct 25, 2013
Okay ladies if there was one or two things you could change about your RV or way you did something, or wish was different about your RV or wish the manufacturer had done different, what would it be?? Asking the ladies here, since we are the ones who usually clean and keep house. You men are always into the technical stuff, but that might be interesting too.
I am looking at a lot of different options and there are two that seem to bother me. I think men designed most RV's.
I want a bigger bathroom!!! Especially the shower. Why could they not put the shower head in the ceiling? That way in the small showers you didn't have to lean and stuff. Hubby is 6 1" and all seem tiny to him. Also why is the washer dryer in the bedroom closest of most and not in the bathroom?
I also see A Lot of wasted space in some of these models. I am like I will be living in it. I want storage and do not feel I need two recliners and a full size sofa. I mean 2 people here. Then most the recliner are the only thing in the space. No side tables etc. So I think I want two movie style recliners with a 'sidetable' in between and like a loveseat size sofa with a nice desk or something.
Just me
Wendy
The Bear II said
05:41 PM Oct 25, 2013
Wendy,
I am 6ft 3in and if you ever saw me you would know why my handle is The Bear II. When we were looking at RVs the first thing I would try out was the space in the shower and then the toilet area space. The TT we chose as our first new RV and then the 5th wheel we have now both had/have lots of room in the shower and toilet area. If you are looking for an RV the Safari motorhomes have great floor plans (the original owner of the company was a big guy like me, he made sure there was plenty of room in the designs). I see many RVs with large showers and toilet areas on the market, you just have to keep shopping around.
Storage space is a premium and we were fortunate to be close to the factory that built our 5th wheel. On our first trip back to the factory to have some items fixed we also had them add some small cabinets in areas of dead space. In addition we had them make the step up into the bedroom open up so we could use the base of the step for storage (that's where we keep flashlights and safety reflectors). Over the years I have added shelving to one closet so we could use it as a small appliance cabinet, added drawers below a shelf in the bedroom and added an outside door at the front of the trailer to make it easier to get to a large area blocked by the battery box. I store my tools in this area.
You learn to live with what you have.... the key is to get rid of stuff that you don't use frequently. Currently I am trying to convince my DW to eliminate specialty pots, pans, dishes and appliances since we already have other pots, pans, dishes and appliances that will do the same job....who needs a waffle iron that makes Mickey Mouse shaped waffles when you already have a great waring waffle iron ? We've carried around the MM waffle iron for nearly 20 years and have only used it twce.
Lucky Mike said
05:48 PM Oct 25, 2013
HHHHHmmmmmm....................somebody must of heard your thoughts. In my Safari the previous owner put a longer shower line in and put the mount in the skylight area!!!!!...I'm 6'1 and it is heaven not having to kneel down to take a shower....
WestWardHo said
05:50 PM Oct 25, 2013
Wendy, bet you're going to get some friendly flack on the "women" thang. 😄
There are lots of rigs with big showers. Check out Trilogy by Dynamax owned by Forest River or the Heartland Landmark. My husband is/was 6'1" and no problems. 42" showers are available. The 2014 DRV's are coming with Lane furniture. Many of us order our rigs with deleted furniture to modify as we wish. Agree with you about the big ugly recliners and no tables. We need our big sofa w/a Queen size bed for family guests but not all want or need that.
I wish there would be a big drawer near the entry door where we could put the 6 pair of shoes and sandals I currently wear and his one pair.
We have storage that is empty.
Ps my husband cleans and keeps house as well as I do....ummmm, maybe not AS well but hey, he's great.
Sherry
Technomadia said
07:39 PM Oct 25, 2013
One reason we went with a bus conversion, instead of a manufacturer built RV, was so that we could do it our way.
We wanted to be able to do things like a high end lithium ion battery system, upgrade the wiring, run conduit for cellular boosters & WiFi extenders on the roof and custom construct our solar power system (in progress).
When we found our bus, we fell in love with it in the bathroom.. perfectly sized and laid out for our style, without taking up too much space. We didn't want an onboard washer/dryer - as it seemed RV sized ones came with a lot of compromises that still make laundromats more appealing.
We've been able to make adjustments to the layout as we saw fit, like yanking out the oven and putting in more kitchen counter space. And we pulled out the stupid RV dinette and replaced it with a super awesome dual workspace for running our software development company. When something doesn't work quite right, like our design for a fold out gaming & project table - we make plans to replace it with something better and more to our style.
- Cherie
(female - who can clean house when it's my turn, but prefers the high-tech fun stuff... or worshiping the cat!)
Loretta said
09:56 PM Oct 25, 2013
Why did my post use two different fonts? Strange.
NWescapee said
11:43 PM Oct 25, 2013
We already removed the couch and 2 recliners, replaced with loveseat, desk, kitty perch and more usable floor space. We added a coffee table that lifts up and can server as a second dining table for the few times we want to eat dinner while watching TV.
We removed the washer and dryer and are using that as storage for all of Dale's materials, tools and finished goods for his art business.
If we had a good option, we'd get rid of the 4 door fridge and put in the largest 2 door we could find, but nothing is close to the same dimension.
We don't miss not having an oven, the convection oven / microwave combination works great for us.
It is a matter of learning to adapt over time. We've rearranged a few of the cupboards a dozen times and are just starting (5 months after loading all our "stuff" into it) to know where everything is and making sure the items we need to most often are the easiest to get to.
Terry and Jo said
02:22 AM Oct 26, 2013
I can't speak to the shower issue as I'm only 5'8", so ours works fine for us. As for a bigger bathroom, our Mobile Suites with a side bathroom is pretty good, at least for a couple of short folks. As for other modifications, we've removed the original couch and two recliners and replaced them with a La-Z-Boy loveseat recliner, another small recliner, and Jo's sewing center.
Oh, and Jo has said a number of times that every manufacturer ought to have a woman on the design team.
Terry
Hdrider said
03:13 PM Oct 26, 2013
We don't mind our shower but the small toilet room is a bit small in my mind but Diane does not mind it. But then again there is 100 lbs difference between us. We took out one couch and had a custom computer station with file cabinets built and bought a Lazy Boy recliner.
We have plenty of closet space, to much in fact I guess because we certainly have cloths in there we don't wear. Cupboard space is ok but it would be nice to have more and not go shopping as often, especially for stuff that need to be in the refer.
And our MH has a 100 gal fuel tank. It would be nice to have a larger one so we don't have to find a spot to fuel up as often. And I'm tired of trying to find a place to wheel the motorhome into for propane when it's time. Not that it happens that often but I'm sure when we start getting low Diane gets tired of me saying,, conserve conserve conserve LOL!!
I guess that's why we are about to switch to a all electric, bath and a half motorhome with a residential refer, a large pantry, plus more overhead cabinet space than we have now, 48" shower, and a 150 gal fuel tank.
Options are out there. It just takes time to figure out what you really want. And everybody want something different.
Phil said
06:04 PM Oct 26, 2013
I think there may only be a couple of RV manufacturers that actually RV themselves and listen to other RV'ers. The others just turn out boxes on wheels.
Hina said
02:37 AM Oct 27, 2013
Get rid of the carpets! Mine also has this ridged aluminum baseboard moulding, as a hard to sweep crumb catcher.
They put these picnic tables in as covers for the back trunk storage.... clever idea, except, they are longer than the storage doors, and you have to take everything out to get to them, and get them out. (I took the table legs off, useless, I'll sell them!)
It was impossible to get a locking gas cap on the thing, and, the bigger, more modern California style gas nozzles wouldn't fit in the space!
I took the extra chair out, to make room for the dog's crate.
I'd make the fresh water tank bigger. Move the water pump out of the same space as the heater and fuse box, in case it springs a leak.
I added a 12V plug where I need it, the only ones where in the passenger seat, and on a high shelf in the bedroom. I will someday put a 12V plug outside too, most only have AC plugs outside.
I'd move the heater vent in the bedroom (they put it in the only logical place to put the laundry hamper)
I'd put outlets near the floor in the bedroom (the only one is on the counter, where you are supposed to put a TV. )
I would put the black tank directly under the toilet, so the pipes would not be twisty, and clog prone.
I'd make the dinette table free standing, so I can move it (and not have to squeeze around the stubborn dog)
More kitchen counter space. I would have a DC light over the stove (the over the stove light is on the microwave, and doesn't work on DC)
That's my list of real life living! Some I've already taken care of, some I will, and some are probably impossible.
Well, I am with Wendy. I think men design most of the RV's. There is alot of wasted space in ours so we got to work with adding more storage space. We took out the sofa and recliner and put in a regular sofa, like you would have in a s/b. We made two side tables that the top slides off for storage. (Mostly for my beading supplies). Then we removed the two monstrous tv's. We replaced the cabinet in the living room with a cabinet Bill made that serves several functions, wine cabinet, computer, printer, wine and glasses, liquor bottles and a flat screen tv and a dvd player. It all fits in a space of 32" wide, 8' tall and 16" deep at the bottom and 12" deep at the top. It swings open at the top and the bottom slides out to be wheeled to wherever we are sitting. We also use the TV for the computer monitor. it is now flat against the wall instead of on an angle like when the other TV was there. We also took the tv out of the bedroom and he made the closet reach to the top of the vanity so we could hang out of season clothes in there. He reconfigured the vanity to hold a dual laundry bag and on the other side a place for all our electrical chargers etc. The top is still flat so we can use that as a desk or whatever we need at the moment. Mostly the cats like to lay there and look out the window. We also got a new rain shower head and mounted it in the center of the shower ceiling. He also put shelves above the windows on the sides of the driver/passenger seats with a little rail that holds 'stuff'.
We didn't have a dining room table so we bought a set that had a small table and two chairs. We are still finding places to reconfigure. i am now thinking of taking the oven out and replacing it with a cabinet. We seldom use it and when we boondock we usually cook outside. We have solar so if we wanted we could use the microwave if we wanted but seldom use that too.
Edit by moderator: Resized font. And no, I can't answer as to why it came out in two different sizes. Terry
-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Friday 25th of October 2013 07:18:46 PM
Okay ladies if there was one or two things you could change about your RV or way you did something, or wish was different about your RV or wish the manufacturer had done different, what would it be?? Asking the ladies here, since we are the ones who usually clean and keep house. You men are always into the technical stuff, but that might be interesting too.
I am looking at a lot of different options and there are two that seem to bother me. I think men designed most RV's.
I want a bigger bathroom!!! Especially the shower. Why could they not put the shower head in the ceiling? That way in the small showers you didn't have to lean and stuff. Hubby is 6 1" and all seem tiny to him. Also why is the washer dryer in the bedroom closest of most and not in the bathroom?
I also see A Lot of wasted space in some of these models. I am like I will be living in it. I want storage and do not feel I need two recliners and a full size sofa. I mean 2 people here. Then most the recliner are the only thing in the space. No side tables etc. So I think I want two movie style recliners with a 'sidetable' in between and like a loveseat size sofa with a nice desk or something.
Just me
Wendy
I am 6ft 3in and if you ever saw me you would know why my handle is The Bear II. When we were looking at RVs the first thing I would try out was the space in the shower and then the toilet area space. The TT we chose as our first new RV and then the 5th wheel we have now both had/have lots of room in the shower and toilet area. If you are looking for an RV the Safari motorhomes have great floor plans (the original owner of the company was a big guy like me, he made sure there was plenty of room in the designs). I see many RVs with large showers and toilet areas on the market, you just have to keep shopping around.
Storage space is a premium and we were fortunate to be close to the factory that built our 5th wheel. On our first trip back to the factory to have some items fixed we also had them add some small cabinets in areas of dead space. In addition we had them make the step up into the bedroom open up so we could use the base of the step for storage (that's where we keep flashlights and safety reflectors). Over the years I have added shelving to one closet so we could use it as a small appliance cabinet, added drawers below a shelf in the bedroom and added an outside door at the front of the trailer to make it easier to get to a large area blocked by the battery box. I store my tools in this area.
You learn to live with what you have.... the key is to get rid of stuff that you don't use frequently. Currently I am trying to convince my DW to eliminate specialty pots, pans, dishes and appliances since we already have other pots, pans, dishes and appliances that will do the same job....who needs a waffle iron that makes Mickey Mouse shaped waffles when you already have a great waring waffle iron ? We've carried around the MM waffle iron for nearly 20 years and have only used it twce.
There are lots of rigs with big showers. Check out Trilogy by Dynamax owned by Forest River or the Heartland Landmark. My husband is/was 6'1" and no problems. 42" showers are available. The 2014 DRV's are coming with Lane furniture. Many of us order our rigs with deleted furniture to modify as we wish. Agree with you about the big ugly recliners and no tables. We need our big sofa w/a Queen size bed for family guests but not all want or need that.
I wish there would be a big drawer near the entry door where we could put the 6 pair of shoes and sandals I currently wear and his one pair.
We have storage that is empty.
Ps my husband cleans and keeps house as well as I do....ummmm, maybe not AS well but hey, he's great.
Sherry
We wanted to be able to do things like a high end lithium ion battery system, upgrade the wiring, run conduit for cellular boosters & WiFi extenders on the roof and custom construct our solar power system (in progress).
When we found our bus, we fell in love with it in the bathroom.. perfectly sized and laid out for our style, without taking up too much space. We didn't want an onboard washer/dryer - as it seemed RV sized ones came with a lot of compromises that still make laundromats more appealing.
We've been able to make adjustments to the layout as we saw fit, like yanking out the oven and putting in more kitchen counter space. And we pulled out the stupid RV dinette and replaced it with a super awesome dual workspace for running our software development company. When something doesn't work quite right, like our design for a fold out gaming & project table - we make plans to replace it with something better and more to our style.
- Cherie
(female - who can clean house when it's my turn, but prefers the high-tech fun stuff... or worshiping the cat!)
Why did my post use two different fonts? Strange.
We removed the washer and dryer and are using that as storage for all of Dale's materials, tools and finished goods for his art business.
If we had a good option, we'd get rid of the 4 door fridge and put in the largest 2 door we could find, but nothing is close to the same dimension.
We don't miss not having an oven, the convection oven / microwave combination works great for us.
It is a matter of learning to adapt over time. We've rearranged a few of the cupboards a dozen times and are just starting (5 months after loading all our "stuff" into it) to know where everything is and making sure the items we need to most often are the easiest to get to.
I can't speak to the shower issue as I'm only 5'8", so ours works fine for us. As for a bigger bathroom, our Mobile Suites with a side bathroom is pretty good, at least for a couple of short folks. As for other modifications, we've removed the original couch and two recliners and replaced them with a La-Z-Boy loveseat recliner, another small recliner, and Jo's sewing center.
Oh, and Jo has said a number of times that every manufacturer ought to have a woman on the design team.
Terry
We have plenty of closet space, to much in fact I guess because we certainly have cloths in there we don't wear. Cupboard space is ok but it would be nice to have more and not go shopping as often, especially for stuff that need to be in the refer.
And our MH has a 100 gal fuel tank. It would be nice to have a larger one so we don't have to find a spot to fuel up as often. And I'm tired of trying to find a place to wheel the motorhome into for propane when it's time. Not that it happens that often but I'm sure when we start getting low Diane gets tired of me saying,, conserve conserve conserve LOL!!
I guess that's why we are about to switch to a all electric, bath and a half motorhome with a residential refer, a large pantry, plus more overhead cabinet space than we have now, 48" shower, and a 150 gal fuel tank.
Options are out there. It just takes time to figure out what you really want. And everybody want something different.
Get rid of the carpets! Mine also has this ridged aluminum baseboard moulding, as a hard to sweep crumb catcher.
They put these picnic tables in as covers for the back trunk storage.... clever idea, except, they are longer than the storage doors, and you have to take everything out to get to them, and get them out. (I took the table legs off, useless, I'll sell them!)
It was impossible to get a locking gas cap on the thing, and, the bigger, more modern California style gas nozzles wouldn't fit in the space!
I took the extra chair out, to make room for the dog's crate.
I'd make the fresh water tank bigger. Move the water pump out of the same space as the heater and fuse box, in case it springs a leak.
I added a 12V plug where I need it, the only ones where in the passenger seat, and on a high shelf in the bedroom. I will someday put a 12V plug outside too, most only have AC plugs outside.
I'd move the heater vent in the bedroom (they put it in the only logical place to put the laundry hamper)
I'd put outlets near the floor in the bedroom (the only one is on the counter, where you are supposed to put a TV. )
I would put the black tank directly under the toilet, so the pipes would not be twisty, and clog prone.
I'd make the dinette table free standing, so I can move it (and not have to squeeze around the stubborn dog)
More kitchen counter space. I would have a DC light over the stove (the over the stove light is on the microwave, and doesn't work on DC)
That's my list of real life living! Some I've already taken care of, some I will, and some are probably impossible.