Replacing Dinette With Couch & Storage

[PaintyLiz]

hi all!

After a lot of drawings, measurements, head scratching, and changing my mind I redesigned the interior of my 2008 cruiser RV 189FBR and I've almost got it finished. I designed everything myself, and since I haven't seen anything similar on the internet I thought I'd share.

I replaced the dinette with a couch and storage boxes. I designed some tables that I think are really neat.

Check it out and please let me know what you think!! http://wackypup.blogspot.com/

Liz

[profdant139]

Those are brilliant modifications! I especially like the pipe straps holding the table support. If those are metal, and if they are hitting your legs, you may want to think about replacing them with plastic straps -- a good plumbing supply store should have straps with the right diameter for the pipe supports.

If you can find plastic, it would then be easy to sand the edges of the straps with a belt sander or a random orbital sander, so that there are no sharp edges to hit your legs.

Well done, and keep posting those modifications!

[PaintyLiz]

thanks! That's a great idea about the plastic brackets next time I get to a city I will look. I intend to put step by step pictures up eventually.

[Travels with Yoly]

I keep telling Yoly that I'd like to remove the U-shaped dinette and install a short couch made for RVs that has the option of a reclined position. We like (and need) the large table but we don't need to sit facing two different directions. The dinette seating isn't particularily comfortable especially coming from our leather LazyBoys in the house I'm reluctant to make that kind of effort and investment in something I'm not onboard with 100% though.

In any case, your efforts serve to inspire the rest of us. Thank you for posting the photos and hope to see your handi-work first hand someday

[michellep]

Really, really nice. You did a good job!

[qtla9111]

Excellent mod. On our 2008 230DS the jack knife is very uncomfortable and there is actually room for storage underneath. Even though ours is in the slideout, I think something similar and lightweight would work well. Yours certainly looks very comfortable. Good job!

[Rvnewbie]

Originally Posted by Travels with Yoly

I keep telling Yoly that I'd like to remove the U-shaped dinette and install a short couch made for RVs that has the option of a reclined position. We like (and need) the large table but we don't need to sit facing two different directions. The dinette seating isn't particularily comfortable especially coming from our leather LazyBoys in the house I'm reluctant to make that kind of effort and investment in something I'm not onboard with 100% though.

In any case, your efforts serve to inspire the rest of us. Thank you for posting the photos and hope to see your handi-work first hand someday

Neil We ordered our 214 with a couch instead of the dinette and we are glad we did. We eat on TV snack trays that we store next to it. We bought 2 round leather foot stoles that nest together when not in use. The couch folds out to a bed but we have never used it for that. It's very comfortable and works for us.
Liz great mods and really nice work!

[Travels with Yoly]

Unfortunately (or not) we need the large dinette table because we both use large laptops in the evening and I also need the space for cameras to download footage and plan routes along the way. It's more of a desk than a dinette for us. Maybe someday I'll figure out a good compromise

[PaintyLiz]

Thanks so much for the enthusiasm! On the multiple trips lugging wood and tools back and forth between my shop and the camper I appreciated the cheering section.

We took the trailer out on a shakedown campout for a couple nights and all my designs worked! Most of them worked even better than I had hoped. This is not always the case with things I think up in the middle of the night lol.

One unexpected bonus was that the shelf became extra counter space for the toaster oven and the crock pot while I was cooking. More than doubled the amount of counter space that I originally had.

Even the removable tray that sat on brackets to make a double sized table out of the top of the rolling shelf worked!! The smaller removable tables that slide into the pipe brackets were steady enough to eat from or use the lap tops on.

Thank you for the idea for the plastic pipe brackets! I never knew there was such a thing! I have installed them and they work fine.

Moving the shelf out of the way to make the bed was wonderful.

I also replaced the awkward medicine chest with a quickly built corner cabinet with an extra shelf.

The only thing that wasn't successful was a footstool that doubled as dog food storage that I made, I just don't want to have to keep moving something around in that tiny space. I found that if I put the cushion from the footstool into one of the partially opened drawers, it made a great footstool and the dog food fit in the wardrobe. But mostly I sat sideways on the couch because it is so comfortable! (And I could see out of the window)

Still to come is a spice rack cut into the side of the microwave shelf and a wire shelf above the old bunk.

I will eventually get more of the mods posted on my blog http:WackyPup.blogspot.com