Thanks to all of you for your input over the last months as Angela and I developed our build list. This forum has been an invaluable source of information and we've just signed off on our list.
We added the following items to make boondocking a little easier:
-extra 12 volt outlets (more efficient use of power than using an inverter)
-600 Watt Inverter (for incidental use)
-Dual 6 volt batteries
-LED lights in and out
-Screen Room (We've got some Finnish relatives who just sit outside in the swamp and acclimatize themselves to repeated bites
until it no longer bothers them. We're not like that!)
-Solar Panel
General comfort and interior appearance:
-6.7 cf fridge (fingers crossed hoping Reace and Dometic find a fix)
-stainless stove, hood fan, cover and sink
-windows in the kitchen and washroom
-removeable power (tidier)
-cabinet door at end of bench
-air conditioner, digital stat and surge protector (some day we might visit Texas or Osoyoos)
Pure vanity necessitated the aluminum rims
We didn't get the following because we had to cut somewhere:
-2 way hot water (if we're at a “resort”, we'll probably use their facilities)
-oven (bbq instead)
-exterior shower (we're just cleaner than everyone else
)
-1500 watt inverter and auto transfer switch (couldn't justify it once we dumped the microwave idea)
-Extra reading lights (the darker it is, the easier to see our tablets) We did place some 12V plugs in the upper cabinets at both ends, so it will be easy to tap into that power for future additions if necessary)
-quick connect propane (we prefer a high pressure connection)
-stereo and tv connections (use tablets and bluetooth stereo instead)
-extra insulation (I did a heat loss calculation
Home Heat Loss Calculator and concluded that the gain would be minimal/$ spent. As far as noise goes, our dog snores louder than a campground party, and we can always turn on the jet engine above the stove for white noise)
-starter kit (I wanted a three piece coupler lock set that's keyed alike so we purchased elsewhere)