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Old 01-17-2015, 09:50 AM   #81
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Patandlinda View Post
Have one ? The electrical panel at the bottom has some venting . That is what I was concerned about . Do you think it will be a problem ? Pat
Pat:

I'm not sure about the venting. It isn't completely closed so there is some air flow to those lower vents. Also venting on the back. I think it'll be OK, but I'm also concerned. We'll see.

Thanks.
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Old 02-01-2015, 01:42 PM   #82
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Hugh Currin;
I love what you have done,nice job,and I am going to do something the same in my 15,after last summer I sat on a pillow which just happened to be on the seat and oh wow I really noticed a whole different experience being able to look out the window,never though or noticed it before that.
One thought on the raised floor,one could put a trap door in it for access to the empty real-estate underneath,storage for smaller items,say gloves,dog leashes ,bags ,flashlights or what have you.It wouldn't be as clean a look as you have made it ,but could be useful .
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Old 02-01-2015, 02:38 PM   #83
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Woodie, a Casita owner had me make custom shallow drawers to slide out a side door they built into their seat pedestals instead of putting hatch access in the top of their raised seat mounts.
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Old 02-02-2015, 11:16 AM   #84
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Hugh Currin;
I love what you have done,nice job,and I am going to do something the same in my 15,after last summer I sat on a pillow which just happened to be on the seat and oh wow I really noticed a whole different experience being able to look out the window,never though or noticed it before that.
I discovered the exact situation when I visited the factory prior to purchase. I asked if they could raise the height of the front dinette benches so I could have a better view out the window. I am glad that I did. ETI was very accommodating. Now I don't feel like a little kid when I sit there.
Nice job Hugh.
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Old 02-02-2015, 12:29 PM   #85
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Woodie, a Casita owner had me make custom shallow drawers to slide out a side door they built into their seat pedestals instead of putting hatch access in the top of their raised seat mounts.
You could have 2 long drawers under the floor that currinh built and that wouldn't take away from the look of the beautiful floor that he made .
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Old 02-05-2015, 10:41 AM   #86
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Thank you all for your comments. I did think of putting storage under the false dinette floor, either drawers or hatch. I decided to put framing in to support the dinette legs and use 1/2" plywood for flooring. This chopped up the space under the floor quite a bit. Might have put in one long drawer, but very long and skinny. Also, the spaces left for a hatch were small. It is hard to get to hatches under the dinette.

The kicker was the large amount of storage otherwise. There are spaces we haven't filled yet. For us, it makes more sense to put drawers under the bed of our 19. A lot of storage under there that we're not effectively using.

So, at least for this trial, I decided to go simple.

Thanks again.
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Old 02-05-2015, 01:26 PM   #87
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Thank you all for your comments. I did think of putting storage under the false dinette floor, either drawers or hatch. I decided to put framing in to support the dinette legs and use 1/2" plywood for flooring. This chopped up the space under the floor quite a bit. Might have put in one long drawer, but very long and skinny. Also, the spaces left for a hatch were small. It is hard to get to hatches under the dinette.

The kicker was the large amount of storage otherwise. There are spaces we haven't filled yet. For us, it makes more sense to put drawers under the bed of our 19. A lot of storage under there that we're not effectively using.

So, at least for this trial, I decided to go simple.

Thanks again.
Long and skinny drawer works good under a bed - 10x12x36 inches under our 21 bed....
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Old 07-08-2015, 10:33 PM   #88
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Continuing the saga.

We did a longer trip, 6 weeks through N Arizona and S Utah, in March/April. The dinette seat height and new floor seemed to work well, so it was time to finish the installation. The only trouble was with the “well” for the electrical panel. The air flow wasn't a problem, but it sure was a collector of dirt and sand. Not easy to clean down there so the plan was to raise it to the new floor level.

I planned to remove the facing from the existing dinette framing and apply taller 1/8” oak faced plywood. The plan was good but the facing was glued to the framing, very well glued. It makes sense, the structure is much more solid if glued together. But, it makes removing the facing impossible. So, the first step was to remove the dinette framing and start over.




Then, using the original framing as a pattern, new extended height framing was constructed. The boards previously used to raise the seats were used for the top of the new framing.




I decided to add a beam to support the fixed seat base. This is to replace the ETI seat supports that extend to the floor. I found these extensions to be in the way when packing and retrieving items from the under dinette storage. I'm not sure how much load is on this but I added brackets in the corners for adequate strength.

You can see the electrical panel has been raised to the new floor level. Moving it up wasn't as much trouble as I feared. I had to extend 8 or 10 wires but most were able to be re-routed without extension.

I added a drawer over the existing access door. There was room for this and it fit well over the door. The front most area is still accessible from the top and the back, which this drawer blocks, is accessed from the access door.

The framing was covered with 1/8” oak faced plywood and re-installed. I glued the plywood to the framing as EIT did, and I sure hope I don't want to take it apart later. I used three coats of polyurethane finish with no prior stain. It matches the original paneling well. The floor framing and 1/2” plywood flooring were re-installed. The only change to the floor was to extend the street side under the electrical panel for support, rather than a cut out to go around it. The temporary supports in the picture are to assure the spacing is right for the table to fit during bed conversion. You can see cut outs for the 120V and 12V recepticals.




The flooring and table pocket were installed. I talked Home Depot out of one board which was needed to complete the new floor which extended under the electrical panel. Thank you Home Depot. The cover at the front of the trailer was made, using the last one as a pattern, and installed. Likewise the oak plywood facing was placed on the end of the new raised floor.


The new drawer can be seen minus its facing.
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Old 07-08-2015, 10:37 PM   #89
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Then, on to the finishing touches and the pictures below.




The dinette benches were 3/4” too wide for the table, when setting up as a bed. Rather than change the spacing I used two oak trim pieces to fill in 3/8” on each side. This also caps the facing plywood which I thought was nicer than the plastic cap originally used. A pair of 1x2 (3/4” x 1 1/2”) oak boards, on each side, were used to support the table similar to the original design.

I kept the three legged table which was a lot more stable than the stock two legs. That was done with two table sockets at the front of the dinette. A 7” wide piece of 3/4” plywood was covered with left over blue formica. This was supported by two short pieces of 1 1/2” square boards. The plywood was bolted to these and they in turn were bolted to the sides of the dinette. From the prior trial it seems this structure need more support than a couple of wood screws used on the trial.

The table fits for setting up the dinette as a bed. The table leg supports move the table back 7”. However, since the table is cut in towards the rear of the trailer it still fits without hitting the bathroom wall. The side supports for the table are mounted far enough back to allow the lower table support to fit.

Then some oak trim pieces to finish up. Finally a couple of shots of the finished product.




It seems to have come out well. We haven't tried it out yet but I'm confident it'll be OK. I do like the new drawer but don't know what will live there yet. The only sad part is the cushions and table cover up much of the cabinet work that took forever for me to complete. I like the outcome but it took, as always, far more time and effort than I initially though.

If you're going to the 2015 Oregon Coast Gathering in Bandon stop by and take a look.

Thanks.
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Old 07-08-2015, 10:49 PM   #90
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Fantastic work, Hugh!
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Old 07-09-2015, 01:21 AM   #91
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Then, on to the finishing touches and the pictures below.




The dinette benches were 3/4” too wide for the table, when setting up as a bed. Rather than change the spacing I used two oak trim pieces to fill in 3/8” on each side. This also caps the facing plywood which I thought was nicer than the plastic cap originally used. A pair of 1x2 (3/4” x 1 1/2”) oak boards, on each side, were used to support the table similar to the original design.

I kept the three legged table which was a lot more stable than the stock two legs. That was done with two table sockets at the front of the dinette. A 7” wide piece of 3/4” plywood was covered with left over blue formica. This was supported by two short pieces of 1 1/2” square boards. The plywood was bolted to these and they in turn were bolted to the sides of the dinette. From the prior trial it seems this structure need more support than a couple of wood screws used on the trial.

The table fits for setting up the dinette as a bed. The table leg supports move the table back 7”. However, since the table is cut in towards the rear of the trailer it still fits without hitting the bathroom wall. The side supports for the table are mounted far enough back to allow the lower table support to fit.

Then some oak trim pieces to finish up. Finally a couple of shots of the finished product.




It seems to have come out well. We haven't tried it out yet but I'm confident it'll be OK. I do like the new drawer but don't know what will live there yet. The only sad part is the cushions and table cover up much of the cabinet work that took forever for me to complete. I like the outcome but it took, as always, far more time and effort than I initially though.

If you're going to the 2015 Oregon Coast Gathering in Bandon stop by and take a look.

Thanks.
Great idea's Hugh . Very nice woodworking . Love the drawer over the seat door ! Pat
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Old 07-09-2015, 07:43 AM   #92
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I hope the front view was worth it... nice job. Made me think about when I had my 19 Escape how we would, sitting at the dinette, always observe the people walking by the front of the trailer. Now with the 21' model we have to sit outside to do that same observing....oh well I guess that is progress!!
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Old 07-09-2015, 08:46 AM   #93
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I hope the front view was worth it... nice job. Made me think about when I had my 19 Escape how we would, sitting at the dinette, always observe the people walking by the front of the trailer. Now with the 21' model we have to sit outside to do that same observing....oh well I guess that is progress!!
While there are sites with phenomenal rear views, I have been in many where behind you are tress, roadways, etc, and in front are great views. No one perfect setup.
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Old 07-09-2015, 08:57 AM   #94
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While there are sites with phenomenal rear views, I have been in many where behind you are tress, roadways, etc, and in front are great views. No one perfect setup.
There are camper options that would allow great views in all directions. You could try something like this with your Escape.
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Old 07-09-2015, 10:49 AM   #95
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Very nice work. Some people are so talented!
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Old 07-09-2015, 01:15 PM   #96
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There are camper options that would allow great views in all directions. You could try something like this with your Escape.
Fun getting down that ladder after a couple of beer I would bet!
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