Community Forums

bobkathy95 · 11-13-2019, 10:22 AM

Next in line was to replace the original Captain and Co-Pilot seats. This turned out to be an upholstery nightmare. Both seats have pillow top backs and pillow top seats. Additionally, the seats were not the same size. Co-pilot was bigger. While we did remove them ourselves - this is the one part of the remodel that was done by a professional.
After that, came the ugly original jack-knife sofa. We replaced that with a pair of full leather electric recliners.
At the same time, we replaced the original chocolate carpet on each slide with a more modern color.

bobkathy95 · 11-13-2019, 10:34 AM

Next phase was to replace all of the original Pleated Day/Night shades with modern Day/Night double roller shades. After looking at MCD shades and getting sticker shock, we contacted Invine Shade in Elkhart. We saw their shades on coaches at Hershey and we could not tell any difference in the overall quality and construction - they just cost a LOT less.
At the same time, we removed the original dated fabric from each of the valances and then recovered them. A trip to JoAnn Fabrics was all we needed to get some batting and upholstery fabric.

bobkathy95 · 11-13-2019, 11:08 AM

Next it was time to do the floor. The original Chocolate carpet and tile had outlived their usefulness. Problem was - pulling up so much tile and then sanding to get a smooth finish was something we did not want to do. And darn sure didn't want to pay some outrageous $125/hr fee to have it done by someone else. Besides, the tile was already a stable surface.
What we did was to remove all the carpet and then measure the tile thickness - it was 3/8 inch. We then put down plywood everywhere the carpet was to get an even and stable surface.
The next question was - will the slides work ?????
The better quality Luxury Vinyl Planks (LVP), usually comes in a 5mm or 6.5 mm thickness. This includes the attached pad. We got test samples of each size, put them over the existing tile, and tested them on all the slides. Both worked (cleared), however it looked as though the 6.5mm was going to be a really close fit. To be on the safe side, we used the 5mm thickness.
And as a plus - wife says that things don't break if they fall on a LVP floor. Happy wife is happy life - LOL

Note: the first picture is how the coach looked when we bought it.

Next up: new cabinets and TV lift

Yankeebelle · 11-13-2019, 02:09 PM

Done a really nice job with your coach. What type backup camera system you running. Was curious how you got the turn cameras to work through your Silverleaf. I added the side ones also but generally just leave the back camera on the monitor.

Thanks
Bruce

bobkathy95 · 11-13-2019, 02:10 PM

One thing we really missed was to be able to relax and watch Sat TV or a movie. Coaches from this era all had 32inch TV's mounted over the windshield. Yet seating (usually a sofa bed) was arranged so that you had to turn 90 deg to watch TV. Designs now are much different and a lift TV is a common accessory. We designed a lift TV with dinette seating to make our coach more in line with current design ideas. This ended up being a DIY from start to finish. Simply amazing at what coach remodel companies charge for a package such as this.
In the end, we ended up with more storage than we had before.
Everything was made using 3/4 inch furniture wood from Lowe's and Home Depot.
The TV lift and 43 inch 4k TV were bought online.
Big problem was that this was all going on a slide that only had a double power outlet and no cable or HDMI connections. We could not find anyway to effectively get cabling to the slide and have it work correctly. Then we discovered wireless HDMI - problem solved. As is typical - all the TV, Sat, DVD and etc wiring is located in the front cabinets over the windshield. Left all as is - just added a HDMI transmitter and all was good.

bobkathy95 · 11-13-2019, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yankeebelle

Done a really nice job with your coach. What type backup camera system you running. Was curious how you got the turn cameras to work through your Silverleaf. I added the side ones also but generally just leave the back camera on the monitor.

Thanks
Bruce

The Silverleaf VMS440 system was already set up for 3 cameras. All I did was just reroute the rear camera to the new monitor.

Alpine36 · 11-13-2019, 10:26 PM

Wow, your coach looks fantastic guys. Wife approves of the vinyl plank 3/8 floor float idea. Crap, there goes my fishin time.
Next spring we wish to post some interior update pics too...
Glad you left a few mirrors btw. Lol
Thanks for the inspiration!
Heading south soon to polish off the original carpeting

paul65k · 11-19-2019, 01:47 PM

OK so we've been busy over the past couple of months. Tackled a few big projects and here's what we've accomplished so far.

Added 1600W of Solar to roof
Upgraded batteries to 660AH of AGM (Last year)
Removed refrigerator and installed residential unit
Removed front cabinets and had new cabinets installed for 43" LED TV
Added MCD full-width day/night shade on front window with matching wood trim
Removed all mirrors on refrigerator wall and in the kitchen area
Removed Karadan counters, sink and faucet and upgraded with 27" sink and new Faucet
Added Quartz counters and stone backsplash in Kitchen
Redid all drawers in the kitchen to lengthen drawers with full extension slides and made room for built-in wine cooler
Removed booth dinette and table and designed new storage area with stowable table (Still WIP)

We knew when we bought our Alpine we wanted to make it our own and we are onm the right track I think

bobkathy95 · 11-20-2019, 07:52 AM

Paul - we wanted to redo the counter tops also, but got scared of the cost and labor involved. It would also mean changing the dinette table and several ledges, bathrooms, vanity, etc. that have the same Karadan solid surface throughout the coach. How much of this could you do? You can PM me with details, costs, etc. Thanks

paul65k · 11-22-2019, 05:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobkatgifts

Paul - we wanted to redo the counter tops also, but got scared of the cost and labor involved. It would also mean changing the dinette table and several ledges, bathrooms, vanity, etc. that have the same Karadan solid surface throughout the coach. How much of this could you do? You can PM me with details, costs, etc. Thanks

Well.......we took out the dining table and created a storage hutch (for lack of a better term. It is made to match the existing cabinets and will have a movable tabletop (Lagun mechanism) so it will store when driving and can be extended when parked......cool set-up we found and is also something that Bruce did inhis coach.

Quartz isn't all that expensive anymore.......we bought the slab for a little over $1000 and paid about the same for install. We didn't change the Karadan in the bedroom/bathroom and didn't think we needed to.

Good luck!

Hayduke · 11-22-2019, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paul65k

Well.......we took out the dining table and created a storage hutch (for lack of a better term. It is made to match the existing cabinets and will have a movable tabletop (Lagun mechanism) so it will store when driving and can be extended when parked......cool set-up we found and is also something that Bruce did inhis coach.

Quartz isn't all that expensive anymore.......we bought the slab for a little over $1000 and paid about the same for install. We didn't change the Karadan in the bedroom/bathroom and didn't think we needed to.

Good luck!

What led you to replace it in the first place? Was it worn, or just a taste/aesthetics issue?

I love the material in our coach. It's almost identical to one we chose in a master bath remodel we did in one of the houses.

paul65k · 11-24-2019, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hayduke

What led you to replace it in the first place? Was it worn, or just a taste/aesthetics issue?

I love the material in our coach. It's almost identical to one we chose in a master bath remodel we did in one of the houses.

Well in our case we had some unique needs and the original Booth dinette really closed down the coach for us, especially with the 2 couch option. We have the additional need to make room for the rest of our family when we travel

The tabletop in this picture is a mock-up that is much smaller than the final table will be. We have yet to determine the material we will use.

RVPioneer · 12-31-2019, 09:02 AM

Attached are photos of a couple of recent modifications. The center console mod is similar to others, we just added a drawer. Scott at Amazing Creations did the work. Many of you will see him and Dannette in Quartzite.

Brianna · 04-01-2020, 03:58 AM

There are a lot of ideas and tips buried in these 20 pages, going back almost 10 years.

I don't know how, but it would cool if there was a way to index the information.

Or maybe it is what it is. Get a cup of coffee and spend an hour, enjoying all the postings.