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Old 08-12-2014, 08:53 AM   #1
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Why so much talk about Floorplans?

Most threads that discuss "which MH to buy", include comments about getting the "right" floorplan. I'm curious, and asking from the perspective of seeing lots of photos of lots of motorhomes, but not having been in more than a few.

Driving seats up front, living area/kitchen area behind them, bath behind that, and bedroom last.

TV above the driving seats and in the BR. Couch and chairs and table in next area, bath can have separate commode room, BR has bed and closet (and maybe a half-bath) That half-bath would be very important if occupants regularly had guests, or kids...so that part I understand completely.

What are other differences that can be important to some, and put-offs to others?
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Old 08-12-2014, 09:02 AM   #2
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Kitchen layout for the DW. TV not always over driver seat and that setup can give neck pains. Some have computer desk. Look closer and you will see differences. When quarters are cramped it can be a pain for a few people to try and move around in a RV. Think- family of 4 in the AM rituals.
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Old 08-12-2014, 09:03 AM   #3
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For me, it was which side of the coach the dining area was on. I wanted it on the passenger side, not the drivers side.

Also important to me was usability with the slides in, I can do everything with the slides in or out, it's the benefit of more room when they're out.

There are many variations to your summary above, I'm sure if you've been looking at many interiors, you'll spot many of the subtle changes that are out there.

For many, actually living in the RV as opposed to just doing weekends in it makes the differences even that much more important as the overall space is quite limiting.
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Old 08-12-2014, 09:04 AM   #4
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If you are going to use the RV for weekends and an occasional vacation, I guess it would not be that important. However, if you will be fulltiming or living in the unit for extended stays, floor plan can be very important. Does it have a dinette or table and chairs? Is the seating comfortable especially when you watch TV or visit with other campers? Is there enough room in the shower for you and anyone else you want to invite. LOL sorry about that one. When the pull outs are in, can you get to the fridge, bathroom and bedroom? Does it have an oven vs more storage space? Does it have ample counter space? Some units you can't even get a coffee maker on it unless you put on the stove. The list goes on depending on how you and the wife like to live. Best of luck.
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Old 08-12-2014, 09:07 AM   #5
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Floor plans are BIG...

I personally don't like the traditional opposing couch RV.. When we walked into ours (see attached link)... it had something we had never seen in an RV... it had kitchen up front, a "family room" feel next a bathroom and then the bedroom.. and a full bath at the end..

for us.. I have kids.. my GF's kids are grown and out of the house.. for privacy sake.. having a second bathroom was huge... we like the fact we didnt have my kids coming near or by our bedroom... plus, it was nice when we have guest to have a separate bathroom..

another bonus for us.. when we travel, the kids are usually not looking over our shoulders.. they are back on the couch (see pic's) watching TV or playing on their Ipods... again.. having the kitchen up front gave us a buffer..

So, I guess (for us).. it was the little things.. and after having the traditional opposing couch layout.. we found our new RV to have a refreshing layout or floorplan..
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Old 08-12-2014, 09:09 AM   #6
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A couple of things we looked at were counter space and whether we had access to all of the storage with the slideouts in. One other thing we noted was that some motorhomes had seating down one side and the kitchen down the other, while some had the seating grouped together and then the kitchen. We liked the seating grouped for family conversation, rather than strung out the length of the coach.
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Old 08-12-2014, 09:16 AM   #7
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It's like buying a house, There are lots of choices, Ranch, split level, cape, colonial, etc. It's the same for a MH. Very few floor plans are right for everyone!
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Old 08-12-2014, 09:23 AM   #8
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Floor plan is everything when it comes to an RV. Some like the fridge right up front, some like it in the middle. We've seen the bedroom up front and the kitchen and living room in the back. There are ones with one bathroom and then there are those with 1 1/2 bathrooms. There are the bathrooms with the toilet in it's own room away from the rest of the bathroom. There ones with one couch or 2 couches. The TV could be above the driver's seat or across from the couch. There could be a fireplace or not. There could be a Norcold or Dometic or residential fridge.
Over the years we have figured out enough that there are some we can walk in and just walk right out as the start of the layout is one that we do not like. There is one thing from one manufacturer that we don't like that we just don't look at that one anymore at all.

Lots and lots of differences and that is why I tell everyone that you need to walk in and walk around and actually imagine yourself living in it. Where will you store your stuff? How will you cook in the kitchen? If it has slides can you get to everything you need to when traveling down the road.

If you are not comfortable with the floor plan than no matter what the engine is you will end up not liking RVing. The floor plan is personal to the one looking at it. No one else can tell you what to like.
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Old 08-12-2014, 09:31 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bamaboy473 View Post
"which MH to buy include comments about getting the "right" floorplan. I'm curious, and asking from the perspective of seeing lots of photos of lots of motorhomes, but not having been in more than a few..
The more time you spend in different coaches ; and if your wife happens to be with you; the more you will come to discover that some floor plans have a " why did they do that " factor. A generalization here ; the ladies will notice things , about the floor plan first; problems with the kitchen area, amount of counter or cupboard space.
When looking at our current coach, we had narrowed our search to two, after going through them both a number of times, 2 Newmars, different years, DW pointed out that the newer of the two had a narrower entry door, something I hadn't noticed , and had to take a tape measure to confirm.
Access to the fridge , with the slides in , is the first thing I look for.
My wife's list could go on and on.
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Old 08-12-2014, 09:44 AM   #10
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Bamaboy - My suggestion would be that you attend a few RV events-shows. Walk though a lot of different RVs and then write down the things that are important to you. For us when we were looking we wanted a lot of storage and a couple of storage bays that go all the way through with slide out trays. In addition we wanted a lot of cabinets inside so we could have a place for everything. We wanted a table and chairs and not a dinette. We wanted one large bathroom with a big shower and door on the toilet room. We wanted enough hanging storage for clothes so it would be easy to move from house to RV.

In our case we bought 5 years ago used. We started out looking for a 33'-35' motorhome with lots of slides. We ended up going longer with only two slides because we loved the floor plan of our motorhome. In my opinion the best choice we made was longer with less slides. It means that the basement storage is super easy to get into, when we stop for lunch we have access to everything, and it also means if the worst happens we have one complete wall that is solid and rigid.

The other big deal for me was semimonocoque chassis. I wanted something built strong with welded steel surrounding the whole body of the coach. This means significantly less flexing, rattling, and so on when doing down the road. It also provides a stable platform for your suspension. So better driving. Many motorhomes build a body on top of the frame rails. I like being surrounded by a welded steel cage. More protection and your motorhome feels like a solid chunk driving.

The other big deal for me, but not related to floor plan is driving. I wanted something comfortable and fun to drive. Our motorhome is fun to drive. Except on really broken up roads.
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Old 08-12-2014, 10:31 AM   #11
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For me it's important to have the refrigerator centrally located so I can get to it quickly from anywhere in the coach.
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Old 08-12-2014, 10:57 AM   #12
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Personally I would not want the stove next to the couch, and would need to have access to the rest of the MH with the slides in.
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Old 08-12-2014, 02:37 PM   #13
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Interesting replies. Interesting, because my bride is OCD (needs LOTS of storage space) and I'm a nit-picker...but either we got just plain dumb lucky, or we aren't looking at what we have hard enough.

Slides in? No problem, we can get to anywhere in the coach. One A/C for living area, and a separate one for the MBR; which is nice to have. Since we're only using the coach for visiting, most of the basement storage is empty, so it looks hugely enough.

2-door refer, but there's a pantry next to it, which she loves. The dinette booth is fine for us, because there's a lot of storage under the seats for large skillets and fresh water bottles, and I made a wine rack for one of the compartments.

I guess I thought that most or all MHs had a bathroom with separate toilet room. That our bathroom has two privacy doors is a benefit for when or if anybody else joins us.

I see where being full-timers would change our wants and needs, but for now we just got lucky, I guess.
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Old 08-12-2014, 03:33 PM   #14
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Table and not Dinette

Quote:
Originally Posted by B Bob View Post
... We wanted a table and chairs and not a dinette...
Bob, I have seen this comment about preferring table/chairs to dinette come up a few times in this forum. I'm curious why that would be? It would seem that dinettes would be more comfortable.
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