Ordered a new Newell - seeking design advice!

[skippy67]

Originally Posted by Ehochuli85

We just placed our order with Newell - coach # 1749. The build will start this Sept, and delivery will be March 8, 2022. Needless to say, we are very excited, but now we need to design it. Over the course of the next 4 months, we need to decide exactly what we want on the new coach, and that's the subject of my post. I'd love any advice on what to include or avoid in the design of the coach. I'm sure you all have particular things on your coaches that you love, some things you don't but wish you did, ideas you'd include in your next coach, etc. We are watching videos and creating a file of colors, designs, etc., we've got a conference call with the Newell design team coming up, and we're going back to the factory for 3 days in June to continue the design decisions. But we don't know what we don't know, so we would love any input.

Briefly about us and our use for our new coach, as it definitely affects the design: Cathie and I are retired and live in our coach and travel the country full-time. To us, that means 1-4 weeks in a given spot, and then move to the next spot for another 1-4 weeks. (Of course, we know where we're going and for how long, and we have reservations a year in advance).

So we'd love your suggestions, advice, wish list, options to include, etc. Thank you very much!!

I am no expert and can only tell you what is important to us. We scoffed at the idea of a fireplace until a sales person talked us into getting one. We ended up loving it on those chilly nights on the Oregon coast and cold desert nights in Arizona. Another option would be radiant heat in the floors. We have hot water radiant heat in our home and electrical in an RV. You didn't say if you had pets or not but if you have a cat, I would try to get Newell to make an access door to reach a private area for the cat box. It would be great if you could access the box from outside for cleaning. Years ago, we had an RV that had a trap door in the floor with storage basket that slide back and fourth where we would store things like wine, potatoes, and onions. It was a cooler place and our items would keep longer. With the over crowding of parks these days I would make sure you had some solar (designed by AM solar of Springfield Oregon, large enough holding tanks, and fresh water. That's all I have as their designers are light years ahead of me.

[rvfoo]

Congrats on your new bus.


A few things from our list .... some of it requires the picking of battles as there is only so much that can be done in a 8' x 45' space.



* Ample counter space in the kitchen


* Three burners on the cook top. Our old coach had three, this one has two, and we notice. Yes, you can purchase a hot plate but it would be nicer & cleaner if the cook top had three.


* Dual sinks in the master bath.


* Consider the washer/dryer options. The Newell's we looked at had a single stack washer & dryer. They're separate devices in a single enclosure. The moral is that you're replacing both if one goes bad.


* Heated floor. We love ours and it makes a difference.


* Heated basement. At least where the water and waste tanks are.



* Make use of wasted space. In our bus there is dead space behind the fireplace and next to the fridge. We have converted these spaces into storage.


* I wish the credenza in ours was better suited to being a work space. I work out of the bus and pretty much take over the table, which results in constantly moving laptops, etc during meal times. It's an annoyance but that's all.


* Individual control over all shades. Our bus is old enough that the entire front night shades (windshield, living space, and dining space) are on the same control.


* Water softener. We installed one in our and went with the onboard model as opposed to the manual. I'm lazy and I love it. We got ours from US Water Systems https://www.uswatersystems.com/syste...ater-softeners


* Storage, storage, storage. Both inside the bus and in the basement.

* Did I mention storage?


* Consider how your decisions affect living in it both open (slides out) and closed. It's not uncommon for us to not put all of the slides out if we're only staying for a couple of days, etc. In ours, the slides cover the HVAC vents. Yes, there's room for air flow and the bus still gets to temperature. I sometimes wish that I wasn't sending heated or cooled air 6 inches directly into the top or side of a retracted slide.


* You may not be able to control this but I've often wished that this bus used blue and red PEX to make it obvious which are hot vs cold lines. I get that there's less waste to use all white but if you have the control, it would make later identification easier.


* Individual water shut off valves for sections of the bus. Many buses use manifolds with individual shut offs. This one does not. The difference is that I have to shut off all of the water while working on a specific faucet or toilet. It would be nice to still have water to the rest of the bus so the run to the store could be timed as opposed to "right now".


* Power management system. I'm not necessarily a fan of the systems that will shut "this" down in order to conserve power for "that". However, something that will shut the entire bus down if anything is wrong with the shore power. I installed an aftermarket one from Progressive Industries and it has saved us. Volts too high/low, Amps too high/low, one leg missing, etc. All can cause harm to the onboard electronics and systems.




Hope this helps

[rvfoo]

I forgot to mention ...


* Water filtration. Many buses only install a single cartridge. This is insufficient if you're doing any real traveling and can't guarantee the water quality going into the bus. I've installed a three-stage filter and UV light in ours (5-micron -> 1-micron -> carbon -> water softener -> UV light). The line that feeds the drinking faucet and fridge has a ceramic filter on it in addition to the previously mentioned filters. The ceramic filter is supposed to catch any organisms that might end up in the tank. I'd like to have a small reverse osmosis (RO) system for the drinking line but I no longer have the space to put all of the stuff involved.

[Bears Dad]

Congratulations!

I didn't read read all of the post. Seriously consider going with the mid entry.

[YLBlues]

hmmm, I think the OP may be Ed Hochuli, one of the best ever NFL “White Hats”

[Goober1]

We have a 2016 Holiday Rambler Sceptor and the 2 things that I would change is having a place to hangs bath towels in the main bath in the back. I would also add a monitor system out for the tanks so when dumping and flushing you can tell when they are clean and empty instead of to go inside and check levels or even when filling your fresh water tank you can check while outside at the hose. Other than that we love the layout and how the unit handles.

[DBecker57]

I would get the perm. Vacuum for sure. I installed a dirt devil in my rig and love it!

Lights over couch and dinette you can turn on at the light...I miss those.

Electric power cord winder

Lots of room in bathroom, with a seat in the shower.

[Ehochuli85]

Originally Posted by AnywhereEric

How much does one of those cost?

Actually, the BANK owns the RV, and they are just allowing me to be a very minor partner, on the condition that I keep it safe, clean, and full of fuel!

[jpepackman]

I would want the heated floor, if you're getting granite, tile, marble, etc. get something that can handle the heat and will not pop the tiles up due to overheating.
I would also require a ceiling fan in the bedroom.
I would want good air circulation in the bathroom shower.
I would want LED lights throughout, especially when boon docking.
I would want over 100 gallons of fresh water for boon docking.
I would want a satellite system that has automatic tracking.
I would want a gas stove, at least a 2 burner. Inside (and outside) for BBQ'ing steaks.
Otherwise, everything else that is basic on a Newell is perfect for me. You're getting the best of everything that is available in the industry today, but for me those are the things I would require. If you get 1 & 1/2 bathrooms, the would be perfect.
Interior design and colors are personal choices. Dinette booth vs. a table and chairs is a personal decision based on your needs.
King or Queen in the bedroom??? Depends on what you desire.
Newell is the top of the line, but you already know that.......

[Mvkingfish]

Get a wine cooler and wet bar.

[tmandoug1]

My first post was tongue and cheek so here goes my advice. I'm not sure about the Newell process, but I'm sure they cover most off this and already exceed some of my items

1. Fireplace with theater seating and no dueling couches.
2. 1/2 bath so your throne stays your throne.
3. Double vanity
4. Built in Surge protector with top of the line electronics.
5. Internet boost and grab. I use winegard 4g lte connect 2
6. Dish network winegard sattelite. They allow you to get locals wherever you are.
7. I'm biased because I own one but looks at a Newmar Ducthstarv 4369 with corner fireplace.
8. Huge shower.....

Have a great time and enjoy this wonderful country.

[Kurtsara]

I don’t understand the dual vanities that people say you should get, we don’t even have one in our house but we are never getting ready at the same time. Seems like a waste of space and money to me.

[Cat320]

A vast majority of suggestions made will be standard on a Newell.

[wjohnson913]

Congrats on one of the very finest coaches in the world. Miami OK is halfway between the Tulsa OK and Springfield MO airports. Plan on a few trips there as others have said they and outstanding design staff.
One of the coolest features they have available is a power washer that will take care of the entire coach but it’s great for just the front of the coach at the end of a drive day or two.
There are a lot of Newell owners where we winter and they are all exceedingly happy with theirs.