Community Forums

shill · 09-11-2018, 09:26 AM

We came up with the idea of extending the island countertop 14" toward the dinette for the purpose of being able to sit in a barstool and eat on the "bar"/island. The purpose would be to do away with the dinette and substitute a built in desk for laptops etc. The vast majority of time, we do not anticipate having guests dine with us in the unit and the dinette would only accommodate a total of four anyway. If the weather is ok, I think we would more likely be outside when eating with friends. Are we missing something important here or is this a decent idea? I realize some of this is simply personal preference, but if there are practical considerations that we don't know about, some of you guys will know I'm sure. We checked the measurement at the factory and the extension did not seem to be a hindrance to walking by at all. Thoughts?

Rodg495 · 09-11-2018, 09:56 AM

Our previous coach had a table and chair setup instead of the dinette and it worked for us. The only complaint I had was that the chairs were not as comfortable as the plush seating we have in our current coach with a U shaped dinette. The other issue was there was no 'extra' bed for the kiddos with the table set up.

shill · 09-11-2018, 10:40 AM

When I said "dinette", I was referring to what NH calls their "buffet table" which is simply a small table attached to the wall and supported by one leg out toward the table end. The seating is free standing chairs.

geo-gypsy · 09-11-2018, 12:33 PM

Shill -

The forum member 13speed did kinda this in "Big Red". Send him a PM for more information. Also, there is a YouTube of the construction of "Big Red" you can look up. 13speed works from the road, so he has a whole office setup!

Hope that helps.

Just my two cents,
Ron

mjdenn · 09-11-2018, 12:41 PM

How would the bar chairs travel? We have the buffet and the chairs are stored under the table when traveling but they are on carpet.

bob91yj · 09-11-2018, 01:04 PM

We took the freestanding dining table out of our trailer and replaced it with a desk. It has worked well for us.

shill · 09-11-2018, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjdenn

How would the bar chairs travel? We have the buffet and the chairs are stored under the table when traveling but they are on carpet.

Haven't gotten that far yet although other folks (Big Red) are using barstools so I guess they must have figured some way to do it.

TomT66 · 09-14-2018, 01:23 PM

Our Summit came with the free standing table and chairs. I took those out so that I have a place for a large dog crate. (He's always crated in the trailer). On top of the crate I made a table top and cantilevered it over one end and one side. We bought 4 stackable stools, counter height that we use at the island and at the overhang on the crate top. Works really well. The stools will nest together, two stacked on the legs and two stacked on the top. They are tied together and ride perfectly in a spot on the carpet.

shill · 09-14-2018, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomT66

Our Summit came with the free standing table and chairs. I took those out so that I have a place for a large dog crate. (He's always crated in the trailer). On top of the crate I made a table top and cantilevered it over one end and one side. We bought 4 stackable stools, counter height that we use at the island and at the overhang on the crate top. Works really well. The stools will nest together, two stacked on the legs and two stacked on the top. They are tied together and ride perfectly in a spot on the carpet.

Very innovative idea that solves more than one issue. Good thinking.