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Old 02-19-2010, 07:49 PM   #1
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RV layout design question

Why do so many recent motorhomes have so few windows / small windows on the patio side????

Last year when we were shopping for a DP it was hard to find one with the kitchen on the drivers side...WHY?? We much prefer to have windows that look out on our own patio, not that of our neighbor! I love to look online at RV floorplans and can't believe how an entire line can be SO similar...I love Tiffin but couldn't find a newer one with the kitchen on the d/s. Is there an engineering reason for this? I've even noticed some coaches only have one small kitchen window on the patio side...And some only have one window in the bedroom...Why do few windows, and badly placed?? Just one gal's opinion....
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Old 02-19-2010, 08:21 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnLori View Post
Why do few windows, and badly placed?? Just one gal's opinion....
Lori, Winnebago has a number of floorplans with driver's side kitchens from gas to diesel. Take a look at their website at www.winnebagoind.com.
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Old 02-19-2010, 08:38 PM   #3
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I am glad you brought the topic up as it has been my pet peeve too. I love windows and seldom have them covered as I want to be able to see out and enjoy the views along with the sun streaming in. As I ramble down the freeway in CA I see way too many coaches that do not have exterior windows or ones of any decent size. One reason I purchased the coach and floor-plan that I did was all of the windows that it had. Beside the big single front picture window, the road-side slide has two very large windows and two medium ones at each end. Bedroom has two large ones on both sides of the coach, the kitchen has a small one over the sink which we seldom use. There is one in the bathroom but the floor-plan doesn't show it. And finally a very large one over what the floor-plan layout has on the curb-side over the two chairs and table. Our coach doesn't include the chairs and table, it has deep OH cabinets and 8 inch deep floor storage cabinets that start just underneath the window and going all the way to the floor. Another medium window adjacent to the passenger seat.

I think if I had to live in one of those windowless coaches, I would go berserk and probably turn into a mushroom.

Just one guy's opinion and a "second" to Lori's opinion.

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Old 02-19-2010, 09:16 PM   #4
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Richard, I like your floorplan a lot. The only drawback, for us, I see is the dining table being on the d/s. We spend a lot of time sitting there...on the computer, playing cards, etc. and we just don't like looking out at the neighbor. I acknowledge it's just one of my little quirk preferences. Last winter we spent some time at a wonderful campground, expect the spaces were really close together. We had a TT last winter and its dinette looked out at the neighbors...I ended up pulling our blinds down as I felt like I was invading their privacy. Our new-2-us DP has a large window behind the couch on the d/s (the kitchen is aft of the couch on the d/s), and a full-slideout window on the p/s behind the chair and dinette.

Driver, I looked at the Winnebago site...I do like the Itasca Elipse 42AD but we won't ever buy an RV bigger than 40'.

Just one more comment and question: Lots of newer RVs have the side hallway making the bathroom not full width compared to others where passage to the bedroom is through the bathroom. That seems to make the bathroom so much smaller. For those who have that feature...how do you like it? What's the benefit of the side hallway, unless its on a full-wall slide?

I love floorplans...I should have been an architect. so all these questions have been rolling around in my head since we were RV shopping last spring, and now as we spend our first long season in our DP and we evaluate our choice. I'd really like to hear others' evaluations of their floorplans and why/how they made their particular choice.
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Old 02-19-2010, 09:24 PM   #5
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you should have looked at our floorplan
WOW winders and the kitchen on the driver
huge floor to ceiling windows on the dinette side
6 slides and more windows than the Chrysler building
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Old 02-19-2010, 09:51 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnLori View Post
...Lots of newer RVs have the side hallway making the bathroom not full width compared to others where passage to the bedroom is through the bathroom. That seems to make the bathroom so much smaller. For those who have that feature...how do you like it? What's the benefit of the side hallway, unless its on a full-wall slide?
We've got a side bath & about the only advantage to it I can see is, if you're housing guests & you're in the bedroom when they're taking their morning showers, you're not stuck in that bedroom until they're finished like you are with a split bath.

Well, there may be another...it does make a large wall for hanging a huge LCD TV. There's usually a 40"+ TV attached there in the majority of coaches now.

Most side baths I've seen have rather small showers, unlike ours which is nearly 4ft wide. I've never seen a shower that wide in any other rv. It's one of the things I like most about our coach. I will be very spoiled (& cramped) when the time comes to upgrade. I'm sure it'll be a downgrade in shower size.

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Old 02-19-2010, 10:09 PM   #7
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Lori I'll 2nd that about your 2 person shower we won't tell what goes on in there.

Talking about lay-outs and the amount and size of windows. The brand of hybrid we purchased had very large sized windows. That was one of the manufacturers value added pluses.
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Old 02-19-2010, 10:52 PM   #8
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dining with a view

Back on the subject of the dinette on the patio side, at last years local RV show, I saw a Gulfstream coach with a dining table in a slide out with wrap-around windows. Now those models have skylights there too. Granted they are gas coaches & not diesel, but if you're wanting dinettes with great windows, the Independence (& Yellowstone) has them.

Lori-
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Old 02-20-2010, 02:04 AM   #9
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I am going to chime in here and give you some food for thought. It is only conjecture.
The more slide outs that are incorporated into a coach, the less structural strength you have in the walls. Most manufacturers are trying to put so many creature comfort amenities into the coaches, they may be finding it difficult, not to leave standard items out. This can sometimes be due to needing a way to wire, plumb or cut down on weight. Much better engineering, re-tooling, and thought has to go into the floor plan and structural design to maintain quality.
The same goes for windows.
When you have four or even five slide outs they may be leaving windows out of the walls, due to the lack of strength or the weight factor it would take to frame and strengthen the structure for a window placement.
Traditionally the manufacturers have tried to design sections; front to rear, as rooms. Therefore, it made the kitchen and dining area on opposite sides of the coach. This left an area that could be the living room; close to the TV that was for many years, up front. There was a bathroom area and a bedroom.
I think it comes down to the demand for large interior space, all the amenities, structural integrity, weight factor and conventional floor planning that leaves the end result to be fewer windows.

Now, something else to ponder; a slide out that encroaches the patio!
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Old 02-20-2010, 06:00 AM   #10
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First we love our side hallway. It lets one have a private moment while allowing full use of the rest of the coach.

Second I like watching the neighbors (sometimes it more funny than whats on TV) and with the day night shades it is like having a one way mirrors.
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Old 02-20-2010, 06:02 AM   #11
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Back on the subject of the dinette on the patio side, at last years local RV show, I saw a Gulfstream coach with a dining table in a slide out with wrap-around windows. Now those models have skylights there too. Granted they are gas coaches & not diesel, but if you're wanting dinettes with great windows, the Independence (& Yellowstone) has them.

Lori-
Hi Lori, both of you........

When reading your (Lori/Dave) post it brought back a memory of a specific Gulfstream that I went through at the Pomona RV Show a couple years back. Absolutely loved the floor-plan. It was called the "Constellation". Now for Lori (of JohnLori), if you like to look at floor-plans, here is a link to a 2 page brochure that shows the unique layout.

http://www.gulfstreamcoach.com/produ...stellation.pdf

Even though the dinette is on the road-side which you don't prefer, what caught my interest was the Murphy Bed / Entertainment Den room. WOW! What an interesting concept however I am not into Gulfstreams after having a Monaco Windsor and driving around a 45 footer doesn't interest me either. But the Murphy Bed/Den idea does. I happen to find a few other coaches that had Murphy Bed options but they were very high end coaches well out of my league.

The bedroom area has always been a waste of usable living space during the day which we only use for a few hours at night. This concept of having a den for daytime use really makes sense to me.

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Old 02-20-2010, 12:58 PM   #12
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Now, something else to ponder; a slide out that encroaches the patio!
Yeah, it does come down to deciding between interior spaciousness to sittin' out under your awning.

At least they're getting better w/the awning placement allowing more sittin' space when the slide's out. When passenger slides first appeared, the awning was still attached near the roof & didn't come out much past the slide out, making that area very narrow & shade practically non-existent. At least now they learned to put the awning on the slide so it extends out from there.

The downside is, the awning is up so durned high ya can't get your tiki patio lights hung up without an extension ladder!

Lori-
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Old 02-20-2010, 01:47 PM   #13
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We had concerns about the p/s slide when we shopped last year for a coach. We decided the additional space inside is worth the loss outside. Our awning provides sufficient shade but I wish the awning completely covered the space between the 2 p/s slides as it is the perfect spot for our patio table. If the awning was 2-3 feet longer, that space would be completely covered.

so, here's another question: (maybe it deserves another thread but I'll ask here first)

What's the max length for an awning?
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Old 02-20-2010, 01:56 PM   #14
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I think it is in the range of 20 feet at least for the average type manufacture. On the higher end coaches where they generally use Girard Awnings, I believe they split up the entire P/S & D/S with 2 awnings each which will open and close automatically depending on what direction the Sun is coming from. They make their awnings up to 22 feet. What I have on my coach is made by Carefree and is 20 feet.

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