Removing sofa and replacing with recliners.

[Bandits]

Front sofa removal and replacement with two recliners.
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I've completed the second phase of the remodel in our 2008 30' Classic. It took longer than anticipated due to production issues with the component parts. The second phase involved construction of a cabinet to sit against the front wall, on top of the deck built for the first phase.

I also removed the bi-fold table which we never use. In its place I mounted a face frame and 2 doors with a shelf in the center. We plan to use this as a liquor cabinet.

If anyone has any questions I'd be happy to share any info that might help with your project. Jerry.
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[xrvr]

What kind of recliners are those? jim

[Bandits]

Originally Posted by zigzagguzzi

What kind of recliners are those? jim

The recliners are Ekornes Stressless. They were, by far, the most expensive part of the conversion but we didn't find anything that we liked as well. Jerry.

[Chief]

Jerry,
That is a first-class job.....looks great! Looking forward to seeing it in-person in January.....maybe I will peek inside the liquor cabinet during open house.
Ron

[2airishuman]

nice, very nice.

where is the fresh aire/venting for the electrical bits?
___________

have u traveled enough yet with this conversion...

2 determine IF/when the chairs move around?

the swivel/rocker/recliner in my unit slides 4ward occasionally.

it's much heavier then the E'cores, can be lockedOUT of movement,

but isn't attached to the floor.

cheers
2air'

[Bandits]

Originally Posted by Chief

Jerry,
That is a first-class job.....looks great! Looking forward to seeing it in-person in January.....maybe I will peek inside the liquor cabinet during open house.
Ron

Thanks for the compliment. I promised a certain drinking buddy of your's that the next time I ran into him there would be bourbon in the cabinet. He has booked for the Canopener so I guess I'd better get some bourbon. Looking forward to seeing you again in January. We are going to Falluminium in October. I haven't seen that you will be attending. Jerry.

[Bandits]

Originally Posted by 2airishuman

nice, very nice.

where is the fresh aire/venting for the electrical bits?
___________

have u traveled enough yet with this conversion...

2 determine IF/when the chairs move around?

the swivel/rocker/recliner in my unit slides 4ward occasionally.

it's much heavier then the E'cores, can be lockedOUT of movement,

but isn't attached to the floor.

cheers
2air'

Thanks for the compliment. I was concerned about the possible temperature rise if the cabinet was not vented. I looked at conversions that people have done and most provided ventilation. Instead what I did was install a remote temperature monitor so I could compare the inside temperature of the trailer with the inside temperature of the electrical cabinet. I did this with the templates installed prior to installing the actual cabinets. With the templates in place there was no ventilation at all and the maximum temperature rise that I could get was 10 degrees Fahrenheit. I turned everything possible on, for several hours, that would draw 12 volts. I was connected to shore power and listened and the converter fan was pretty much running full time. With that small increase in the temperature I felt that ventilation was not required. When I installed the cabinets I actually added ventilation due to the way the doors fit. The self closing hinges stand the door off the face frame by 1/8". With the rubber bumpers at the corners opposite the hinges the door maintains the 1/8" clearance all around.

We have had absolutely no movement as far as the chairs are concerned. We have traveled at least 2500 miles with them. The bases have 6 feet that at about 1.5" in diameter by 1" or so long and they really sink into the carpet. When we do move them we have to lift them before we can move them.

If you have any thoughts about the ventilation please let me know but with the small rise that I measured I think I'm OK. I haven't measured it with the cabinets finished but I'm thinking it should be less than before. Jerry.

[2airishuman]

well thought out jerry,

temperature monitor/probes?

nothing like being a TINY bit obsessive...

seriously that's a great way to consider this problem.

my other concern was the potential for condensation inside,

but that's probably a non issue too, especially since it's a tiny bit warmer inside.

the door bumpers DEFINITELY provide a small air gap.
_________

with the sofa and the passive venting/box holes and on board fan that is oem ...

my unit still gets noticeably warm.

such that i occasionally open the sofa drawer and can feel the heat around that space.

the oem p'lax fan did seem to run continuously, but the unit DIED after 3-4 years of use and was REplaced.

btw i did this replacement AT topsail 2 years ago...

the replacement charger/converter is larger/has more amp capacity and the fan isn't ON all of the time.

again, what u did is very nice, it really looks oem and blends nicely with the unit.

carpeting helps with chair movement, the floor in my unit is vinyl and the chair has felt on the base/ring.

cheers
2air'

[Aage]

Beautifully done, Jerry, looks stunning. Original, too.

What did you do with the couch?

[Bandits]

Originally Posted by Aage

Beautifully done, Jerry, looks stunning. Original, too.

What did you do with the couch?

Thanks:
I still have the couch. After the picture was taken I wrapped it and put it on the shelf. I wanted to make sure that we would like the modification, mostly that SHE would like the modification and that I would not be reinstalling it. I plan to sell the sofa but have not gotten around to it yet. I know that Airstream asks some ridiculous price for it. I have had one inquiry about it and will follow up with that person first when I establish what I think is fair. He will be in Florida over the winter and may want it. Shipping would be possible, I could build a crate for it, but that might make it too expensive. I thought that it might best be sold at the Sarasota rally since I am in Tampa Florida and only an hour north of Sarasota. If someone in Florida was interested they could bring their trailer to my facility and we could install it there. Jerry.

[jwvastine]

Beautiful job! I have a similar chair NOT an Ekornes but a less expensive knock-off and I love it.

Your hickory cabinets are also very like mine in our house.

[Bauxter]

Jerry, I see by your post that you built some or all of the cabinetry. Did you build the doors as well, or can you find those off the shelf.

Mike

[Bandits]

Originally Posted by Bauxter

Jerry, I see by your post that you built some or all of the cabinetry. Did you build the doors as well, or can you find those off the shelf.

Mike

Mike:
I have the know how and the furniture manufacturing background but I got out of manufacturing over 20 years ago and no longer have the equipment or access to the type equipment that was required for the job. Instead I tracked down the company that makes all the cabinetry for Airstream. Roettger Hardwood, in Kettlersville Ohio, has been making the component parts for Airstream for many years. I decided on what I wanted, made my templates for the parts that required fitting and ordered parts slightly larger than the templates. This allowed me to fit the final parts with no guess work. As far as the face frames and doors were concerned, I ordered them to the exact size required. All that remained was to assemble the parts to make the cabinets. The nice thing about using Roettger is that since they did the original, in whatever wood you have in your unit, the parts should exactly match in style as well as finish. If you have an older unit where the wood has aged and changed color I would recommend that you send a door or drawer front so they can attempt to match the aged finish. Pictures should also be sent since they may have used different profiles depending on when they made the parts.You can google Roettger hardwood for their phone number and address. Speak with Renee or her dad Dennis. Jerry.

[Bauxter]

Thanks Jerry. I am gutting a '73 with very dark laminate "cabinetry", and will need a source for new replacement interior pieces. I appreciate the contact info.