First Real Mods: a sink

[brett13]

First a disclaimer: I am not experienced with carpentry, cabinetry, plumbing- or basically anything handy. Many of you may remember the camper dolly I built, aka "the tank" which was just slightly overbuilt. So knowing that, please enjoy my winter project without laughing: adding a sink cabinet with power sink, storage and an extra removable seat.

Why did I add a sink? We really liked the idea of having some countertop space and a sink, but I opted for the narrower Bobcat and thought the full length counter might cramp us. So for a season, we went without, having just the furnace cabinet in the corner. I figured it could be added later, of course it was a little outside my skill level which I didn't count on.

Anyway, we decided just a small sink cabinet would give us what we wanted, leaving room to do other things. As you'll see later, I expanded the "step" into a storage space, so now we have either seating over storage or a shelf over storage. The extra 6" of width makes the space all the more useful.

I started with this idea:

 

[brett13]

 

[brett13]

The seat under the window is removable- it just sits on two 1x1 rails. I'm working on getting a cushion for it.

Sink works with no problems so far. I hope to take it on a shakedown cruise next weekend if the weather cooperates.

If I were more knowledgable, I would have moved the electrical connects out from under the new cabinet along with the thermostat, but for now I wanted to keep it simple. I can still remove the sink and countertop (screwed down) to access things, although it is a PITA.

And yes, I put the fill door on the inside (rt side of cabinet) only because I couldn't bring myself to cut a hole that big in the side of the camper.

I need to thank Ben for sending me materials and providing a lot of tips, tricks and know-how. He can fix my mistakes when I bring it in for a refurb in 10 years ;-).

 

[pvstoy]

I think you did a great job and looks factory installed. Don't down play what you can do.

 

[Marc]

Looks like it came from the factory. Well done !

Marc

 

[simimike]

Brett, that looks like it was factory installed. Very nice job. Having a sink makes cooking and cleaning so much easier.


Cheers,

Mike

 

[chnlisle]

Brett, really beautiful job. Well done.

 

[SunMan]

Outstanding, looks factory direct for sure. Sweet.

 

[CJ8Rockcrawler]

Very nicely done... I have all my thoughts spinning in my head for mods... great ideas on this board!

 

[Puffins]

Nice clean work Brother

 

[chnlisle]

Kyle, You're right about the great ideas on this board. A mod I think you'd love is the slide out bed extension. It gives you a king sized bed so you dont have to crawl over each other to get up in the middle of the night. I had mine done by ATC but you could probably DIY. If you want to see how it was done you're welcome to come over and look at mine.

 

[DLN]

Brett,

I also think the work looks great, a little self edge on the countertop and you've got it. The edging isn't tough to install, at the factory they likely use a router to cut the groove for attaching it. When I reshaped the factory table I just cut the groove on a table saw, pounded the "t" on the edging in the groove and trimmed off a little rubber top and bottom. I'm sure Ben can supply the edging. Keep up the good work.

 

[brett13]

Thanks guys. DLN, I forgot about the edging before I took the pics. I picked up some white melamine edging that irons on. The counter top looks finished now. If only the weather would let me go use it!

 

[DLN]

Excellent Brett. If the iron on doesn't hold up you can always install the factory rubber edging later. I think most of us are just waiting for the weather to change. This next month always seem to drag by for us though we still have 4 to 6 weeks of skiing left to keep us occupied.