Chinook RV

That is a really nice interior update, Andrew.

How long did it take them to do it? Was it a preset price?

Also, I looked all over your blog, but couldn't find any "before" pictures to compare it to. Got any? Just curious.

thanks!
kev

kdarling wrote:How long did it take them to do it? Was it a preset price?

Also, I looked all over your blog, but couldn't find any "before" pictures to compare it to. Got any? Just curious.

thanks!
kev

Hi Kev

The look of my Premier has not changed much - I decided to refurbish it with close to the original neutral gray color - I thought other colors would not go as well with the oak, and any kind of pattern would tend to make the already small interior seem even more so. That said, below is a photo from early 2011 shortly after I purchased my Chinook.



After 12 years use the interior had become well worn and interior foam was sagging hence the decision to reupholster the dinette and sofa, and to replace the Captains chairs.

The old day-night pleated blinds were always a bit troublesome - a bit stiff to operate and a nuisance when they had to be restrung (e.g. http://chinookers.blogspot.com/2014/01/blinds.html and http://chinookers.blogspot.com/2015/04/ ... hades.html) - which is why I decided to replace them with MCD blinds - much easier to operate, better light blocking, less maintenance, more modern appearance

Back in 2012 I had used a temporary measure to fix the problem of carpeting - I installed 'SoftTile' over top of the carpet - but I always planned on a wood floor as and when time permitted. More on SoftTile can be found at this blog post: http://chinookers.blogspot.com/2012/11/ ... oored.html

I dropped off the rig December 3rd, I did an interim inspection about two weeks later, and picked it up December 23rd after a few minor tweaks to the blind valances.

Yes the work was done on a fixed price basis. Overall I was pleased with Lorin's work and price.

The 'old girl' is now in pretty good shape and, though not perfect, should meet our needs for as far as we can see into our RVing future.

Thanks for the extra info!

That's a good idea about the solid colors. I had also originally planned to use plain fabrics in mine, because I figured solids could be accented in any style via decorative throw pillows.

Then I ran across a light blue/grey Southwest pattern that my wife and I liked so much, I changed my mind.

But to hedge my bet, I bought a heavy sewing machine and learned from videos how to make cushion covers myself, so I can easily change to solid colors in the future for little cost. With luck and some practice, I'm hoping to remake my front cockpit seat covers as well. Your photos are inspirational in that aspect!

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@Blue-Go - durn you! There I was all happy with my shades, and now you got me thinking about converting to (or adding) curtains.

Chinookers,

Your re-furb is fantastic. Very nice!

kdarling wrote: @Blue-Go - durn you! There I was all happy with my shades, and now you got me thinking about converting to (or adding) curtains.

Ha ha, whoopsie!

I can see good points to either concept (blinds vs. curtains). I *don't* like the original day/night shades because they were just hard to operate - especially when already leaning over a sofa or a table - but I could see some very good things about, say, the MCD shades. On balance, I'm liking the functionality of curtains so much that I'm willing to forgo the clean look of shades, but there are some great things about shades, too.

Couple of notes on the MCD's, if anyone else goes that way (I helped an RV-ing buddy install them about six months ago). One is that there is no provision for holding them in at the bottom (which, if you've used something like mini-blinds, they do have an optional bottom clip system). So if you don't add side valances, they bang around a bit when driving, or when the window is open and a breeze comes in. I find this a bit odd on a system made for RV's, but that's how they are. Two is that the white blind (the main one) is actually black with a white overlay, and if something rubs against it the black will be exposed (friend had this happen, thought it was a smudge, and wiped at it only to have the "smudge" get bigger and finally realize what was going on).

I see that Chinookers added fabric-covered side valances, which will neatly take care of keeping the blinds from "flapping" at the bottom. So not saying these things are insurmountable, but just that they have a couple of features that are different if going directly from the day/night (which are held in at the bottom due to the strings/bobbins).

The perforated black ("sun shade") part of the MCD shades is very nice. I have/had thought about making a second curtain out of that fabric, but as it turns out I can just close or partially close the curtain on the sunny side easily enough that I just do that. Since we have windows on opposite sides in our rigs, it's easy to just look out the other side (buddy has a dinette window that isn't near any other windows, so if the sun is coming in he wants to be able to bring down the sun shade blind and thus still have a way to look out.

Blue~Go wrote:I see that Chinookers added fabric-covered side valances, which will neatly take care of keeping the blinds from "flapping" at the bottom. So not saying these things are insurmountable, but just that they have a couple of features that are different if going directly from the day/night (which are held in at the bottom due to the strings/bobbins).

One minor detail to mention concerning my installation ... given the limited space and the fact that the walls are not vertical in the Chinook, I decided to taper the side valances so that they protrude less at the bottom than at the top ... apart from providing a little more elbow room this also minimizes 'flapping' when lowered.

Very clever! I love that sort of attention to detail. Have noticed it in many of your mods.

One other thing I forgot to mention earlier about my friend's install of the MCD's that came to mind is that the rolls (upon which the blinds and sun shades stow) can hang down a fair bit. Likely most Chinook stock (upper) valances have enough height to conceal them, but just another thing to check prior to ordering. They can also be ordered as "just" blind or "just" sun shade, which means only one roll thus half the height.

Yes the stock valance has to be replaced with a deeper valance when installing MCD blinds