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Old 05-29-2009, 03:08 PM   #1
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Nancy G.
Adding counter space to T1950??

We just purchased a 2006 T1950 and am enjoying all I'm learning in this forum!! One of the things I gave up in switching from a pop-up to the 1950 is counter space. Does anyone have tips and tricks for surviving just making a salad, let alone storage and dinner! Where do I put the coffee pot and things like that?? Any add- on or construction ideas?? Thanks in advance.....

Nancy G.
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Old 05-29-2009, 03:45 PM   #2
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Re: Adding counter space to T1950??

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nancy G.
We just purchased a 2006 T1950 and am enjoying all I'm learning in this forum!! One of the things I gave up in switching from a pop-up to the 1950 is counter space. Does anyone have tips and tricks for surviving just making a salad, let alone storage and dinner! Where do I put the coffee pot and things like that?? Any add- on or construction ideas?? Thanks in advance.....
Nancy,

The front end of your 1950 is virtually identical to the front end of our '99 T-2453 from the wall to the right of the sink forward. Here are some things we do to add or conserve counter and storage space.

First, those hard sink covers are invaluable. Our TT came with one that is made out of wood, but I have seen nice plastic ones in the RV stores. We only uncover the sinks when actually using them. If you can't find one that is the exact size and shape of your sinks, you could buy one slightly larger and cut it down.

Second, there was a flip-up tv shelf in the bedroom that we never used. It was just in the way of walking around the bed. I removed it from the bedroom wall and re-installed it on the end of the lower cabinet to the left of the stove. It's clearly visible through the open door in this picture:

If your unit didn't come with one, the hardware for a flip-up shelf is readily available at any Home Depot or Lowes kind of place. You could use almost any wood or shelf material to make one. I did have to pull the stove out to install some backer material inside the cabinet wall, but the stove is very easy to remove and re-install.

We also have the fold-down cover for the stove top, and that is very helpful as well. It's also visible in the picture - the 409 and scrub brush are sitting on it. If your stove doesn't have one, any RV dealer can get one for you. Or, just cut a piece of plywood or other material (maybe a scrap of countertop?) to size and set it on the burners. Tuck it between the swivel rocker and the wall when you need to use the stove.

We have a Coleman coffee pot that is identical to a Mr. Coffee model except that it works off the stove burner instead of electricity. When it's not in use, I just set it in the pantry on a low shelf. If I left it out, it would hog the counter space, and I only make coffee first thing in the morning unless we have company in the evening so putting it away for most of the day is also helpful.

I bought a wire frame spice rack and hung it on the wall to the right of the sink. It is a good place to keep small stuff that would otherwise clutter up the counter top.

Speaking of wire frame stuff, the organizing section of most department stores have some neat items that can be installed in cupboards and pantrys to double up shelf space. You might look there for things that will help your storage issues.

The pantry to the left of our refrigerator has several shelves in it. The floor plan for the 1950 shows a wardrobe there same as our 2453. If there aren't shelves in it, it would be easy to add some. To help organize things, we bought several standard dishpans. They sit two-to-a-shelf next to each other. When we need something in the back behind the dishpans, we just pull one out like a drawer. The dish pans are also very helpful when stocking the trailer between trips. I take a couple of them in the house, and the DW fills 'em and I run them back to the TT and put the stuff away. It is very handy for stocking the fridge in particular. One other bonus of the dishpans is that they ride very securely on the shelves and totally eliminate the contents of your pantry jumping out at you after a day's travel. Nothing moves around.

Our Sunline came with an option package that included a wooden paper towel rack on the wall next to the sink. If your TT doesn't have one, any paper towel holder will do: Wal-Mart, Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, etc.

Our rig came with a leaf that can be inserted in the flip-up dinner table to make it much longer. We had to look inside one of the closets to find it - it was held in by a snap on some plastic material. Hopefully, your 1950 has one too.

That might help a bit (Whew!)
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Old 05-29-2009, 05:02 PM   #3
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Nancy,

Here are some more pictures from our galley area.

The cabinet directly above the sink is very useful, but given the odd sizes of all the stuff you might want to put in there, it fills up too quickly with not enough stuff. My solution is to put stuff into uniform size canisters. I wanted something that would not break if dropped, and available in a couple of different sizes. As a coffee drinker, I used to use Coffeemate. I began saving the emptys, and then putting stuff in them. Just about anything dry goes in them: coffee, popcorn, flour, sugar, minute rice, elbow macaroni, etc. in the larger ones. Salt, cocoa, etc. in the smallest ones, and the inbetween size has all sorts of this and that. The idea is that by using some uniform container sizes, you can get a whole bunch more stuff in a single cabinet. And we can easily find things when we need them. I've found that the largest coffeemate canister holds just enough coffee for me for a two week trip. I only drink a couple of cups a day, so those that consume more might want to fill several of them. This is just a small sample of what is currently in there.


The bottom of our wardrobe has been modified slightly to give lots more space. The white wire racks are held to the walls with small electrical cable tiedowns. The boxes under them are plastic shoe storage boxes, and you can see two of the previously mentioned dishpans. The coffee pot and a tall flatware basket sit in front of them and keep the dishpans from moving around when on the road. This is the wardrobe that is just to the left of the fridge. You can also see how the upper shelves are mounted. They are all removeable.


Here's the spice rack. I have a small cutting board tucked in the back of it and there is still room for the spices.


Last, we found a melamine plastic tray that we really liked, and hung it on the wall with a couple of the 3m Command Hangers. It's decorative and very useful when taking stuff outside for a meal. The stove mitts hang on the same hooks and we've never had anything jump off the hooks while travelling.


Notice the 3m Command spring clip on the overhead cabinet door above the sink. We clip recipes there when cooking. It's right at eye level for me, and DW only has to look up a tiny bit.

I'm a big fan of the 3M Command stuff. They have a great variety of hooks and clips and such, and their adhesive system is removeable without damaging whatever it is hung on: wood, wall paper, paint, etc.
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Old 05-29-2009, 07:17 PM   #4
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Extra Storage

We have a 15.5 foot Sunline and maximizing stroage is important. We have added slide out draws to all storage spaces (under the dinettes, stove and sink. This provides higher storage density and easier access.

We have no oven so we have a shelf that slides from under the burner assembly into the door way. This is patticularly handy during breakfast for the coffee pot and the toaster. We typically only use it when whe're using a couple of stove burners.

My wife's favorite is a bread draw located beside our furnace, capable of holding all our bread supplies.

There are two slide out draws under the stove, one for pots and one for frying pans. Under the sink is a slide out for the coffee pot and toaster.

If we're using just one burner, the coffee pot and toaster fit on the stove cover when folded in half.

Norm Milliard
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Old 05-30-2009, 06:28 AM   #5
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Nancy,

Here are some more pictures of the front of our T-2453. The only differences I can determine from the T-1950 floor plan is that your door to the bathroom/bedroom is a bit further to the right, and your wardrobe is not as deep as the refrigerator next to it. I also could not tell if the 1950 has the corner tv cabinet above the couch. In the first picture, you can see the top of the flip-up shelf on the end of the stove cabinet. Everybody asks about the red and white thing hanging below the oven mitt: it's a collapsible strainer/collander.





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Old 05-30-2009, 08:53 AM   #6
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In our 2753 we have 1 foot of counter space which is more than you have, but still not much since I have the coffee maker sitting in that spot. Behind your sink looks like a great coffee maker spot. The sink cover is indespensible as is the stove cover. When I really need counter space I turn around and sit stuff on my dinette which is directly across from the kitchen. If you put all the leaves in your living room flip up table you could use that in the same way. I made an abreviated Christmas dinner in the Tweety this year with no problem
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Old 05-30-2009, 09:17 AM   #7
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Adding counter space to T-1950??

Thanks Steve and Norm for your helpful hints and pictures!! Does the shelf by the door cause problems for campers going in and out? We do have the TV shelf, but my hubby may not want to give it up quite yet--we don't have the TV cabinet above the couch.... Seeing all the people who have the 1950 model and love it is so encouraging--it's going to be just the right size for us soon to be empty nesters!!! I've also saved your hints on packing clothes, too.

Nancy G.
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Old 05-30-2009, 10:42 AM   #8
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1950

The 1950 is th perfect size for two. If I were starting over I'd have one.

Our slide out shelf is only used when we're making breakfast, typically no one is going in and out. We would probably have put a flip up shelf there except our trash bag hangs on that side.

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Old 05-30-2009, 12:16 PM   #9
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Re: Adding counter space to T-1950??

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nancy G.
Does the shelf by the door cause problems for campers going in and out?
The shelf when down only sticks out a couple of inches and doesn't block the door at all.

When it's up, it blocks about half of the doorway. My wife and I can get by it, but if we're not aware that it's flipped up, we could run into it. Once we got used to it, it's no obstruction at all.

You'll notice that a lot of folks are buying the small LCD tv's to hang on the wall. If your 1950 has that flip-up shelf where you'd want a tv, you might hang an LCD there, and move the shelf to the same place that we have ours. There are several threads about mounting an LCD on a wall in a TT. The flip-up shelf is already mounted to a properly braced wall so hanging an LCD there would be pretty easy.
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Old 05-30-2009, 01:23 PM   #10
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Re: Adding counter space to T-1950??

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Originally Posted by Steve Collins
If your 1950 has that flip-up shelf where you'd want a tv, you might hang an LCD there, and move the shelf to the same place that we have ours.
I don't think it does though. The 1950's had the platform that pivots and stores under the corner cabinet at the foot of the bed. It's on the pivot arm so it can be seen from in bed or from the front.

Jon
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Old 05-31-2009, 12:33 PM   #11
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Re: Adding counter space to T1950??

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nancy G.
We just purchased a 2006 T1950 and am enjoying all I'm learning in this forum!! One of the things I gave up in switching from a pop-up to the 1950 is counter space. Does anyone have tips and tricks for surviving just making a salad, let alone storage and dinner! Where do I put the coffee pot and things like that?? Any add- on or construction ideas?? Thanks in advance.....

Nancy G.
Hi Nancy and welcome to the Forum. Like Honda (Norm) I have an older 16' SunLine with no counter space around the stove and sink. Under the fridge is a pullout board that is helpful. However, I do almost all my cooking outside when I camp, not matter what I camp in, or camped in. I spread out on the picnic table CGs or rest stops provide. I just bought a nice lightweight folding table thing from Bass Pro Shop. It has a rack on the back to hang stuff and shelf under the table for cookware. The top is solid and will hold our electric hot plate, or the small BBQ Grill or propane stove with space left over.

I looked on their website but can't find it. We went to the store this week and picked it up. We found these tables in the camping-cooking section.

If I have to cook in the camper I would use the pullout shelf under the fridge and cover the sink for more counter space. I sure wouldn't tackle anything but a simple meal inside my little SunLine. Most likely soup and sandwiches if it rains, rather than heat up the trailer.
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Old 05-31-2009, 01:38 PM   #12
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Experiment

Speaking of trailer temperatures. It is particularly easy to increase the temperature inside a trailer when cooking, particularly a little trailer and oparticularly if the windows are closed.

Yesterday was a warm day in NH. The temperature in the bounder was 81 at 5PM and the temperature in the trailer was 71. It intrests me that the trailer is always cooler than the motorhome.

Most windows were open in the motorhome and only the front and rear windows in the trailer. Both have white roofs.

We both like to cook and do prepare stove top meals. If we need space for chopping and preparation we use the dinette table; we rarely cover the sink. ABout the only time we use the pull out shelf under the refrigerator is for drying dishes.

One thing we have done is put fans in all our vents, kitchen and bath. We do not have an air conditioner. WE have computer type brushless muffin fans in both vents because they are quiet, run on 12 volts and each move about 100 cubic feet a minute. The kitchen vent has two fans and the bathroom one.

We do not have an oven, something that can produce a lot of heat. Most stove top dishes actually take little heat, usually the temperature is only high when browning with most dishes simmering or of short duration. WE do use a crock pot for many dishes as well.

Norm Milliard
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Old 05-31-2009, 11:56 PM   #13
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Re: Experiment

Quote:
Originally Posted by Honda03842
Speaking of trailer temperatures. It is particularly easy to increase the temperature inside a trailer when cooking, particularly a little trailer and oparticularly if the windows are closed.

Yesterday was a warm day in NH. The temperature in the bounder was 81 at 5PM and the temperature in the trailer was 71. It intrests me that the trailer is always cooler than the motorhome.
I notice our little TT stays cooler than our 19' Dodge Xplorer did. Maybe because of all those jalousie windows. Heat doesn't get trapped. We can even leave them open in the rain. There's a fan over the stove, but not in the bathroom ceiling vent. Our stove has an oven and a large draw under it.

Quote:
Most windows were open in the motorhome and only the front and rear windows in the trailer. Both have white roofs.

We both like to cook and do prepare stove top meals. If we need space for chopping and preparation we use the dinette table; we rarely cover the sink. ABout the only time we use the pull out shelf under the refrigerator is for drying dishes.
I found a real narrow dishrack to dry dishes on that fits between the sink and edge of the counter. I have a larger rack to put on the stove cover which is really a large cutting board. I need to take some new pics this week when we go camping.

Quote:
One thing we have done is put fans in all our vents, kitchen and bath. We do not have an air conditioner. WE have computer type brushless muffin fans in both vents because they are quiet, run on 12 volts and each move about 100 cubic feet a minute. The kitchen vent has two fans and the bathroom one.
Here in the south A/C is a necessity, not a luxury. It's supposed to be in the 90s this week... and of course humid. I hope we find a shady spot in the CG.

Quote:
We do not have an oven, something that can produce a lot of heat. Most stove top dishes actually take little heat, usually the temperature is only high when browning with most dishes simmering or of short duration. WE do use a crock pot for many dishes as well.
I remember how just perking a pot of coffee on the stove in the Xplorer would heat up the entire front 2/3s of the van. Worse yet with no jalousie windows, we couldn't open them in the rain. All we had was a fan near the stove and it didn't remove much of the heat. I haven't used the stove in the SunLine yet. I'll let you know what happens when I do. WandaLust

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