1st time owner with a too small shower. Suggestions?

Asberry · 12-01-2007, 03:18 PM

I'm the semi-proud owner of a 1981 16RB. Semi meaning I'm happy with the front half. It is just me so I'm all I have to please.

I bought this off eBay and while it is exactly as the photos showed, I never thought to ask about ceiling height. It is 6 feet. I'm 5'10".

My head hits the ceiling when standing in the (tiny) shower. I've measured every direction and can't figure out how to enlarge/rearrange the shower enough for a seat/tub/shower pan. The black tank is directly under the bathroom so the shower drain line has to run to the front wall to clear the black tank when going through the floor. The drain is under a small sink that I won't miss.

So far, my only solution is to fabricate a pan to cover the entire bath floor and mount the toilet in the pan and use it for a seat. Having never owned a TT before, I'm not familiar with how the toilet is mounted/sealed to the floor. I'm open for all suggestions.

Janalee · 12-01-2007, 04:36 PM

Take it to an RV dealer and get an estimate for a skylight on your roof over the shower...it would be your easiest way out and they are in all the newer ones anyway and probably for that reason.

Bobo · 12-01-2007, 05:47 PM

Andy,

With myself being 6'1", it was one of the many reasons why we chose the Sunline brand. The dome over the shower gives enough room that I can stand up straight. We were looking at a Surveyor brand built by Forest River that had the shower in the rear corner. No dome due to the curvature of the roof. I am greatful because of that design flaw, we turned down a great deal to purchase the TT and found the Sunline a couple of months later. We have been in love with our T-2499 ever since. So much that we are already making reservations for next year.

The dome is the way to go money wise, but I would pay the extra $ and have a qualified RV mechanic install it and warranty the work.

Bobo

**Sunline Fan** · 12-01-2007, 08:33 PM

Andy,

Is this the coach you bought?

You do have a unique floor plan with a roomy bathroom, just not tall. Like the others have suggested, a skylight would be a good option, but I don't know how it would work with the angled ceiling inside. I've not taken one of those apart to know if all of that is dead space or not.

If you say the ceiling height throughout the whole coach is only 6', extending the shower out of the pan area wouldn't gain you much. I'd do as much as possible to get a skylight in there. Since the shower is in the back corner there, you should be able to sneak it in between the studs/rafters. It does appear you are lucky because many shower pans are several inches above the floor. Yours seems to be mounted pretty close to floor level.

Jon

emam · 12-01-2007, 10:13 PM

Not that I can talk, I'm only 5'5", but a skylight makes ours seem very spacious. Ours is also square, so maybe you could bump out a corner to add a little room and get an elongated florplan?

Good Luck

Pat

nickster60 · 12-02-2007, 07:37 AM

I wish our 1950 shower was a little wider. Maybe i could mount some skylights around the sides of the shower(ha ha ). I tend to fill up the whole shower. The roof sky light does make a big differance if it wasnt there I couldnt use the shower at all. It is certainly worth looking into.

Asberry · 12-02-2007, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunline Fan

Andy,

Is this the coach you bought?

You do have a unique floor plan with a roomy bathroom, just not tall. Like the others have suggested, a skylight would be a good option, but I don't know how it would work with the angled ceiling inside. I've not taken one of those apart to know if all of that is dead space or not.

If you say the ceiling height throughout the whole coach is only 6', extending the shower out of the pan area wouldn't gain you much. I'd do as much as possible to get a skylight in there. Since the shower is in the back corner there, you should be able to sneak it in between the studs/rafters. It does appear you are lucky because many shower pans are several inches above the floor. Yours seems to be mounted pretty close to floor level.

Jon

Very good detective work! That is it. I took new tires and wheels up with me to get it. Checked the bearings for the 1600 mile trip home.
I thought the effective but crappy siding repair would be my big worry. Maybe I'll just put a state decal over the repair.

The size of the bathroom is deceiving. The whole room is 35x44" at the widest spot; 26" on the wall to the left of the toilet. There is room for a 14" dome. It has a vent centered over the toilet. The shower pan is 21x21". I'm 5'10", 210#, about 22" across the shoulders. That would be like taking a shower in a rain coat. The shower pan is 3.5" off the floor.

Just a minute ago I was out following the plumbing around through the wall to under the water heater. That is when I discovered the water lines are disconnected to the heater, looped together. I'm assuming a leaker. I didn't use the water heater or furnace on the way home. The lady fired them up to show me how. Never thought to check plumbing. I doubt she knew either.

My thoughts on extending it underneath the toilet was to have a place to sit and a little elbow room. With no hot water, shower size may not be important at the moment.

I appreciate everyones' comments.

emam · 12-13-2007, 08:07 PM

Hey Andy, I just thought of something that might work to open up the bathroom.

Have you ever seen any of the campers, usually the smaller ones and almost all smaller boats have these, with the wet showers? Basically the toilet and the shower are in the same stall. You could buy some of the waterproof material to line the walls and make a central drain fro the water to flow. If you want to take a shower, then you just make sure that you dry off the toilet when you're done because it gets wet also.

Maybe go to a boat dealer and look at a few of their bathrooms to get an idea.

Just an idea, and thought it might work for you.

Good Luck
Pat