Computer/Desk Working Space a Priority - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Sunriser · RV-Dreams Community Member

Computer/Desk Working Space a Priority

phyllen · RV-Dreams Family Member

We love our 2009 3455SA Montana. It has a desk area as you walk in the door. Next to it is a cabinet about 3 feet wide and about 5 inches higher than the computer area. The counter could be used for the printer but we put ours in the overhead cabinet above it. The bottom cabinet has two drawers and two separate compartments. In the drawer next to computer I keep stapler, checkbooks, pen, note pads, etc etc. In one bottom compartment I keep two plastic file containers that have ridges for handing folders.

There are electrical outlets both at the lower computer desk and at the higher counter. Because the printer is in the overhead cabinet, we keep our coffee pot on the counter. The overhead cabinets reach all the way to the ceiling giving lots of storage space.

We had a Cedar Creek that had a computer desk area but in was near the TV and where I sat at the computer I would interfere with the hubbys viewing of TV.

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

I think you are going to have to figure out what you need and look for a floorplan that lets you remodel in your changes. Many have already done this, like our friend Mike's shown here on his blog -http://www.lightcurve.com/?p=1465. You might be lucky and find the floorplan that works for you in an RV you like, but don't get an RV you don't like just because it has the desk setup you want. We have a combination desk and dining table combination that Newmar and Monaco at least use, it allows both of us to use our notebook computers and eat at the same time.

traveljunkie · RV-Dreams Family Member

Hi Sunriser,

I work part-time (full time job, only part time in the 5th wheel) from our 5th wheel as well. We looked and looked for one that suited our needs as far as an office space, considering all sorts of options including converting a bunkhouse or toyhauler to an office space. Eventually we settled on the floorplan we liked and converted the slide out dining space, which we rarely use, into an office space. Right now I'm still using the dining table pushed up against the slide wall and outer wall as my desk, but am looking for a real desk to fill the space. I have a lightweight printer stand/filing cabinet in the slide as well and there is plenty of room. It's still a work in progress but I've been working in it full time since the beginning of January and so far so good. The nice thing is you can customize it to fit your needs. In our rig we also have a sliding door that separates the living room from the kitchen/dining area - so someone else can watch TV and it won't bother me. Just an option that works for us, I'm sure others wouldn't want to lose the dining space. We found we rarely used it as we either eat outside or (ok, i'll admit it) on TV trays in front of the TV.

Good luck in your search - make sure to post your eventual solution!

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Sunriser,

Just to let you see options regarding a desk area, we ordered a Mobile Suites 38TKSB3. It comes with a desk area. In addition, that desk area is next to the cabinet where the TV is located. That TV can be lowered down into the cabinet when not in use. Also, the desk area is next to the kitchen counter "peninsula", giving us a pretty large area for computer, printer, and monitor.

At the link below, you can see pictures of that model of Mobile Suites. Now, many won't want to purchase a Mobile Suites because they are pretty expensive. But, at least you can see different ideas for a desk. This link is to Wheels RV out of Springdale, Arkansas and is the same unit that we went to look at prior to us ordering our unit.

http://wheelsmotorrv.com/DoubleTree.html

Good luck in your searching.

Terry

Edit: It looks like you will have to "copy and paste" the link. For some reason, it didn't go "active". Sorry.

-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Friday 26th of February 2010 11:20:43 AM

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

traveljunkie wrote:

Hi Sunriser,

I work part-time (full time job, only part time in the 5th wheel) from our 5th wheel as well. We looked and looked for one that suited our needs as far as an office space, considering all sorts of options including converting a bunkhouse or toyhauler to an office space. Eventually we settled on the floorplan we liked and converted the slide out dining space, which we rarely use, into an office space. Right now I'm still using the dining table pushed up against the slide wall and outer wall as my desk, but am looking for a real desk to fill the space. I have a lightweight printer stand/filing cabinet in the slide as well and there is plenty of room. It's still a work in progress but I've been working in it full time since the beginning of January and so far so good. The nice thing is you can customize it to fit your needs. In our rig we also have a sliding door that separates the living room from the kitchen/dining area - so someone else can watch TV and it won't bother me. Just an option that works for us, I'm sure others wouldn't want to lose the dining space. We found we rarely used it as we either eat outside or (ok, i'll admit it) on TV trays in front of the TV.

Good luck in your search - make sure to post your eventual solution!

Traveljunkie,

Just as a thought, be careful that your "remodel" doesn't end up being too heavy for the slide. While I'm not an expert on fifth wheels and slide outs, I was once told to be careful of adding heavy items to a slide because they may not be designed for the weight.

Terry

Sunriser · RV-Dreams Community Member

Great advice - all, as usual! Terry & Jo I think you're the reason I checked out the Mobile Suites and the model you have is the one I have marked as "top choice" for now. Pricey, it may be but what a beauty! I like the desk setup for all the reasons you mentioned and I like the rest of the floorplan as well! Requested a quote on one and it's not nearly as out of sight if you can pay cash, which I'd expect to do once my house sells.

On the other hand I don't anticipate needing a dinning area or the pull out sofa that every RV I've seen so far has. So remodeling one of those areas is also an option.

Thanks!

traveljunkie · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks Terry for your comments and concerns on overloading the slide. We completely agree.

We have the Mobile Suites 38RLSB3 and already removed the heavy 'theatre seating' that was included and replaced with our own light euro recliners which are also on the dining slide, but part of the separate living room. That gives us some extra weight to work with there. We don't plan on getting a heavy desk - something small and light, that probably won't weigh more than the table and chairs. The printerstand/file cabinet we selected is light as well - purchased from target and has cloth for the pull out drawers. We are definately trying to 'keep it light'

Since I still work full-time (part time from the rig), I really needed my own space, so the other floorplans with a desk as part of the entertainment center didn't work for me, especially since my husband may want to be watching TV while I'm working.

I've been following some of your other threads here and on Suitesowners.com. Congrats on your Mobile Suite purchase! You will love it! We love ours. Hope to run into you on the road somewhere.

thebearII · RV-Dreams Family Member

Sunriser,

We installed one of these last year
http://shellyswoodinteriors.com/p-deskover.html

It works great for our needs. My DW is on the computer, crafting or making jewelry most of the day and into the night. Being able to re-position the dining table under the desk or perpendiculiar (L shaped) to the desk helps us to setup the work area depending on what we are doing. We can both work at the table and have access to the laptops and printer kept on the desktop.

Plus we can still use the table for meals.

Shelly was very nice and the desk + table came well packed to prevent damage.

Many RV dealers will add this type of desk setup for you and include it in the purchase price (marked up in price of course).

Before buying from Shelly, I shopped around to try and duplicate using kitchen cabinets or 3 drawer file cabinets or something pre-made. I could find the right height, but the cabinets were too deep for the space. It's tough to find anything only 18 inches deep and at least 30 inches high.

TheHarveys · RV-Dreams Family Member

We ordered a 2010 Carriage Carri-Lite 36MAX1 partly because you can option a desk in place of the chair in the bedroom.
We liked the idea of having the desk in the bedroom away from the entertainment center in the living room. That way, my DW can watch the TV without disturbing me should I have to work on the computer, or vice versa.
I will grant you that it is not a large desk, but it is sufficient for a laptop and it does have a drawer and a single cabinet as well.
Works for us.

Sunriser · RV-Dreams Community Member

thebearII, That's a terrific idea and I love the versatility! Did you place it where your dinning table would have been or where?

Sunriser · RV-Dreams Community Member

traveljunkie, Since you haven't found a desk yet, maybe you should check into this unit too? http://shellyswoodinteriors.com/p-deskover.html

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

thebearII wrote:

Sunriser,

We installed one of these last year
http://shellyswoodinteriors.com/p-deskover.html

It works great for our needs. My DW is on the computer, crafting or making jewelry most of the day and into the night. Being able to re-position the dining table under the desk or perpendiculiar (L shaped) to the desk helps us to setup the work area depending on what we are doing. We can both work at the table and have access to the laptops and printer kept on the desktop.

Plus we can still use the table for meals.

Shelly was very nice and the desk + table came well packed to prevent damage.

Many RV dealers will add this type of desk setup for you and include it in the purchase price (marked up in price of course).

Before buying from Shelly, I shopped around to try and duplicate using kitchen cabinets or 3 drawer file cabinets or something pre-made. I could find the right height, but the cabinets were too deep for the space. It's tough to find anything only 18 inches deep and at least 30 inches high.

Looks close to what we have that Newmar installed though ours is 21" deep.

Coyatee · RV-Dreams Family Member

Keep in mind that you can set up your own network and have such things as a printer and scanner in another room (i.e. bedroom).

traveljunkie · RV-Dreams Family Member

Sunriser,

Great thread! I did check out the link and really like it, that way we can keep our table as well. A little pricy but I definately like the concept.

Beth

LUVBYTES · RV-Dreams Family Member

WE ARE BUYING A 1996 FLEETWOOD SOUTHWIND ITS GONNA BE MY HUBBY 2 KIDS 2 DOGS OUR CAT AND MYSELF WE HAVE THE BOOTH TO WORK ON WITH THE LAP TOP I ALSO HAVE A HUGE APPLE DESK TOP WHICH THE SWIVEL CHAIR HAS A TABLE WE WILL SET IT UP ON OR I CAN USE THE DASH AS A COMPUTER WORK SPACE KINDA SORTA DESK THINGY LOL BUT I CANT WAIT HE IS LEAVIN FOR BAMA MADISON TO BE EXACT TO GO LOOK AT ONE THEN THERES ANOTHER WE ARE THINKING ABOUT LOOKING AT HERE IN FLORIDA AND ONE MORE IN GEORGIA THAT I AHVE TOTALLY FALLEN IN LOVE WITH THE PICTURES! BUT I AM A HOME SCHOOLER I TEACH MY DAUGHTER SHE GOES TO FLVS ITS A ONLINE HOME SCHOOLING ALWAYS ON THE INTERNET THINGY LOL AND I WILL TEACH MY SON THE SAME WAY SO WE CAN BE A TRAVELING FAMILY WITH OUR RV AND BE ANY WHERE AT ANY TIME SO SINCE WE WILL HAVE 3 LAP TOPS AND A DESK TOP YES WE NEED THE WORKIN ROOM IT WAS DEFF A PRIORITY!!!! HOPE I HELPED A BIT BUT ALL FLEETWOOD SOUTHWINDS HAVE MASSIVE ROOM TO HAVE COMPUTERS IN THINK ABOUT IT AND YOU CAN TOW YOUR CAR AND HAVE A DRIVER RV ALL AT THE SAME TIME!

Racerguy · RV-Dreams Family Member

Luvbytes, Welcome to the forum.We all like to help each other as much as possible.Might I suggest when you post all caps and no punctuation it very difficult to read and we may not understand what is written and miss out on answering something for you.Hope you take this for what it is -friendly advise. wink

two 4 the road · RV-Dreams Family Member

I am also looking for a desk as I need to work on the computer. This link is no longer good.

Can someone direct me to another maker that makes the same thing? I have not idea what it looks like.

shellyswoodinteriors.com/p-deskover.html

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

As this is an old thread, I'm not sure of how much it would help you. However, since the link you provided is a "dead link" and we don't have any idea of a "style" or "look" of a desk that interests you, could you describe something or provide a link to something similar? It would certainly help us help you.

You might even consider building your own. In our case, it wasn't a desk that we needed, but Jo wanted a sewing center. So, where our couch used to sit is now an area for a small recliner and a sewing center.

Oh, and welcome to the RV Dreams forums. Glad to have you as part of the "family."

Terry

Technomadia · RV-Dreams Family Member

Appropriate to this thread - we're assembling a brand new series on our blog by collecting pictures & stories about people's workspaces in their RVs. The purpose is to hopefully inspire others as to what is possible and share ideas.

I'm still assembling the content many have sent me, but I have a few of the profiles completed that may start some creative juices flowing as to what is possible:

www.technomadia.com/full-time-rving-workspaces/

I'll be adding more soon.. and if anyone would like their workspace featured, feel free to send us your info to contact@technomadia.com.

Enjoy,
- Cherie

NWescapee · RV-Dreams Family Member

Two 4 the Road - within the RV Furniture of this forum, we found other ideas that helped us figure out a good solution for us. We have the same model 5th wheel that Terry and Jo have and I claimed the built in desk as my permanent workspace, but we needed a second work area for Dale. So we removed the couch and recliners that came with the 5th wheel, found a desk for Dale at a furniture store that had a couple of drawers, he installed a lock on each drawer so when we are enroute they stay closed.

The link below has pictures of our finished workspace and I think Terry had posted pictures of Jo's sewing area as well.

rv-dreams.activeboard.com/t54733672/another-step-getting-rid-of-some-of-the-furniture/

-- Edited by NWescapee on Monday 21st of October 2013 08:58:37 AM

cherylbrv · RV-Dreams Family Member

I'll have the same needs as well, as my business is 100% computer dominated. However, I'm not really sure I want my work area in the middle of my living area (it tends to get a bit messy with paperwork and wires)! I love the Mobile Suites Atlanta or Phoenix models (removing the bunks and adding an extra desk) but that may be out of our price range and we'll end up just getting a desk anyway.

Good luck!

cherylbrv · RV-Dreams Family Member

I don't know if it's just me - but none of the links above for Shellys Wood Interiors is working for me (yes, I cut and paste). Link can't be found. Any suggestions?

Thanks

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

When I did a normal "google" search for Shelly's Wood Interiors, nothing came up that had desks. This is an old thread, so it is likely that they are now out of business. That is one of the dangers of going by things in an old thread.

Terry

Hina · RV-Dreams Family Member

I work fulltime as an online artist and entrepreneur, and I just use the dinette for a desk. I recently had another 12V plug put in the dinette for boondocking, and have a pretty organizer box for the books, pens, etc, which sits on the seat. I took out the TV (old fashioned, big one under the dash) and replaced it with my printer. I have some office supplies and electronic stuff in the cabinets over the driver and passenger seats. I had a similar set up in my travel trailer, using the TV area for desk/business stuff (instead of an entertainment center). You can get creative, and rework what's already there.

Hina · RV-Dreams Family Member

Oh, and before I got my dog, I had a little office set up in the passenger seat of my Class A, but now the dog basically owns that turf, so I moved back to the dinette. blankstare

two 4 the road · RV-Dreams Family Member

NWescapee wrote:
Two 4 the Road - within the RV Furniture of this forum, we found other ideas that helped us figure out a good solution for us. We have the same model 5th wheel that Terry and Jo have and I claimed the built in desk as my permanent workspace, but we needed a second work area for Dale. So we removed the couch and recliners that came with the 5th wheel, found a desk for Dale at a furniture store that had a couple of drawers, he installed a lock on each drawer so when we are enroute they stay closed.

The link below has pictures of our finished workspace and I think Terry had posted pictures of Jo's sewing area as well.

rv-dreams.activeboard.com/t54733672/another-step-getting-rid-of-some-of-the-furniture/

-- Edited by NWescapee on Monday 21st of October 2013 08:58:37 AM

Thanks! looks nice! I would love to see YOUR work area.

two 4 the road · RV-Dreams Family Member

cherylbrv wrote:
I'll have the same needs as well, as my business is 100% computer dominated. However, I'm not really sure I want my work area in the middle of my living area (it tends to get a bit messy with paperwork and wires)! I love the Mobile Suites Atlanta or Phoenix models (removing the bunks and adding an extra desk) but that may be out of our price range and we'll end up just getting a desk anyway.

Good luck!

I'm with you...I am not a neat nut, so I don't want to have all my work lying out. I would feel like I am living in my office. I do photography, so I have two desktop computers with large monitors. I looked at the Atlanta, but it is so long as well.

I did hear of someone using their hall closet as an office, but I have not seen any of those. I think it is ideal to be able to shut the doors on my work, so that when I quit work for the day, I can feel like I am truly away from work.

NWescapee · RV-Dreams Family Member

Two 4 the Road - here's a picture of the built in desk, we added the pull out keyboard and brought the smaller of our monitors with us, I cannot work real well without 2 monitors. I am in the middle of the living area, but then again, so is Dale. We work with our backs to each other, he usually has his headphones on so he can ignore all the one sided conversations he hears while I'm on the phone. I must admit, having the coffee maker right behind my second monitor has contributed to my increase in coffee intake cry

The cabinets behind the laptop and between the desk and fireplace all for all our paperwork related to my corporate job, his business and then our personal paperwork. It's really made us weed out what is really important, scan what we only need once in a while and not keep years of records on hand. When we were cleaning out the house we had a few good laughs over how many years of dental records, insurance policies, etc. we found in our various filing cabinets, way more than we really needed.

We really don't watch much TV, hardly ever more than 1 hour a day, sometimes we go days without even turning it on, so having my work area next to the TV has not been a problem for us at all. BTW - TV in this pic is in the "down" position, retracted to fit behind the fireplace and lower cabinet. I love having the ability to put it down and have a wider desk area for when I really need to have more work space.

two 4 the road · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks! That looks great! The window is nice to have, too, I would think!