Basement storage space in Motor Homes - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Travelin Duo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Basement storage space in Motor Homes

Roz · RV-Dreams Family Member

Larry and Arlene,

Good questions with possibly different answers for different people. We all come to realize that for every benefit there is a cost, either in dollars, weight, cube, longevity and/or convenience. We had a 36' Winnebago Chieftain DP with roof air and propane furnace. We now have a 40' Itasca Horizon DP (Winnebago) with basement air/heat pump and a propane furnace. We love it and here are the major differences.

Yes, we think it is quieter in 90% or the coach, and a wash directly above. Yes, you lose a rear basement compartment adjacent to the engine (albeit this basement location was not deep anyway).

Other things you did not ask: What you lose in basement cube is more than made up for with increased basement height (the coach roof is taller as there are no units on top). The roof is more aerodynamic (it is almost smooth). The overall looks are more aesthetically pleasing (yes, we all want good looks). The unit is much less prone to exterior damage (roof A/C shrouds become brittle from UV exposure). We now have two sources of heat with both a heat pump and propane furnace (we save a good bit on propane when using full hookups). You also only have one unit to maintain, and heat pumps usually require less maintenance.

My opinion- basement A/C is a very significant improvement on coaches, not just Winne's. We love it! This new coach has so many improvements.

Charles & Ethel

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

Basement storage varies a lot more than many realize. You want high ceilings, you might have less basement storage. You want basement air conditioning, you might have less basement storage. You want lots of air bags, you might have less basement storage (Monaco has been notorious here). You want a huge propane tank, you might have less basement storage (many brands which come standard with propane generators). You want hydronic heating, Aqua-hot or Hydro-hot, you might have less basement storage (diesel furnace and hot water, really nice but $6,000 to $10,000 extra). You want storage that comes out with the slide, you might have less basement storage. In all cases I said "might", it really depends on how the space is layed out in a particular model, which might also be common with a particular brand. You have to look and make sure you will have enough space.

Some friends bought a 40 foot diesel pusher to replace their shorter gas motorhome. They lost both basement and upper storage since things were layed out for looks and not function. We gained a small amount of storage going from our 35' gas motorhome (2002 Dolphin) to our 40' diesel pusher, but we saw many motorhomes where we would have lost storage.

The high end rigs use roof air, but they duct both the return and the supply side and that makes it much quieter. Many not so high end rigs use roof air and ducting, including ours, for the same reason. Without the ducting, roof air is very noisy. Basement air can be noisy if it is right under the bed, where it will disturb your rest on hot and humid nights. Basement air seems to work best on 30AMP since the entire motorhome is cooled, but on 50AMP it seems to be a toss up. The engineers tell you it is the total BTUs that matter on cooling, not where the unit is. Insulation matters a lot, some friends converted their own 40' bus and one roof air conditioner keeps them cool at 100 degrees since they have a lot of insulation.

Basement air gives you lots of open roof to put solar panels and automatic satellite dishes.

Basement air comes with heat pumps, not all roof air does. It is really a nice feature.

Open those bays and look at the basement storage. Do the same upstairs, open everything. Figure out where you will put the big stuff and the small stuff. If it won't work then walk away.

-- Edited by bjoyce at 16:46, 2007-02-21

RVDude · RV-Dreams Family Member

Larry and Arlene - these are all excellent responses and show the complexity (emotional and physical) in evaluating a rig. Take your time. At some point you'll need to "just do it" and not over analyze or worry. It's all good! And it really does all work out in the end.

It might help if you gather all the "stuff" you think might make its way into the RV basement and measure it. This way you have some rough guidelines as to "size." I cleared my sticks-n-bricks living room for a couple weeks and stacked and restacked "stuff" to get an idea of what containers I might need AND what maximum values for height, length, width, and cubic feet my "stuff" might create. Then as I looked at basements (in shows or dealer lots) I got out the measuring tape and clipboard and made diagrams to see if it would work. Don't forget to measure with or without sliders if they are involved. Sliders can eat some space themselves. For me, I have some "stuff" that require specific large spaces that I wanted to make sure would fit. Yep, the sales people had a good laugh but also realized how serious a buyer I was.

-- Edited by RVDude at 22:30, 2007-02-21

Travelin Duo · RV-Dreams Family Member

I thank you all again for the great information, and your thoughts.
So much to think about before we go from our stick home to a MH....and fulltime living on wheels. Retiring soon, and looking forward to buying our new home.
I need all the help I can get......believe me.

I may be overly cautious to some, but I like to investigate everything before I buy it, and who better to ask questions of.....you the people who are living it right now.
Really appreciate all the great information, and your advice.

I may have to go on and ask this new one on a NEW TOPIC, but I will ask it here anyhow first.
If I am wrong in doing so...please tell me.

Question:

Frames:

Freightliner ...Spartan and Roadmaster.

The Vectra Winne has the FL

Any thoughts on these frames ?

I know floor plans are important of course, but I need to know about a few of these things before deciding on any coach.

With sincere thanks for your help out there.