For some unknown reason, when my coach was made, there was no access to a potential storage area under the dinette. In fact, the top cover was screwed down so that you had to remove the screws to access the dinette.
I am not sure why this was so as later years of the same model has doors in the sidewalls of the dinette seats.
So a project I have started is to add access to the storage areas under the dinette. I live about an hour from the Elkhart, In area and there are no fewer than 3 different RV Surplus stores, one of which sells cabinet and door fronts:
I was able to buy two of them, for around $11 ea. if I recall. And as luck would have it, they are actually built better than the ones on my coach. They are exactly the same color, and about 90% matching.
The only difference is the doors on my coach have a relief around the perimeter, and the doors I bought do not. However, when looking at photos of my coach in later years that have factory doors in the dinette seating area, they don't match the rest of the doors either.
In my view, they are a close of enough match not to matter:
I am delaying the cutting of the sidewall until the last step, so I have started the drawer itself. I bought the longest drawer slides I could find; 28", and made a drawer box.
The next step is to make a frame as a backer for the dinette sidewall, which will not only stiffen the area, but allow me to fasten the necessary hardware to the dinette.
And the frame will double as a template that I can run the router with a ball-bearing cutoff bit around so as to have a nice straight cut.
The drawer itself is made of 1/2" Poplar which is not as expensive as other woods, lightweight, and fairly strong. I assembled the drawer with box-joints, and it has turned out incredibly strong.
It's almost a shame that the box-joint corners will be covered up as they look kind of cool.
The door/drawer will be a bit unusual wherein the door front will be hinged, so it will open like a cabinet. And the drawer will be on an independent slide which will slide in and out after opening the door, kind of like a pantry.
I went with this style for several reasons.
First, the front dinette seat will not have a drawer, only a door. So to retain symmetry, both doors will look the same, but the rear one will have a drawer.
And this still gives me the option of adding a drawer to the front if I ever decide to, as the door will also be independent on the front.
And I plan on putting a latch on the drawer so as to secure it. The latch will not be accessible until you open the door.
Finally, I may add a compartment for the various phones and iPods we seem to carry, and I might add that to the back of the door.
So when the door opens, there will be a spot to store these devices. And I may build a USB charger jack inside the void as well, so this will allow the devices to charge while stored in the backside of the door.
Not sure I will do that or not, but it's an idea I am toying with.
I am more or less waiting for a bit nicer weather to work in the RV, so hopefully next week I will continue the project. Will post photos as I progress.
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