at the floor in the center and it would be boxed in to allow air to return to the HVAC duct unobstructed. Circular RV re
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BUS CONVERSION MAGAZINE
H3-40 Interior Remodel (Part 10 of 12): A Custom Storage Sofa that Sleeps One — Planning, Design, and Fabrication by Bruce Fay Editor’s Note: In this installment, Bruce describes the design and component fabrication of a custom built-in storage sofa. Read the full article in the Digital Edition Bonus Content section of this issue. Planning and Requirements
When planning the remodeling of our interior we considered not having a sofa and installing two more small captain’s chairs with a small table between them. That would have made a nice grouping for four people to sit and talk, but we wanted someplace to lie down and take a nap and also wanted someplace for either of our granddaughters to sleep when they were able to travel with us. Like other aspects of this remodeling project, we had thought about what we needed in the way of a sofa for a long time. In our case it had to meet some standard, as well as very specialized, requirements.
A piece of 3/4” wood the same height as the boxes would be attached to the front of them, fit exactly between the two cabinets at either end, and sit on the floor to help support the seat/lid. It would be notched at the floor in the center and it would be boxed in to allow air to return to the HVAC duct unobstructed. Circular RV registers would be installed in each end of the front board and open into the support/plenum boxes. Three rectangular seat cushions would provide the seating and put the seating height at 18”. Three trapezoidal cushions (viewed from an end) of the same
The old sofa was too big for the coach! I also did not like that the sofa effectively blocked a major over-theroad (OTR) HVAC air return. To meet our needs and accommodate the features of the coach and existing conversion, a custom built-in sofa was going to be the best and easiest solution.
Design
My design was conceptually simple. Two boxes with open ends would sit on the floor at either end of the space and be the same height as the wiring chase on top of the OTR HVAC duct. They would serve as HVAC plenums while supporting the ends of the seat/ lid, which would also rest on the wiring chase.
