I asked previously in a post in a different part of the forum about the viability of making and selling semi fitted covers for caravan cushions. They could be made from upholstery fabric (bought the material yesterday to do Agrid for demonstration purposes!), fleece, cotton, any fabric you wanted really.
I've offered to make one UKCS member a set for the rear diner at cost as my guinea pig and very grateful I am too for the chance.
My question now is how much would people be happy to pay? The covers would be made to personal specifications, colours, fabric etc. and would be similar to a fitted sheet in design so they can easily be removed and changed when you want to.
Bearing in mind the cost of material and personal service would you be interested and how much would you like to pay?
From the material I bought yesterday I think I could do a full set in upholstery fabric and curtains for about £200-£250, obviously if it was just covers it would be about £100-£150 depending on the material chosen. Is this reasonable or not viable?
Many thanks for any comments! (well the non rude ones anyway)
Its a good idea - I made calico covers for ours that fitted our first two caravans - it saved the upholstery when the kids were young. Now I just use cream Ikea throws which are quicker to wash and double up as blankets on beds. I think weight would be an issue for some people too and if you are selling them you may need to think about being fire retardant as you may need to conform to certain regulations
I guess one question I would need to ask is how much do the professional people charge for the same service ? I would then weigh up the difference. Sounds very reasonable though.
good idea, try and do local work first and then see how things go, best of luck.
------------- its easy enough to be pleasant when the world rolls along like a song.but a man is worth while if he can smile when every thing goes f------ wrong.
I might be interested in a set of seat covers, depending on price. We have vertually the same van as you but the older, smaller model & i dont live far from you. Would i be able to get my own fabric? as i am a market trader & know a few people who sell it
Hi Andi, are your gallery pictures of Agrid's cushions your handiwork? I like them very much, and also the idea from Ecocamping of using them as covers over the top of caravan's own covers (for dogs in our case).
I have no idea on what would be reasonable cost though, compared to other comapnies who provide this service - perhaps it should be based on your costs including labour. It guess it also depends on the quality of the materials used too. Does sound like a good idea though and i wish you luck in your venture. The new caravans do have very light colour schemes and i know with our 2 dogs they wouldn't stay that colour for long, so covers would be a good idea for us. I think they would also need to be machine washable.
Thanks everyone,your thoughts are really helpful. I didn't do the upholstery in the pictures but I did do the covers and curtains in our previous Dandy and Esterel, I've just done slip covers for Agrid and will get some pictures done today hopefully. I'm also planning on making the rear dining area into a fixed bed and making a fitted bedspread that will match the front covers. Obviously there ones are in upholstery fabric but they can more easily be made in fleece or jersey which would of course be washable and you wouldn't have to have a whole set made. I'm guessing a 6 foot long cushion slip cover would be about £10-15 again depends on the material.
-------------
'I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they
wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're
going to feel all day. '
~Frank Sinatra