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 Topic: Creating shelf from bunk bed area?
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06/3/2014 at 8:12am
Location: Derbyshire
Outfit: ElddisAvante462 Honda CRV SE2.2 i-Dtec
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Yes Feeblecat, our rear seats were unusable, but it was only a single dinette, if yours is the wider double version, you should still be able to use the outer part for children to sit at, as it would still be quite narrow in most caravans due to the top bunk often being wider in situ than half the width of the bottom double.
Just be carefull where you attach any centre load bearing bracket along your back wall, unless there is a dedicated loadbearing wood insert built into the structure, you could end up with the whole lot coming crashing down, leaving a right mess on the rear pannels and wallboard as it does so.
How old is little one? Would it be an idea to have your microwave perminently on your rear table, with little one using the bunk at night?
What layout of caravan do you have? If its a rear bunk side wetroom opposite the kitchen, front double type, why not stand a lightweight fairly tall table directly onto the space behind the wetroom, removing the cushion first, and letting little one sleep at the oposite end? Perfectly do-able in a 7ft wide van until little one is about 7 or 8yrs old. Just unplug the microwave before they go to bed at night for safety. That way, you can still use the dinette seat on the opposite side at full height during the day, plus the dinette table as usual.
Julia
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Just love to be out amoungst Nature and Wildlife
Celebrating 37 years of Caravanning in 2019, Recently Considered Retiring, but Totally Addicted for Life!
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06/3/2014 at 5:14pm
Location: Scotland
Outfit: Coachman Highlander (Amara)
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Quote: Originally posted by romany girl on 06/3/2014Yes Feeblecat, our rear seats were unusable, but it was only a single dinette, if yours is the wider double version, you should still be able to use the outer part for children to sit at, as it would still be quite narrow in most caravans due to the top bunk often being wider in situ than half the width of the bottom double.
Just be carefull where you attach any centre load bearing bracket along your back wall, unless there is a dedicated loadbearing wood insert built into the structure, you could end up with the whole lot coming crashing down, leaving a right mess on the rear pannels and wallboard as it does so.
How old is little one? Would it be an idea to have your microwave perminently on your rear table, with little one using the bunk at night?
What layout of caravan do you have? If its a rear bunk side wetroom opposite the kitchen, front double type, why not stand a lightweight fairly tall table directly onto the space behind the wetroom, removing the cushion first, and letting little one sleep at the oposite end? Perfectly do-able in a 7ft wide van until little one is about 7 or 8yrs old. Just unplug the microwave before they go to bed at night for safety. That way, you can still use the dinette seat on the opposite side at full height during the day, plus the dinette table as usual.
Julia
Thanks Julia. My grandson is 30 months so a bit young yet for top bunk. I will think about your high table behind wetroom idea - dont know if that is best option though. When wee person wakes he sometimes swaps places with papa making papa sleep in single bed so he can sleep beside me! Below is set-up. My idea had been to use side brackets already on van but to add a shelf the length of van but half the width of bunkbed.
Ps I've only just noticed the sneaky poser in the corner lol.
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06/3/2014 at 10:44pm
Location: Derbyshire
Outfit: ElddisAvante462 Honda CRV SE2.2 i-Dtec
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I see what you mean, your caravan's layout is very similar to our last Lunar, the bunk on ours could be left folded lengthways on the supports if needed, but the resulting shelf would have been very narrowonly about 11inches of usable width, and you would
still have the problem of not being able to sit comfortably on the dinette seats whilst it was in situ, it would intrude badly at just below shoulder height.
One thing we did try for a while when my adult Daughter came with us once was to put the microwave onto a purpose made box about 18ins off the floor, which had a shallow lip of beading round the top to stop any possible slippage, and this was installed straight infront of the exterior door along the inner wall of the washroom.
We made shelves in the base to take canned foodstuffs, and it served its purpose well until we had a rethink as we wanted to also install a table top freezer in the rear of our van, so for the last season that we owned it, this very practical layout became our 2berth with long front benches, with one forward facing comfy corner rear seat by the door, the table top dropped down in the centre with cushion removed to take the freezer, and the microwave then sat on top of that. The rear corner behind the wetroom was then good for storing bedding and pillows by the day, and a plastic box for shoes was kept on the floor under the bunk table.
Good luck with whatever way you decide to try, its amazing how fast little ones grow, and it soon becomes big fun to be up on the top bunk. The Lunar came with built in safety netting, rather like trampoline protection net, it just attached by sturdy poppers and formed a deep cot rail to keep the upper occupant sleeping safely in the bunk, may be worth taking a look to see if something similarcould be rigged up when your little one is slightly older.
Julia
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Just love to be out amoungst Nature and Wildlife
Celebrating 37 years of Caravanning in 2019, Recently Considered Retiring, but Totally Addicted for Life!
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I'm not sure what your fixings are, but I'm currently in the process of trying to figure out how to construct a bunk bed in our van to accommodate our new addition to the family. If you are taking any fixings out, would you consider selling them on to me (if they fit in our van?)
Thank you Julia. I didn't know there were caravan breakers! Sounds ideal, I will investigate! Thanks again!
and Julia makes a very good point about value of caravan - I hadn't thought about that for you. Good luck with creating your shelves. 
