WHY HAVE A CUSTOM MOTORHOME BUILT?
We fulltime in our motorhome. That's right , we don't have a house , just this teeny little RV! We've been fulltiming since 1993. Unfortunately about 6 months into our adventure I was in an accident and now use a wheelchair. Our current motorhome is almost perfect for us but it is a 1996 model and has over 300,000 miles on the odometer. Time to start looking for a new one! We couldn't find a manufacturer who would make the changes that I needed as it was being built. After market changes can weaken the structure so we decided a custom build would be best.
WHY DID YOU BUILD A SMALL CLASS C RATHER THAN SOMETHING LARGER?
Many of the places where we visit or camp would be a tight fit for anything larger. We went through all of the options when we were in the planning stage and decided that we've managed very well for all of these years so there was really no need to make a major change.
SO THIS MOTORHOME IS EXACTLY LIKE YOUR OLD ONE?
Fairly close. We upgraded everything that we could and kept what we liked. We added more solar panels and larger holding tanks. Our rubber roof has held up fine over the years so we opted for a rubber roof again. We wanted easier access to the batteries so we specified sliding battery trays. We decided on commercial sheet flooring and area rugs for easier cleaning. We had some problems with leaks and delamination so all of the caulking is marine grade. We used only plywood or solid oak for durability.All of the screws are stainless steel.
HOW MUCH DID IT COST?
We bought the truck chassis - $38,524.04
Ken's quote for the motorhome box - $65,000.00
Total cost $103,524.04
( this figure will change when we add additional expenses)
HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO FINISH IT?
Way too long! We were very careful when we drew up a contract but one of the things that we didn't stipulate was a finish date. We weren't in a hurry to get it done and figured that the builder would work better if he wasn't under pressure. We were wrong about that! He would work on other projects and only work on ours if we put pressure on him. He told us at the beginning that it should take about three months which we thought was a little fast. Little did we know that it would be over a year before we could take delivery!
WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THIS BUILDER?
No, besides the fact that he has told us that he never wants to build another motorhome , we wouldn't want anyone else to have to go through the long wait and constant pushing to get it finished. Other reasons will be obvious as you read all the pages of the build.
Ken also does RV repair work so to give everyone fair warning his full name is Ken Dickerson and he lives in Graham , Washington.
HOW ABOUT SOME STATS?
- Chassis -F450 4x4
- Length- about 25'
- Welded aluminum frame
- CTEC siding
- Rubber roof
- Solar panels
- Dual pane windows
- Commercial sheet flooring
- Day/night shades with blackout
- Dometic refrigerator
- Three burner stove top
- 40+ fresh water tank
- 40 gray water
- 20+ black water
WHAT SHOULD I KNOW BEFORE STARTING A PROJECT LIKE THIS?
- Know what you want. Draw up detailed plans. Include specifications for everything.
- Contact as many custom builders as possible and get quotes. This may require a lot of time and researching because your plan may be something they have never done before. Some builders will not be interested in tackling a project that is a lot different than their usual work. It might also be very expensive.
- Ask about contacting previous customers. Get a first hand look at some of the builders finished jobs.
- Draw up a detailed contract. Stipulate a finish date.
- Typical pay schedule is 20-30% down , additional payments as work progresses and final payment at completion.
- Make sure that the builder is bonded and has the proper licenses and insurance.
WHAT MAKES IT UNIQUE?
- 4x4 - never know when we might need it!
- Truck chassis instead of van -much more leg room,cooler,quieter and easier to work on
- Undercoated with bedliner
- Mounted with neoprene isolators between the truck chassis and the motorhome frame.
- 240 watts of solar power
- Rear view mirror with compass -this has saved us from many miles of going in the wrong direction
- Huge propane tank
- Easy to adjust basement heating
- Auxiliary heater that uses the engine coolant to heat the living area as we are traveling
- Solid oak cabinet frames
- Dinette table with tilt top access to computer storage
- Wooden mini blinds in kitchen and bath
- Shower walls of the same material as outside sheathing - very easy to take care of
- Copper bathroom sink-so much nicer than standard plastic
- Heavy curtain to block cool or hot air from truck cab
- Handicap features - Super Arm lift and wide door, opened floor plan ,grab bars
- Built without air conditioner , microwave or generator-we mostly dry camp and dislike the noise and fumes of generators
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