Utility Area

Here we’re seeing a rough layout (larger image) of the utility area, as it’ll be seen when opening the rear barn doors.

Essentially I wanted to be able to access all of (or as many as possible) of the various mechanical systems as possible in one area.  To that end, I managed to get all of the guts of the electrical systems in this area.  It would have been nice to get all of the plumbing in this area as well, but it didn’t quite turn out that way.

To get a better understanding of what you’re looking at here, imagine opening up the back of the trailer.  You’re then faced with an area that is 8.5′ wide, 8′ tall, and 32″ deep.  The very bottom of this area has a storage area that goes under the bedroom, and I’m likely going to have various large plastic bins in that area.  Above that will be custom-made shelving that will fit all other bits and pieces that RVs need.  Electrical components, water hoses, an air compressor, the “outdoor” portion of the split A/C unit, tools, and more storage.

I’m hoping to make some of the more frequently-used items (fresh water hose, sewer hose, extension cord) easily accessible.  I might even be able to put some of those items on reels, but that might just get to be too convenient.

9 thoughts on “Utility Area”

  1. I would move the toilet to inside the bedroom where you have a lamp picture. with your folding out shelf over it and dust ruffle type skirt it would look like an end table but be away from food area….eliminating the murphy beds and making the couch a pull out bed, shoving the coffee table underneath the tv at night, maybe putting a murphy bed on the wall where the kitchen table is for guests outside of your main bedroom and building the table and chairs into it.

    1. I’m not moving the toilet inside the bedroom. I don’t want a toilet in my bedroom and it would further complicate the soundproofing.

      I’m not going to have a sofa-bed, they’re all terrible.

      I’m not interested in hosting guests. It’s a tiny trailer, not a 3 bedroom house. I’m not even sure if I’ll actually have two murphy beds, it might be just one.

  2. I see you have a window over the kitchen table…so put the twin murphy where the toilet used to be instead. Also build more storage there. even a wall of s hooks with tote bags would look cool as tote bags come in so many different styles and you can store anything in them and they would be secure when the box was moving…

    1. I’m sure I’ll add storage all over the place in every nook and cranny possible. I’m not too worried about finding those spots quite yet.

      As for putting a murphy bed where the toilet currently is, it wouldn’t fit. A bed is about 6′ long and the toilet area is only about 3’x3′.

  3. Or forget the guest murphy and buy an air mattress if you ever need it! Just put more storage in the former toilet area….

  4. Are you going to have trap doors in the inside floor of your trailer to access below storage you mentioned that was under the bedroom?

    Where are the computers set up?

    1. There will be trap doors in the kitchen/bathroom areas. No trap doors in the bedroom.
      There will be one computer, a laptop, and I’ll generally be using it either when on the couch or at the kitchen table.

  5. I can just see a platform bed on the ceiling in the bedroom being lowered down onto permanent posts and landing just an inch above the couch and a few inches above the coffee table…..that way it takes no floor space at all. and it is up and gone with the day.

    1. I had that same idea, but it was switched to a murphy bed when I changed in the A/C to a split unit. When the bed was near the ceiling it would interfere with airflow from the A/C unit. Also, the hardware requirements are lower for a murphy bed than for a ceiling-mounted bed. Though I may come back around to this idea, it’s not set in stone yet.

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