New Pantry for 1998 26.5 Mid-Bath March 09, 2017, 10:26:24 am I was previously storing my food over the dinette booth. It was not only inconvenient, but I couldn't actually see what I had on-board if the item was tucked in a corner.Many of you know I'm currently in Puerto Penasco, Sonora, MX, so I thought I'd try to find a carpenter to build a pantry for me. I have to say that it took a tweak or two, but I feel like I now have a beautiful (and functional) place to store my food supplies. "Jorge" supplied and stained the wood (he took off the door under the sink to match). He suggested that he build a small wood piece so the food wouldn't fall out, as well as make a two piece door that opened out. All-in-all, he charged 5,000 pesos (about $250.00 USD) to build and install the pantry - although I did give him an extra 500 pesos. I went to a place that works with iron and had the door handles made from a picture I found on Pinterest. The shop charged me $15.00 to make both door handles. Needless to say, I'm quite happy with the finished product, and Jorge moved the accordion door to the other side.I'm attaching photos of the finished product... 16 Likes
Re: New Pantry for 1998 26.5 Mid-Bath Reply #1 – March 09, 2017, 10:52:26 am Beautiful! I've always been amazed by the craftsmanship and resourcefulness of our friends south of the border!So what was in that space originally?
Re: New Pantry for 1998 26.5 Mid-Bath Reply #2 – March 09, 2017, 11:21:38 am Holy cow, Cheryl - That is really beautiful - definitely looks like fine furniture that was built in. So very handy! Virtual hugs, Judie
Re: New Pantry for 1998 26.5 Mid-Bath Reply #3 – March 09, 2017, 11:56:27 am Quote from: HiLola - March 09, 2017, 10:52:26 amBeautiful! I've always been amazed by the craftsmanship and resourcefulness of our friends south of the border!So what was in that space originally?It's a small recessed space that on the back side is the shower wall. It actually "sticks out" a little (with the door about six (6) inches), but a dedicated pantry for me was well worth the almost insignificant loss of space. 3 Likes
Re: New Pantry for 1998 26.5 Mid-Bath Reply #4 – March 09, 2017, 03:45:58 pm Cheryl ... I'd say you hit a home run with bases loaded. Just wonderful. Btw, do you have an album with photos of ALL your special updates? I want to show DW. And thank you for sharing.
Re: New Pantry for 1998 26.5 Mid-Bath Reply #5 – March 09, 2017, 06:00:38 pm Wow that looks really nice. Great idea and doesn't intrude into the hallway very much at all.
Re: New Pantry for 1998 26.5 Mid-Bath Reply #6 – March 10, 2017, 03:43:10 am Quote from: Traxless - March 09, 2017, 03:45:58 pmCheryl ... I'd say you hit a home run with bases loaded. Just wonderful. Btw, do you have an album with photos of ALL your special updates? I want to show DW. And thank you for sharing.I don't have an album, but I probably should make one. I've done several "Mexican mods" to my Lazy Daze and have been quite happy with the results. I've had all the original upholstery recovered with "pleather," and it's quite lovely. I also had the bottom "skirting" (where the cargo bays are) repaired and repainted this year. I have one more "project" before I leave that I couldn't resist - I've having a mural of a mermaid painted on the rear tire cover. 2 Likes
Re: New Pantry for 1998 26.5 Mid-Bath Reply #7 – March 10, 2017, 08:37:49 am Beautiful! How did you find Jorge and how would one contact him in the future for a similar cabinet to be made? We are pondering a trip to Puerto Penasco next year for our first time. Thanks for sharing your upgrades!Marti in Tucson (but from Seattle)2011 midbath
Re: New Pantry for 1998 26.5 Mid-Bath Reply #8 – March 10, 2017, 09:15:25 am Quote from: Marti - March 10, 2017, 08:37:49 amBeautiful! How did you find Jorge and how would one contact him in the future for a similar cabinet to be made? We are pondering a trip to Puerto Penasco next year for our first time. Thanks for sharing your upgrades!Marti in Tucson (but from Seattle)2011 midbathI posted to the FB Puerto Penasco group https://www.facebook.com/groups/PuertoPenasco/ and asked for a recommendation. A woman who lives here now, but is originally from Tucson invited me to her home to see his work. He speaks very little English, but she translated for me. I actually asked him for his phone number after he completed the work so in the future I can have my cabinet doors/drawers refinished. Through our limited knowledge of each others language I found that he lived for five years in Indianapolis (my hometown) building homes. He's a super nice man, and as you can see the quality of his work is superb. 2 Likes
Re: New Pantry for 1998 26.5 Mid-Bath Reply #9 – December 07, 2019, 09:40:54 pm Do you know how he affixed the cabinet to the wall? The shower is directly behind that wall, which, I'm pretty sure is just thin panelling. I know that Andy Baird made a similar cabinet and said that he relied on the fact that the cabinet sat on the floor, so the attachment to the wall wasn't critical, but I'm still unsure how to attach it. Thanks!!
Re: New Pantry for 1998 26.5 Mid-Bath Reply #10 – December 08, 2019, 09:26:24 am Enclosed is a screen shot of what we did. We use ¾" wood screws for all repairs and upgrades. <smile> no problems yet........ 1 Likes
Re: New Pantry for 1998 26.5 Mid-Bath Reply #11 – December 08, 2019, 02:51:15 pm FYI - LDs are built similar to a house so you can get an idea of the size of the framing wood pieces by measuring how thick the wall is - at a door frame. Make sure you are not including door trim pieces.
Re: New Pantry for 1998 26.5 Mid-Bath Reply #12 – December 08, 2019, 06:56:36 pm Cheryl, maybe get the ironworker to do up a deadbolt to match the handles to secure the doors when traveling? Don't know how much I'd trust those magnets - you know the pole are going to flip again any time...... That looks great!Joel
Re: New Pantry for 1998 26.5 Mid-Bath Reply #13 – December 08, 2019, 08:09:32 pm Quote from: colddog - December 08, 2019, 09:26:24 amEnclosed is a screen shot of what we did. We use ¾" wood screws for all repairs and upgrades. <smile> no problems yet........Thanks so much for the info!! Very helpful!!
Re: New Pantry for 1998 26.5 Mid-Bath Reply #14 – December 09, 2019, 03:41:38 pm Quote from: HiLola - March 09, 2017, 10:52:26 amBeautiful! I've always been amazed by the craftsmanship and resourcefulness of our friends south of the border!So what was in that space originally?There is nothing in that space originally. It is the outside wall of the bathroom, the shower is on the other side of the wall. There is an accordion door anchored at the left edge of the space. This was an Andy Baird style upgrade. I want one too.
Re: New Pantry for 1998 26.5 Mid-Bath Reply #15 – December 09, 2019, 07:02:24 pm I really don't deserve credit for the pantry design. I first saw one in a 1989 twin/king; as I recall, the owners told me that it had been built by a freelance carpenter working for a previous owner. I copied the design, with a few improvements (e.g., adjustable shelf brackets), for my 1985 T/K, and then built a similar cupboard for my 2003 midbath. My only contribution was to document it--not that it's hard to figure out. :-) 2 Likes
Re: New Pantry for 1998 26.5 Mid-Bath Reply #16 – December 09, 2019, 09:41:10 pm Quote from: Andy Baird - December 09, 2019, 07:02:24 pmI really don't deserve credit for the pantry design. And Amerigo Vespucci didn't discover America either Thanks for your contribution. That was the one of the first things I was adding to my 2013 IB, but the mothership had beaten me to it. It was already installed. Joel 1 Likes
Re: New Pantry for 1998 26.5 Mid-Bath Reply #17 – December 09, 2019, 10:48:54 pm I really appreciate that the pantry was added to our TK before we got it. It even has a matching door to the bathroom door. We mostly use it to store often accessed odds and ends that would be too much trouble to store in drawers. It makes for a perfect flush fit against the accordion door.Even though it has a LD door I assumed the pantry was added by the first owner since the sides and shelves are stained fir. Did the mother ship ever add this as an option at some point?
Re: New Pantry for 1998 26.5 Mid-Bath Reply #18 – December 10, 2019, 10:38:03 am Quote from: 73gitane - December 09, 2019, 10:48:54 pm Did the mother ship ever add this as an option at some point?Nope. I once asked. Pointed out it would be less then $15 in materials and labor and they could add $300 or so dollars to the final price. Steve just smiled.glen
Re: New Pantry for 1998 26.5 Mid-Bath Reply #19 – December 10, 2019, 11:40:42 am Quote from: 73gitane - December 09, 2019, 10:48:54 pmI really appreciate that the pantry was added to our TK before we got it. It even has a matching door to the bathroom door. Did the mother ship ever add this as an option at some point?While it was never offered as an option, pantry additions can be made to look as if it came from the Mothership as standOrder a pair of the Mid-bath's pantry doors, in the cherry or maple to match your LD's paneling, and use either cherry or maple to build the frame. Mid-bath pantry-Maple | FlickrLarry 2 Likes
Re: New Pantry for 1998 26.5 Mid-Bath Reply #20 – December 10, 2019, 03:08:31 pm Quote from: colddog - December 10, 2019, 10:38:03 amNope. I once asked. Pointed out it would be less then $15 in materials and labor and they could add $300 or so dollars to the final price. Steve just smiled.If they could get away with it, LD would have no options...."you don't need it''. This attitude was institutionalized by Steve's father, Ed Newton, he hated options.Too bad, LD is missing out on several lucrative profit centers, the bottom line, they do not want to be custom RV builders.It's too much for Steve to think and worry about. And it opens the doors to the who would like to work on LDs for profit. Any youngsters here with advanced carpentry, plumbing, electrical and general mechanical skills looking for a new career?Working on LDs, and RVs in general, is a wide open field, with very few qualified candidates to take care of the current demand for repairs and upgrades. One could make a decent living doing so.Larry 3 Likes
Re: New Pantry for 1998 26.5 Mid-Bath Reply #21 – December 10, 2019, 06:32:37 pm We have a very good independent RV shop up here, he charges a fair price on parts and labor and he is busy summer and winter. Jon