raising roof

[Jim March]

lapenitarvpark wrote:

>
> Has anyone raised the roof on their bird? We are considering doing that
> and putting slides in. Anyone got any input?


Depends on the model of course. The FC series has a pretty strong
primary frame and is probably able to take at least one living-room
slideout and still retain structural integrity. I don't think I'd want
to put one near the rear axle though, I'd want any slideout to start at
least 5ft forward of the rear axle to maximize "sag strength" in that
key area (read: if the frame is going to fold over, that's where it'll
want to happen!)

Raising the roof might be more difficult if we're talking about the area
where the mid-ships shower/toilet/closet walls are (or the very rear too
in one of the rare "rear bath" models). You've also got issues with the
wiring (to the lights and A/Cs), the insulation, etc.

I have a concept I'm pondering whereby I start with a more common "rear
bedroom" variant, raise the roof about 2.5ft just over that rear bedroom
area, put in a new "mid-ceiling" about 5ft up from the original floor
and put a motorcycle/ATV hatch in the back. You'd get a 5ft tall
"motorcycle garage" with floor space about the same as the whole
original bedroom; that garage would have a complete wall and door to the
interior (to keep gas fumes out of the living areas) and then a bedroom
area of about 3ft to 3.5ft tall over the garage (sort of like the front
bunk over a ClassC motorhome). The garage might be short but with the
bikes rolled out and a small rolling stool or similar you could have a
modest "shop space" area with workbench, room under the bench for a
Splendide washer/dryer, tools, maybe even some extra freshwater plus a
couple of bikes.

By avoiding a roofraise where the bathroom/shower/kitchen is the raise
becomes a lot less complex.

A roofraise in the same area but with the "horizontal split" done
differently could yield all sorts of possibilities. Picture a single
large 4ft tall by "whole width" bedroom area above for mom'n'pop and
then a split pair of "bedrooms" below for each of two kids - or one for
a kid, the other side for a washer/dryer, storage, monster battery bay
or God knows what else.

Jim