Bed up front?

[G33klibrarian]

Hey y'all!



I am beyond excited to be picking up my bus this week and driving her home from Texas to south-ish Florida. Talk about a maiden voyage solo! Now that I have the bus and know what kind of space I've got I can really start plotting the layout more firmly. It's a ~31' lift bus with the lift located at the passenger rear side of the bus. This puts two doors at the back and on in the front. I think I'd be really nice to relax/work where I can have two doors open. I'm wondering does anyone have their living/kitchen space in the back of their rig instead of the front? Any pros/cons you can think of? Thanks in advance.



~Aemok

[LargeMargeInBaja]

After decades of conversions of busses, semi-trucks and trailers, we decided on something different.
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2003, we converted a 1997 Ford CF8000 commercial truck to our concept of an ExpeditionVehicle.
Our conversion took less than a week... while selling everything.
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We decided on bed forward, door aft.
Our interior is three paces across by seven paces long.
This is perfect for two adults -- plus a frequent yummy third -- and two RedHeelers.
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Kitchen:
We are rarely inside, we prefer cooking outside.
Instead of a dedicated 'kitchen' used only a few minutes a day, we use induction hot-plates.
We can cook on our porch, or an extension-cord gets us to a picnic-table.
With two hot-plates, a pair of cooks have elbow-room to craft masterpieces simultaneously.
After cooking, the equipment stores back in their cubbies.
Modular.
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Although we could cook inside, this portable system reduces indoor odor and moisture.
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For worshing, we use retired five-gallon stainless-steel Pepsi kegs.
Modular.
.
We can take a half-dozen for a weekend, or a couple-three dozen for an extended remote stay.
Modular.
A quick puff from a 12vdc air-pump for bicycle-tires, and the five-gallons is ready to use.
Our output is a sprayer for a kitchen-sink.
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For hot water, we use kitchen 'sous vide' circulation heaters.
A shower uses three-gallons.
A brainiac calculated the photovoltaic to heat a dedicated three-gallon 'Torpedo' Pepsi-keg knock-off at about ten minutes noonish.
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Living room:
Instead of a couch or pair of recliners -- similar to a stand-still house - we realized our RequirementsStatement put us outside most of the time.
I could say 'this beach is my living-room' or 'this forest... or 'this desert...'.
Modular.
I hope this makes sense.
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Nearly two decades full-time live-aboard in this rig, we are pretty sure 'SIMPLER IS BETTER'.
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For portraits of parts of our ExpeditionVehicle, toy-hauler I built on a commercial chassis, and our 40' semi trailer conversion, gander at these:
https://eugene.craigslist.org/pts/d/...374463500.html
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PS:
Moments prior to reading your post, I visualized a bus.
Plating over the front entry.
Extending the floor to fill over the former entry steps.
Mount a navigator seat to match the operator seat.
Wall behind the drive area.
Forward bed as part of that wall.
Aft door(s).
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Great minds...

[cadillackid]

a friend of mine modified his pre-made motorhome to put his bed up front and office in the back for the very reason you talk of.. the back of his motorhome was surrounded by windows.. he made those windows larger and full opening and then modified a high quality sleeper sofa to build in to the front area.. the only disadvantage is he has to fold his bed up each day or have the "cluttered look" of a bed out (he is a clean lines kinda guy like me)..



as for the lift door in an office setting.. mine is up front right behind the service door.. and I OFTEN have it swung wide open while I hang out inside and work.. even on cooler days ill open that door and crank the heat on high.

[turf]

i have a front door and a rear door.

bed is at the back, visible when the rear door is open.

it wasn't very private. i didn't think much about it until the first time i was at a gas station filling up. i opened the back door for a funnel, and went back to finish fueling. when i went to pay, my unmade bed was visible thru the back door by me, the station attendant and all onlookers.

everyone is curious and looks. having your dirty laundry on display when they do look is embarrassing.

the next day i cut a piece of plywood to cover the view from the door into my personal space.

bedrooms are private spaces. public spaces like living room or kitchen work better around doors.

[cadillackid]

Doors.. a concept I seemed to have only ever grasped for the bathroom.. at home my bedroom door is wide open whether I’m sleeping or awake. Of course the “bedroom” in my bus is just tossing an air mattress on the floor and crashing out.. all the windows are non tinted and tall..

My roommate though is opposite . Bedrooms are private . His door is never open his windows always closed his shades always down. Even on the nicest of days his room is closed up and AC on if it’s warm in there. Me? Rest of house wide open all the shades all the windows lol

[DeMac]

G33klibrarian: Bed up front?
...Any pros/cons you can think of?

Terrific visabile marketing for a work bus. A bed in front of a display window is the industry standard for advertising activities on an activity bus. Adding a red (or black) light over the dash will prove more lucrative.