Dining are that turns into sofa bed question

[yycwrangler]

Yup me again

Trying to do as much pre work before the trailer shows up late March. Today I'm working on a dining area that will pull out to a couch
http://vandogtraveller.com/expanding-bed-for-van/

I'm trying to calculate the depth, and height of a standard dinette frame. I'm thinking about 28" deep about 20" tall including the cushions that you sit on. And length will be no problem. Has anyone built their own dining seats and if so am I in the ballpark for measurements. The other consideration is how tall a cushion should be that you place your back against.


Thoughts?

Cheers
Al

[CoventryKid]

Our sofa is 6' long plus a 4.5"-wide arm at each end. The top of one arm opens to allow access to storage in the arm; the other one is open
at the end (storage for my drafting board). Arm height is 24"

Three 20x24" cushions sit on the plywood top. I had the cushions professionally covered; they are 4" deep foam and fibrefill.
The height from floor to top of plywood is 12".

I covered 3 plywood pieces with 1" foam and fibrefill for the back. We use throw cushions for back support.

This arrangement works quite well; my wife and I find it very comfortable.



I made a dining/work table that stores in the "door" opening at the rear of our CT:



Hope this helps!

[Padilen]

I used 2 pieces of 24x72 firm foam. I covered them with the recommended poly "batts". Then covered with material. I haven't spent a night on it but have napped on it and it's comfortable. But I'd add a 2 inch memory foam if it was my bed. But I prefer my loft bed, with 7" memory foam.



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[yycwrangler]

Thank guys

So it seems the common depth is 24" and as you mentioned Doug about 12" from floor to top of plywood seat, then cushions on top

That's a great start for me and now as I posted on another posting, try to figure out material that's good to site on and great to sleep on.

Padilen - how tall are the foam you rest your back on while sitting

Cheers
Al

[Padilen]

The back rest is 24" but sits on top of the seat foam so add another 4". I'm not sure if you can see from pics but the seat pieces slides behind the back rest. The back rest is angled somewhat, not straight up. It's made to cover the spring for loft/lift bed.The base holds my water tank and some storage area.


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[CoventryKid]

Al:

That's a great start for me and now as I posted on another posting, try to figure out material that's good to site on and great to sleep on.

Sorry, but I cannot remember the density of the foam the shop used when they made my cushions, but after 2 years of sitting/sleeping on them, they have not "broken down". So I would assume the foam is fairly dense. (I had some cushions made and upholstered for a kitchen dinette years ago and I remember it didn't take long for those to get soft where you sat on them all the while).

I think a good foam shop should be able to recommend the right foam to use.

Hope this helps!

[Iconfabul8]

I too have been thinking about a sliding couch-to-bed arrangement.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/356839970452031822/
A full bed is 54". So I have been thinking of 30" retracted and have it slide out 24".
So I would cut a full mattress 30" for the bottom cushion and 24" for the back cushion that sits on the bottom cushion.
This configuration matches my home couch pretty close. I am also considering just stuffing a futon on the thing and
forget about cutting and covering.

[yycwrangler]

Icon

I think were both in the same arena for builds. The only difference for me is that I want to make two sitting areas across from each other with a table in between. When the table is removed, the bed slides into place. Originally I was going to have both seating areas slide to make a bed 70 (well 69.25")" long platform (I'm 5'8" and my wife is 5'5" so we can sleep across the width of the trailer which is 69.25" on the inside). But if the seats area 24" deep, then only one of the seats needs to slide into the middle to make the bed foundation. (each seat is 24" deep X2 for a total of 48". Therefore the sliding part on has to be 21" (24+24+21"=69")which can be accomplished with one siding seat.

Hope that makes sense

Al

[Iconfabul8]

Icon

I think were both in the same arena for builds. The only difference for me is that I want to make two sitting areas across from each other with a table in between. When the table is removed, the bed slides into place. Originally I was going to have both seating areas slide to make a bed 70 (well 69.25")" long platform (I'm 5'8" and my wife is 5'5" so we can sleep across the width of the trailer which is 69.25" on the inside). But if the seats area 24" deep, then only one of the seats needs to slide into the middle to make the bed foundation. (each seat is 24" deep X2 for a total of 48". Therefore the sliding part on has to be 21" (24+24+21"=69")which can be accomplished with one siding seat.

Hope that makes sense

Al

Makes perfect sense. You could even do away with legs on the sliding part, just make it rest on the opposite side. You could even forget the slider and do like they do in campers and have the table drop across the gap.

[Padilen]

Icon

I think were both in the same arena for builds. The only difference for me is that I want to make two sitting areas across from each other with a table in between. When the table is removed, the bed slides into place. Originally I was going to have both seating areas slide to make a bed 70 (well 69.25")" long platform (I'm 5'8" and my wife is 5'5" so we can sleep across the width of the trailer which is 69.25" on the inside). But if the seats area 24" deep, then only one of the seats needs to slide into the middle to make the bed foundation. (each seat is 24" deep X2 for a total of 48". Therefore the sliding part on has to be 21" (24+24+21"=69")which can be accomplished with one siding seat.

Hope that makes sense

Al

Makes perfect sense. You could even do away with legs on the sliding part, just make it rest on the opposite side. You could even forget the slider and do like they do in campers and have the table drop across the gap.

That was what I would have suggested too.


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[yycwrangler]

Yes that's a good point regarding using the table..Would save a good bit of work..Thanks guys.

On another note I contacted a local seamstress here in Calgary who does "Rv cushions" I asked for a quote for 4 - 24"X60" cushions and 2 - 24" X 72" cushions to be made up.

She came back with a price of $1600 (about $1200US) for the foam, material and sewing..Does that sound like an accurate price or taking me to the cleaners. I thought it was rather expensive and had planned around $5-600 for all components.

Does anyone know of internet sites that do RV seat covers. I could probably find the foam locally and have the covers made for me

Al

[lrrowe]

Another solution to having a convertible bed/seat would be to use the swing up beds like I use and as others in the forum have posted. Then when the bunk is folded up, there could be another swing down leaf off of the underside of the bunk (vertical side when folded up) which becomes a bench seat. I had never thought of this before. I may look at it for my trailer. Not that I need a seat for a table, but it would be another nice seating or ledge storage area when I am alone and only need one bunk.

[CoventryKid]

Its been a couple of years but if I remember correctly, 6 - 20"x24"x4" cushions, all in, were around $700 Cdn. Done locally on Van. Island.

Included in that price was enough material to also cover back of sofa, entire chair, and ottoman that I did myself.

Hope this helps!

[Padilen]

Foam and good material is pricey. I think I paid about 100$ a piece for mine. I had the fabric and did my own sewing. I started with my old machine which quit sewing borrowed my neighbor's to finish. The large pieces were hard to handle, mistakes were made but they are functional. Good enough that others asked if I'd do theirs!
I'd suggest checking at a superstore for a foam mattress to cut down to your sizes. If you or a friend has a sewing machine sew your own. Shop around for fabric. I got mine when I was hired to clean up the left overs after a garage sale , about 10 years before I got my CT!


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[aggie79]

Yup me again

Trying to do as much pre work before the trailer shows up late March. Today I'm working on a dining area that will pull out to a couch
http://vandogtraveller.com/expanding-bed-for-van/

I'm trying to calculate the depth, and height of a standard dinette frame. I'm thinking about 28" deep about 20" tall including the cushions that you sit on. And length will be no problem. Has anyone built their own dining seats and if so am I in the ballpark for measurements. The other consideration is how tall a cushion should be that you place your back against.


Thoughts?



Cheers
Al

I've been looking into designs so that if I ever can afford to do a CT conversion, I'll be ready to go. I know you are looking to do a sofa bed but I think the below information on dinette dimensions would still apply.

This image was from a website that builds dining booths for restaurants.



For chairs and benches, these seem to be common measurements:

Seat base height: 17" to 18"
Seat base depth: 18" to 20"
Seat back height: 18" to 30"
Seat base angle: 0 to -5 degree from horizontal (down at back)
Seat angle for base to back: 95 to 110 degrees

Here's another site about RV dinette design worth visiting that that speaks to details to keep in mind regarding comfort: http://vintageairstream.com/cabinets-dinette/.

Lastly, and more to your point, this website has dimensions and design for a "gaucho" sofa bed: http://vintageairstream.com/sofa-beds-gauchos/.