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remodeling
Thought I would share pictures of the recent remodeling job done by Donnie Myers. We had our coach built in 2006. It was amazing how what was in then is out now. We were tired of polished brass, corian, keeping carpets clean, etc. We thought about trading for a new coach, but taking a 500k hit driving off the parking lot was not appealing. Further, it was amazing how much space is lost due to the Obama engine required now.
Our coach has been very carefully maintained and I knew it had good bones. We decided to make our current coach look like new on the inside and outside. We could not be happier with the result. Donnie’s in house decorator was invaluable in helping pull everything together.
Some of the things done include:
- Change the entry floor and install back lighting for glass tile
- Remove all tile and carpet. Run hardwood on diagonial throughout. Really opened space not have contrasting materials on the floor.
- Run floor heating throughout coach.
- Change out all appliances.
- Change all ceiling Halogen lights out to LED.
- Change laminate on all bay cabinets and facings.
- Changed out both windshields.
- Replace intercom system
- Change etched glass window between shower and bedroom to cracked glass,Replace house batteries.
- Change slide motors and locks to new technology
- New lamps and accessories.
- Re-upolster everything in the coach.
- Change all interior chades and exterior awnings.
- Remove every remnant of polished brass including shower enclousre. Replace with brushed nickol.
- Remove all countertops and window sills and replace with light weight granite.
- Change out the troublesome AMX system to the trouble free so far RTI system with i-pad intergration.
- Change both front and rear caps to the 2014 look.
- Change panels above wheels to the 2014 look
- Much more
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39 Replies
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Very tasteful. Very nice looking.
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Your bus turn out great!! I just put a new floor in mine and it’s darn near the same. I post some pictures of it as soon as I learn how. Ok maybe I’ll have boateral do it for me.
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Dave and Jill,
All I can say is absolutely gorgeous! Compared to the cost of going new, you hit a home run and anyone will be hard pressed to not think it’s new.
Great job…..
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Dave and Jill
Congrats and it looks better than new… I know it has been long in the making and glad your project is complete and you are back on the road. Hope to catch up with you soon at hopefully another NCRS event as i am ready to try out this bus!!!
All the best!!
Brady
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Wow… beautiful job… better than a new bus now !! congratulations on having the courage to do all of that… how long did it take… That’s my favorite Vantare floorplan… love it !
Diane
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Dave and Jill,
Beautiful job! It’s amazing just changing out the front and rear lights makes it look like brand new!
So, the paint job is original from 2006?
2006 doesn’t really seem that far ago so it makes me think the choices we choose today should take us way into the future (I hope).
We are building a new coach and I want it to last us without looking outdated in 6-8 yrs.
I want to make it as timeless as possible but I want to like the looks of it too.
Safe travels!
Mark
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I think what really makes Dave and Jill’s project an excellent choice is the base for their project was a coach they bought new. They knew the coach, were comfortable with its service history and it became the perfect platform for the updating.
As an alternative to a new coach anyone can do what Dave and Jill did. Even if the coach that becomes the basis is poorly maintained if it is purchased at the right price to compensate for a new engine, new transmission, etc. it can become a “new” coach again.
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Wow! We saw it just as it was being prepped for paint. Beautiful and what a wonderful job inside. You, Donnie and Walter are to be congradulated. I’ve always wonderered why more people don’t do what you have…..it makes so much more sense $$$$ wise.
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Corey, that was my question… if the coach was repainted as it sure looked fresh and new.
What would make us appreciate the remodel even more are the ‘before’ pictures. They sure have done a beautiful job on that coach.
Safe travels,
Mark
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Thanks for the nice comments. The coach was not
repainted. The only portion painted was the front and rear caps as well
as the fender panels where they were changed. The coach is kept inside
when not in use which makes a huge difference.The decision to remodel was not taken lightly. This is my 10th coach and I used
to freak out when they hit 60,000 miles. I recently hit 100,000 miles with this
coach and was really concerned about the miles even though I know how well it
has been maintained. While in California
last summer I told Dee at Prevost my concerns.
She started laughing and introduced me to two entertainer drivers. Both drove newer coaches than mine with one
having 700,000 miles and the other had close to one million miles. They both said their coaches had minimal
problems and they doubted I would ever wear it out with my current use.The more I thought about it the more it made sense to make
the investment in our current coach as opposed to trading for a new one. We really like the floor plan and we were
shocked how much space we would lose due to the new emission requirements. Further, from our personal standpoint we are
quite happy with two slides and the advantages of adding more slides do not
outweigh the disadvantages in our case. Thus
we bit the bullet and moved forward.
Donnie made the process easy by making valuable suggestions and the help
of his in house designer. She made the process
of pulling all of the decorator items easy.
The entire process took four months and was right on schedule.I think you will see more people doing this in the
future. It makes tremendous economic
sense when compared with trading for a new coach. We took tremendous pains when building our
coach to make it timeless. Funny how
taste change over time and my guess in 4-5 years we will be tired of what we
have. From my experience we will
probably remodel it again at that time. -
This is a pretty good thread and should be a consideration to buyers new to Prevost that… mileage… is not an issue or concern when looking at a used experienced bus.
Dave, has used his experience to have a coach of his dreams. There are so many talented techs in the service field that with the right coach to work on can give years of trouble free use, along with the interior of your choice.
Great post
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Over the past 30 years I have bought 10 new coaches. I finally found some common sense in my
advanced years. Mileage makes little difference
and they do not even break in until you reach 100,000 miles. The disturbing thing I found in over 30 years
of coach ownership is the difference between new cost and the value of your
existing coach at the same age and time when compared over 30 years continues
to increase and not remain stable. What
I am trying to say is the cost of new has increased dramatically while the
value of your used coach has remained flat or decreased. Even with manufactures leaving the market
place and new volume decreasing this has remained a constant.Lesson in this for me is to find a coach you like and enjoy
it. As you can imagine this was a very
costly lesson to learn. Do not worry
about the odometer reading. When you see
a new idea figure out how you can adapt it to your existing coach and keep your
money in the bank. It does not matter
how much money you have at some point you get tired of wasting it. This works for me, may not for others which I
totally understand I think. -
Changing out my wheels next week for chrome alloy wheels. Tired of polishing and rims looking just as bad in a month. Purchased wheels from http://www.imagedriven.info One of my friends changed his out 6 months ago and they look awesome.
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That’s the only way to go Dave. I did my trl rims too. You will constantly be asked how you got that shine.
Brent is good people.Later
bv -
i am sure to know the cost will be of interest to others, too.
thanks!
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