We're finishing up the more difficult items on the Exiss LQ. We put off the toilet and holding tank installations until they couldn't be ignored any longer. We were told by our local RV dealers that it was a major under taking, they would enjoy charging us a great deal of money for their assistance, and we were offered absolutely no help in the way of information. Fortunately we have my trailer to use as an example, for the placement of components, the interior floor plan and how various things fit together.

One of the floor joists had to be partially removed to make room for the black water tank. A sawsall and a angle grinder with a cutting wheel, made short work of the bottom plate and vertical web of one of the floor joists. The top web was left intact, and the flooring was not disturbed. The whole job took about 20 minutes.

Locating the toilet and drilling a pilot hole through the floor took about the same time. Without a shower base in this bathroom, there is more space for the toilet's location than in my trailer. We placed the holding tank between the joists and held it in place with my floor jack. We didn't need the jack because of the weight, it was helpful because of its infinite vertical adjustment, to hold the tank in place.

We placed the floor flange under the toilet and moved it to the best placement. Lifting the toilet, while being careful not to move the flange, we now knew where the hole was to be drilled through the floor and into the tank. The center of the flange was determined, and using a 12" long bit, we drilled through the floor and into the tank underneath. The vent hole was more difficult. The end of the tank is not directly underneath, where the stack vent was to be located inside the bathroom. After some measurements were taken above and below the floor, an alternate location was determined, and that hole was drilled.

I don't have a 3 1/4" metal cutting drill bit, so we cut the flooring hole undersized with a sawsall and ground it to size with a rotary file on my die grinder. The tank was dropped, scored with my wood working bits, and finished oversized to accommodate the rubber flange inserts. We installed the tank with stainless straps, first fitting the dump valve and bayonet adapter in the end.

Press and stick urethane tile flooring was installed on the bathroom floor. The floor flange and down pipe were installed, as was the tank vent pipe. The stack vent had to have a "T" and some elbows added to locate it into the corner of the bathroom. The last ceiling hole was cut, and the vent pipe was put into place. The toilet was bolted down, and the job we were most unsure of was finished. The smartest thing we did, was not to install the front wall of the bathroom until this work was finished. Having the extra elbow room was welcomed.

The next project was installing the galley counter top. I had almost two boxes of granite tile left over from my kitchen redo, which the trailer owners like. The top is a small affair, with a small stainless sink and 2 burner cook top. Once the tiles were cut to go around the sink, the owner's wife wanted it used for the back splash as well. Is is a good product for this usage as it is heat resistant and affords an easy clean up. The whole project took about an hour to layout, cut and install. I have to make a Cherry moulding for the front edge, and the owners will finish up with the grouting this week.

The owner has completed a great deal of the work. Much of the wiring is installed and terminated, and most of the plumbing is routed. The water pump and tank are now installed in a newly built boot box/bench against the bulkhead. The water heater is connected, the main cabinets are framed, the bathroom wall and door are installed. Once the refrigerator is in place, the gas service will be plumbed, leak checked, and the various appliances can be checked for proper operation.

There are many small things left to do, and less than two weeks until the trailer's first outing for the year.

I would like to take this opportunity to particularly thank 301 Duster and Whinny2 for their assistance. Their valuable knowledge and willingness to help, made this project a viable affair. There are some good people on this forum, and we are most fortunate to have them available, when we need assistance. Thank you both.

Gard

Gard - A few curiosity questions...

Are you going to post pictures when you are finished so that we can see?

Any idea how many total man hours you have involved?

Any idea how many dollars in materials at this point?

It makes it alot easier to understand why companies charge what they do when you hear the amount of labor involved.

Sounds like it is going good and be a very nice package when it is done. Good luck on finishing up everything before it's maiden voyage with the interior. Keep us posted.

I would expect that professionals who do this work on a daily basis, could substantially lower our labour times. Having the materials readily available, and knowing in advance exactly what to do, and what you will need to complete a project, greatly improves your efficiency.

I'm sure that a business specializing in this work, could effect the same job in a half, or even perhaps a third of our time. In addition, they are purchasing their materials and appliances at wholesale prices. If there weren't a potential for profit, why are there so many companies conducting this business?

If we were to repeat this project, it would not be unreasonable to expect we could reduce our labour by at least twenty hours. Having an indoor work area instead of fighting the weather, would also benefit our progress. In addition, performing the work full time, instead of constantly starting and stopping, would greatly reduce the final assembly time.

I don't feel badly for the conversion companies.

Gard

Easy there tiger...I wasn't trying to start an argument or knock what you are doing. Agreed they are in business to make a profit. And agreed that they will be more efficient by doing it on a regular basis. However, they have costs that you don't have by doing it in your backyard or shop; wages (yours is free at home), taxes(gotta love those), insurance (health, equipment, product liability), and advertising. The one thing that I will disagree with you on is feeling badly for the interior companies. There are many of them out there that are closing doors and have laid off employees till they are at a crawl. Those are the ones I do feel badly for. I guess their profit margins aren't what everyone thought they were.

Once again, I will say my questions were curiosity more than anything. The only interiors that I have had anything to do with, I bought. Simple as that. Not knocking yours or what you are doing. Actually a little envious. I wish I had the time and gumption to do one myself. Sounds like it is going to be nice, of high quality, and built to last as long as the trailer.

I obviously took your response back other than it was intended.

Agree 100%. The larger the business, the less efficient. Managements tend to throw people at a problem to fix it and you ultimately end up with more people than what is needed to do a given job. Then you lose the efficiency that you were working to gain. Throw more people at it....you get my point. It becomes an ugly circle.

edited for spelling