SargeW
Senior Member
Site Team
RV LIFE Pro
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2002
- Posts
- 10,621
Many of the mods done to the RV have been to change or “correct” manufacturing decisions. This has been one of those. Our new 5th wheel has been very reliable and functional in most every way. One exception has been the window in the front cap that is positioned directly over the queen bed. At first we really didn’t think much about it as it was attractive enough, and had a pull down window blind on the inside. We soon realized that it also came with significant issues for us. One was since we live in the southwest, sunny hot days even in the spring and fall are quite normal. The window was tinted darkly but in a west facing campsite the window would get blazing hot.
The first fix for that was a piece of insulation board, 1” thick and foil backed from H/D. Cut to size and painted and taped up and braced in the 6” deep window sill helped a lot with the heat problem. Then the 2nd observation was that the big window in the front of the RV was actually a target. So the next step was to get a cover for the window since it had already sustained 2 rock strike cracks, both that I had to repair.
Then on the inside I still had the “hole” where the window frame was and was covered with a pleated pull down window shade. The dear wife likes to recline and read in bed to wind down, but the big hole made it difficult as the pillows keep sliding into the hole.
To remedy the hole I made a trip to the local Lowes and picked up some 2X2X6 clear Douglas Fir lumber and 6 3’ long 7/8” oak dowels. The 2X2’s made up the frame and the dowels were spaced every 6” and counter sunk into the top and bottom rails. I found some matching spray paint for the headboard, and attached it to the bottom of the window frame with a 3” piano hinge. 2 “L” brackets secure the headboard at the top, and can be easily removed if I need to service or clean the inside of the window frame.
The first fix for that was a piece of insulation board, 1” thick and foil backed from H/D. Cut to size and painted and taped up and braced in the 6” deep window sill helped a lot with the heat problem. Then the 2nd observation was that the big window in the front of the RV was actually a target. So the next step was to get a cover for the window since it had already sustained 2 rock strike cracks, both that I had to repair.
Then on the inside I still had the “hole” where the window frame was and was covered with a pleated pull down window shade. The dear wife likes to recline and read in bed to wind down, but the big hole made it difficult as the pillows keep sliding into the hole.
To remedy the hole I made a trip to the local Lowes and picked up some 2X2X6 clear Douglas Fir lumber and 6 3’ long 7/8” oak dowels. The 2X2’s made up the frame and the dowels were spaced every 6” and counter sunk into the top and bottom rails. I found some matching spray paint for the headboard, and attached it to the bottom of the window frame with a 3” piano hinge. 2 “L” brackets secure the headboard at the top, and can be easily removed if I need to service or clean the inside of the window frame.
