No More Skylight - A Mod You May Not Have Seen

[BigJohnD]

I've never been a big fan of skylights. Most of our previous units, we ordered without them. But, the Jayco had them, so my brain went to churning. When we first got the camper, I went ahead and coated both the kitchen and bath skylights with ProGuard Liquid Roof on the outside, then painted the inside of the inner panels. In between the inner and outer panels is batten insulation and reflective bubble insulation. So, here's a few pictures of what I started with. Basically all this achieves is eliminated what a lot of people complain about, light, and heat. The next post will be what I have done with the kitchen skylight now.

 

[BigJohnD]

So here's what I've done with the kitchen skylight now. The cut out is lined with stained birch plywood. The LED lights are wired to a hidden switch, and tied into the light just aft of the cut out. This way you do have the option to turn those lights off and keep the main ones on. The white panel is just sealed and painted birch plywood. The Fleur De Lis is cut out of birch plywood, sealed and painted. It stands off of the white panel using thin slices of 1" dowel rod. Then the main trim that screws to the ceiling is stained poplar. I like it way better now. I'll leave the bathroom one alone as you never really see it anyway, but wanted something in the kitchen besides a painted dome.

Only reason I didn't remove the outer skylight dome is sometimes it's best to leave well enough alone. If I had removed it, it wouldn't have been a big deal to do. Just frame up, plywood, new piece of roof and trim or seam the roof. Why go to all the trouble though.

Hope yall like it.

 

[jaycojls]

Nice!

 

[Jim Law]

We've never had skylights before, but ours come with shades, and we're trusting that the shade will solve any light problems, and strategically opened windows will solve any heat problem. (One 'light's in the bathroom, and the other is over the kitchen.)

 

[Hattie]

It's all personal choice and life-style; we like the kitchen and bath skylights "as are"; shades on them were not an option for our rig. The dog wakes me up before it is light outside anyway, but the 'bedroom curtains' negate the light coming through the sky-lights should DH sleep-in. IMHO, they add to the lightness and airiness of our TT!

 

[Jim Law]

In our PUP, there are a lot more windows than in a TT, but they are all fairly dark-tinted. We can't get a lot of light into it without unzipping them, and though there are screens behind the plastic, it's not always warm enough for leaving the windows open. Especially on the side that's already shaded by the awning, that significantly reduces the light coming in, and sometimes we wish it weren't so dark. That's why we went for the skylight over the stove, which was optional on ours. It too has a shade, though, so if there's a black square on the ceiling, we can cover it up if it creeps us out. What we are looking forward to finding out is how rain sounds on the skylights.

 

[Hattie]

Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head

What we are looking forward to finding out is how rain sounds on the skylights.

Not that we get much rain in California, we were in the TT during a deluge and it was a sweet sound. Wasn't so sweet the next day when we had to break-down and leave the campground ... our ponchos were great but we were soaked from the knees down!

 

[BigJohnD]

I just can't leave stuff alone. No matter how nice or fancy our rigs our, I'm going to change something, add something, rip something out and redo it etc. The thread was supposed to be more about the decoration in the ceiling than the pros and cons of a skylight. Sorry if I mislead on that one. I've always liked the fancy work in the ceiling of some motorhomes, and saw an opportunity with this one.

 

[Hattie]

I think you are very artful and creative, don't change - continue making us think. Sounds like you need to join the Fashion & Function Interior Ideas or the Modifications, Upgrades, & Advice social groups!

 

[BigJohnD]

Thank you for the compliment Hattie. Kind of reverse roles or out of the norm in our family, but I'm the interior decorator. My wife pretty much let's me run free with most stuff. I'm always digging for ideas on this forum and others, and like to post mine to give others ideas.

 

[Camping Couple-JAY]

John, that is flipping awesome!!!! What a great idea. It looks really sharp! You have a talent that I wish had.