Kitchen & Bathroom Upgrades

Cooktop Replacement

When the truck was first built, we had to settle for 110 volt power. This was because of the Mastervolt system that was installed. Apparently they can provide 110 volts for North American residents, or 230 volts for everywhere else in the world, but not 110 and 220 volts like we have in our North American homes and larger RVs. The 220v is used for the heavy power hogs like cooktops, ovens, dryers, electrical water heaters and baseboard heat if it is installed. We wanted a two burner portrait style induction cooktop, but they all run off 220 volts. We couldn't find a 110 volt two burner cooktop in the portrait orientation, only landscape. Since we didn't want to lose the counter space to a landscape orientation, or have the controls sideways by turning a landscape cooktop 90º, the only option was to use a cheap single burner induction unit. We felt that we could get by with just one burner. The problem with these cheap units though, is that they don't have very good heat control on them. So low heat simmering was difficult.

Two years on, we found a new manufacturer of a high end double burner, portrait, 110 volt induction cooktop. In order to swap them out, we had to open up the size of the counter cutout to fit the new unit. Fortunately, a close friend has the tools to do this as the company he owns installs high end appliances of all sorts on a daily basis.

We had to mask off the whole interior to protect the surfaces from the dust created when cutting the stone. The new cooktop is light years ahead of the old one, and looks a lot nicer as well. The added bonus is that this new model has a silicone rubber cooking mat that covers the glass surface. It stops pots from sliding around, protects the glass from damage, and catches all the spills if there is a boil over. If a mess is made, the mat can easily be thrown in the sink and washed clean. It was the perfect solution.

BACKSPLASH ADDITIONS

When we ordered the build for the truck, we did so with the shiny white interior that came stock on the wall panels themselves. We didn't have many windows, so we thought that the white interior would be bright and uplifting.

Since the wall board was smooth fibreglass, we also thought it would work well in the backsplash areas of the kitchen and bathroom. Well, we were wrong on both accounts. After living with the interior for nearly two years, we realized that the white interior was not only stark, but it reflected the glare from the exposed lenses of the lights in the ceiling. This glare causes the iris of the eyes to close, which lets in less light thus making the interior feel dark.

The other problem with the white interior is that it affected our mood inside the truck. We could see all of the 1" x 1" white painted angles that were glued, and in some cases, screwed in all the corners and edges to seal the joints of the wall panel material. Since this looked unfinished to us, perhaps even unprofessional, every time we entered the truck and saw them, it made us think of all the problems we've had with the truck, courtesy of the body builder. So we absolutely had to change this.

We started by finishing off the bathroom and kitchen counter areas with matching stone backsplashes. This work was all done by the stone countertop trades, as the material was too heavy for us to work with, and we didn't have the specialized tools needed for the work. When the backsplashes were done, we started the larger task of completely changing the look of the cabin interior. Go to the Interior Remodel page for that. It was a major piece of work which affected the walls and lighting in a very significant and positive way.

Below are a few photos of the men installing the backsplash product, which is the Cambria Quartz manufactured stone.

FAUCET CHANGE

Although more cosmetic than anything, there was still a functional reason for replacing both of the kitchen sink faucets that the builder installed.

The drinking water faucet was, frankly, a piece of junk. Sure it may have been the one that came with the Seagull IV drinking water filter, although it doesn’t show it on the Seagull website, but it was cheap chrome which didn't match the brushed nickel finish or shape of the main faucet. More over, it leaked. It didn't really have a positive off position, as the knob rotated left or right of the centre off position. As careful as we were in trying to get it to that position, it invariably leaked.

The other issue was with the main faucet. The geometry was wrong for our small sink, and as such, was awkward to use because it reached all the way to the front of the sink and made normal use problematic. To remedy both of these problems, we found two new faucets at our local Home Depot that worked perfectly, and looked great.

The frustrating and disappointing thing is this. When looking through photos of past Overland Expo events, we found a few shots that we took while looking at another of our builder's trucks. That truck, which cost less than half of what ours cost, had a nice brushed nickel drinking water faucet. So what's with that?