How much window area does a conversion need?

[BravestDog]

Anyone want to comment on this subject?

How much window area does a conversion need so it doesn't feel like your sitting in a dark box with no view of the outside world?

Is there a formula or rule to follow for how much window space a person needs to feel comfortable...?

[KAYE RIVERCITY]

....ECO- builders say 10% of floor space[sqft]-Maximum-depends on several things though...most important is sun heat gain and in the cold, heat loss and of course humidity issues...double panes are a waste of money in a RV with safety glass-only reduces fog on the inside and adds too little R-value to even calculate.....window pillows are the most efficient for the money[hot or cold]-I use them in my superinsulated house on all windows but the front facing in the fall....supposed to remove them in day lite,but I forget and just pull them in the spring [takes 2 minuites per window]....[can't remember everything-every day].....there is also the issue of escape windows-but a hammer will do the trick real quick if attached under the window on a bracket-along with a safety flashlite.....I have No windows because of the dog and I don't stay in except after dark-then I have no use to look outside anyway..... If I need to look outside -I open the doors.....to each his own-but the main way a RV is broken into is the windows-some are pried out with a small prybar-the rest are broken out with a blanket or rug over the window so the neighbors don't hear the noise....and then the RV is looted from with in....the thieves just walk away when they are ready.....usually by someone else in the park......as per the COPS in our local state lake east of Cincinnati.....I'm in the process[very slowly] of installing a alarm system in the truck and trailer so it can protect both or each one individually-at hose or on the road....geofkaye

[kblackav8or]

You don't want a dungeon, especially if you take the family along. Guys only could probably deal with fairly dark environs. At least one window per side. It is a trade off. Think resale too. A dark box won't sell.
Kevin

[KAYE RIVERCITY]

kblackav8or.....you live in San Diego[SUN].....I live in Ohio we have winter[DARK&DANK]....it lasts 4 months[D-J-F-M].....it is dark gray with snow-sleet----very little sun....rain and rain and more rain or freezing rain, rain and more freezing rain with slush and miserable winds....did I mention rain?...anyway most of the time I travel it is during the day and very very little at nite-I'm not interested in seeing my neighbors watching me or drinking and argueing with their tv set or their kids smoking dope.....If I need to look out I have a full width and height back door 8.5'X8' and a 24" side door with screen if I aim the trailer correctly, I might see something I can appreciate....most of the times it is nothing but other campers or trucks in a truck stop-campground- or a expressway truck parking area or a chicken coop haven for trucks-or police command center parking area[damn RED/Blue Lites-they can turn them off once in a while-can't they?]....Walmart parking lot isn't really very interesting either.....When I close up for the nite the trailer and truck are not penertable by those with evil intent. That is more important than anything else to me-even with the dog-who will wake me if anything is remotely remarkable+electronic sensors/security......I value security and quiet and comfort and good books to read[I have to go on vacation to read a book anymore]....But others must have windows and glass and all kinds of blinds and window treatments with multi-pane windows-some even with the new heat mirror treatment between panes.....that's why there are so many manufactures doing their thing these days-to make a coach or trailer "a home like experience". If you get a chance look at the FEMA trailers heading to N.O. and Texas....imagine looking out the windows at 3500 other trailers looking exactly the same....that's sucidial or clinicaly depressing at least.....and downright insane......but my interests are else where-the beach-the parks-the mountains-the ocean I'm out in it all day .....at nite my interests are different. Hope you understand....we can't all be the same with the same interests.....resale is not even an issue to me as my trailer is a carhauler and can be converted to haul 2 cars in 10 minuites for those days at the track-fishing cabin or hunting lodge or in the motorhome trailer area for viewing NASCAR-[pass a beer please!]......geofkaye

[kblackav8or]

I am from Oregon and am very familiar with going to and from work or school in the dark. I think we are actually farther north at 46deg N latitude. If resale or keeping the wife or family happy isn't an issue then build it the way you want. I was just posting the broader issues of things to think about.

[KAYE RIVERCITY]

....wife...family happy?.....I haven't the foggiest-I fired them years ago....something like in 1980's somewhere around there 'bouts......hummm....can't even remember her name now-must have been Important at the time-I suppose......NEXT!.....geofkaye

[WalliK]

it is dark gray with snow-sleet----very little sun....rain and rain and more rain or freezing rain, rain and more freezing rain with slush and miserable winds....did I mention rain?

I guess thats why more people want to live in San Diego or SoCal for that matter than in Ohio.

Anyway, have to agree with kblackav8or here. I like windows, would even have one in the cabover if possible.

Have been reading somewhere (might have been even here on different thread) ideal would be 10% of floorspace as window. So on aobut 250 sqft about 25sqft of window space. Never measured it though to compare with a class A for example.

[KAYE RIVERCITY]

...with windows of any size it is important to size the HVAC corrrently....also consider insulation....most factory coaches/trailers are very poorly insulated/sealed and use oversized HVAC unites....like underbelly unites.....[waste of energy and money-IMO]...installs are usually poor and have leaky seams.....I saw a 60,000 BTU unit on a trailer in Columbus.....that is enough to run my house down to 40 below with a 20 mph wind factor.....and then there is the A/C issue......every trailer or coach should be able to cool down and keep a 72 degree temp on a 100 degree day at 100% humidity....there is also the ventulation issue as many coaches and trailers are not vented properly and have a high moisture load as well as a mold load in southern clims....people are actually dying in their own air waste products and mildew and mold spores......let alone the issue of formaldehyde off gassing....10% of the population is allergic to formaldehyde in any form....so windows are important but the whole system must be matched.....geofkaye

[Kirk]

I am going through the same issue. I am converting a 28' moving van into a toy hauler / RV. Right now when you are inside the box it feels like you are in a dark prison. I have been looking at some tinted windows to cut down on the heat getting in. I found a place, Walt's RV in Fontana, CA (for those of us in So Cal) that sells them fairly cheap. Any size regardless of tint, screen or anything else for $1/in measured the longest dimension. Now we just have to figure out how many to put in.