Renovating a 1992 Winnebago Warrior: Turn the Sofa into a Daybed with Storage

The original brochure

This is my full-time home and I simply adore it.  It is also my third RV, so  learning how to make a comfortable space for BC and me has been an ongoing process.  As a Starving Artist I work on a tight budget so my ideas may be off-the-cuff; but glance through and you may like one or two. 

My late husband was European and we envisioned traveling the U.S. in just such a vehicle; but that didn't work out as planned so I'm doing it on my own.  I'm not too savvy when it comes to mechanical things but I'm pretty good with a paintbrush and resourceful out of necessity. This Micro-Mini Warrior is 7 feet wide by 21 feet long by just under 10 feet high.

I wanted the inside to be as beautiful as I could manage, since I might be parked in some less-than-lovely spots (like Walmart parking lots, bless 'em, and Interstate rest areas). These photos are from the original brochure, and while it looks tidy and spic-n-span, the reality is it's 24 years old; with dated fabrics, dirty carpeting and typical RV cabinetry.  Ugh.

There are several places to sleep: the 7-foot jackknife sofa, which blocks the walkway when opened; the dinette which makes into a bed; or the space over the cab, which is like sleeping in the top bunk ALL THE TIME!!  No contest. I worked around the sofa  for a couple of months until I decided it simply had to go.

It was easy, truly. It was out before I could grab the camera. I won't demonstrate because there are other instructions online (where I learned), and when they say "4 bolts and that's it" they're right. But I'm not strong enough and needed help.


I offered a neighbor $40 an hour, which I could hardly afford, to help with the project; but a local shop would have charged $80 and I didn't know what I wanted done. With Wes I could live with the project during the week, deciding what I wanted to do next and doing as much as I could; and the next weekend I'd hire him to do what I couldn't. It was perfect and definitely saved me money in the long run.



Lots of RV'ers yank out their couches and replace them with a couple of easy chairs and a table in-between. One placed sideways might have been nice but this was impossible since the water tank is underneath the couch. With the couch gone, you can see (r, bottom to top) the power converter area; the white water tank,;and a black box in the back which is actually a small cabinet, accessible from the outside, which holds the power cord and spare tools, fluids, etc. There is no storage underneath the floor.

I hoped to accomplish three things:  a small daybed to kick back and watch a movie; a small storage area/extra counterspace alongside my next-to-nothing kitchen; and a 'step' to help get up to my bed, since I no longer had the couch to use. 



To save money we'd be using as much of the framework as possible, and Wes filled in the rest. A piece of 3/4" plywood would cover everything and become a solid base, but look at this space (left, with the red screwdriver). It would be covered and useless without another opening.


I decided to cut a piece from the front of the framework (using my hobby gourd saw from the Caning Shop). See the photo with the light carpet (r). For reference, the top of the photo is the cab, and the side door would be on the right.  This little space would be handy for boots or dog stuff; plus I kept hitting my shins on that corner of the couch.

Wes was a real trooper.  He was patient throughout my indecision, and even though he didn't always understand what I was trying to accomplish, he didn't argue and offered good suggestions. Well worth the money. This worked so well that I hired him to help me rip out the carpeting, build up the floor and install luxury vinyl plank flooring, which will be my next post.

One thing which surprised me was the depth of the new seating space without the jackknife sofa, which needed clearance in back to slide. This seemed to open up the space even more. Of course, it's pretty low to the ground but at 5'2", so am I. There must be dozens of ideas for this conversion space.

It turned out to be helpful for BC, too, since the couch was awkward for her. The front cushions of the old sofa actually stuck out a bit past the front edge, so removing the sofa also opened up the walkway. Who knew?

I didn't have the money for a new piece of foam, but it wasn't an issue since I've been using one set of the dinette's seat cushions (I rearrange that area, too, in a future post).  I replaced the original seat covers with some decorator fabric I picked up for a song; again, in Goodwill. It's not exactly the day bed I envisioned, but since it is deep it's easy enough to curl up.

A hard-sided file box was just the right size for a step (just right of the blue pillow), and it remains stable, loaded with paperwork. I covered it with a quilted pillow sham from Goodwill and tied it off with decorator cord.  A painted crate on the left side holds various items, and I can pile things on top or not.  As you can see I really had this loaded when I was parked for the winter, but now most of the items in the photos are in my storage locker or with friends.

Here's a closeup of that reclaimed area. If I had known where I was going I might not have cut off so much of the front, but it's alright. Hardly life threatening. Just don't make my mistake. Wes cut a tiny piece of wood to close up the space during cold, drafty months.






So that's how I replaced my sofa, and I'm so glad I did! Next up:

Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring