The Penthouse on Wheels

Words and Pictures by Jenny & Dave Kendall, W50863
October 2009

In 2007, following a previous Coaster camper build, I decided to build the motorhome of my dreams.

We intend to travel but also wish to combine this with our motor sport - targa rallying. The motorhome is to accommodate ourselves, our service crew and the rally car trailer and spares.

Having scrutinised the for sale ads, I purchased a 12 metre single deck, rear engine Bova coach. The attraction was the futuristic body shape and the two metre headroom.Plans were drawn and re-drawn many times, with companies such as Jacana approached for ideas and cost. The vehicle was parked in a paddock at our property whilst I deliberated and re-designs took place, but for some reason I did not commence the strip out.

A chance purchase of a motorhome auto-trader set my mind in overdrive when I spotted a Setra and a Scania high deck vehicle for sale. Having driven these types of vehicles throughout Europe I started day dreaming about how I could use all this accommodation space. A call to Darryl, the owner of Fantastic Tours in the Blue Mountains, started several weeks of questions, measurements and photo exchange. My concern – the need for headroom, as I am 6’5”.

Very soon I was on a plane with tape measure, camera and cheque book in tow. The Scania was chosen for its available headroom and a deposit was paid. Now what do I do? I have two coaches and have blown the budget big time.

At Easter, Darryl drove the coach to Perth and as soon as Jen (my wife) saw it she set about designing the penthouse on wheels.
Now our challenge began, as no-one in WA was prepared to undertake a build of this nature. There were many offers from the east but they were cost prohibitive. It was at this point that we rose to the challenge to undertake the conversion ourselves.

We drew plans and re-drew them many times. Our final plan was to utilise the whole top deck as accommodation and install a toilet and double bedroom on the lower deck. We also wished to retain as much usable locker space as possible.

Our initial concept was to have a master bedroom at the rear, preceded by a separate bathroom and office, then working our way through the kitchen, dining and lounge area to four fully reclining coach seats behind the upper front screens, for passengers to sit and view the countryside. We were to utilise two sets of coach seats for the dining area. The concept was great BUT it still looked like a coach! We needed to think outside of the square.

Out went plan number 15, in came curved walls, curved kitchen benches, granite bench tops, wine racks, hand built lounges covered in macro suede and the interior finished off with aircraft type overlockers. In order to get our height, some pretty smart re-designing of the floor, whilst not interfering with the monocock chassis, took place.

‘D’ day came when we commenced the strip out. Out came seats, floors, roof lining, lockers, TV’s, coach air, in fact anything that was not required. We were left with a bare shell that was well removed from the luxury coach that we commenced with. We weighed everything metal in at the scrap merchants. The air conditioning unit alone weighed ¾ of a tonne! Out came the angle grinder and all unwanted seat fixings and floor sections were removed.

The high deck has two access stairs - one from the front drivers cab and the second midway on the passenger side. The overall height was 4.2 metres and length was 12.2 metres. A roof raise was out of the question as we were at maximum permissible height. The chassis prevented a total floor lower but careful designing of the in-built cupboards and units enabled us to work within the floor corridors.

The first task we undertook was to design the roof down-lights and fit the headlining, convert the centre air door to a conventional opening door, and change the passenger side locker doors from vertical opening to a top hinge unit so that the annex awning could be accommodated.

In order to get large items into the vehicle we removed a front upper screen and with a scaffold tower in place, managed to get everything in as we needed it.

Our first challenge was the installation of the one piece fibreglass shower unit. We measured it and it would just fit height wise. In we carried it and then the problems began. The shower would fit as we had measured the height BUT we had not allowed for the 900mm x 900mm squareness of the structure. It would not turn. Out came the angle grinder and with some cosmetic surgery we made it fit. We had a similar issue with the bed frame - fabricated it in the workshop and then found it was 5mm too wide for the front opening! The old saying ‘measure twice – cut once’ certainly applied.

Unwanted windows were removed and limo tint installed to the remaining windows. The cabinet work was all trial fitted before being lacquered and finally fitted. The upholsterer designed and re-designed the couches before we agreed on the finished product.
The master bedroom now accommodates an extra large queen bed and is complemented by a built-in wardrobe, bedside cabinets and wardrobes, reverse cycle a/c and a plasma TV.

The bathroom is home to the shower cubicle, vanity units and storage cupboards. All stainless tanks were designed and built at our home workshop. The design of the kitchen included stone tops, double sink, gas hob with glass range hood, full size fridge freezer, gas oven, microwave and three large slide-out pantries. Our lounge dining accommodates six people, a removable dining table and a large (very large) plasma TV. The two lounges convert into a further queen bed. Then moving forward again we pass the stereo/DVD units and wine storage to get to the front four reclining passenger seats. This area is also fitted with radio/DVD facilities for passenger comfort.

The separate Dometic cassette toilet is located at the base of the centre stairs so that it can be accessed from the annexe without people having to go into the living accommodation, but is also easily accessible from the accommodation level.

The under lockers have been well utilised, with the front loading washing machine and beer fridge utilising a part locker and the slide-out BBQ the rest of that same locker. Two fold up beds convert into a further double bed when required. When the beds are folded away that locker is used again for storage.

In my rush I nearly missed the driver’s cabin. Twin Bostram seats offer driver and co-driver comfort with a single bedroom accessible to both. Electronic aids such as quad cameras offer good visibility to both sides, the rear and the accommodation deck. A separate camera is located so that the triple axle enclosed car trailer can be hooked up with ease. The co-driver enjoys DVD comfort on the longer journeys, and the vehicle’s external colour scheme compliments the luxury fit out achieved.

Finally, our accommodation is complemented by the fully enclosed 24’ x 10’ annexe, which offers an excellent social and sit out area for our rally service crews. A further TV is mounted on the inside of the centre access door so that when the door is open the people in the annexe can view and drink.

Our aim is to be self-sufficient, with gas instantaneous hot water, gas hob and oven, two battery banks, three reverse cycle air conditioners, a state of the art inverter system and solar panels.

Was it cost effective, would we do it again? Yes to both. We came in on budget (the revised one) just.

The views expressed in the article above are the author's. Information featured within the article is supplied directly by the author and has not been reviewed by CMCA. CMCA, its directors and employees do not represent that the information is correct. CMCA has not inspected the vehicle.

As in the case of any motorhome, readers are strongly advised that all electrical, gas or other installations, and operations related to mechanical safety, should be carried out by properly qualified engineers; and that adequate fixed ventilation and suitable emergency equipment and exits are essential. When designing your own conversion, converting a vehicle from scratch or modifying an existing motorhome, only carry out such procedures as you are competent to perform. If you are unsure, get a qualified expert.