How We Maximize the Bunkhouse of Our Grand Design Solitude 3740BH RV

When our family of five decided to sell everything and hit the road, we knew that finding the right RV was essential. We wanted something that would be spacious enough for our RV adventure family and could last us through our travels, however long that may be. That's why we chose the Grand Design Solitude 3740BH; its bunkhouse caught our eye immediately with not only a layout that would work immediately with three kids. But we knew this room had so much potential with the kids growing, and almost four years later, it still has.

Let's take a look at how we've maximized this space during our time on the road!

What does bunkhouse mean in an RV?

A RV bunkhouse is an array of sleeping spaces that are usually found in one room in an RV. A bunkhouse typically includes bunks beds built into the slides of the RV or somewhere in the room. Many times the RV bunkhouse also includes a pullout sofa or tri-fold sofa for extra seating and another option for sleeping arrangements in the RV. The ample sleeping room makes an RV bunkhouse ideal for families who plan on taking longer trips, who have multiple children or fulltime RV travel family. Because most bunkhouse RVs have multiple beds, many can sleep up to 10 people comfortably! 

This is our Grand Design Solitude 3740BH when we first got it in June 2019.

Selling everything to live in RV

Transitioning from sticks and bricks home to full time RV travel lifestyle takes some adjustments in more ways than one. When our family of 5 were looking for rigs The Grand Design Solitude RV bunkhouse immediately worked for us which was one of the reasons we loved it. We decided to not make any drastic changes to the unit until we lived in the RV fulltime for awhile. 

RV Bunkhouse with Couch

Removing the Sofa: The first step in maximizing this RV bunk room was to remove the queen size tri-fold sofa. With three children, we did not need the extra sleeping space in the RV bunkhouse but we did need more room in the living room for our family of 5. Removing the tri-fold sofa from the RV bunkhouse provided more floor space for our kids to hang out while giving them a place to play games, play with Legos and have a carpeted space to sit on the floor to read. In addition to space in the bunkhouse and more sitting room in the living room, it removed weight from the RV as we replaced the two recliners. 

Painting the inside of an RV 

As weekend warriors we had a Grand Design Imagine Travel Trailer that we had the interior professionally painted white. It was so much brighter and inviting with the white walls that I knew major thing we did to the RV was have it painted.

Here is the primer and paint that the professional painters used to pain the intererior of the RV, both ceiling and walls:

Modifications to an RV

Other initial changes included moving the railing from the full size bunk to the upper bunkbed in the slide. Not having lived tiny before, we thought that we would need more storage so we put in 3x3 storage cubes that would be multifunctional for storage and as a barrier for the full size bunk.

Elrod Timber made us a custom ladder to access the bunk after moving the metal ladder to the slide bunk bed.

Additional modifications we made to make the bunkhouse after living in the space for a bit longer removal of the valences around the windows in the RV bunkhouse, added pre-fabricated piece of shelving from Lowe's and legs off Amazon to make a desk for homeschool in the space under the bunk slide.

The 9-cube storage that we initially added we removed all but the lower 3-cubes because it blocked too much airflow to the full size bed and we didn't have enough items to store anything in them! 

I knew that making the bunks were going to be tricky so I got Beddy's. These zipper bedding are a one piece unit that you can zip up and remove the top cover if you don’t want it zipped.  There are a lot of different colors + designs, I went with the Kennedy’s Beddy as it was a good neutral for the kids. Check out Beddy's You can use the affiliate code BEHAPPE for 15% off your orders. 

Personalized my daughter's RV bunk area a bit more with Ari Rainbow Wallpaper from LoomWell. This removeable wallpaper has been the best I have found for the RV and have had no issues with it staying up. I love this paper so much LoomWell has given me an affiliate code for 15% off using the code BROOKEHAPPE

RV storage solution in bunkhouse

The closet system in the 3740BH RV bunkhouse was great for the first 1-2 years when our kiddos were little. However they started to outgrow the closet system so we switched up the cabinet from hanging clothes to these drawers from Lowe's for a solution to the clothes situation. 

Transforming RV bunkhouse

Overall, transforming the bunkhouse in our Grand Design Solitude 3740BH has been an essential part of making this RV truly feel like home the past 3.5 years of fulltime RV family travel! By removing furniture, brightening the space, and creating various storage spots throughout this RV bunkhouse, we have been able to maximize every inch of this space—giving ourselves more room to hang out together while creating a cozy atmosphere inside our RV home on wheels! I My biggest piece of advice is to live in the RV before you make any changes, don't just assume that you need something before others have done it or because this is a new lifestyle. For any families out there who are considering living full-time in their RVs or just want an extra bit of comfort when they travel — I hope these tips can help you make your bunkhouse feel like home too!

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