Remote mounting is definitely another option, and has been done before.
For me, the twin filter housing is readily available (around $50 from truck wrecker when I last bought one), spacers aren't that big a deal to fabricate, and on a 110 the filters are in an otherwise unused space, nicely out of the way but easy to get to for changing etc.
I'm also quite fond of the "less connections means less places to leak" approach.
Steve

