Durability

I lived in a 1969 Boles Aereo for a few years in the 80s and early 90s. Basically called a Park Model as it was too heavy to tow all over the country but could be moved. Lots of people ahve Park Models and live in them in FL. Works well. Go online and look at whats for sale and get some ideas.

OK,

I lived in a 30 foot fifth wheel I bought brand spanking new in 1999 for over two years.
The trailer was situated in a mobile home park that had electric, water and sewer.
Granted it was like an RV park.

I never had any of the problems, bugs, rat, mice or any other things happen that seem to get driven into the ground here.

All I did was park the trailer then I used cinder blocks and frame jacks to steady it.
I bought a small shed also to keep the inside uncluttered.

The temps went from 90's to -1 during one very cold season.
Never skirted the trailer added extra heaters or anything else.
Never had frozen plumbing in the trailer.
Never needed to heat the sewer piping.
Never shoveled snow of the roof.

I got rained on, snowed on, it got hot, it was really cold a quite few times...did fine.
These trailers are much more durable than we might think.


The least most reliable item was the water heater.
It did work fine for over two years, yet didn't make it much longer than that.

*
BTW
That fifth wheel I spoke of above...was just sold by us this past April.
It was in above average shape and I frowned as the new owner towed it away.

Couple questions:

1: Got water/electricity/sewage? If so, a destination trailer may be the best course... but you will have to plumb everything due to no tanks. Those type of trailers are made to not be permanent structures, which help with property taxes.

2: If going for a trailer or fifth wheel in Washington state, I'd look for a four seasons model. They are more expensive, but well insulated and have tank heaters. Also make sure the rig supports full-timing. I know a number of TTs are "for occassional use only" which means they are designed for at best weekend use when it comes to construction.

3: Don't forget skirting. Skirting a TT or 5W will help keep wind from blowing underneath, add an insulating layer (although mice/rats can be an issue there), and also add some storage space. It doesn't hurt to toss a light under there as well for heating reasons.

I'd look for a "park model". That sometimes gets you a real toilet and eliminates holding tanks.

With respect to furnishings, you can buy cheap or you can buy durable, from same manufacturer and often in pretty much the same shell. That's part of why most have multiple model lines. You have to apply same criteria you would in shopping furniture, or buying kitchen cabinets, judging where you want to be on cost vs quality spectrum.

Some manufacturers start at a higher level than others, lowest line is not cheap. In fivers, without getting into the real premium brands, Hitchhiker and Carriage come to mind, for the market in this part of the country. Many older examples in use 10-20 years. Other places, might be other brands.

If you are looking to spot it and live in it for a couple years, be wary of the description "ultralite" or "superlite" because they get weight down by paring dimensions of as many materials as they can. I think that will impact long term durability.

Been in our '98 HH fulltime since new, of course some wear, but keep up with maintenance and still solid.

Jim

How long do you plan to take to build the house?

People displaced by hurricanes live in government provided RV's for over a year. These are bottom of the line RV's.

You could go in the middle ground between a mobile home and an RV and get a "Destination RV"

They're meant to be towed to a location and kinda "put up on jacks"

Forest River Destination RV

There are other mfgs.

WoodGlue

We had our basement poured, put a flat tarpaper roof on it and lived there while we built our house above. Cost was cheaper by far than buying an RV! Our basement WAS minimalist, we had a stove, frdige, sink used for both kitchen and vanity, used curtains to divide sleeping areas and had walls around the stool and shower. If you do not already have an RV it's worth considering - lots of folks do it!

Depending on where you are going to locate this living quarters as to what you can live in and stay within the local restrictions. I would think you would be better off with a low cost single wide mobile home maybe with 2 bedrooms or even 3. Way back when we build out first home we were able to get a permit from the county to put a mobile home on the property we we were building on. You may find a older single wide is less money than a RV. Look around you might even find a free one.