First off a 5-6 year masters degree??? What are you studying. I thought I was in school a long time and I have the monster debt to prove it but I can't imagine how much yours is gonna cost. Good luck and I hope you get a really good job when you're done. Here are my experiences and answers to your questions. Hope it helps.
TJ207 wrote:
My questions:
1. For those whom have stayed in an RV year round before, through the cold winters and hot summers. If given my choices, would you try to live in an RV or insulated, heated cottage for the coming 5 to 6 years? Keep in mind I have complete use of the houses' kitchen and bathroom.
I lived in an Arctic Fox 1150 truck camper in Idaho for 2.5 years. I went through some very cold spells like -20F lows with highs that didn't get above 0 for many many days in a row. It goes below freezing at some point usually in December and it is generally a couple months before the daily high gets back above 32 F so for a couple of months straight my RV stayed below freezing temperatures and did just fine. I wouldn't try it in any other RV though as I did some pretty nice modifications to be able to do this. There are other people around here that do it but I've heard some bad stories about how it didn't work out so well when it gets well below 0. I only hope my new camper does half as well but I'm not planning on living in it through the winter either. Down to the single digits overnight is fine but I'm not going camping if the forecast is below 0.
The key is to have the smallest RV that you can stand with the best insulation possible, many people try to do it in large TT, 5th wheels or motorhomes and the heat energy input can't keep up with the heat loss. It's just too large of a space to keep warm, that's why you see so many of these big RV's follow the warm weather south in the winter. The right truck camper on the other hand can keep you nice and cozy through some awfully cold temperatures because there is less space to heat and some have furnaces larger than many trailer type RV's.
I know you probably don't have the budget for a truck and truck camper or even want one for that matter so if I had the choice between the cottage and a travel trailer I'd build the cottage. Choice between a cottage and my last truck camper I'd take the camper so I could go camping with it too. The cottage you can build in some nice insulation and even a fireplace as mentioned above.
It doesn't sound like you need to go anywhere in an RV like I did so having the mobility of an RV is a non-issue. I'd build the cabin if that was the case except for the fact that I like to have my own toilet and bathing facilities so if they wouldn't let me build that into a cottage I'd find an Arctic Fox. I'd rather not get up in the middle of the night get all dressed find my snow boots and run into the house in freezing temps but you may have a larger bladder than I do.
You mention heat tape and I assume that would be to keep the city water hose from freezing? Forget that idea in the winter, what ever RV you get better have heated and enclosed tanks and that's what you need to be using. Fill up the fresh tank! Someone brought up the idea of dumping tanks, that can be a hassle in the winter if you have to travel to an offsite facility especially while towing a trailer. Make sure to have plans for this. There are companies that will pump your RV septic for a charge but you better check on winter availability if you need it.
2. Maine winter temperatures vary but generally in the area I will be in it tends to stay between 10 to 25 degrees. With occasions where for nights it can stay around zero degrees. Will I be burning through a lot of propane in an RV to stay comfortably warm? Say around 65 degrees? By a lot I mean a 20 pound tank every week. For insulation on the RV I was planning on a skirting of painted plywood with foam insulation backing.
I'd really recommend getting an electric heater to supplement the propane usage. The propane will get expensive and you'll use more than 20 pounds in a week during the winter. I used a 30 pound tank over 3 days & 2 nights at about 0 degree overnight temps. It will give your furnace a break too so it's not running non-stop. You could offer to pay the whole electric bill since it doesn't sound like they are charging you rent to stay there. That way they couldn't complain about your usage and you'd be pitching in. It would still be a lot cheaper than RV park or apartment rent I'm sure.
Once again if you are skirting the RV and using the onboard water facilities do you have a plan for dumping the tanks? My truck camper didn't need skirting to keep the basement warm so I was able to drive off without any extra hassle of removing skirting.
3. Is the condensation in an RV worse over time? Meaning after two or three years could I be looking at a mold or mildew problem even if I use a dehumidifier? Does the dehumidifier need to run all the time or only while I'm in it?
You can get mildew & mold after the first day so you have to stay ahead of it. I found it was worst under the mattress because of body moisture from sleeping. I had to raise the mattress every morning and support it so air could circulate underneath throughout the day to prevent mildew and mold. I bought a dehumidifier but never really used it as the rest of the camper did fine by cracking the vent over the bed and in the bathroom and keeping the temperature inside near 70. You have to run an exhaust fan while showering and cooking or the moisture will get out of hand quickly.
4. Do the floors of the RV get really cold in the winters? Enough so I would be wanting to keep my feet off the floors? The used RV's I've been looking at would have vent forced hot air in the floors.
You better be getting a 4 season model with a heated enclosed basement. In that case the heat in the basement keeping the tanks from freezing should radiate back up through the floor keeping it warmer than a non-basement model. I know this principle worked excellent in my truck camper as the walkable floor was completely above the basement space but I'm not terribly familiar with basement construction of trailer RV's so there could be some cold zones if they don't heat the whole underside of the trailer but rather only the area of the tanks.
5. Is there a lot of up keep with living in a trailer year round through all four seasons? I know in the winter I will be needing to shovel the roof off but besides that. I've never owned an RV before so I truly am clueless about them.
You'll want to stay up on the exterior seams and caulking so no water penetrates the roof or walls and ruins the RV.
If it has AC get a cover for it in the winter to protect it from snow and ice intrusion.
Do Not use a shovel on the roof! You are asking for tears and damage. I use a push broom and sweep it off. You'll find that if the interior is warm enough heat will be lost through the roof so that it is generally slushy anyways. For the really cold day when it's ice just push off the snow if it gets too deep. I never worried about it unless I was going to drive somewhere because Arctic Fox built their roofs so strong they put something like 30 employees on it and took a picture to prove it. There would have to be a lot of snow to equal that much weight. I only swept as a courtesy to other drivers if I went somewhere to keep the snow from blowing off in big chunks and hitting them as I drove down the road.
6. Speaking of clueless. Can you even live in an RV full time year round for up to six years? Not sure if they are even made to stand up to that.
You could in an Arctic Fox. I'm sure there are others that you could as well. And I'm sure there are many that you couldn't.
Thank you in advance to any offered advice.
You're welcome and good luck with your decision.
