Buildig an RV Pad

Without knowing "how far" your utilities will need to be extended from where they currently are to where you want your pedestal will change the the price you pay, a lot. Do you have a level area to pour your slab or are you on a slope? If it's a slope, how steep? Makes a big difference in your grading costs. Do you need to add drainage to divert water away from your slab? Do you want a paved driveway or gravel or ? from the primary access road to the slab? What is the bearing capacity of the soil? Is it expansive soil? Labor and material costs vary widely depending on your area. Any trees/large rocks that need to be moved? etc., etc., etc.

As you can see, there are so many variables that without more plans and specifications it is next to impossible to give you a meaningful price.

(I was an Architect and a General Contractor for years before I retired)

Chum lee

1st and biggest question is what does the local codes allow. Many areas don't want you living in an RV.

Why do you "need" tie downs? If it's mobile, hook up and get out if a hurricane is coming.
- If you want them anyway, get some earth screws and put them in prior to casting the slab, so the tops stick out. At that point, it should be pretty simple to connect them to the frame (worst case a welder could attach some rings).

What's the weight of the unit? For most, 6" should be enough. Make sure to put a slight cross slope on it and have it set a few inches higher than the surrounding ground so it doesn't sit in a pool of water every time it rains. Any driveway guy should be able to do it if you don't want to do it yourself.

So far as how to start.... look at types/shapes of sheds. I would want one with enough extra width/length to shade the sides and ends of the RV and park another vehicle. Pour the concrete wide enough for a patio and extend the cover for shade. Add some good safe steps that aren't too steep, that you can move out of the way when you leave.

So far as tiedowns---you would want to anchor to the chassis and some sort of point embedded in the concrete, like for pool covers. Find out what local codes require.

Decide what you want and then find a good licensed general contractor to work with. They will know how to get the permitting, excavation, wiring, etc. You will probably need (and want) an inspection on the water line and septic tank. You may need to get the septic tank pumped.

When you have the pad built, make sure they know the weight that will be on it. This means rebar and a thicker slab. Our slab is 6 inches. I also highly recommend that you cover the RV with a roof and at least the south. The best would be an opening that faces North with the other sides covered. Leave enough room in the sides to get the slides out and get around the slides easily.

It all depends on if you want to do any of the work yourself and how fancy you want to get.
Things are very expensive here and I just had a 42' X 15' pad poured ($3300) after I had the excavation done ($1200) and I built the forms myself.
I did electrical myself ($200/30A) and would do all plumbing myself if it was handy or needed. That would probably be at least another $100~300.
Having elect. and plumbing professionaly done could easily total $2000 to $4500+ depending on the situation.
An aluminum roof with sides will be going in a few weeks from now - that's $6000 (storm rated 100 mph winds & 25# sq/ft snow load). Eliminating the sides would save around $1200.

I would suggest something like a metal cover that would shade the top of the RV and partially down the west side (from afternoon sun, if you will be there in the summer. Allow space to store a vehicle, bikes, etc under it--maybe just make it longer. Then leave one side open higher up for your doorway, and add a nice size deck, at the level of the RV, with steps going down off the deck. Let the roof of your cover extend out on this to give some shade too.

You could put a locking shed as an extension of the cover, and use it for seasonal storage as well as your washer and dryer. If you don't heat the shed in the winter, you will have to winterize the washer and plumbing. I would recommend winterizing if you leave, in case the power goes out and there is no heat.

You could also put the washer/dryer shed up on one end of the deck, so it would be conveniently at the same level as your door.

I've given some thought to this since a friend of mine is considering a similar setup.

As long as the county allows it I see no real issues. I might suggest, and depending on your budget a cover might be a good idea. A proper cover could encorporate a room with electricity and hookups installed so you could simply slide in a portable deck allowing you to walk out your RV door and into your extra room.