Where to park fifth wheel while remodeling?

[Pennyamaris]

Hello all,
I've had this radical idea to sell my 2500sf home and renovate a fifth wheel and live in an RV park for a year while I stack the cash... Still in idea stage I've not purchased anything. So my question is...
I want to remodel it... I presume will take a week or two of working on it full days...

But here's the thing, my current home has HOA restrictions and my parents home has HOA restrictions, so where would I / could I remodel it? I just can't figure this part out. So I would sell the house, take the fifth wheel somewhere and remodel it for a week, I just don't know where it can be parked while I'm working on it... Storage facility? Any ideas? How do people do this? This would be a fifth wheel. Thanks so much!

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

I'll add the other dimensions: you haven't mentioned the ages of your kids, but RV parks, as a rule, don't offer much in the way of "yard" for them to play in (and other RVers can be pretty fussy about not sharing their sites....LOL!) If your kids are in school, there's the issue of being a "trailer kid". And of course, an RV offers ZERO protection in severe weather.

Lastly - an RV is a depreciating asset. If you have the ability to renovate something and make it better - why not look for that small, "dated" house on the outskirts of town, and renovate THAT? At least you will get your money back some day?

[Grit_dog]

Spoon, she's not interested in the reality of it, only the unique cutesy parts.
We've gone too far in our reccomendations again. Remember the only real question asked was where to store it for 2 weeks to remodel.........

[Boon_Docker]

Be sure to check with the management before trying to remodel an RV in a storage facility.
Most storage facility will not allow that, because of the insurance liability.

[2012Coleman]

BTW - since you are envisioning a fifth wheel, what do you intend to use to haul it to the restoration site, then on to the living site?

[spoon059]

Pennyamaris wrote:
Hello all,
I've had this radical idea to sell my 2500sf home and renovate a fifth wheel and live in an RV park for a year while I stack the cash...

So... in order to "stack cash" you are going to fork out a $25,000 initial investment, plus additional time and money to renovate the camper in order to save about $1400 a month in mortgage costs...

It would take 18 months of saving $1400 a month just to break even on the initial $25,000 investment.

Lets not forget that a camper bought for $25K likely won't be the kind that is meant to be lived in full time for a year and a half and you will have significant wear and tear on the camper and will likely have little value at the end of the 18 months.

Then we have a family trying to live full time in a small camper with limited storage, limited privacy, limited cooking facilities, limited refrigerator space, etc. I can promise you that this will be a miserable experience.

The cost to heat and cool your camper will be excessive, as the HVAC systems aren't designed for constant use, the insulation of the camper isn't designed for temperature extremes and the excessive heat of south Texas.

Where are you going to store all your furniture, extra clothing and other items that you cannot store in your camper? Have you included the cost of storage in your budget?

This plan does not make financial sense, I'm sorry. If you have the need to live on a smaller budget I would suggest you check rentals (professional and craigslist) and see if you can rent a basement apartment in a single family house. Those can be WAY more affordable, are meant for full time living, provide you with space for you and your family, etc.

Camping is a fun experience, but it isn't cheap. People that try to save money by living in a traditional RV are fooling themselves. An RV is not a mobile home. Mobile homes are designed and built differently for full time living. Perhaps you should consider a mobile home in a mobile home park and recalculate your costs that way.

[westend]

Pennyamaris wrote:
OK, alright. I have tenacity what can I say.

These people say it took them "40 or more hours" to complete this budget makeover (I don't know about $650, but they already had some nice items from their home I'm sure)

http://www.doityourselfrv.com/fifth-wheel-remodel-shoestring/

But really 2 people and "40 or more hours" is 2 weeks or less of full time labor.

I understand about the taxes, but as a single mom on a super moderate income my tax liabilties are light. Thanks everyone, I guess if I really get this going I will probably be here a lot... hope everyone's havign a good one.

Don't believe everything published on the Internet. I count...Day 1 demolition and trip to dump 8 hrs. Day 2, install flooring 12 hrs. From there, we don't know how long it took to paint and fill up the 5er but I'm guessing, with a one yr old and all that dancing, it was a lot more than a week.

Sorry to keep beating this horse but even those that are tooled up and familiar with this stuff, take longer than expected. I gutted my travel trailer and rebuilt it (restoration thread in my signature line) and knew it was going to take months to complete. It was, pretty much full time for four months and part time for another two months. My work and family pressures were near nil when I remodeled.

The reason that tasks take longer in an RV is the space. There is limited space. You can't throw your paint tray in a corner, come back and continue painting. You have to get that can of paint, fill the tray, put the can out of your way, get the ladder, move the drop cloth, move the ladder out of your way......see where this is going?

You can see in the remodeling video linked to above, the guy is sitting like a r*&^ed ape on the floor, trying to piece together the laminate. He is not accustomed to flooring installation. If you watch closely, he works to long after dark. Poor guy probably tweaked his back so bad, it took three hours the next day just to limber up.

I'm beating on this horse so you don't have unrealistic expectations about the time. If you ask a friend for free parking for two weeks, you may lose a friend or not get everything done. For what you want to accomplish, adding in time for material procurement, your family situation, and help from a friend, you are probably looking at a month or more to get everything dialed in.

Besides the remodeling, you may want to check brakes, bearings, and the other mechanical systems, seal up the roof, windows, and doors, etc.

[2012Coleman]

Well, all I can say is good luck, and am glad that my mother never took me away from my own bedroom to live in a shoebox.

Good luck with the project and post pictures.

Here is a thread about a fth wheel reno that may interest you.

[Pennyamaris]

OK, alright. I have tenacity what can I say.

These people say it took them "40 or more hours" to complete this budget makeover (I don't know about $650, but they already had some nice items from their home I'm sure)

http://www.doityourselfrv.com/fifth-wheel-remodel-shoestring/

But really 2 people and "40 or more hours" is 2 weeks or less of full time labor.

I understand about the taxes, but as a single mom on a super moderate income my tax liabilties are light. Thanks everyone, I guess if I really get this going I will probably be here a lot... hope everyone's havign a good one.

[Grit_dog]

Penny, sorry I thought you were talking about taking it out on weekend adventures not making it a park model.
You've heard 10 people talk about the difficulty and time involved but seem to be pretty set on this so have fun with it! Never said it was not possible.
No one knows your overall financial situation but don't forget about the tax deduction on your mortgage too. You've probably got at least a $15k deduction which is worth $4-5k cash at tax time you'll lose each year.

[westend]

Just so you know and FWIW, I'm a Residential Building Contractor and have worked in various trades for 40+ years. The time it takes for task completion inside an RV is longer than working inside a typical house. You will find out once you have paint brush in hand.
Best of luck.

[Pennyamaris]

Well thanks for the pep talk Grit Dog lol. As I said I wasn't expecting the same results in 2 weeks. But that I expect enough can get done in 2 weeks (working on it the whole time) to lighten the place up.

Spending the 20-25k to get something I like will save so much money compared to the 200k mortgage, not counter intuitive at all. I already love my house, so I have to make the trailer "cute" so my kids love it and feel connected and don't feel we are stepping down in our lifestyle but just starting a new adventure.

I remodel every house I buy so why not a fifth wheel. Yes I want my home to be cute. I'd rather spend 20k on an ugly one and paint it white inside and replace the floor + upholstery for 5k than 25k on a turnkey beige one. There is no reason this job is too much for me with the right help guidance and education. I am the type to watch every remodel video available and learn everything I possibly can before starting any project.

I appreciate your point about the weight. This is an important consideration... even though I will be stationary while I live in it, I might change my mind and will want to keep it light for resale.

I don't necessarily want to do this for years on end. Just 1-2 years, and in a stationary location. I am sure I can invest in an AC unit that can handle 2 years in Texas.... something to take into the big picture, thank you.

[Grit_dog]

Since you are looking for opinions on this I will throw mine in.
First you are looking to cut costs significantly but you're spending $ to make a travel trailer "cute" inside. That's counter intuitive.
2 weeks to do something like shown in that link ain't happening. That would take me more than 2 weeks at home with my shop and all the tools to build a house at my disposal. Fwiw I'm a civil engineer who has built homes, bridges, resort condos, pipelines, water treatment plants etc. From swinging a hammer to managing a $100M project.
Second, RV structure and furnishings are designed and installed to be light weight ( for the most part) and secure for travel. Do you know how to do that and make sure you're not adding a bunch of weight to the trailer? Doubt it.
3rd, $25k will buy you a very nice turn key camper. If you are set on being a single ft mom with kids and convinced you can save $ doing this, I think it's possible, but ditch the idea of remodeling a perfectly good camper to make it look like a tiny home.
4th, have you ever spent an entire S TX summer in a tin can with air conditioning (an RV)? There's a reason snowbirds camp in the south in winter and go north in summer.
RV AC units aren't going to have a long term residential like lifespan being run 24-7 for months and years on end. Just a concern but it would be a deal breaker for me.
Hope you can balance your wants, needs and wishes for a good outcome. Right now your wants and wishes are beyond your needs and abilities imo.

[valhalla360]

Wildly optimistic to think you will do all this in 2 weeks. I suggest picking up a usable unit and picking off a project at a time to do over time. (ie: sleep on the pull out couch while redoing the bedroom).

Contrary to what others are saying: Yes, you can save money living in an RV if you buy used and are careful spending.

[Pennyamaris]

Ah and just realized one of my closest friends has no HOA.... yes!