RV storage - how much room is needed?

[f150camper]

Hi all!
I am in the process of building a shop on my property.
The plan is to be able to park a travel trailer and/or coach in there.
Total shop size is 32(w)x48(d) with a 14x14 door.
My main question is this: How much room do I need in front of the shop to be able to get a travel trailer in there? Let's say a max travel trailer length of 35ft with a 20ft tow vehicle.

I have attached a quick drawing to visualize what I am talking about.
It looks like I will have about 57' (give or take a couple feet) in front of the shop. 44' of that will be on gravel, 13' will be on asphalt.

Will this be enough room for a 35' TT or 40' Coach? I bet the Coach will be fine, but not sure about the TT.

BTW, I can't really try it out with the max length trailer, so please don't suggest that (placing cones, etc). We currently own a 21' TT, and I am sure I'll be fine getting that into the shop. I want to be able to use the shop down the road for things bigger than what we own now, or even enable any potential buyers.

Really appreciate any input!

[f150camper]

17 truck loads of pit run later it actually looks great. We went a half foot higher than originally planned with the floor height, and now the slope does not look bad at all!
Thanks to all for the constructive feedback!

[f150camper]

nickthehunter wrote:
Why not try backing it in, right now today before any more work is done on it. Lay the door out with paint and see if you can get it in there satisfactorily. I know pit run isn't cheap, but building a 48 x 32 pole barn you can't use for its intended purpose isn't cheap either.

That's not possible. The pit run needs to fill the area between the road and the shop first. On the low side, we need about 4ft of pit run (raising the floor level by 4ft).
I would not have to mark the door either. The poles are already in the ground. 🙂

[nickthehunter]

Why not try backing it in, right now today before any more work is done on it. Lay the door out with paint and see if you can get it in there satisfactorily. I know pit run isn't cheap, but building a 48 x 32 pole barn you can't use for its intended purpose isn't cheap either.

[Grit_dog]

So your break over angle will be 10-11% once you account for sloping the floor to drain out the front.
Don't see this as even a remote issue with a little trailer like yours. But if you do t have height restrictions, raising the floor el and roof el for future uses is not a bad idea.
Besides it will be steeper than above as you'll need to have the catch point of the 2 slopes out front of the shop somewhere, for drainage and then some vertical curve coming out of the swale to transition the downslope out of the shop into the upslope of the driveway.

Sounds like it's 11th hour to figure out elevations, drainage and slopes.
Simple 2d, to scale drawing will do it. But you need someone who understands engineering/construction. There's more to it than just not dragging the leveling jacks.

[bob_nestor]

bucky wrote:
I would angle that drive towards the direction from which you want to back in. Straighten it out after you get it in the drive. A 13 foot wide road is nothing and that ditch isn't going to help.

The layout of the road and driveway looks very much like my own setup, although the street in my case is 24' wide with a deep ditch on the far side. I've had people who claimed to be good "backer-uppers" back into my driveway with their Class A's and towables who had difficulty managing that right angle turn into my driveway. Have lost my mailbox and a couple of storm drains as a result. The suggestion to angle that driveway to the street is an excellent one!

[Cummins12V98]

f150camper wrote:
I only have a 19' Jayco hybrid TT at the moment.

I think what I will do is back fill pit run according to the currently planned floor height. Then I can do a trial run and back the trailer in and pull it back out.
If there are issues, I can raise the floor another foot or maybe even 18" if needed.
Should be safe, as that exercise would be done on the gravel, which is 4-6" below the actual final floor height once the concrete is poured.

Scale, paper, pencil and scissors will work wonders!

[Cummins12V98]

Veebyes wrote:
Another thought, if your current 5er is 12'6" & just fits, what happens if you get a tall one at 13' or higher in the future?

Good point, mine is 13' 5" so I would make the RV that height and 40' long when doing the cutout.

[f150camper]

I only have a 19' Jayco hybrid TT at the moment.

I think what I will do is back fill pit run according to the currently planned floor height. Then I can do a trial run and back the trailer in and pull it back out.
If there are issues, I can raise the floor another foot or maybe even 18" if needed.
Should be safe, as that exercise would be done on the gravel, which is 4-6" below the actual final floor height once the concrete is poured.

[spoon059]

A surveyor might be a worthwhile investment. They can come out and take measurements and tell you all your angles. Just remember that all trailers are different. One trailer might have rear tires 13' from the back, while the other might be 15' from the back. The angle of approach will be different based upon that single measurement.

If your driveway was longer I would suggest keeping the first 20 feet out of the shop level, but that means that the next 24 feet will be even steeper. That could potentially cause issues when pulling out/backing in off the road.

[Veebyes]

Another thought, if your current 5er is 12'6" & just fits, what happens if you get a tall one at 13' or higher in the future?

[Cummins12V98]

Draw it out to scale on paper, road, sloped driveway and shop door opening height and slab. Cut out a RV and truck to scale. Have fun!

[f150camper]

Cummins12V98 wrote:

f150camper wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:

gbopp wrote:
Maybe a 16' wide door would help?

For a MAX 8' 6" wide RV???

The door is 14x14. Should be enough.
I am wondering about the slope of the driveway though, see two posts up.

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

I did NOT know you were already building it.

But to be honest if I tell you there is an issue now what would you do?

If questions were asked before digging for the foundation.....

One thing I would NOT be without is a "Man Door".

To the left of the 14x14 I would add a 10x10 for a truck.

There is a 10x10 door right next to the 14x14 door. The design of the shop is a 20x48 with an enclosed 12x48 lean-to.
Right now, I could lift the shop floor by as much as a foot, but at a very high price. Pit run is not cheap, but the top of the posts have not been cut off yet. That's why the question. Yes, I could still do something, but it would cost a lot of money.

[Veebyes]

I would be concerned about the slope of the driveway too. 14' door frame height may not be enough. You don't want to find out too late as you back down to it for the first time.

[Cummins12V98]

f150camper wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:

gbopp wrote:
Maybe a 16' wide door would help?

For a MAX 8' 6" wide RV???

The door is 14x14. Should be enough.
I am wondering about the slope of the driveway though, see two posts up.

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

I did NOT know you were already building it.

But to be honest if I tell you there is an issue now what would you do?

If questions were asked before digging for the foundation.....

One thing I would NOT be without is a "Man Door".

To the left of the 14x14 I would add a 10x10 for a truck.