What about those houses with RV Garages

[hbillsmith]

We have just about completed our 3 year journey to camp and visit in all of the lower 48 states. As we traveled we often took a look at those southern communties in Arizona, Texas, Alabama and Florida where one can buy a small brick and mortar house with a huge garage or RV port. We live in North Texas and for all kinds of reasons we won't be moving our base from there,but why can't a builder do those RV Port homes here?

So we've contacted a few and invited them to do their own surveys at the RV shows. We published our message to them in our blog. If your interested, this link will take your directly to the articles and research. Feel free to comment back here or in the blog if you like.

Who builds a home with an RV Garage or Port

[blofgren]

westernrvparkowner wrote:

fred42 wrote:
Are these attached RV garages usually climate controlled? You could set that zone to 40 degrees and never winterize again.

Heating a garage in a cold weather area is much more expensive than having your RV professionally winterized and then de-winterized. And 40 degrees does not provide enough safety margin should the power go out and your heating system shuts down for even a short period of time. It is usually recommended that heat be set to a minimum of 50 degrees when leaving a home unattended in cold climes.

x2. It's simply not worth the risk to not winterize.

[westernrvparkow]

fred42 wrote:
Are these attached RV garages usually climate controlled? You could set that zone to 40 degrees and never winterize again.

Heating a garage in a cold weather area is much more expensive than having your RV professionally winterized and then de-winterized. And 40 degrees does not provide enough safety margin should the power go out and your heating system shuts down for even a short period of time. It is usually recommended that heat be set to a minimum of 50 degrees when leaving a home unattended in cold climes.

[IdaD]

fred42 wrote:
Are these attached RV garages usually climate controlled? You could set that zone to 40 degrees and never winterize again.

In most of the country a garage attached to a heated home won't generally get cold enough to require winterizing a camper parked inside during the winter.

[Community Alumni]

fred42 wrote:
Are these attached RV garages usually climate controlled? You could set that zone to 40 degrees and never winterize again.

My RV garage has central air and heat because it was a model home, but most don't in areas that don't have freezing temps.

[Ralph_Cramden]

hbillsmith wrote:
We are not opposed to purchasing a small residential lot and building our own RV garage home, however, this is difficult to find. If we found a residential lot in an established community, the building restrictions would most-likely not allow this type of home.

It's not so much the building restrictions already in place a lot of times, as much as it is the busy body NIMBY's who have nothing better to do than spew their rancid spunk at zoning or planning commission meetings. All in an attempt to dictate what you do on your property. You have to keep going further and further away from the populated madhouse areas to avoid those morons.

[fred42]

Are these attached RV garages usually climate controlled? You could set that zone to 40 degrees and never winterize again.

[hbillsmith]

Thanks for all of your input! We do understand HOA guidelines as we currently live in a HOA restricted area, and truly appreciate the rules as it helps maintain our home value. We do believe that a small community built exclusively with RV Garages/RV Ports in far North Dallas where there is a HOA with restrictions would be successful for all of us RV/Motorhome owners. It would be built on the premise of the over-50 senior communities, but with RV garages. We are not opposed to purchasing a small residential lot and building our own RV garage home, however, this is difficult to find. If we found a residential lot in an established community, the building restrictions would most-likely not allow this type of home. Keep your suggestions coming, if you live in the North Dallas area, let us know your thoughts!

[Big_Katuna]

Hammerboy wrote:

Big Katuna wrote:
This website advertises RV Barn/house plans.

I never checked into prices.

Uncle Howard’s Kits

To bad his the plan links don't work.

Dan

I didn’t click on any pictures.

Makes me think he’s defunct. I’d found it years ago.

[Hammerboy]

Big Katuna wrote:
This website advertises RV Barn/house plans.

I never checked into prices.

Uncle Howard’s Kits

To bad his the plan links don't work.

Dan

[Big_Katuna]

This website advertises RV Barn/house plans.

I never checked into prices.

Uncle Howard’s Kits

[ItsyRV]

In AZ, lots of builders offer RV garages on homes being built; just not the standard run of the mill planned development tract builders which the vast majority of newcomers gravitate towards. They want those planned communities with gold courses, parks, manicured landscaping and clubhouses. Builders in those communities have design standards set by the developer and RV garages are not usually permitted. Of course, that developer also owns Mega RV Storage right down the road.

Step right outside those planned developments and RV garages are allowed IF any of the previous owners had one built. Most don't, so it's not the builder who own't build them, it's the buyers who don't want them.

[Community Alumni]

I have a new home with an RV garage and love it. We can store the moho and our water and dirt toys in it.

I think you'll find homes with RV garages offered in areas with retirees and farther-out suburbs where land is cheaper than suburbs closer to metropolitan areas.

We visited a few new-homes communities in the Phoenix area last month and at least 4 developers offered homes with RV garages.

[magicbus]

We’re just finishing a barn with an 11’ door and 12 foot ceiling. Plenty of room for our class B plus a shop, loft storage and a root cellar. It’ll be nice having the coach out of the weather.

Dave

[ReneeG]

JAC1982 wrote:
. . . I was a bit dumbfounded at the builders who spent the money to build an oversized garage, but not make it tall enough for a 5th wheel. We ran into that a few times...homes with an 11 or 12' door instead of 14. I guess they had boats or travel trailers in mind instead.

Agree. May be for the pickups around here. We have a standard F350 quad cab, long bed dually and it won't fit in our standard garage height door, so it's outside. Plus I look online at the specs of some of these homes with RV garages and often they are 34' deep. Heck, our FW is close to 36' long, plus having extra length means we could park our popup in there too. If you have a short Class A, or C, or even trailer of whatever type, it may fit.