Community Forums

**NLOVNIT** · 03-02-2017, 05:58 PM

Interesting concept living above the garage. Along the lines of the go up instead of out on those HGTV shows when the owners want more sq ft but can't build out due to lot size. My issue would be the stairs that'd eventually become an issue when I get decrepit. Guess that's when I'd have to put in that stair chairlift that I keep seeing the TV commercials about

Lori-

spuds · 03-02-2017, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian W

This is the style of RV home we are looking at. We would want a 2 car garage instead of one and a little bigger living area.
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Friends of ours built something like that in central Texas, NW of Austin. Shop on one side, apartment on the other, bus in the middle. I've heard it referred to as a "barndominium".

smlranger · 03-02-2017, 07:02 PM

I certainly agree with what appears to be a concensus here; smaller single level home with RV garage. Low maintenance home and property and not in HOA.

Where I am in Virginia, you have to buy property in areas zoned agricultural to be able to build something that would be my dream. I wanted to buy 2 or so acres, build an attractive steel building (like a Morton) and have it be both RV, car/garage-workshop with living quarters in it. However, I made the mistake of buying a nice home in a suburban HOA. We have no exterior maintenance and can travel whenever we like but the HOA is a pain and I have to store my coach 7 miles away.

I was also concerned that if I built something like I describe in a more rural area, it might become a burden to sell by my wife if something happened to me.

gtsum2 · 03-02-2017, 09:21 PM

Only way this happens in Virginia is out of town on multi acre land. If, and it's a big one, there were communities of this sort, the price would be well over 500. We have been in a great Neighborhood for 23 years, but it's time to get some land and do something like shown here in this thread. Some great ideas floating around here

FlaRider · 03-03-2017, 03:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian W

Haven't got that far yet, just been researching ways to make the door not stand out. The company is Schweiss doors. Here's another cool one.

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Someone else on the forum built a garage with Schweiss door. I ment to email him about it but never got around to it. He put a video on You Tube showing it.

https://youtu.be/OyeyMFayWsg?list=PL...cw6yqRYXrxoxik

Stripe34 · 03-03-2017, 05:50 PM

For those of you wanting to put up a place in a rural area - how are you going to secure it? What keeps the hunters, ATVers, & bored teenagers away?

And how will you care for it? Yard work, interior/exterior maintenance, plowing or leaf raking, etc?

We have had property in rural areas before. Just about impossible to get anyone to do any work there, and rural properties often targeted by thieves, vandals, and bored young folks with poor judgement.

For those reasons, we are leaning towards managed park lots or simple condos for when we eventually put down an anchor or two.

gtsum2 · 03-03-2017, 05:57 PM

^^^going to buy land and move there...but with enough land to bow hunt and the freedom to put whatever kind of Rv storage facility up I wish...(that's the dream anyways). Finding 20-30 acres in our school district is not easy

smlranger · 03-03-2017, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stripe34

For those of you wanting to put up a place in a rural area - how are you going to secure it? What keeps the hunters, ATVers, & bored teenagers away?

And how will you care for it? Yard work, interior/exterior maintenance, plowing or leaf raking, etc?

We have had property in rural areas before. Just about impossible to get anyone to do any work there, and rural properties often targeted by thieves, vandals, and bored young folks with poor judgement.

For those reasons, we are leaning towards managed park lots or simple condos for when we eventually put down an anchor or two.

All good points, for sure. My 'perfect world' building would be steel with steel roof, maybe some stone along the skirt to make it look nice. All that is pretty maintenance free. Interior maintenance is on me just as it is now in my home in the HOA. My plan would be to landscape in a way that minimizes the need to mow. Lots of stone and as little grass as possible. I have a friend in the lawn business and I would just pay him to mow whatever needs mowing, get up leaves, trim any shrubs which would be minimal.

Security is the big issue. It will be pretty easy for those who wish to do harm to figure out when the big bus is gone, so are the occupants. Even with good exterior lighting and a security system, you gotta have someone who lives close enough to respond when there is an alarm. If you are on the road states away, that places a burden on family members or someone else. That said, we have a home on a lake (lived there for 20 years but now only use it occasionally). We've not had issues, yet. There are folks you can hire who will check on your property and be your designated agent in cases of a security issue.

No question the more rural the location, the issue of security becomes more of a concern. If there was a RV-friendly development in my area, I'd certainly be looking at it. The only thing that comes close is a HOA with single family homes with a large open lot where homeowners can park boats and RV's. No covers allowed.

Kurtsara · 03-03-2017, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smlranger

I certainly agree with what appears to be a concensus here; smaller single level home with RV garage. Low maintenance home and property and not in HOA.

Where I am in Virginia, you have to buy property in areas zoned agricultural to be able to build something that would be my dream. I wanted to buy 2 or so acres, build an attractive steel building (like a Morton) and have it be both RV, car/garage-workshop with living quarters in it. However, I made the mistake of buying a nice home in a suburban HOA. We have no exterior maintenance and can travel whenever we like but the HOA is a pain and I have to store my coach 7 miles away.

I was also concerned that if I built something like I describe in a more rural area, it might become a burden to sell by my wife if something happened to me.

We had this built last year. About 1500 sq ft 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom house with a 40'X48' attached garage. All one level, in-floor heat in the whole thing, handicap accessible doors for the future.

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billdreamlv · 03-03-2017, 08:33 PM

Today we met with a builder see about a JV. We talked for almost an hour and he was very nice. He has been building MH garages and homes for several years and we asked him how many he had left. He said, "one". We looked at the cul-de-sac that he was currently building 8 of them, and although he only had 4 out of the eight almost complete, the other 3, that were taken, didn't even have homes on them yet.

We asked about the price and he admitted that they were going for more than $700,000. People were snapping them up before they were built. They were around 3500 square feet of home. He was really interested in the hidden garage.

We are headed down to Fort Mojave tomorrow to look at other models there. I will report back as soon as I can. The consensus is that there is high demand for this type of product, not necessarily at that price point but, nonetheless, the desire to have the old girl close to the house is unmistakably clear. It appears that Nationwide, the desire is there. As this thread grows, I have become more anxious than ever to accomplish this goal. Please post pictures of your RV home and let me know what you like about it and what you would do differently.

I really appreciate all the posts so far. And I realize you put a lot of effort into these responses.

I believe that you, with your posts, have helped others solidify their own thoughts on what to do in the town that they live.

Thanks again for all of your help. But don't stop now. The information is priceless, not just to me, but everyone who desires a home like this.

Stripe34 · 03-04-2017, 06:32 AM

We are at The Great Outdoors in FL now. Earlier, we stayed at Llano Grande in TX. It would be a good idea for any developer of a new ownership park to talk to both developers/park management and owners/CSA/officers when planning a new park, IMHO. Special consideration might need to be in place for usage rules (renting out??) but doubtful at the price point the OP is considering.

There are some very nice options at TGO for on-site RV /building designs. If I were going to develop a high end place anywhere in the US, I'd be taking a research trip here and to the other top-five RV ownership parks/developments first.

OP, guessing your JV developer would also be able to advise on common areas and overall development style/continuity. Buyers will want assurances that the whole communitity will maintain its appeal long term, IMHO.

Stripe34 · 03-04-2017, 06:42 AM

Also - perhaps research some failed developments. What goes wrong, and how to prevent that. I just read a very short blurb about one of the failed FL developments - large scale, thousands of lots, IIRC only about 10% developed in the end.

We also drove through a former high-end resort development and its surrounding neighborhoods in N GA. You could tell that a LOT of money had been put into some of the houses and facilities at one time. It was obvious that there had been some sort of financial or legal "disaster" because there were a number of central & peripheral structures that were abandoned and/or in major disrepair. How do you prevent this from happening to your community? I'm sure there'll be LOTS of NV examples!

HTH

Johnny Mac10 · 03-04-2017, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian W

This is the style of RV home we are looking at. We would want a 2 car garage instead of one and a little bigger living area.
[ATTACH]

I would love this setup. Dw wants to full-time, I still want a home base.... problem solved!

Brian W · 03-04-2017, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Mac10

I would love this setup. Dw wants to full-time, I still want a home base.... problem solved!

The area above the MH garage is for a/c, ducting, water heater, etc. I have seen different plans with it used as a guest area. The living area is on one floor and has a living room, small kitchen, and a master suite with bathroom.

Don't need to be climbing any stairs with a stair climber chair like Lori (NLOVNIT). [emoji15][emoji3]