Building an RV park

[Craig1960]

I like the idea, I know I would like look for something like that to winter down south as would many other Canadians.

[MSHappyCampers]

Hi ! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

Hope the new park works out great for you!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

[wa8yxm]

Well I have a "Money is no object" wish.. What I'd like to see is a "Solar" park.. IN Texas you should be able to do this.

Now if you have a wooded lot it might not work so werll but if it's open planes. How about building sort of an "RV PORT" type sites, with as "Roof" about 16-18 feet up shading the RV's The ROOF is solar panals.

Additional panals cover the office/store and other buildings

Solar water heater for the "Facilities"

I am not expert enough to do the math, but if you can put up enough panels you can tell the power company to "Go Climb A Pole" and not have to pay for kilowatts.. Just replacement batteries for the system (Do not forget the cost of batteries).

NOTE: make sure sites have a clear view to teh south though, at least some of them.. Sat TV.. Of course for long term the sat can be on the north end of the Solar Panel assembly for that row (Leave a 2" Pipe sticking up there for the Sat Installer to mount the dish on)

Of course.. believe it or not, some places are passing regulations agains "Off Grid" housing.. They insist you use "Public Utiities"
(IF that is the case use the power company to run a small load like a lighted sign advertising the Park).

[VoidHog]

Cimplexsound, that sounds a lot like what I’m going for! A private upscale “RV Sanctuary”. I am a truck driver and I need a place to park my truck. Right now I pay one place 50$ a month to park my truck when I’m home and park my car while I’m gone, and I pay another place 150$ a month for a storage unit and to park my other car (C55 AMG Mercedes I don’t actually “live” anywhere currently (Houston is my home base) but that’s 200$ a month I’m just throwing away until I get a place to call home. I don’t want to buy any property I cannot make money from, even if just enough to pay for itself! I hate the idea of buying a house and not being able to do anything with it besides pay for it and live in it HA

[JNSNWT]

1. someone said "members only "
Be vary careful on your phrasing to the public... remember how many groups have been sued over " members only ". Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, mens club. It's a shame but it's a reality

2. we live in Odessa Tx. where they have lots of temporary man camps. I'm told they don't have leech fields just a large holding tank that the honey wagon emptied as needed

3. have them pay with deposits into your bank. spot #1 pays $251, #2 pays $252, etc so you know who paid.

4. don't have a free rent caretaker. once you are up and running there should not be that much work. no yard work in the winter

5. how many days a month will you be on site?

[Winemaker2]

I'd suggest putting together some realistic cost estimates for infrastructure and build a business plan to see how the investment and prifit / loss works out. Have 1-2 people assist or,at least review the numbers.
One other suggestion when you syart yo plsn site layouts consider the sun direction...
I've seen one high end very nice park that forgot about the sun and it turns out slmost all sites gave hot afternoon sun on the side folks would like to be sitting outside. Unfortunate because it could have been much better.

Good luck w the venture.

[Jim T.]

If your property has cell tower reception, don’t put any money into WiFi or cable. Things are rapidly changing in those markets with unlimited data plans & streaming TV. It would just be a waste of your money.

[Yosemite77]

There’s a guy on another forum who goes by the name westernrvparkowner. Here are a couple threads from that forum. His posts are worth a read.
https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/f...g/1/page/1.cfm
https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/f...4.cfm#29458584

[Soppy]

Got a few basic parks up here in Canada. No sewer hookup , just a central dump station and outhouses. The sites have a 30amp hookup ,50amp would be better and a non potable water outlet at each site. No wifi and cell is marginal. People rent the sites for the season.

[TexasTom]

Certainly wish you the best success!

As soon as you make improvements your property taxes will go up, probably significantly. Texas is on a mission to collect revenue through increasing property taxes.

Also, might want to see if zoning is an issue. There are a lot of RV developments that are stalled or killed outright by inability to get the zoning that would permit moving forward.

[Isaac-1]

Just remembered, there is some town in central Texas where they do art festivals, and other events. Very small permanent population, I think less than 50 people. I can't remember the name of the town. But there is a tiny back yard RV park there that is done up fancy with gas lamps, etc.

Ike

[Off Road]

Originally Posted by Winemaker2

I'd suggest putting together some realistic cost estimates for infrastructure and build a business plan to see how the investment and prifit / loss works out. Have 1-2 people assist or,at least review the numbers.

This is the best advice you could get. Creating any type of business these days is complex and there are many hidden costs that you don’t see when you have a great idea. I like your concept and you have some great plans but wading through the regulatory process and figuring out how to make a profit is the most difficult part of any business. Find a friend who owns a small business to bounce your ideas off of, Google how to create a business plan and make one. Just making the plan will help solidify your thoughts. Your local county should have a small business development office that will help you for free, or a community college might help you. If you work with a local bank for financing they will require a business plan. Get a good accountant to help you set it up correctly to avoid being in business with Uncle Sam. He is a lousy business partner.

Running your own business is a lot more difficult than you think in the beginning, but it can be very rewarding if structured properly. I wish you all the best.

[Arch Hoagland]

Have you checked on the price of insurance for an RV park yet?

[VoidHog]

So I have found another property that is 8 acres. I’m sure that will be a much better space to start a park!