what I need to know about using a travel trailer as an extended part of my home (Los Lunas: apartment, to rent)

[BlueRose]

Hi Everyone!

This is my situation: My daughter wants to move back home to finish her degree and we need to create another living space for her. I thought of buying a travel trailer and parking it in my large driveway for her to use. However, I am not sure of any zoning that may prohibit this and other things like taxes etc... I am just at the beginning stages of this idea. What do I need to know if this is to work? I want to spend no more than $5grand on a trailer. I am on septic and live in Los Lunas. How should I go about buying a good trailer, meaning insulation, etc for this amount of money as I will need to go used. Is there anything else I need to know that I may not have thought of yet?

I thought this could be a creative and inexpensive way for her to go to school and have her "own space" while she does so and also of course would still have access to the main house.

Thanks for any input in advance!

[rybert]

I'd be lying to you if I said I've never done that. It was fun for the first week or so, but the honeymoon was short.

[karmathecat]

What does your daughter think about moving "home" and camping out in a trailer in the driveway instead?

[Mike Horrell]

A slightly different approach might be to buy a motor home. I'd bet there would
be no zoning restrictions on keeping it next to your home and some large, older
units would probably fall within your budget.

Something like this that I just found on Ebay might be a good solution.

1989 35 FT GEORGIE BOY ONLY 32 K MILES A1 SHAPE SLEEPS7:eBay Motors (item 160340013674 end time Jun-11-09 13:16:49 PDT)

Just a thought...

[BlueRose]

I know it wont be so comfortable but she doesnt want to pay rent. What else can I do? what else can she do? If she wants to go to school full time and have her dog, a rather large American Bulldog, then this is the best I can think of. At least she will have some space of her own along with my large yard to have her dog. A motorhome may work as well. I just thought that since we wont be driving anything that is seems a shame to pay for the wheels, motor etc when all we need is the space.

[Mike Horrell]

Hi, BlueRose;

The reason I suggested the possibility of a motor home is that in today's depressed
market, after seeing almost $5 gasoline last year, big honcho fuel guzzlers
using gasoline engines have lost almost all of their remaining value and some
very decent ones can be found. Towed trailers probably retain a higher percentage
of their value because (at least in theory) they can be hooked onto vehicles
that don't burn as much fuel and generally have a broader market since they
are more often "planted" for months at a time as summer weekend getaways
on undeveloped country property.

FWIW, the first house I rented here in ABQ 40 years ago was an Airstream
trailer that had adobe extensions built out from around it on two sides. It
was small, but it served me well for about 6 months until I located a conventional
home so "been there, done that"...

[BlueRose]

Thanks so much Mike. I understand now why you suggested the motorhome and will definitely look at those too. It makes sense.

From what I am reading and learning about these, you have to be careful to get something that has insulation and be prepared to cover the windows since heat really escapes there. My daughter knows and is open to this idea. She would rather live free and do school fulltime then have to work part time to pay for an apartment and drag out finishing school.

[Mike Horrell]

These are strange times. Things that wouldn't make any sense at all in boom times
may become very practical now.

Good luck to you and your daughter!

[mortimer]

Originally Posted by BlueRose

... I want to spend no more than $5 grand on a trailer. ...

You can buy a lot of rent for $5k and the other money that you are going to have to spend before she's happy with the place.

Originally Posted by BlueRose

Is there anything else I need to know that I may not have thought of yet?

I can think of stuff.

-o- Maintenance that you didn't count on.

-o- Family tension from her barging in on you and you being there occupying the bathroom or something.

-o- Her having to live in a cheesy setting 24x7x365 that is broiling hot in the summer and freezing in the winter.

("Oh! Isn't this little bathroom cute!?!? Why you can almost turn around 360 degrees in here with the door closed!)

("Oh look! You have room for a bar of soap and a small little travel tube of toothpaste on this sink! How cute!)

Originally Posted by BlueRose

I thought this could be a creative and inexpensive way for her to go to school and have her "own space"

The most creative and practical way - possibly the cheapest - is to find a place to rent within easy walking distance of wherevere she's going to be attending classes. The convenience of being able to get "home" and change out books/clothes/mind(s) and go back on the campus in a minute or so will outweigh any possible "convenience" of being in your driveway in some rattletrap.

I don't know what campus we are talking about, but if UNM, just like a jillion other schools out there, you cannot drive to campus and park closer than 1/2 hour from your average classroom.

I lived ten minutes away.

Oh, one more thing:

-o- Maintenance that you didn't count on. (Did I say that already?)

[berncohomes]

Originally Posted by Mike Horrell

A slightly different approach might be to buy a motor home. I'd bet there would
be no zoning restrictions on keeping it next to your home and some large, older
units would probably fall within your budget.

Something like this that I just found on Ebay might be a good solution.

1989 35 FT GEORGIE BOY ONLY 32 K MILES A1 SHAPE SLEEPS7:eBay Motors (item 160340013674 end time Jun-11-09 13:16:49 PDT)

Just a thought...

That is fantastic idea! No need to worry about zoning at all, only taxes you would pay would be MVD registration.

On a side note if you do a google image search for 'Kokapelli gnome' your face pops up as the first picture