Thoughts on RV living... (Laramie: RV park, to rent, houses)

[Wyoming Bound]

When we move, we were thinking of living in our rv until we get the money together to either build a house or put a modular on the land we intend upon buying. Given the winters we've heard of, is this crazy or do-able?

Michele

[sunsprit]

It's doable, but depends greatly upon the winterization level of your RV and the locale you're looking at staying. The winters can be pretty brutal at times and can freeze up plumbing if your RV isn't well insulated and shielded.

In several areas, it's just as expensive (or almost so) to park an RV with hook-ups as it is to rent a place ... if a place were available to rent. In other words, don't fall into the trap of thinking you're going to save a lot of monthly cash flow just because you're not renting a place, because you might not.

Many of the RV facilities are pretty stark places to live ... not much more than a parking lot with hook-ups for your unit and a place to park your vehicle.

Before I made a move like you're suggesting, I'd want to research the area to know if land was available and the housing I wanted to put on it was affordable. Don't forget all the infrastructure costs, such as well and septic, or power and phone to your site.

[Wyoming Bound]

thank you. we'd not thought of staying in an rv park-just thought of buying land and living in the rv til we bought a home (modular) or built a home on it. I understand about all the other issues. Just thought I'd check on just how unlikely it would be for the rv itself if the winters could be doable... not sure of that right now.

[Wyomiles]

Many folks have done it. I have thought of building a smaller metal sided pole barn, stacking straw bales inside for some insulation, and then parking an RV inside. (Maybe having some glass facing south for light and solar gain.) You should think about where your land is , are there trees or bluffs that would protect you from some wind? Where will the snow pile up when the wind blows? How far are you from a plowed road etc. Also you would want to be sure your pipes did not freeze so find a way to keep the cold from getting under the RV. Many people use heat tape and insulation on any exposed piping,(if you are hooked up to outside water lines for example). Be sure you have plenty of propane or a backup generator. And don't get "cabin fever". !

[sunsprit]

Be sure that you investigate all of the local zoning issues with turning an otherwise non-inhabited utility structure into a residence.

So many people seem to have this concept that "I'll just build a garage or pole barn and park my RV in it until I build my house (when time & finances allow me to do so)". The problem with this is that you've taken a utility structure not intended for human habitation and turned it into a residential structure, especially if you hook up a septic system, domestic water supply, and electricity with no other code compliant/Certificate of Occupancy issued residential building on the property. There's a big difference in the accepted wiring, for example, for a residential structure than a utility barn.

There's places in Wyoming out in the county areas where you'll be able to sneak by with this, but there's a trend toward code compliance/safety throughout much of the state where you'll not be able to get away with this. Some posters on this forum have said that "I did that for years, just like you want to do" ... but they're not telling you that they did it years ago before the adoption of building standards and zoning started to be enforced due to the expanding population in the area.

In Laramie County, for example, we've only recently had a zoning/building requirement for new structures (with plans review, site building code inspection, etc) and staffing to enforce this to protect the public. Just a few years ago, you could build anything you wanted if you were crazy enough to live in it ... now, they've got agents out here actively looking for signs of building activity and inspecting for code violations. They are particularly sensitive to the difference between structures that are animal shelter/utility buildings, "temporary" buildings (like our frame & plastic sheeting greenhouses), and structures intended to be used as a residence.