Living in a travel trailer year round

[miranda]

So I currently live and work in the rainy lower mainland of BC. The goal for the new year is to finally have found a used off the lot travel trailer I, along with my senior rescue dog, can call home year round. There is an RV park within walking distance from my work, and that is where I plan to stay. It is not cheap to live in a park I realize, but I do have a deadline with my current living arrangements falling through, and I am prepared to make it work financially until I can ultimately reach my goal of having a completely off-grid outfitted home on wheels I can park on acreage someplace on the cheap. I do desire a travel trailer, I have put a lot of thought into it and although in dream land I may build a truck trailer home from scratch (think Tumbleweed tiny houses), financially I see it's going to be easier to finance an RV from a dealer than struggle with banks personally for an even larger loan to be able to afford something as obscure as materials to build one from scratch. So I have many questions pertaining to living in a travel trailer through winter in southern BC. What brands should I keep an eye out for? What are some tricks to DIY winter outfitting? Eventually I would like to live solely on solar and propane, with my own grey water catchment and filtration system, and my own external holding tank for waste or a compostable toilet. Thoughts on this? Any help, tips, comments are appreciated.

 

[BC Guy]

http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/search/sss?sort=rel&query=travel trailer
Well, Craigslist has 709 listings under "travel trailer" right now.  368 are with dealers.  Most peoples' approach to this is to find the best that you can buy for cash but if you can not afford that there are still many choices.
A local built trailer that has insulation (many do not) is the Escape.   http://escapetrailer.com/
You probably will not find any on Craigslist but the company sometimes has used ones listed on their website.
As for skirting around the trailer for the winter, you will need to check with the campground as to  what they will allow.
Good luck.

 

[BC Guy]

http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/pml/rvs/4985466241.html
There is one Escape on Craigslist, but it is $26,000.
You did not indicate what price range you are looking in.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Miranda,

I'm not familiar with BC.  What sort of low temperatures are you expecting in the winter?

The average motor home or travel trailer does NOT handle cold well.  Water lines and holding tanks are usually hung underneath with minimal protection from cold temperatures.  Wall and ceiling insulation is also fairly minimal compared to the way we insulate sticks and bricks.

The average RV owner either stores his RV with the plumbing winterized with RV antifreeze, or he's a snowbird who heads south for the winter.  Most builders build with that in mind.

There are a few builders who build true "4 season" rvs with tank heaters and much thicker insulation.  But they naturally cost a lot more money.

If you spend much time below freezing, you will use a ton of propane or shore power to stay warm, and keeping your plumbing operational will be a continuing battle.

I'm not saying it can't be done, I'm saying go into it with your eyes open.

Regards
John

 

[highdesertranger]

yeah you might need to look into 4 season rvs like OP said. a couple of things to watch for, water tank and all lines on the inside to protect from freezing. water heater that can handle freezing temps. if you plan on staying on pavement then double pane windows. holding tank heaters. x-large propane tanks. these are a few things that I can think of off the top of my head. highdesertranger

 

[miranda]

Thanks for the tips guys, very much appreciated.

Update, we are looking more into 5th wheels now, and we like what we're finding. We have been told on average they are of higher quality thus better equipped for winter. Right now we are looking at at 33' '97 Seahawk at a local dealer for 17k. Guy says with the double paned windows and other insulation we wouldn't have to spray foam the underbelly. Reality time, we are not in the best position to take out a loan just yet, so this won't be the exact 5th wheel we get, however, according to the dealer this is the kind of model we should be keeping an eye out for. Boyfriend and I will be going this summer after having some debts paid away to see about getting approved for a 20k personal loan through the bank, as most dealers around here won't finance older than 10 years. We would go now, but we will be in a better position this summer and look better on paper. Local dealer we are friendly with stores for free up to 3 months after purchase, so we have a cushion between when we'd like to move into the RV park (November), and when we could buy for no extra cost to store. So we have some time to be approved for the loan, then will be looking to purchase in August-November.

The plan hinges on a few things. First, if we get approved for the loan through the bank. We are going into it together, I was approved for financing a newer vehicle from a dealer this past winter but never went through with it. I do have debts but I also have savings, I can't imagine my credit score being that bad, but it's probably not great. Boyfriend has student debt as well as I do, but should have good credit. Second is I think a typical concern and that is if work stays steady. Boyfriend is planning on being able to work full time by the fall, so by the time we move. He has been working hard and getting plenty of hours and by the fall will have been in his place of work for long enough he will feel comfortable asking for permanent full-time hours. Whether or not he is granted them-- we will see. It is a similar story with me, though I already have steady hours I could do with a few more, though not a lot more do I need to make this work.

I have been a wizard on excel, forecasting expenses and budgeting, etc. Of course there are variable expenses, and I am planning for high expenses. One expense I could use help with is electrical and propane. Through the winter we will be using an electrical heater, we both have laptops, and phones to charge. We will keep television use minimal, and rather enjoy outside when we can, but we will have one. As for propane, we would like to keep it minimal, but we will cook. Mostly stove top, hardly any oven, if we use it at all. So in a southern BC winter... any rough estimates on what we'll spend on electricity and propane? I'm sure it's near impossible to do so... so what is everyone else paying?

 

[compassrose]

I don't know why you don't think it's cheap to live in an RV park. I think it is. And I live in a place that does have a winter.

 

[Almost There]

I don't know why you don't think it's cheap to live in an RV park. I think it is. And I live in a place that does have a winter.

How cheap it is depends on where you live!

I live in an area where it's standard to pay anywhere between 2 and 3 grand a year for a seasonal site that's only open from mid May to October.

There are NO RV parks within a 100 miles of here that are open year round.

Where the OP is there are parks open year round but some of them can be pricey.

Miranda, you might want to ask others here how many gallons of propane they go through in a winter and then get a local price. Also propane heat is more likely to work out cheaper than going with an electric heater depending on what you're going to pay for electric.

 

[miranda]

Thanks guys. The park I'm looking at is $630 plus metered electricity November through till April. Then $756 in the spring and fall, the most during summer June to September 15 at $914 (yikes). On top of the loan payments for the RV, rent in the summer at the park is looking like a good 1/3+ of our combined income. Still, with all my planning and budgeting and money management it's not out of our reach to stay at the park year round, just expensive! It's a newer park, it's very nice, but what's important to me about it is that it's within walking distance from my work so I don't need a vehicle for the commute. If we were to stay at a cheaper park farther away, I would need a vehicle, so that's the trade off I'm working with.

 

[Almost There]

Thanks guys. The park I'm looking at is $630 plus metered electricity November through till April. Then $756 in the spring and fall, the most during summer June to September 15 at $914 (yikes). On top of the loan payments for the RV, rent in the summer at the park is looking like a good 1/3+ of our combined income. Still, with all my planning and budgeting and money management it's not out of our reach to stay at the park year round, just expensive! It's a newer park, it's very nice, but what's important to me about it is that it's within walking distance from my work so I don't need a vehicle for the commute. If we were to stay at a cheaper park farther away, I would need a vehicle, so that's the trade off I'm working with.

That's still a great deal cheaper than a 1 bedroom apartment in a lot of the GVA when you figure out the annual cost.

Check the price of metered electric at the park.

I found out that not all jurisdictions have regulations governing how much of a mark up an RV park can put on metered electric. Some parks that have all long term stay sites have you sign up with the local electric company, other parks read their own meters in the park and you pay the park, they're buying at commercial rates, reselling it to you at whatever they charge. Without regulations restricting their markup some of them can get real expensive quickly. That's when using an external refillable propane tank makes more sense for heating.

 

[miranda]

I would use propane for heating through the winter, if I wasn't worried about the moisture factor. All I'm hearing, whether it be from the forums here or the RV park receptionists or the dealers, are horror stories about moisture and mold. We will be less concerned with heating ourselves then we are with keeping the RV dry. We will be using Dri-Z-Air units as dehumidifiers at the advice of all the dealers we have spoken to thus far.

 

[highdesertranger]

yikes are those prices per month. highdesertranger

 

[miranda]

Unfortunately, yes! But as Almost There points out, even at the summer rate it's cheaper than most apartments and suites in the GVRD. For us, it will be on top of the loan payment we make for the RV, so it's pushing it, but still, that money we spend is going towards something we will one day own and won't have to make loan payments on anymore.

Coincidentally, in my excitement I broke the news of our plans to a coworker, and wouldn't you know it, she lives in a fifth wheel! I knew she lived in my town, but I never would have guessed in a fifth wheel with all of her dogs. But she makes it work, and has for the passed 2 years. She says hers is falling apart as it is quite old, but she has yet to have problems with moisture in the winter, and although she has one, she has never used her dehumidifier. She says it did used to get quite cold, but not since she purchased an infrared area heater. Now, I would not take that chance, and will employ Dri-Z-Air units and dump and refill them religiously, on top of using electric heat. Still, what a coincidence! Nice to know someone personally.

 

[Canine]

Well get as much info as you can from her since she is there and has lived in the winter in one. A lot of us haven't ever been in such a wet climate and so don't really know. Cold I can deal with but the constant rain, yuck. But you live there, are used to it and have made plans and options. Obviously your camp park rates are high during the prime months but if it averages out better than an apartment in the Lower Fraser Valley than go for it.
Can you live a little farther out down the #1 more towards Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission or even Hope?

 

[compassrose]

... On top of the loan payments for the RV...

You have a loan on your RV? :huh:

Again I will say.... Look into staying at a mobile home park. As for location, I don't know where the OP is at. I'm saying in GENERAL TERMS that FOR ME staying in a park is CHEAPER than renting a house or apartment, as it is for many people... even in cold snowy places ("it hardly ever snows here"... NOT!!!!). In Corpus Christi TX, it was ever so slightly cheaper to stay in a rental. But I imagine the electric bills would be higher simply due to the larger space. In Chattanooga (during the coldest, wettest, snowiest, iciest winter in many years) it was much cheaper to stay in an RV park than to rent. Ditto for Huntsville AL (but we ended up not moving there).

 

[One Awesome Inch]

I about to start vandwelling in Vancouver in two months so my situation isnt exactly the same as yours. Rv parks are expensive here. The one I was thinking of is $198 per week. I did see one in Maple Ridge for $500 per month with hookups, but its not so much a park as someone's land.

If you are going to be spending thousands of dollars with the eventual goal of getting something mobile, what about just starting with a Class B? You can still park that in a RV Park and take it out for weekend trips etc. Plus if need to save some cash for whatever reason, you could just urban boondock for a while on the streets.

Best of luck with whatever you do, but it would be very wise to get what ever you are thinking of buying inspected first. RVs notoriously have problems.

 

[Canine]

Good advice on getting it inspected. Rain = leaks = mold = rot. Every older class C I've ever seen has leaked. Usually it's the front window above the cab. A few of the all fiberglass caps don't. Any older 5ver or TT is suspect as well, check around the windows inside.

The rooftop a/c sometimes isn't well framed and water ponds there. Anything water can seep into it will find. Caulking, eternabond or roof recoats are needed, especially in your area.

Then there's the moisture inside issue which has been discussed. The 4 season models of which you have already heard about are good, though you can make do with a 3 season if you use the clear window sealer plastic as a storm of sorts. Many years ago in the early 70's I lived year round in an old 3 season in Colorado. Yes it was cold but it's not too bad.

I probably haven't added anything to the discussion other than the importance of making sure it isnt leaking. Nothing (except a fire) kills an rv faster than rot.

 

[Brian_and_Jesse]

Morning, Miranda!

Unless you're working at your dream job, you could do better.

With the $ amount you're paying out, you could work and boondock for six months in Canada and then spend the winter rent free (November through April) at Quartzsite, or somewhere else in the south, and catch up on your reading.

Winter in BC is brutal for RVs (and yes, we've done it - twice), and I'd never do it again voluntarily.  

Speaking strictly for myself, I wouldn't wait to buy something I would still owe on.  I'd buy (have done this often) what I could afford cash (a high-top van in my case) and work my way up from there.  I/we did this years ago and had loads of fun - even with kids along.

My mother and stepfather bought a school bus for $1,000 (in the mid seventies), and stripped it bare, threw a couple of mattresses on the floor (one for my two brothers), took along a cooler and a hibachi, and happily summered for years off road WITH NO WATER, TOIDY, OR SOLAR.  They pretty much did the same thing in Australia not long before my mother died, but with a smaller bus.

My point is: What are you hoping to achieve?

If you're not going to have fun - and I seriously doubt that you will in an RV or TT in Vancouver in winter - then why bother doing it?  Apartments aren't THAT expensive there - especially studios.

OTOH, if you're looking for fun and adventure, why not just buy a van cash and fix it up as you go?  You're young, presumably in good health, and the whole world awaits you.  NONE of us, regardless of age, is guaranteed tomorrow, so IIWY, I'd do what I want to do NOW.

Just my opinion - worth what you paid for it.

May God bless whatever you do,

Jesse.

 

[Ella1]

"Any help, tips, comments are appreciated."
I think your purchase plan needs serious consideration and discussion. You are not married to the person you are planning to tie yourself to via a mortgage, you both have debt, neither of you are sure of your financial future. Those are serious red flags. What is your exit strategy if you break up? Since (apparently) neither of you would be able to refinance on your own, both names stay on the mortgage.  So some research on what commonly happens in such situations. A place to start is
Lawyers.com   Unmarried couple in a joint mortgage   http://community.lawyers.com/forums/t/168569.aspx
This is a relatively common situation. Think this through carefully. More than 50% of marriages end in divorce, and you won't even have the legal marriage. It could compound problems immensely.
Maybe consider alternative approaches: Some version of One of you buys the vehicle, the other pays an equal amount for monthly bills: taxes, insurances, utilities, gas, space costs, etc, whatever, and determine how you will pay for food, clothes, entertainment. You should have a good, do-able financial plan agreed to, as well as an exit strategy.
Best wishes.

 

[Canine]

I think your purchase plan needs serious consideration and discussion.

Myself, if I were in a relationship again and we separated, I wouldn't fight it. I would give nearly everything to her and start over. I don't have much, so not much to fight over and not much to replace. Fighting is a real suck on life. Easier to invest that time and energy into starting over and living. My situation is different than most, but it might help to read about another perspective.

It's just stuff, right?