Weekend Property with a Camper/Travel Trailer

Lots of great info and opinions here, thanks to all. In my situation, its just my wife and I with our 2 dogs. The properties we are looking at are within 2hrs of home and also within 5 miles of State and County parks on the lakes with shower facilities and launches. We may be leaning toward one of these smaller lofted cabins, using it as a dry cabin initially and adding things to it over time, like power/water/plumbing. In reality, we most likely wouldnt use a camper anywhere else but our property

First things first, finding the right piece of property

You asked:

How does the plumbing work in this situation? Don’t you have to have the plumbing planned out and run through the concrete slab before you pour?

It would be really easy to add a sub-floor on to an existing slab too. Or if the garage ceiling was high enough, a crawl space under the living quarters.

You could install all of your plumbing there, where it would be easier to get at.

Using PEX is incredibly simple for water lines, and PVC is obviously cake too for drains. With a little knowledge or help from someone who does, you could easily have a bathroom and kitchen plumbed in a weekend, with time to spare for beer

Also it’s not just mice that like campers….

My buddy’s brand new $30,000 camper was TOTALED by a single red squirrel in a matter of weeks.

It got into everything….. upholstery, wiring, ductwork, etc.

Crazy how much damage one little bass-tard did.

Lindyrig79 where is your Park Model located at? We are looking for the same thing as you described and found lots of resorts pack you in and kinda getto compared to what we like.

lindyrig79 wrote:

There is little doubt building a cabin is the better long-term financial decision

But it just depends on what point in your life you are, and what you are looking for. Expect a lot of work if you build a cabin. Plain and simple.

I have two little kids and when I get to the lake I want minimal projects. For us, having a park model at a resort is ideal. Our lot rent is probably equal to the property taxes alone we would pay on a decent cabin. Also, our priorities are good lake access, good fishing, and a sandy beach.

Our family would not have very much fun if every time we went up I was consumed with construction / remodeling and we had to wait years for running water and flushing toilets.

Have to find what works for you

I agree most resorts don’t give you a lot of space to work with. Pros and Cons to everything. I am quite picky as to the particular site, even within a resort, but lucky to find something that works for me.

PM sent.

I was up at our property today. Our destination trailer isn’t even there yet as we are waiting on the dirt work to be done but I knew the grass needed to be mowed. I trailered the rider up and and yep I was right it needed to be mowed. Unload the mower fill it with gas and start mowing. Man that property is as rough as a cob!! Almost liked somebody tilled it in fall and never leveled it! Something I couldn’t tell when we bought it because the frost was still in the ground and it was snow covered.

Something is going to have to be done to make it manageable. I think a good heavy commercial roller might help but it may need more than that. I’m talking 2+ acres that I mow. A friend of mine owns a erosion control/landscaping company so I will look to him for what the solution is.

But just an example of those unexpected things you run across that costs $$ to deal with.

Soon enough you will find “a guy” in your area. He will be the go to guy when you need something done. He will either do the work or know somebody who does it.

Gotta have a guy.

Dutchboy wrote:

Soon enough you will find “a guy” in your area. He will be the go to guy when you need something done. He will either do the work or know somebody who does it.

Gotta have a guy.

So true. I found the go to dirt guy in the area from the neighbor. I talked to the neighbor today about the lawn being so damn rough. Said everybody has the same problem in the area. I walked his for a bit and yeah it’s rough but not as bad as mine. If they want to live with it they can have at it but I’m not about to. It’s going to get fixed. I always have enjoyed mowing lawn it’s almost a therapy session. Today was not enjoyable experience in the least.