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Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Yes Karla, heed above^
RVs are generally pretty fragile for full time living, replacement components (like toilets and plumbing) is very expensive and difficult.
You are likely to get unto trouble with zoning and neighbors.
COSTS / utilities can be expensive.
If you have a permanent location, Better to add a $10,000 shop or barn with apartment (or cover your RV ... Not advised to enclose ). Hint: never attempt this on HOA property. Minds / people / rules change.
I have found it very ez to sell a beautiful view acreage that has a shop with apartment. The Next buyer has a place to store supplies, and live while building their dream house. It only takes a month to build a shop and add apartment. Or less if you hire a pro.
That said.... Our previous neighbors raised and homeschooled 4 kids through high school in a 22' $2000 RV trailer. For over 10 yrs.
They were building a HUGE home on site, but as with many.... The kids were gone, and husband died before it was complete.. And... As expected... Their kids and family have been some of our richest and most impressive friends (tho not measured by wealth).
Please explain your reasons for desiring an RV on a permanent site, and we may be able to gain insight.
Last edited by StealthRabbit; 03-15-2016 at 09:12 PM..
Thank you both for the insights. I hadn't though of having a barn built.
I guess I should have been clear that I would only want to live in it while building a permanent house. Given limited budget that might take a couple of years. Then I would use the RV as intended.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,694 posts, read 58,012,579 times
Reputation: 46171
Hint: Either use an 'expendable' RV (throw it away when done building) or consider the shop / barn. I built 2 rural homes using an RV, BEFORE I got the shop / apartment idea.
Tramping dirt / Mud / dust / sawdust / concrete / doing laundry and climbing in and out of RV is not that nice. Of all the people I know who built homes themselves (i.e. Getting dirty) using an RV. Nearly all of them ended up with a trashed RV. You really don't have time to keep it pristine when you are working 16 hrs / day in the grime.
YMMV, and you might be able to build a cover / porch / outdoor shower and 'save' the condition of RV.
I've been living in my RV for over 10 years now. There is no law that says I can't. Some parks like Thousand trails, or places you buy the lot have rules that say that, but most RV parks have spaces for monthly rentals and there is no limit. I live in Mount Vernon, WA, there are lots of parks here without time limit rules.
I'm moving to Washington in May '17. We are coming from Tx and have noticed a MAJOR cost in housing difference. Ex I have a 1700sf brick home in a nice neighborhood with a 1000sf nice insulated shop and I paid $144,000 for it 2 years ago. I won't be able to afford to buy a home for a year or so. My wife and 2 kids are kicking around the possibility of buying a large 5th wheel and living in it until we can afford what we want. I want acreage and love the barn idea, but man just land there is substantially more expensive than in accustomed to, and that's without power, water, and septic. We will be living between Yakima and the Tri Cities. Anyone have any advice?
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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There are many people doing this on rented acreage at people's homes, flying under the radar in rural Clallam County, between Port Angeles and Sequim. Probqbly not legal, just less likely to be discovered than in a city. It appears like you are just storing your RV. If caught, the issue is that you may only be zoned for one home, overloading your septic capacity or not paying enough for the city sewer. Check the city website or get a friend to call and ask. If an inspector sees the hookups, you might get busted.
I have been Living in a fifth wheel for 13 years. It's easier than living in a house and costs much less. All my needs are met. I have lived in a couple of RV parks and they packed me in like sardines in a can. I could hear the neighbor farting they were so close together. I finally moved to the country five years ago with private landowner. I don't understand why we can stay all year in one spot within a RV Park and not on private land. I want to buy the parcel I am on and use the two adjoining RV spots with all utilities included to help pay the mortgage. I can't afford the loan otherwise because I have been on disability for several years and the disability payments are only $650 per month. This forces me to stay in a RV which I don't mind but I do need help to pay for the loan with income from additional RV's on the lot. I have built a 12x12 shed and a Gazebo for a small hot tub and a freezer and it would be very hard to move my entire setup. The landowner is tired of fighting with the county and going to court spending tens of thousands in the process. Landowner wants to build house and sell property or sell land to me knowing that the county can come down hard on me at anytime. So I am stuck as what to do. Looks like the county wants me homeless. I have read where some people do not understand why we live full time in our RV and the simple answer is that I and many others can not afford anything else and yet it does meet our needs. Look at the cost of apartments. Rent is more than double what I pay for my RV space. Besides I hate crowded apartments. Kids are forced to live with relatives or commune with several people to a house. The County code has got to change for RV full timers so that we can live in one spot full time without the fear of becoming homeless.
StealthRabbit I have to disagree that RVs are generally pretty fragile for full time living. I would say that it depends on the brand that you purchase. There are some cheap models like Nomad that are troublesome and those should be avoided. You should also think about a four season model which are well insulated for the winter and this will reduce your heating costs. Aluminum framing and fiberglass siding is a must. I have been fulltimer for 13 years with no problems other than maintaining the roof with Dicor calking and liquid rubber roof coating.
Well, this is an old thread, but I may as well throw in my two cents.
From what I've found out, it's illegal to "camp" on land in Washington state for more than 6 months, even if it's your own land. This was told to me by a clerk in Mason county.
I really don't know what they would do if you were caught. A fine? Being permanently banned from your own land?
However, I have seen a few parks that do allow you to live in your RV there full time. One warned that you couldn't use the park address as a mailing address and the other said they had been grandfathered in, so the 6 month rule didn't apply to them.
The other problem is water. Mason county began refusing to issue permits for wells last year, saying that the more wells, the lower the water level in the streams, which led to warmer streams and fewer fish. From what I've heard (not verified), Pierce county may also deny well permits. There is an incredible amount of land for sale in and around Mason and Pierce county, so I don't know how they intend to deal with this.
When it comes to cost, another problem is almost all the land you see these days is governed by an HOA and some of them are very strict, some of them not so strict. HOA fees range from paltry, like $40 a year, or excessive, as high as $175 a month. Most of them also have access to a well, so they can charge you any amount for your water. I've seen $20 a month to almost $60 a month. Hookups to water are also unreal. They can run from a couple hundred bucks to $15,000.
Don't forget land clearing, either. Almost all inexpensive lots will be wooded and clearing that stuff doesn't come cheap. If it isn't the clearing, it'll be something else, like wetlands where you can't build, or hillsides that need to be worked on. It's always something.
My advice after looking forever is to try to find land that has water and no restrictions, and therefore no HOA fees. Cast your net WIDE. You might have to go much farther than you like to get what you can afford. The Seattle side is going to be expensive, and that includes any land southeast of Tacoma. If you jump over to Kitsap county, anything north and south of there will be less expensive, but still costly. Going south to Mason county and things start to improve a bit. Jump over to Hoodsport, Brinnon, and Lake Cushman and you have a real chance of finding some good property for a decent price. The downside is you'll drive a long way to get to anything.
There are some cheap lots out there, though. I've found a few, including one that's a half acre that costs only $15,000 with a super low HOA fee (needs septic and clearing) and is only 15 minutes out of Belfair. So there is affordable land out there - you just have to decide how much sacrifice it's worth.
Last edited by rodentraiser; 06-09-2018 at 02:20 AM..
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210 days in RV in WA state.......
