RV Pad a Reality

FeatherFam · 06-23-2018, 08:50 AM

After decades of dreaming, years of white knuckle parking and jacking experiences, and 9 months of contractor interviews, we finally bit the bullet. The concrete is done, all but the cure. We lack the electrical, the carport cover, and the remaining landscaping. We are currently finishing the landscaping; The electrical and carport will wait while we recover from this investment.

Before and Beginning the Job:

FeatherFam · 06-23-2018, 09:05 AM

Excavation and Start of Walls - The month without AC in the Alabama summer begins. Just like our childhood. Turn on a fan, open the windas, and suck on some ice:

FeatherFam · 06-23-2018, 09:10 AM

The Concrete Begins, and the New Look Unfolds (landscaping pics as we finish the beds and plant the grass. The driveway is 45' at the mouth and 4" w/rebar and fiber, and the RV pad is 34' x 27' and 6" with rebar and fiber. Crankin' the AC!

Marine71-76 · 06-23-2018, 09:19 AM

Nice. We have the space but not the clearance - the trailer is required to be behind the rear corner of the house We would need permission from the state to enlarge the drive & the electrical company to come out & raise the lines. Not sure it is worth the trouble.

FeatherFam · 06-23-2018, 09:34 AM

It is not an easy decision to make, especially when we actually started draining the very hard-earned savings. But we decided that we are this for the long-haul, and our hope is that we will get decades of value out of it and someday some sale appraisal value when it's time for the nurse(s).

2naEagle · 06-23-2018, 07:02 PM

Looks good. Will make parking a lot easier

FeatherFam · 06-23-2018, 07:11 PM

Thank you! Yes, it will. I had it about 2-3' more narrow, but the contractor and his helper convinced me to cut into the slope a bit more and make it easy on myself. Our road is super busy, and people fly down it. Getting the TT in and off the road has always been very stressful and sometimes undoable. A few times we just had to pull straight in on the grass and spend a half an hour maneuvering it to get it up on the side yard. We are so happy with this design, and we are excited to give it a try!

TCNashville · 06-23-2018, 07:14 PM

Very nice indeed and it looks like you have a lot less grass to mow, not to mention that you could put a very large 5th wheel or something else there as well. I wish we had the room to do something like that. Looks awesome.

Cannon · 06-23-2018, 07:18 PM

Looks good. You can never have to much concrete.

FeatherFam · 06-23-2018, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TCNashville

Very nice indeed and it looks like you have a lot less grass to mow, not to mention that you could put a very large 5th wheel or something else there as well. I wish we had the room to do something like that. Looks awesome.

Thank you very much, TC! You never know what the future holds, maybe a bigger unit for retirement. Or, when the day comes to sell our home, it is a value added investment. Someone else may like it for parking the cars of guests. We will use for storing the TT, parking the TV, and as a place to perform our maintenance on both of them. I am very happy about the ability to wash and service our vehicles on the pad. Our garage is pretty cramped.

GrumpyDad · 06-23-2018, 07:26 PM

Looks great, I'm very jealous.

FeatherFam · 06-23-2018, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cannon

Looks good. You can never have to much concrete.

Thank you! I agree. When we started the design process, I thought an 18' x 25' was the right size. Then it grew to 22' x 30'. By the time I interviewed my second contractor, I had the 25+' x 34' dialed in.

FeatherFam · 06-23-2018, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TCNashville

it looks like you have a lot less grass to mow

The mowing was definitely a growing concern for us. Without kids, it takes all that we have to keep up with the place. When we first bought the home, it took us 3.5 hours to mow, edge, and clean up the property (front and back). The ditches and slopes were a nightmare; up until two years ago, the ditches were not filled. It was an ordeal to keep them mowed. We actually sprained ankles, and I broke an ankle mowing them. We endangered our lives in them with cars flying by dangerously fast and close. This gives us some buffer from the road!

Over the years, we planted numerous garden rooms out back that cut down on the mowing but added weeding and pruning. We gradually got the mowing, edging, and clean up down to 45 minutes. All of the plants we plant now our native and/or very low maintenance selections. There will be a lawn in the center of the front. I will submit pics when we finish the landscaping.

FeatherFam · 06-23-2018, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrumpyDad

Looks great, I'm very jealous.

Thank you, GrumpyDad! I have been covetous of many an RV port myself. I am very grateful that we could do this and do it now while we are still working and with years to enjoy it (Lord willing).

**Midnightmoon** · 06-23-2018, 07:53 PM

Really nice project. Congratulations

FeatherFam · 06-23-2018, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midnightmoon

Really nice project. Congratulations

Thank you so much! We are very pleased and anxious to get the TT out of storage and bring her home. We are going to wait at least four weeks. I know it's a bit excessive of a wait period, but we are in no hurry, and we want to give the cure process a good head start, especially since I read that concrete can take 100 years to "fully cure." I don't know if that is true, but I have read and heard that it is good to be patient before putting too much load on it. We have amazing, kind neighbors who have been sharing their driveway with us. They and others are a significant part of our decision to stay in our home and invest in it this way. it is very hard to find good ol' folks like we enjoy in our neighborhood.

**Midnightmoon** · 06-23-2018, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FeatherFam

Thank you so much! We are very pleased and anxious to get the TT out of storage and bring her home. We are going to wait at least four weeks. I know it's a bit excessive of a wait period, but we are in no hurry, and we want to give the cure process a good head start, especially since I read that concrete can take 100 years to "fully cure." I don't know if that is true, but I have read and heard that it is good to be patient before putting too much load on it. We have amazing, kind neighbors who have been sharing their driveway with us. They and others are a significant part of our decision to stay in our home and invest in it this way. it is very hard to find good ol' folks like we enjoy in our neighborhood.

Your neighbors really make the difference and I'm sure that they in turn appreciate the hard work that you are putting in to your property. It really looks great.

Witt74 · 06-24-2018, 08:01 AM

Looks great! I'm sure you'll be very happy with the new space

248RBSW-SJC · 06-30-2018, 03:07 PM

Thank you for your service...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marine71-76

Nice. We have the space but not the clearance - the trailer is required to be behind the rear corner of the house We would need permission from the state to enlarge the drive & the electrical company to come out & raise the lines. Not sure it is worth the trouble.

goldenbetty · 06-30-2018, 04:03 PM

Well, Code Enforcement in our area was after all of the RV owners in our subdivision to put the RV's behind the front line of the house. We REMOVED the garage, and laid down a 14 ft wide driveway all the way back to the back fence and built an 18 ft tall carport with an attached 1.5 wide garage. Now our baby is under cover and we are very happy we did it, $30,000 later. Gotta do what ya gotta do to save the investment.

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