Might be full-timing i.e. living our camper in for a while

[wordsmyth]

Well, Ms. wordsmyth and myself have signed a contract on a house "up in the country." We signed on Friday (2 Feb) and are already decluttering and packing to sell our present home. Our plan is to have it ready to list by the first of March.

The next home will be a new build on a 2 acre lot in a new development, so we are praying for good weather between now and June.

Depending on the timing, we may end up spending a month to several months living in our still new 21MML. We don't yet know if that will be at a nearby state park, at a daughter's home in the same rural area, or where. The state park has spaces with full hook-ups but may not take full-timers. The daughter has already said we can park on their property, but access to power, water, and sewer would be a challenge for a long-term stay. Otherwise, we just know that if a buyer shows up with cash or a good check, we'll take it!

We already know we'll have to install a portable dog fence for our 13 year old Springer Spaniel. And I'll set up a portable awning for outside (i.e., therapeutic) space. Other than that we plan to mentally approach it as an extended weekend camping trip.

So what knowledge, insights, and wisdom can the brain trust share with me? We've done sufficient week-long trips to have a general idea about house keeping and such, but we are all the same curious. Other discussion links on this board, or steerage to resources off of this board will be welcomed.

Thanks in advance,

Rick

 

[RPR]

Travel to places you have not been to during the build. We sold our place to down size to a townhouse nearer to our daughter. Signed contract on a townhouse to be built then COVID hit so it took 11 months instead of 5. We looked at the RV as a place to eat and sleep while we explored and did sightseeing in the great outdoors. We put what we would need to fix meals etc. on the RV. Kept it simple.

 

[Jacjayco]

Rick

We've stayed in an rv while we were building two homes. One was on 5 acres the other was in a more developed community.
We needed water, sewer and electric hookups, so we were able to keep the rv in a commercial campground until we had the "big 3".
On the 5 acre property we put in a well and septic so the connections were easy. Once the electricity was in, we were good to go. We stayed in the rv for 8 months while we built our home.
Many years later, we still look back fondly at those times. We were lucky and never had any issues. Even our beloved doxie Cinnamon seemed to like the closeness.
Several advantages come with being on the property full time: you are always there for a delivery of construction materials, it's much easier to oversee the construction of any subs, it's rewarding to see the progress of the build, it's easier to solve issues to avoid delays, you get open communication with everyone involved in the build, and we avoided significant theft of costly materials by being there, especially at night. It also helps to know that you have a safe place to stay if there are any significant delays. It was nice every day to walk the property and enjoy the building progress and appreciate what we did.
If I can help in any way, please let me know. And enjoy the ride, it's a great trip!
Jeff

 

[wordsmyth]

Thanks to all for the feedback. The build is moving along, and we've put our current home on the market.

Due to my retirement job with the school system, there won't be any extended travel between the sell of our current home and occupancy of the new one. The plan is to set up the 21MML for living until we can move into the new house at early summer.

Which leads me to a question about propane.

The 21MML has a tankless hot water heater, and that dude kicks on anytime the handle is pushed for hot water at any spigot. I foresee the consumption of a lot of LP gas.

And I didn't upgrade the propane bottles to the 30 gallon option when I bought this camper. We operate by choice on a budget, and the upgrade funds went into a slide topper and some other things. I'm not kicking myself there; it's just a matter of adapting to the change in external circumstances.

So I'm thinking now on the propane need: do I go with 2 of the 30's from my dealership (or another supplier), or do I buy a 100 gallon tank and just set it next to the tongue for however long we are living in the unit?

We'll end up with a propane griddle and some other cooking devices outside for the duration, and I would like to avoid frequent trips to the local LP supplier. Likewise, I hope to avoid that unspiritual feeling that comes from the shower suddenly going cold!

Do any of you have experience with the shift to a 100 gallon tank for use such as I've described above?

 

[Jacjayco]

Are you going to need a propane tank on the property after the build?
If so, that might help you make the decision.

 

[Grumpy]

Do any of you have experience with the shift to a 100 gallon tank for use such as I've described above?

Haven't done it personally, but have seen many seasonals set up that way. I'd talk to your local propane supplier.

 

[Jacjayco]

Wordsmyth, we have lived in an rv twice while building our home.
First was on 5 acres of totally undeveloped land.
We got the well, septic and electric in place and pulled the rv in, hooked up and were good to go. Second was in a more developed area where we took an existing home down to the studs and did a complete remodel. Used the existing water, sewer and electric.
Both times we caught people on the property late at night and prevented possible catastrophic theft of tens of thousands of dollars worth of building supplies.
We had a ball despite the hard work it takes to build a home. We still talk about those times fondly. Good luck!

 

[wordsmyth]

So we're all set up in our daughter's backyard. 30 amp hookup installed. 100' water hose connected to the spigot on the back of the daughter's house for shore water. 300 gallon, above ground septic tank plumbed in with pvc. And a portable, solar powered electric fence around the "camper space" to keep the dog in and the farm critters out.

A week in and so far, so good.

I don't recall in which thread I posted the question, but I bought the Mopeka monitors to track propane usage. Those things are the cat's meow. A bit pricey, yes, but they take the fear out of the "how much propane do we have left" question.

The local company that provides the septic tank comes out once a week to empty it. We're not in danger of overusing it.

Over the next few weeks I'll post a picture or two of the set-up. Thanks again to all for the feedback and suggestions.