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Family of 5 in a 34' Motor home ( for 18 months). Insane???


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Yeah, I do know that it is Insane but do you think it's possible???

 

We are building a house and need to sell the one we currently own. Moving into an apartment isn't an option so we are thinking of moving into a motor home on the property. We can get one for a great price and when the house is finished, we will have it for traveling like we want to.

 

I'm really nervous about the whole idea. We are people that like our space, and unfortunately, we like our stuff. I'm torn between the idea that it would be a great exercise in learning to live with each other without separate rooms and toys, and possibly wanting to kill each other. It would be a great opportunity to learn that we don't need all that STUFF and to learn to do with less.

 

Has anyone done this? Too Crazy to consider??

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My sister in laws family did that for a couple years before she married my brother. From what I saw and heard, it was hard. There were 4 kids in that family so it was a pretty good sized family. Their son set up a tent and slept in that when the weather was nice, just to give himself some extra space. They all learned to take advantage of the outdoors for quiet places. It's possible, but I'm sure you'll be happy to be out of it when you're done.

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We did 4 of us in a 27 foot travel trailer for about a year. Were there challenges? Yes, but not as much as you'd think. Dh and I just treated it as a fact of life and the dc accepted that this is the way things are. Not much space so we had a storage unit and changed out clothes, toys, etc. with the seasons. We made a great adventure of riding our bikes to the grocery store everyday to buy what was on sale for meals that day. I had a small store of nonperishables for bad weather days. We had one cupboard for school materials and everyone had a small space for a few personal items.

There were times when it just felt too small, but 5 years later the dc still remark occasionally that they miss living in the trailer because we all got to do everything together. Now mine were 9 and 11 when we started so having younger ones may be a bit more challenging.

So, all this to say that I believe it is very realistic and you may bring the family closer than ever.

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The other alternative is to stay in our current home, take out a construction loan to finish the new house and then try to sell the one we're in. We also live 20 minutes away from the land which makes it hard to do any building after work.

 

We plan to build this house ourselves, with cash as we get it so selling this house ahead of time will make the new house go up a lot quicker. It would be awesome to stay out of debt too.

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We (myself, DH and 2 children who where 3 and 1) lived in a big (36' I think) 5th wheel for about 4 months - in winter. My kids were smaller, the main problem was the condensation on the walls - it mildewed anything touching the wall. And it such a small space, it's rather hard to NOT touch the wall. So consider the weather where you'll be.

 

I would do it if it meant staying out of debt. Can you knock up a quick addition for more space? Maybe an 8x12 shed that you can butt up to the motorhome, and either use for extra sleeping space or a rec. room. Or can you get an old mobile home? They are cheap here, of course it might be hard to get rid of it when you are done.

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It would depend a bunch on the weather for me. We did extended RV as a kid. If the weather was outside weather it was great. We quickly got sick of it if it got too cold or too warm and we were all shut up.

 

Eta fix iPad typos

Edited by kck
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It probably would drive me insane, but if it meant less debt, I would do it, no question. Just think of the frontier people who lived twelve in a 12x12 cabin (with loft). It depends on your kids, though. Some kids just need their alone space or they aren't pleasant to be around. I'm guessing you homeschool them. If the olders were going to school part of the time that would make a difference, too.

 

No doubt it will be a learning experience! I hope the memories are good ones.

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You have just described the exact situation that helped end my parents' marriage when I was a child. The second house was never finished. We finally had to move. The motor home was difficult, especially in winter, despite having plenty of space.

 

I don't think that would happen to everyone - there were financial issues that arose and this was obviously a catalyst, not a cause... I just thought it was a bit uncannily similar to my childhood.

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Yes, I would do it. A couple of things to think about. Can you get closer to a 40' motorhome or 5th wheel instead of a 34'? It will improve your quality of life. You will need to have electric, water and sewer set up for your motorhome as well. Start out with a storage unit nearby that will give you access to some of the things that you will want to use on a regular basis. Build your garage first if possible.

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Been there done that and will be doing it again next year. It's going to take some getting use to and you can totally forget 'space'. At least in the good weather you can be outside and enjoy that. I personally wouldn't want to move into an apartment, get it the way I want it and then have to move again. I'd toss everything into storage and enjoy the camper. If you don't have to stay on the property for the whole 18 months, just hitch up the camper and go. I love and miss our 'house'.

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Dh and I wish that is what we would have done when we had to rebuild after the fire. As it was we rented a house in town. We hated it. It was harder for dh to work on the place and it meant we got to see him even less than we were already. It would have been so nice to actually been able to be there and be on our own property and if you have land it makes it all seem so much bigger.

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Yeah, I do know that it is Insane but do you think it's possible???

 

...We can get one for a great price and when the house is finished, we will have it for traveling like we want to.

 

We'll be parked on 3/4 acre with lots of trees and plenty of room to play.

 

We plan to build this house ourselves, with cash as we get it so selling this house ahead of time will make the new house go up a lot quicker. It would be awesome to stay out of debt too.

 

For all these reasons, I would totally do it!!!! Your kids are young, and you can stand 18 months for the bigger picture you have in mind. :D

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You couldn't pay me enough money.

 

With our dc, including some with attention issues, we need space. I used to try to do all homeschool work in our schoolroom. They could not concentrate with anything else going on near them.

 

I guess it depends on personality types. My dh needs lots of quiet and solitude, too. It wouldn't work for our family.

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I think it depends on your family dynamic. Do you all have fun (and not bicker too much) if you take the time to go camping (few personal belongings, not much space)? Or can you not wait to get home?

 

Why not rent or borrow an RV and either camp or live in it in the driveway for 3 days as a trial run?

 

I heard on Dave Ramsey several months ago a story about a family of I think 8 with a dog who lived in an RV for two years to get out of debt. They loved it.

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We have been looking on CL for RVs and our options are pretty limited. We can't do a 5th wheel because our truck is too small. We really want a motor home so we can haul the boat with it when we are ready for vacations. :) AND, we want to stay under $5k so it makes it worth the sacrifice. If we pay more than that, we might as well rent an apt for the amount of time we will be there.

 

We do homeschool, but we are probably a lot more relaxed than a lot of you so we don't need a ton of space for all the books.

 

The whole experience will definitely be an exercise in learning to live with less but I'm at a point that I think that would be really good for our family.

 

There will be a storage shop on the land for all of our stuff, the septic tank is already there, we have water, and the in-laws live next door in case I REALLY need to get rid of the kids. We will be hooked up to power. DH says we can build a little patio area and buy one of those cool patio heaters so we have more outside space even when it's cold.

 

I know there are times when it would be miserable, but I guess I'm optimistically hoping that it would be a growing experience. The whole house building is going to be stressful anyway.

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It's my dream. THe kids and I always say if we won the lotto the first thing we would do is get a nice RV and travel for a good 2 years before settling down. Using at as a temporary house while building another would be totally plausible, especially if you are in a climate that would allow for spending lots of time outdoors giving everyone needed space.

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I think it depends on your family dynamic. Do you all have fun (and not bicker too much) if you take the time to go camping (few personal belongings, not much space)? Or can you not wait to get home?

 

Why not rent or borrow an RV and either camp or live in it in the driveway for 3 days as a trial run?

 

I heard on Dave Ramsey several months ago a story about a family of I think 8 with a dog who lived in an RV for two years to get out of debt. They loved it.

 

We've never camped as a family. We are usually hotel people who tend to overpack. It's all me though, I know the rest of them could do it with so much less.

 

Borrowing/renting- Not possible. :( I don't know anyone with one to borrow, and it's $250 a DAY to rent one.

 

The debt thing is the main reason we want to do this. If we sell this current house, we will have almost enough cash, along with what we've already saved, to complete the new house. Even with the purchase of the motor home and any fixings we need, it will be way cheaper than renting an apt for that time. We might as well keep our mortgage for the price of a decent apt on that side of town.

 

To walk away with a completely paid for, brand new home, AND a motor home for traveling as a family, would be worth the discomfort of living like that for a while. ( a looong while) hopefully...

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It's my dream. THe kids and I always say if we won the lotto the first thing we would do is get a nice RV and travel for a good 2 years before settling down. Using at as a temporary house while building another would be totally plausible, especially if you are in a climate that would allow for spending lots of time outdoors giving everyone needed space.

 

We have decent weather for about 9 months of the year. It gets cold, but not horribly bad. The kids are just going to have to learn to go outside even if it isn't a perfect 70Ă‚Âº.

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Some practical considerations -- it was already mentioned here to look into whether or not the local ordinances allow this. Then, if the property doesn't already have it, make sure that you count the cost of running electric, water (or digging a well, buying a pump), and septic/sewer to the site in your initial costs -- it's really not going to be livable otherwise. You'll probably also want to pave (or at least hard-pack gravel) down for a path to get it in and out when needed and also an outdoor living area -- otherwise the mud will make life intolerable very quickly. When shopping for a motor home, make sure that it has enough insulation and a good enough heater for the worst possible winter conditions. Most motor homes don't take these things into consideration, as they're designed to be vacation homes only and it's kind of expected that people won't bother with vacationing in extreme temperatures, so while there might be a heater, it may not be designed to do more than keep the pipes from freeing in the worst weather, and because motor homes are designed to be light, there often is not a lot of insulation. Another thing you'll probably want is on-site, animal-proof storage ... a good, sturdy outbuilding in which to store ... well, everything ... there's just not much storage IN the vehicle for more than a couple days' worth of food and clothing for a family of 5. You may want to have one anyway, but you'll probably want to put that up before moving to the property.

 

The general idea could be an adventure, but sometimes, you really do save money and hassle by renting nearby instead, especially if there's not careful pre-planning to take in all the possibilities ahead of time.

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We have decent weather for about 9 months of the year. It gets cold, but not horribly bad. The kids are just going to have to learn to go outside even if it isn't a perfect 70Ă‚Âº.

 

Given that I would say go for it. Get some indoor out door carpetting and make an outdoor livingroom for relaxing, indoors is for days that are too wet/cold to be out and sleeping. Sweaters in the cold, etc. I think they would learn to adapt to being outside in all sorts of weather. It will be better for them long term anyway. And imagine the stories years from now reminicing of the 18 months you all lived in the RV. Learning to live with less, learning to appreciate what you have, family bonding, getting outdoors more, etc All positive skills.

 

The only things I would factor into pricing is where you are doing laundry, if a laundromat factor in the cost per week. How much does it cost for the propane for cooking and heat? Where can you go to empty the sanitank? etc.

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Some practical considerations -- it was already mentioned here to look into whether or not the local ordinances allow this. Then, if the property doesn't already have it, make sure that you count the cost of running electric, water (or digging a well, buying a pump), and septic/sewer to the site in your initial costs -- it's really not going to be livable otherwise. You'll probably also want to pave (or at least hard-pack gravel) down for a path to get it in and out when needed and also an outdoor living area -- otherwise the mud will make life intolerable very quickly. When shopping for a motor home, make sure that it has enough insulation and a good enough heater for the worst possible winter conditions. Most motor homes don't take these things into consideration, as they're designed to be vacation homes only and it's kind of expected that people won't bother with vacationing in extreme temperatures, so while there might be a heater, it may not be designed to do more than keep the pipes from freeing in the worst weather, and because motor homes are designed to be light, there often is not a lot of insulation. Another thing you'll probably want is on-site, animal-proof storage ... a good, sturdy outbuilding in which to store ... well, everything ... there's just not much storage IN the vehicle for more than a couple days' worth of food and clothing for a family of 5. You may want to have one anyway, but you'll probably want to put that up before moving to the property.

 

The general idea could be an adventure, but sometimes, you really do save money and hassle by renting nearby instead, especially if there's not careful pre-planning to take in all the possibilities ahead of time.

 

Very good things to think about. :) The thing is, we won't be at a camp ground, we will be on our property where everything is already ready to live, except there is no house. THere aren't any covenants saying we can't put the rv there. I think getting one of those small metal sheds to put next to it for immediate use storage is a great idea. AND! If the 10yo gets ornery, she can move out there! ( Kidding... kind of...) There aren't any apartments available for under $800 a month that we could get into. And, my husband doesn't like people so he would be absolutely miserable in one. :(

 

Given that I would say go for it. Get some indoor out door carpetting and make an outdoor livingroom for relaxing, indoors is for days that are too wet/cold to be out and sleeping. Sweaters in the cold, etc. I think they would learn to adapt to being outside in all sorts of weather. It will be better for them long term anyway. And imagine the stories years from now reminicing of the 18 months you all lived in the RV. Learning to live with less, learning to appreciate what you have, family bonding, getting outdoors more, etc All positive skills.

 

The only things I would factor into pricing is where you are doing laundry, if a laundromat factor in the cost per week. How much does it cost for the propane for cooking and heat? Where can you go to empty the sanitank? etc.

 

THere is a septic already on the lot, for dumping. It has been years since I used a laundromat so I'm not sure how much to factor in. We'd definitely have to cut back on the costume changes. :tongue_smilie: I'm not sure about the cost of propane either. I'll have to look into that.

 

 

I used to live in Eastern WA. Tri cities to be exact. There, yes absolutely one hundred percent. I am jealous!!

 

Good to hear!!

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Have you thought about a sort of alternative?

 

I would live in the RV and make a "livable" space ASAP--- like a garage with heat and plumbing.--Then move into there or at least make it an alternative space (like daytime and sleep in the RV.

 

You should be able to do this in about 6 months. Plus it never hurts to have a space that can be locked up (for the construction stuff that people like to steal).

 

I have friends that lived in their garage (under the Mustang) for several months while the rest of the house was built.

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Have you thought about a sort of alternative?

 

I would live in the RV and make a "livable" space ASAP--- like a garage with heat and plumbing.--Then move into there or at least make it an alternative space (like daytime and sleep in the RV.

 

You should be able to do this in about 6 months. Plus it never hurts to have a space that can be locked up (for the construction stuff that people like to steal).

 

I have friends that lived in their garage (under the Mustang) for several months while the rest of the house was built.

 

There won't be any construction people, we're building it ourselves. :) And I wish we could build the shop first. We originally planned to do that, but then it would have left the house 3/4 finished with the funds we have.

 

It is possible to build a lean-to type of thing for daily living with the RV. We don't want to get TOO white-trashy though.

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We'd do it. But we're weird like that. We've taken other adventures that our made our families think we'd gone off the deep end. We are very adaptable, low-key, go-with-the-flow type people though. It takes a LOT to stress us out.

 

If you and DH are the sort who can be content in just about any situation, then go for it! With that much land and nice weather it should be fine. Though I'd definitely start a list of free places to hang out at in the winter - libraries, malls with indoor playgrounds, etc. so you'll have a variety of things to do when you can't be outside.

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Sounds like a one way ticket to the funny farm to me...especially if you're not a camper.

 

If I were you, I would do a trial run. Go camping when it's cold, windy, rainy and muddy...for a week. Then pretend the power is out for two of those days. Keep everyone inside the RV because the weather is just too nasty to be outside. Or send the kids outside and have them come in covered head to toe in mud. Try to shower them all in the RV where the tiny water heater overloads in about 15 minutes, and the water is lukewarm at best. Pile the muddy clothes outside because there is nowhere to keep them in the RV. Keep kids in because their shoes are soaking wet and won't dry in the humidity. An since you don't have a dryer to throw the sneakers in...you're stuck...and so are they. Ask me how I know all about that scenario...and why I will never camp again. :glare:

 

Seriously, if you are not a seasoned camper who LOVES living practically out of doors in a very cramped space, with lots of bugs EVERYWHERE...do not attempt this.

 

Oh, and if you think your house will be completed in 18 months...double it. That's how long you'll be living in the RV. As anybody here who's ever built before can tell you...houses take twice as long and cost twice as much as the estimate.

Edited by DianeW88
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Sounds like a one way ticket to the funny farm to me...especially if you're not a camper.

 

If I were you, I would do a trial run. Go camping when it's cold, windy, rainy and muddy...for a week. Then pretend the power is out for two of those days. Keep everyone inside the RV because the weather is just too nasty to be outside. Or send the kids outside and have them come in covered head to toe in mud. Try to shower them all in the RV where the tiny water heater overloads in about 15 minutes, and the water is lukewarm at best. Pile the muddy clothes outside because there is nowhere to keep them in the RV. Keep kids in because their shoes are soaking wet and won't dry in the humidity. An since you don't have a dryer to throw the sneakers in...you're stuck...and so are they. Ask me how I know all about that scenario...and why I will never camp again. :glare:

 

Seriously, if you are not a seasoned camper who LOVES living practically out of doors in a very cramped space, with lots of bugs EVERYWHERE...do not attempt this.

 

Oh, and if you think your house will be completed in 18 months...double it. That's how long you'll be living in the RV. As anybody here who's ever built before can tell you...houses take twice as long and cost twice as much as the estimate.

 

:-( Well, I would hope the house wouldn't cost double, or we're screwed. And the permit is only good for two years so that is all we get. FTR, my husband is an electrician, his whole family is in the building trade and many of them have built their own houses for UNDER budget and on time in the last few years. The whole family helps with their skill and it works out. That is the plan anyway. Everyone knows that plans always go as planned. :tongue_smilie:

 

eta- There won't be bugs. Why would I have to worry about bugs on my own land, not at a campground in the middle of nowhere? We aren't worrying about bugs in the house, is a camper way different?

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I don't know why it would double the cost. With careful planning that should not be a problem. I mean, we have had a house built FOR us, and nothing really came up. I don't see why you could not carefully plan expenses on your own.

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We once lived in a 12 x 60 trailer while building and there were only three of us with three dogs toward the end.

It was challenging but we survived.

I'd find an IKEA and get a few organizational things for bedrooms, etc. It helps to have things very organized and some stuff will have to be stored. But it's a limited time period and you can do a lot of things for a short time that you would not want to do indefinitely.

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