Travel trailer homesteading

[Smalltowngirl]

Does anyone do it or are we totally nuts for thinking that a large, self contained travel trailer/fifth wheel would be a great way to get on the land sooner?

We have a wooded acreage in MO that we'd love to move to ASAP. My husbands job is portable; he can telecommute and the company I work for happens to have a branch 16 miles from our land.

We have considered building a small cabin, buying one of those premade Amish type barns or buying a travel trailer. Obviously, each has it's advantages so we thought posting for opinions might open us up to thoughts & questions we hadn't considered.

I've seen a lot of 5th wheels in the 30-37' range for under $8000 and they are fully equipped including forced air/heat, bathroom w/shower and holding tanks.

Since we would like to live on the land a bit before deciding where to put any future cabin not to mention we need to put in the well & septic system, this seemed like a good way to go.

We are not new to homesteading but this is the first time we'll be starting from bare land; that is a big difference than starting with buildings and utilities already in place.

Any thoughts, experiences or pitfalls you can share with a couple that are hugging 60.

Thanks

[Alice In TX/MO]

The main problem is going to be winter. You won't be well insulated, and water/septic lines can freeze!

[ronbre]

I think it does sound like a great idea..but you might want to provide it a tad of extra protection..esp from snow and wind...if you will be in a snow prone area.

I suggest figuring out where you might want a future barn..put it there temp with elec hook up ..and water if you can swing the well ...place some protection around the base first, maybe bales of hay..to keep wind out from under it..if you have enough bucks..put in poles around the travel trailer leaving the pull out end free of poles and a few inches at least from the sides..and put a pole barn type roof over the top of the entire thing..this will give some protection above and keep snow off the roof..make sure you don't block any ventilating pipes..etc.

then if you have a severe wind area, you might pile the hay bales or snow when it comes up against the windprone side of the trailer as well..to give added insulation..and you might consider some heavy heavy drapes you can pull for nighttime to give more insulation..

plant your windbreak and trees for fruits, nut and timber early on as well

[sandc]

We did a winter in Missouri living in our 5th wheel. Most of the newer models have the plumbing up in the belly and usually have a duct for the heating opened up down there to allow some heat into them. We put hay bales all the way around to cut out the airflow underneath and that helped a lot. We also bought the jack that goes under the hitch to help steady the trailer as well as closing in the area with a vinyl liner they sell. We used the area for storage.

It is doable, and my family looks back on it as one of our fondest memories together. We wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

[Sawmill Jim]

Buddy had one in Co Mo should be a walk in the park Good suggestions above too

[Debbie in Wa]

contact CJ down in the sewing forum, she did that for a long time until they bought a place.

[InvalidID]

I lived in a 1977 Holiday Rambler for 2 winters up here. While we don't get very cold I still insulated a little better, also put on a makeshift skirt. I have an old ships wood stove that made plenty of heat.

Living quarters were kinda tight, but all in all it got us out here faster than if we had waited to build. If I found a better piece of land I'd do it again in a minute.

[stamphappy]

How many kids do you have?

We lived in our Motorhome for 3 months during winter (Jan-March) in Washington DC while we were waiting for housing. The plumbing was not exposed, it was incased on the underside of the RV. Spent about $180 on propane every 4 weeks for heating and cooking. It was just me, DH and our toddler son. It was certainly do-able.

Co-worker lived in a 5th wheel for one year waiting for their house. It was her, her husband, and 2 small children under 5.

[Freeholder]

We lived in a small travel trailer and two tents for several months while we built a house. We had three small children at the time, and one of my younger sisters was living with us, so we needed the extra space offered by the tents. We did go well into the winter before our house was closed in so we could move into it (if I had it to do over again, I'd FINISH the house before moving in, even if it meant getting a second travel trailer to have more space during the winter!). But it's quite doable, and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

Kathleen

[Smalltowngirl]

Thanks for all of the replies. I'm 59, my husband is 62 with no kids at home but we do have 2 inside dogs.

So many good ideas, I am copying them all off so we can discuss them.

I know we'd really like to have a wood stove since we'll have a lot of wood from clearing the driveway, etc.,
I was wondering if there's a way to put it in a separate shed and somehow connect it into the ductwork of the trailer? I have a healthy respect for fire so want to make things as safe as possible.

If we go with a 5th wheel, we talked about putting some storage under the hitch area.

Putting up skirting or the bales sounds like a good way to insulate the bottom; plus I can use them the following spring as mulch on my new gardens.

I'm so excited, you'd think this was my first place instead of my 5th but this is the first time we get to plan everything out just the way we want it.

[weedlady]

We will be doing it - hopefully within the next few years.
I've bought the travel trailer ('73 30' Holiday Rambler-vintage-I love it!).
As soon as we get it fully operational-it's almost 40years old, so it needs just a little work, lol- we will take it up to our place in the U.P. to use as our camp.
The next step will be to sell our house in Ohio-then we'll make the big move and have cash to start building a house. Of course, we will only be able to stay in our trailer in the summer-I don't think we could survive the U.P. winter in a camper.
I can't wait.
Martha

[houndlover]

Self contained still needs septic dumping capability, a source of water to refill the tank, and a power source to recharge the battery or to run. We have both a tt and an RV, and at most, we are "self contained" for about 6-7 days.

[Oldcountryboy]

I've given the travel trailer living a thought. I would like to move closer to the fishing hole during the spring/summer months and then pack up and move to the hunting grounds during the fall/winter months. Just buy a little acreage at each location and fix them up to where all I'd have to do is park inside a canopy/concrete floor that has electrical, water, and sewer hookup.

Will have to wait till the kids grow up and move off first before I could live such a dream.

[Smalltowngirl]

Originally Posted by houndlover

Self contained still needs septic dumping capability, a source of water to refill the tank, and a power source to recharge the battery or to run. We have both a tt and an RV, and at most, we are "self contained" for about 6-7 days.

We are having the electric run next spring, the Electric Coop runs it to a pole with a 200 am box & when we go down for a vacation this fall, the Coop engineer is going to walk with us about possible locations. $5.50/ft and they supply everything including cutting the trees once we decide where we want to put the lines (40' wide easement) & we get to keep the trees!

There's a state campground less than 4 miles away for dumping(we already called & they'll let us do it once we're state residents) and we're thinking about putting in an underground cistern/ storage tank from Tractor Supply & have water hauled in to lessen our need for holding tank refills.
With a little luck, we can afford to have the well drilled within a year but I prefer to be prepared in case we need to stretch out that time line.

[Billie in MO]

Won't repeat what others have said, all good ideas. We lived in a 5th wheel here in MO for 2 years, not on our land but in an RV park. We had insulation panels around the bottom edge instead of hay bales. We did just fine.

Have you checked the ordinances in your county for living in a travel trailer until you build? Here in our county in MO it is not allowed.

[sandc]

Originally Posted by Billie in MO

Have you checked the ordinances in your county for living in a travel trailer until you build? Here in our county in MO it is not allowed.

What county? I like to file things like this away for future reference

[ChristieAcres]

Only thing I'd add? If I was living in a 5th wheel, I'd build the barn first with large enough doors to drive the 5th wheel into it... You can see where this is going. Now, you are sheltered and have your barn. When the weather warms up, the 5th wheel can be moved, and you can focus on building a cabin or even build temporary quarters in your barn, living in that the next year, while building... As far as heat goes? Wood furnaces burn a lot of wood, but you have better options if your 5th wheel is in a barn... There is a local guy who has his wood burning furnace in his garage...heats his home and water this way.

One of our neighbors up the road, lived in a travel trailer, had power & water & septic directly connected. They lived in it while they built their house. The first thing they did was to put in a well, a septic tank that met code, and run power.

Yes, important to check County Building Codes and Zoning Restrictions. Where I live, no one cares. The Assessor was recently out and simply took note of new buildings, added calculated value for them, and no one was cited for anything they did without permits. I think the lack the manpower to enforce. The County is better off taxing for improvements, and that is likely their thinking... It surprised me that the Assessor saw travel trailers being lived in, parked on a number of properties up here, and didn't say a word. It isn't supposed to be allowed here, either, not for long term living. It is permitted while you are building, however.

A side note, thought I'd add... When we were looking for a property, we had purchased a 32 foot long travel trailer to live in. We planned to live in it while we built our home, however found a property with a home and shop already on it.

[Danaus29]

I've got the trailer (needs to be rebuilt inside) just looking for the land on which to put it. The sleeping quarters are not what I would like for long term (more than a couple weeks) and the insulation is pretty much non-existent. Not much room for food storage though. I would need to have a food locker or something for storing more than a couple days worth of food.

On my old trailer the beds are not made for real mattresses. We tried to find mattresses that would fit the frames but not even the trailer stores have that size.

[ChristieAcres]

Originally Posted by Danaus29

I've got the trailer (needs to be rebuilt inside) just looking for the land on which to put it. The sleeping quarters are not what I would like for long term (more than a couple weeks) and the insulation is pretty much non-existent. Not much room for food storage though. I would need to have a food locker or something for storing more than a couple days worth of food.

On my old trailer the beds are not made for real mattresses. We tried to find mattresses that would fit the frames but not even the trailer stores have that size.

We have a 19 foot travel trailer, had a fold out couch bed Princess and the Pea? That is ME So, I told my Len that it simply would not work for me. He took a few hours to rebuild the frame for a nice pillow top full size mattress. On that, we placed a memory foam. That dern bed is more comfy than even our bed in our home! That one is a memory foam mattress on Len's foundation w/another memory foam on top.

[Danaus29]

Originally Posted by lorichristie

We have a 19 foot travel trailer, had a fold out couch bed Princess and the Pea? That is ME

You too? I can't stand wrinkled sheets. The mattress has to be regular size for the sheets to fit properly and not wrinkle.