RV living

[headednorth]

Im only about 12 hrs into this idea, so bear with me if its off the wall or if there's something obvious that Im missing.

Long story short, Im living on the North Shore and working just outside of Boston on the north side. Ideally, like a lot of people here I would guess, Id like to have a place in NH. Prices in Southern NH seem to of caught up to prices in MA suburbs, at least on the North Shore. Aside from that, a lot of SNH is still too urban for me. My dream home would be more rural with enough land to shoot a rifle on at rifle distances, along with space for growing veggies, maybe some chickens, and just not having a neighbor 50' away. At the very least Id need the rifle and rural part.

Exchanged a few emails with a NH realtor along with a budget and was told Id need to be further up to achieve that, which takes me out of commuting distance from work. So I got an idea in my head about buying an RV, some land up in central or northernish NH and staying in the RV at work M-F and driving home Fri night. Id be living in the RV full time so the land in NH would probably have some sort of parking area with a hook up to a well and septic, maybe a barn or some sort of out building but no actual house.

There's a lot at work where I could park and they would probably be ok with that. Could possibly run a hose for water and maybe an extension cord for electricity. Im single, no kids, no pressing family obligations so no real impediments to this from that angle. So questions...

-Is there anything about this that is an obvious deal breaker that Im missing?
-Do people live in RV's in this part of the country year round?
-Is it possible to stay in one for 5 days and nights in a parking lot with limited or no outside amenities like electricity or a sewage hookup?
-Im thinking a 2-ish hour commute on Mon morning and again on Fri night beats an hour and 15 minutes twice a day for 5 days a week.
-In the end, does it sound cheaper to just buy a house and drive back and forth? Used RV prices seem to be all over the place. (ive only been looking since last night so I may be off on this) Not looking for a trailer or a Guns N Roses tier full blown bus. Something used, mid-sized and preferably in need of some interior work or minor repairs.

As I said Im only a few hours into researching this, but wanted to throw it out to the NES brain trust to get a feel if its something that makes sense doing. Sorry for the long post and tia.

 

[one-eyed Jack]

Watch the zoning.You could be shut down for being "residential".Jack.

 

[headednorth]

Watch the zoning.You could be shut down for being "residential".Jack.

Meaning at work?

 

[Sparkey]

No sure how comfortable Rv’s stay when it is -10 out especially the plumbing parts of them
Can you find a job in NH instead ?

 

[headednorth]

No sure how comfortable Rv’s stay when it is -10 out especially the plumbing parts of them
Can you find a job in NH instead ?

Where's the fun in that? Lol. I do keep my ear to the ground, but I've been where I'm at for a while.

 

[greencobra]

I worked with a woman a few years ago that did just that. she got permission from the company to put her rv in the back lot, out of the way. she could use an electrical feed and had access to water, courtesy of the company. she could also go around to the front door to get use of the bathroom if she didn't want to use the facility in her rv. no shower though, had to use the one in the rv. sweet set up, I thought our company went above and beyond in the generosity. she did this for a couple of years.

 

[noxin]

There's multiple articles of college students doing it in a renovated van. No reason, beyond legal and corporate, that you couldn't do it with the proper gear.

 

[headednorth]

I worked with a woman a few years ago that did just that. she got permission from the company to put her rv in the back lot, out of the way. she could use an electrical feed and had access to water, courtesy of the company. she could also go around to the front door to get use of the bathroom if she didn't want to use the facility in her rv. no shower though, had to use the one in the rv. sweet set up, I thought our company went above and beyond in the generosity. she did this for a couple of years.

This is pretty much what Im thinking.

 

[headednorth]

There's multiple articles of college students doing it in a renovated van. No reason, beyond legal and corporate, that you couldn't do it with the proper gear.

Yeah its possible, just wanted to throw it out there to see how feasible the idea is. I figure there are a million aspects that I havent thought of that the NES hivemind could help bring to my attention. Was hoping there were RV'ers here that would give me an idea of the little details as well. Like if Im living in the rv in the work lot for 5 days and 4 nights, Im assuming theres a holding tank for the waste water. Will it have the capacity for 1 guys waste for that amount of time, or will I have to find a place to dispose of it?

 

[white feather]

Do number two at work before you leave/after you get there. Keep a kitty litter plastic jug for number one. Empty it at work. No need to use the tank on the RV at all...

 

[Asaltweapon]

Look for RV's in Florida. My buddy got a Class A diesel pusher for a song. Needed some minor work that he did himself, new rug, recliners and new tires from the FL sun.

Thing is awesome.

 

[jct61765]

What are you going to do when it gets cold? Your water will freeze. Are rv`s even winterized?

 

[headednorth]

What are you going to do when it gets cold? Your water will freeze. Are rv`s even winterized?

Ive just been doing some reading today and that was one of the first things I looked into. It can be accomplished with heaters, antifreeze and insulation. Some come that way, others can be retrofitted. They also recommend skirting to keep the wind from blowing underneath. Can be as simple as just pushing snow next to the rv to block airflow underneath.

 

[mibro]

Interesting thread. I'm grappling with the strong desire to unplug from the matrix right now. I don't want to feed the beast any more and the suburban lifestyle has gotten really, really old. Maybe next year.

 

[Matt_SERE]

Is the RV going to be your daily driver, also? That may make it inconvenient for shopping and other running errands around town. If you could go with a trailer, there is a relatively new manufacturer on the market that is rivaling Airstream and is a true four-season trailer.

If I had the money, and could solve a couple of concerns I would buy an Oliver and be done with MA. They are not inexpensive or cheap.

Oliver Trailers: Frequently Asked Questions | Oliver Travel Trailers
Is an Oliver suitable for camping in freezing temperatures?
An Oliver can camp in very extreme temperatures. Because of its thoroughly insulated double shell and the fact that all water lines, appliances, tanks are enclosed within the lower shell, the Oliver is the perfect travel trailer for anyone who wants to brave below freezing temperatures. Remember to always properly winterize your Oliver when traveling between camping sights whenever the potential for freezing is present.


Another well known 4 season/winter trailer company is Bigfoot. They also make truck bed campers. If you have a pickup you may look in to a flat bed as the flat bed campers are roomier. http://www.bigfootrv.com/bigfootrv_travel_trailers_2500.html

One physical aspect to take into consideration is the interior height of whatever you buy. If you can't stand in it you will get sick of it relatively shortly if doing a lot of stationary camping/lodging. Most can put up with any inconvenience for a while but putting up fold-up trailers/campers can be a pain in the ass in inclement/cold weather.

Good luck in your pursuit.

Matt

 

[42!]

There is a youtuber "Pure Living for Life" where a couple is living in a trailer, which is inside a half cabin half enclosure which has a wood stove, and their water freezes on a regular basis in the winter. Add that some of our coldest days don't have snow (to pile up to block the wind), and you can expect some frozen water (maybe burst pipes) and cold floors on a regular basis.

Also consider that you are talking about living in it full time, not just during the work week. It's going to suck when you drive home on Friday night to you NH property and find out it's under 3' of snow, with both you water and sewer hookups frozen.

Might be able to make things a little better if you had a heated building you could park your RV in at the NH lot.

Actually, there was an NESer that lives in another state and worked in MA for a while. I think he just rented a room down here to use during the week.

 

[mwalsh9152]

I'd probably go with a 5th wheel and a truck to pull it so I wouldn't be stuck having to drive the motorhome to the grocery store etc.

As for in NH, a manufactured home would probably be a better solution than the camper. Water and sewer already hooked up, not buried in ice/snow. Depending on work, you could possibly have the camper there 7 days a week?

Since zoning can be a concern, 24' box truck built up inside for comfort. Fly totally under the radar.

 

[richc]

Just thinking like an old guy who likes creature comforts...

When I leave work I go home, sit my ass in a comfortable chair, watch tv and leave the day behind.

Essentially you'll be at work all week. Not sure how you feel about that.

Would you be able to store all your worldly possessions in an RV? If not, where?

Sounds like a wonderful idea but me thinks the devil is in the details.

 

[1776]

You would need to park it at a campground with full hookups. Figure 1500-2000/month, especially with metered electric. The RV will be purchased with after tax dollars 15+%, and you will loose the increase in a non-tax 401k that may be another 15%. Sounds like a boat in a marina option, flushing a Ben Franklin down the crapper every day. Air B&B a condo every weekend. Then enjoy fighting 3-4hr Friday traffic north, and a 3-4 am trip back to work, with the car and not the RV.

 

[powerman]

Why would you not have a house in nh. Nice warm/cool place on weekends
Driving rv twice a week, will get old.
Leave rv at work, commute with car.
Also the answer depends on the size and type of rv on how comfortable you will be.
Winters could get rough. Insulation not the best. Most likley living inside with your moisture will get into insulation wet and the thing will be an ice box.
Doable yes.

 

[headednorth]

Thanks for the replies, keep em coming.

Ive thought of the fact that I may (will, eventually) get back to NH after dark and find a snowy, frozen mess. Cant say I have a solution to that.

Kind of turned off by the idea of a trailer. Cant say why exactly, just would prefer a non-trailer (?) I do see the advantage to having a pick up for a daily driver rather than a motorhome to run to the store with.

Also have been thinking about my stuff. Good amount of tools especially that would not fit into one of those rigs. Have also been trying to build up some basic preps which seems to me like a weak point in that type of living. Where are you going to put stuff? Im not particularly materialistic, not a whole lot of junk, dont really find myself needing a lot of new stuff, but do have tools, reloading gear, basic prep stuff that have to go somewhere. Storage unit? Now Im paying for land, storage unit, plus the costs of the rv/travel.

The devil is in the details. The whole point of me starting this thread was for people to comment and basically try to blow holes in this idea, offer solutions and advice, point out issues, etc. Please keep throwing out thoughts.

 

[cmcgraw2]

Did that for a time out west as a lad - when unexpected mechanical problems kept the bus in the shop, I had to sleep out in the train yard with the hobos until I could afford to pay for repairs. Fortunately I had a shower, meals, laundry at work but it wasn't an ideal arrangement.

 

[Nick Fury]

You would be suprised how much of what you are looking for resides under an hour from Boston. So tell me how cool are you?

 

[white feather]

We have camped a lot at Scusset in the winter over the past eight years.. Use a small electric fireplace (1500 watts) during the day and another small electric heater at night. Gulfstream Yellowstone 2007 on a Ford 450 with v-10, 30 foot long with three slides. The camper has a propane furnace but we use the electric heaters so we don't need to buy propane. I have never found it necessary to use the furnace. If you get cold, you can put a space blanket under your bottom sheet or use a sleeping bag and or the space blanket. Of course, I always sleep with a knit cap. Camper has heated tanks but we go with a much more self contained system. Bottled water too. No need to fill large tanks with water and use lots of water to flush and worry about frozen pipes.

 

[Jason Flare]

In the Winter filling you water tanks with vodka is a good idea too.

To prevent freezing.

 

[01906]

It would be a pretty big sacrifice living in a camper (with no privacy) all week just to enjoy your weekends. I don't know what you do for a living or how old you are. If you were up for a career change you could start hauling cars. You can sleep in your truck all week. and have three nights to yourself at your house in New Hampshire. Diversified is looking for drivers. If you're willing to work you can make 100,000 + a year. I'm with you I am someone that also wants to disconnect from the city. but I don't know if I would go about it that way. I think you would get pretty tired of it quickly. At least I would. But do what makes you happy. we're not here for a long time so you might as well enjoy it.

 

[42!]

Have you considered the impact this will have on your social life. I'm thinking the line "let's go back to my place, it's parked right outside." Isn't going to get the best results.

 

[Spanz]

I knew one guy who slept in his office, under the desk, at a large tech company. I think he was having problems with his wife, and it was a long commute. He got away with it for a year.

A good idea would be to join a health club within walking distance of work. That way you have somewhere to go to take a good hot shower, and some sort of social life outside of sitting in your RV every night

 

[Spanz]

also knew another guy who camped at State Parks while he worked. Some sort of rule made him change the specific site he was using every 4 to 5 days, but as long as he moved, they let him stay there as long as he wanted. Not sure if they still let you do that, but worth a look. Benefit of a state park...they often have at least one facility for showers that is winterized.

 

[allen-1]

RV's have holding tanks. Black water and grey water. Black water is septic. Grey water is your shower and sink. They also have fresh water feeds and electrical feeds.

Thanks for the replies, keep em coming.

Ive thought of the fact that I may (will, eventually) get back to NH after dark and find a snowy, frozen mess. Cant say I have a solution to that.

Kind of turned off by the idea of a trailer. Cant say why exactly, just would prefer a non-trailer (?) I do see the advantage to having a pick up for a daily driver rather than a motorhome to run to the store with.

Also have been thinking about my stuff. Good amount of tools especially that would not fit into one of those rigs. Have also been trying to build up some basic preps which seems to me like a weak point in that type of living. Where are you going to put stuff? Im not particularly materialistic, not a whole lot of junk, dont really find myself needing a lot of new stuff, but do have tools, reloading gear, basic prep stuff that have to go somewhere. Storage unit? Now Im paying for land, storage unit, plus the costs of the rv/travel.

The devil is in the details. The whole point of me starting this thread was for people to comment and basically try to blow holes in this idea, offer solutions and advice, point out issues, etc. Please keep throwing out thoughts.

I live in a campground roughly five months of the year, (May through October). My particular camper is a "park model", it doesn't move. Lots of other models here are hitched up to to duelies (sp?) and pulled. If you went that route, you can set up a camper and then have mobility as others have mentioned. You can get campers built for northeast climates, ours for example has extreme insulation which we wanted for soundproofing because we live in a campground and want to be able to close our windows and not hear our neighbors on a Friday/Saturday Summer night.

I rent a 10x20 climate controlled storage unit. It runs me about 220 a month and I make damn sure that I'm always 60 days ahead on the payments. I use it for overflow storage and for when I winterize the camper.