atb
Chattanooga,TN
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DianneOK wrote:I think a community garden is a wonderful idea. We truck farmed for a while and it is so satisfying 
We're already doing it so it's no trouble to till up a little extra ground. The tractor makes it easy.
All of the field lines were finished today.
Rockwood Roo 23B
2004 Ford E-350 5.4 3:73
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firemedic16
Between Boston and Providence
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How about some progress pictures ?
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atb
Chattanooga,TN
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firemedic16 wrote:How about some progress pictures ?
I'll see what I can do. All the grading is finished, and the septic system is in. Georgia Power just set the transformer. After Labor Day we'll be back at it. I hope to get all the slabs poured for the storage buildings next week.
We're about a month behind schedule - life got in the way. I hope to have things functional by October. I'll work on those photos.
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DianneOK
Donnelly, ID
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Slow is OK, you are doing it right...that is what is important
Does anything grow in the garden during winter? We are looking forward to getting our hands dirty, for sure 
Dianne
Donnelly, ID
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Rick & Cheryl
Texas
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I dont mean to rain on the parade, but I think that 5 sites is a little skimpy. If you rent all but one, you still would have a 20% vacancy, and that might mean the difference between profit and loss.
I would suggest that even in what are called deluxe rv resorts, a 40x70 or so site would be considered spacious. So I think you could easily redesign the acreage to even as many as 20 sites and still have a way above average spaciousness.
Most any seasonal user will either have a w/d in their rv or be used to going to a central laundry facility. Rather than invest in individual storage buildings, I would suggest a small central laundry, with a mens and womens bath, and then one general use room, big enough for small parties, get-to-gethers, and etc. I would think that you could build one larger building for the same price as building individual units on each site. If a seasonal would want a storage building they could just purchase a pre-built one at Home Depot.
With more sites, you have the opportunity to not only charge less per month but to also make more profit. I think you will also find that the lower your price per site, the more likely you will convince a seasonal user to rent. I am still not convinced that "snowbirds" will flock to your park, since its still cold in the winter months and still hot in the summer. So think this entire concept thru carefully prior to pulling the trigger and investing all the development costs.
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DianneOK
Donnelly, ID
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From my conversations with the builder, I understand that he does not want a commercial rv park......
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Rick & Cheryl
Texas
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Non-commercial?? You mean one that is non-profit or just one that loses money. I think a commercial park is exactly what the OP wants to build. Just one that has a slightly different appeal and amenities than what we now would identify as a deluxe park.
I dont think the OP is building this park for the health and welfare for the occupants without regard to the profit/investment return.
Were I an occupant, I too would want the park to be financially healthy as well, that way the owner has the $ to make improvements and to have good quality maintenance.
With only 5 sites on 20 acres or so, the potential of failure is increased rather than decreased.
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Bumpyroad
Virginia
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Rick & Cheryl wrote:Non-commercial?? You mean one that is non-profit or just one that loses money. I think a commercial park is exactly what the OP wants to build. Just one that has a slightly different appeal and amenities than what we now would identify as a deluxe park.
I dont think the OP is building this park for the health and welfare for the occupants without regard to the profit/investment return.
Were I an occupant, I too would want the park to be financially healthy as well, that way the owner has the $ to make improvements and to have good quality maintenance.
With only 5 sites on 20 acres or so, the potential of failure is increased rather than decreased.
Me thinks you misinterpreted what Non-commercial meant in this instance.
yes, I think he doesn't want to lose money, but didn't want to build the standard RV park.
bumpy
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atb
Chattanooga,TN
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Rick & Cheryl wrote:Non-commercial?? You mean one that is non-profit or just one that loses money. I think a commercial park is exactly what the OP wants to build. Just one that has a slightly different appeal and amenities than what we now would identify as a deluxe park.
I dont think the OP is building this park for the health and welfare for the occupants without regard to the profit/investment return.
Were I an occupant, I too would want the park to be financially healthy as well, that way the owner has the $ to make improvements and to have good quality maintenance.
With only 5 sites on 20 acres or so, the potential of failure is increased rather than decreased.
I'm the builder. Our goal is to have our hobby farm earn a little more money. We'll be fine with or without the RV sites. We would like to build something that we would enjoy, if we were in your shoes. I would want a shed, and I would install a washer and a dryer - so that's what I'm doing.
We also do not want to overdevelop our property. We are taking a less is more approach. We have more than twenty acres, but the field that the rv's will be in is a twenty acre field. If we like the business aspect of it we have another field mapped out for six more sites. That is all we would want to put on the property.
I'm sure that we could install hundreds of sites on the place, but we feel that it wouldn't be a nice place anymore.
I'm avoiding communal buildings because I will have to clean them. I only need five customers. If some sites sit for a while until we find the right folks that's ok.
I've settled on $375.00/month plus electricity for our rates. That's less than the KOA, and more than the trailer parks. Hopefully we can attract the right customer base at this rate. We'll adjust what we need to.
Thanks for the input. You took the time to contribute, and I thank you.
I'll check in Monday evening. Have a good holiday everybody.
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Rick & Cheryl
Texas
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Bumpyroad wrote:Rick & Cheryl wrote:Non-commercial?? You mean one that is non-profit or just one that loses money. I think a commercial park is exactly what the OP wants to build. Just one that has a slightly different appeal and amenities than what we now would identify as a deluxe park.
I dont think the OP is building this park for the health and welfare for the occupants without regard to the profit/investment return.
Were I an occupant, I too would want the park to be financially healthy as well, that way the owner has the $ to make improvements and to have good quality maintenance.
With only 5 sites on 20 acres or so, the potential of failure is increased rather than decreased.
Me thinks you misinterpreted what Non-commercial meant in this instance.
yes, I think he doesn't want to lose money, but didn't want to build the standard RV park.
bumpy
Me thinks you didnt read the third and fourth sentence in my post.
I also think he doesnt want to lose money,,or just break even. What he wants is a return on his investment, ie a profit! To me that fits inside the definition of a commercial park.
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