Long term boon docking

[20acreheaven]

This is my first post, go easy....

The wife and I decided to ditch the rental and get a TT to live on our property while going through the building process. We currently have no utilities and expect to be a year to 18 months without any hookups. I'm opening myself up to a broad array of topics here, but looking for any advice I can get. A few things specifically:

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1. As much as I wanted a metal shelter, it just isn't feasible for a temporary location, so we're planning to leave it out in the open with a metal carport serving as a patio. Are there extra maintenance steps I should take since the popout will be extended the entire time?

2. Pest control - found a product called Mouse Free online and being in a wooded area I'm seriously considering applying it. Figure I'll thoroughly inspect the underside and plug any holes with steel wool and try to illuminate the outside somehow. Anyone ever have a problem with yellowjackets though?

3. Thinking of pulling the toilet and placing a composting toilet in the bathroom. If anyone's ever done that I'd love to hear how it went. I really don't want to drag it into town every few weeks to dump the black tank and if I used a portable tank I'd have to get it up in the truck to use the nearest neighbor's septic.

4. For power I'm planning on a Champion dual fuel 3800 W generator and a small solar kit for the batteries (TT has a furrion outlet pre-wired) Noise isn't an issue and I figure the tv is the only thing I need to worry about "dirty" power with, hoping a UPS will prevent any damage the few times we watch tv.

Any tips and advice or things I haven't thought of are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[20acreheaven]

coolmom42 wrote:
It all depends on how much inconvenience you are willing to deal with.

In your shoes I would get a LARGE propane tank (I think there are 100 gallons available) to run generator and cooking and heat.

You could get a pump out service and haul in water.

But you must have enough driveway available to get the trailer, propane, water, and pump out service in.

Looks like the first order of business is to get a perc test, and decide on a house location. That will have to be done before you site the driveway. Get the driveway in next. After that, you should be able to get a temporary meter pretty quickly. That will reduce your generator/propane needs.

Find a shady spot. That will help.

Can we handle the inconvenience? I think so, but we'll find out for sure pretty soon, ha ha. We aren't expecting any creature comforts, that's for sure.

Definitely getting at least one 100 lb tank, probably 2 with about a half dozen of the little 20 pounders. 6 5gal jugs for drinking water and a 60 gal bladder to fill the house water. Showers at the gym and paper plates will cut down on usage. The access is an old logging road. Wife drives her Ford Focus down it so I don't see why a trailer wouldn't make it. That dead ends though, and our driveway will punch through the remainder out to the main road. Perc test is done, but we must drill and prove water before getting a septic permit. Power will be run same time as the driveway, but I doubt they will get to it before the rainy season the way excavators are booked out. Sewage? Gonna plug my nose and go with the composting toilet. My buddy swears there's no odor. Worst case we get a tote and deal with it that way. Wife's friend lives a couple miles away, and her property was originally gonna be an ADA campground, so she has an RV dump in place we can use.

We love being out there so much, even in the winter. We're tired of driving an hour every weekend and not wanting to leave. Not to mention the trailer payment is a tiny fraction of our rent and we get to write off the interest. So, other than having a nice new TT, we'll be roughing it, and that's ok..... I think. Or maybe we'll be regulars at the Motel 6 🙂

[coolmom42]

It all depends on how much inconvenience you are willing to deal with.

In your shoes I would get a LARGE propane tank (I think there are 100 gallons available) to run generator and cooking and heat.

You could get a pump out service and haul in water.

But you must have enough driveway available to get the trailer, propane, water, and pump out service in.

Looks like the first order of business is to get a perc test, and decide on a house location. That will have to be done before you site the driveway. Get the driveway in next. After that, you should be able to get a temporary meter pretty quickly. That will reduce your generator/propane needs.

Find a shady spot. That will help.

[kerrlakeRoo]

I also used a TT while I built my house, but I had my well, septic, and temporary power set up so I was fully covered.
If you are going to be building the house in the same location youre putting the trailer, why not get the utilities done now for convenience?

[Farmboy666]

JaxDad wrote:

Fizz wrote:
Up here you can’t build a house or cottage till the septic system is built and passed inspection.

Strange, in this part of the province you’re not allowed to build a septic system until they see what size house you’ve already built. They want to be sure it’s of adequate size.

You do have dig a test pit and do a percolation test before you get a building permit, just to prove the property will support a septic system.

Thats why you fill out the application with the number of bedrooms and a picture of the house placement on the lot. Doesn't matter how big the house is, it matters how many people are using it, hence number of bedrooms not bathrooms or sq ft. Not much good if you build the house on the only part of the lot that purks.

[Farmboy666]

Being a builder all my life a temporary power pole is the first thing I have set. Next would be a well and septic, maybe not in the first week but in the beginning for sure, the land is unobstructed. You are going to need all these things eventually so why wait?

[JaxDad]

Fizz wrote:
Up here you can’t build a house or cottage till the septic system is built and passed inspection.

Strange, in this part of the province you’re not allowed to build a septic system until they see what size house you’ve already built. They want to be sure it’s of adequate size.

You do have dig a test pit and do a percolation test before you get a building permit, just to prove the property will support a septic system.

[JaxDad]

I wouldn’t worry about a septic system, especially if you’re not even started building, but a buried holding tank and a ‘honey wagon’ to pump it out every couple months is pretty cheap.

I’ve never seen a place where they wouldn’t stick a pole in the ground and give you a temporary service panel. The construction folks will need electricity too.

[ScottG]

It kinda seems like your concentrating on some of the wrong things (patio, pest control).

You need:

Electricity. This is the one thing that can make an RV habitable long term. Also, in order to build anything, you need a temporary electrical post.

Water. You will need a constant source of water whether you haul it or what ever.

Sanitation. You need a way to get rid of your sewage. You may be able to get a "Porta-potty" type service to come by at regular times to empty your tank. Or, you can use a tote if there's someplace near by to dump it.
Doubt you would like a composting toilet..

Don't even try to live in your RV without some way of covering these needs.

[mockturtle]

Did you say what your water source is?

[old_guy]

well if it were me I don't think I would give up the place I am living in now before I get into living in a TT without a few things like sewer or electricity or water. get those three things in then think about moving into a TT long term

[20acreheaven]

boogie_4wheel wrote:
I'd spend the money and install a septic tank to hook to. Figure out where your house will be and get a tank in the ground. Then you just need to deal with fresh water/propane/gas.

Skirt the trailer with insulating material. When I lived in mine for two years (full hook ups), I skirted with thin OSB backed with 1" styrofoam sheets. Take it a couple inches into the ground and to the edges of the trailer to help eliminate rodents and bugs. Make a small access flap or door for draining your holding tanks.

Have a lot of gas on hand for that generator for temperature extremes (hot or cold).

I wish I could, but first we have to improve the driveway (running conduit for power at that time) then dig the well to prove we have adequate water before we can get a septic permit. In the meantime the cash savings pencil out significantly. I like the skirting idea, gonna use that!

[Fizz]

Up here you can’t build a house or cottage till the septic system is built and passed inspection.

[downtheroad]

Welcome to the Forum..
I don't know the specifics of your particular situation, but since you are building a home on this property....why not get the infrastructure in first (water, power, septic) and then hook into that while you build...

Doing this will eliminate the need for a generator, for hauling water in and hauling out sewer.....and will certainly make the construction of your new home easier...

Anyway, good luck with your new adventure.

[2oldman]

20acreheaven wrote:
I really don't want to drag it into town every few weeks to dump the black tank and if I used a portable tank I'd have to get it up in the truck to use the nearest neighbor's septic.

A macerator works well for pumping bw into the tank on the truck bed. Then all you need is a sewer hose long enough to reach the dump hole.

You say this is on your property? Do your septic first and use that. Otherwise, dig a big hole.

[boogie_4wheel]

I'd spend the money and install a septic tank to hook to. Figure out where your house will be and get a tank in the ground. Then you just need to deal with fresh water/propane/gas.

Skirt the trailer with insulating material. When I lived in mine for two years (full hook ups), I skirted with thin OSB backed with 1" styrofoam sheets. Take it a couple inches into the ground and to the edges of the trailer to help eliminate rodents and bugs. Make a small access flap or door for draining your holding tanks.

Have a lot of gas on hand for that generator for temperature extremes (hot or cold).