Trailer instead of a small house?

[Heathertee2002]

First, the backstory: As I enter my 75th year, I am still traveling between Connecticut and Texas in my little Sportsmobile, and can see that I won't be able to do this forever. I've had health issues and am not able to handle those icy winters anymore.

My son lives in south Texas and thinks I should live down here permanently. He talks about buying a home with a mother-in-law apartment. I think he should buy a property with a house and enough land that I can have a permanent concrete pad with a good-sized trailer and live in that.

This is the main reason I chose this forum for this post: my main questions are: has anyone here done this? and, what trailers are best insulated and able to handle the San Antonio summer sun? I'd like something with adequate counter space, and a place for my daughters or grandchildren to sleep comfortably.

Any opinions would be welcome!

[Heathertee2002]

A big THANK YOU to everyone who has responded. There's a lot to think about here, some I have previously thought of, and some new thoughts.

Permits: this being south Texas, once you get outside the city limits, there are very few restrictions on what you may do on your land. We would be certain to check before assuming anything. A permanent hookup to the sewer would be very important as the trailer (if we went with that) would not be going anywhere.

Mobility: As long as I can travel, I'd keep my campervan with which I have happily and comfortably traveled 120K miles so far. No hauling a big trailer around! I can go nearly anywhere with the van.

I hadn't considered a Park Model as the last time I looked, they were very very expensive. A house trailer, however, is something to consider. That is affordable and moveable enough, and things like entrances and bathroom can be modified if handicap accommodation is needed in future.

Obviously a little prefab or modular would be ideal, but...Neither of us want to entangle our finances by my putting a permanent structure on his land. What if he changed jobs, got married again, or just wanted to move? He needs his options left open, and so do I, to that extent. Hence the trailer idea.

[Gdetrailer]

coolmom42 wrote:
Unless your son lives way outside of any area with zoning, you are going to have regulations against a RV hooked onto his sewer & permanently in place. You will also need a shade structure and 30 amp/110V power supply. Those things are not free, including the RV that will be worth about zero in 10-15 years.

If your concern about sharing a home is independence & privacy, (legit concerns, for sure) take the money you would spend on the RV setup, and use it to modify or add on a house to suit your needs. It will be much less expensive in the long run, and in the end your son will be left with an asset, instead of a decrepit RV to dispose of, and hookups he has no use for. The upkeep and utilities will be much better for an apartment attached to a house, as well.

I'm only 59 but have had enough knee & hip issues already to know that living in a RV is not for the mobility limited. No way you could manage the entrance steps on a cane, walker, or crutches, and the small space of the bathroom, and narrow doorways, would be very difficult.

Hmm... You make a RV to sound like a curse..

Regulations? There are STILL a lot of places which do not have any restrictions on RVs.. So if the Son is wanting to buy a place I don't think that will be a problem..

As far as "disposal" of an unwanted RV, that is far easier to undo than some add on to a home.. An add on inlaw suite can make selling the home much harder and drive the price of the home way above the "comps" of the area.. One must be careful of way overdoing a fixed structure.. Adding finished space or another structure to a property also has an impact on the taxes of the property..

A park model is a great compromise, they are built a lot like a mobile home but on a smaller scale.. Often 40ft or so in length with one or two bedrooms plus often with a real kitchen and bath..

Many places if you leave the axles and wheels on a trailer (this would include a park model) it has no affect on the taxes since it is not considered a permanent structure..

[Gr8life]

Heathertee;

You have been given a great long list of "cons" to your proposal. Some that I had not even thought of, in fact. The one big "pro" that that still exists is being able to say, "I live in a recreational vehicle, a travel trailer that can and has visited many great places". I may be a romantic, but the rv lifestyle in general is not all about dollars and sense, or many of us would be driving a Smart car and staying at hotels. I am not rolling in dough, so I would evaluate the costs but I would keep my mind open when it comes to pricing the fun factors involved in your choices.

Even though you may never exercise the option it would sure be nice to say, "I may just hitch up and take a trip" whenever you want to.

[coolmom42]

Unless your son lives way outside of any area with zoning, you are going to have regulations against a RV hooked onto his sewer & permanently in place. You will also need a shade structure and 30 amp/110V power supply. Those things are not free, including the RV that will be worth about zero in 10-15 years.

If your concern about sharing a home is independence & privacy, (legit concerns, for sure) take the money you would spend on the RV setup, and use it to modify or add on a house to suit your needs. It will be much less expensive in the long run, and in the end your son will be left with an asset, instead of a decrepit RV to dispose of, and hookups he has no use for. The upkeep and utilities will be much better for an apartment attached to a house, as well.

I'm only 59 but have had enough knee & hip issues already to know that living in a RV is not for the mobility limited. No way you could manage the entrance steps on a cane, walker, or crutches, and the small space of the bathroom, and narrow doorways, would be very difficult.

[Gdetrailer]

Heathertee2002 wrote:
First, the backstory: As I enter my 75th year, I am still traveling between Connecticut and Texas in my little Sportsmobile, and can see that I won't be able to do this forever. I've had health issues and am not able to handle those icy winters anymore.

My son lives in south Texas and thinks I should live down here permanently. He talks about buying a home with a mother-in-law apartment. I think he should buy a property with a house and enough land that I can have a permanent concrete pad with a good-sized trailer and live in that.

This is the main reason I chose this forum for this post: my main questions are: has anyone here done this? and, what trailers are best insulated and able to handle the San Antonio summer sun? I'd like something with adequate counter space, and a place for my daughters or grandchildren to sleep comfortably.

Any opinions would be welcome!

A regular RV type trailer (TT or 5Vr) while it could be workable.. I don't think it is really suitable for this kind of usage.

Couple of things to consider.

Regular RVs tend to have small cramped "baths" and use RV style toilets. Many use combination tub/shower and the tubs are pretty high to get in and out of. Granted there are some that have walk in showers but you tend to find those in higher cost RVs.

Any RV that uses a RV type toilet is going to have holding tanks that someone will need to maintain.. Do you really want to have to dump the black tank every few weeks?

I would recommend looking at "park" type trailers, they will have a bit more room for the bath and use a regular home type toilet and will not have holding tanks..

Otherwise take you son up on a house with a mother in law suite! That one is a nice option since it will be a lot like having your own personal space without the work or small size of a RV!

[rbpru]

X2 on the various community ordinances.

I like to fling arrows and string shortwave antennas across the backyard, so I am not likely to live amongst civilized people any time soon.

At 70 I am not likely to change either.

[heckufaguy]

We have good friends who moved from Michigan to Cali to Northern Cali to care for aging parents. They bought a Class A, and drove out. One of the things they realized living in the coach full time is, with the hot summer sun they had no chance of keeping the coach cool. They also have northern breed dogs. So they built a pole barn or shelter of sorts. No solid walls, but supports and a roof so their coach is in their own made shade all day. This has helped tremendously.

[old_guy]

one thing that has to be considered is, is the house in the city limits and what are the ordinances regarding living in a TT on a city lot.

[the_bear_II]

A 5th wheel with a couple of slideouts provides around 400 square feet of living space. You can get a good used 5th wheel for under $20K or new for around $30K-$40K. Place it on a concrete pad with an oversized carport type structure designed with the wind load for the area. With an oversized structure the RV will be in the shade most of the day to reduce air conditioning costs.

[dadmomh]

Completely agree on the Park Model. Many more options and you may or may not need to put up something like the carport for keeping cool.

We are not quite to that 75th year, but are in the midst of sorting/tossing/packing/selling here in TN and moving to a manufactured housing community in FL. Manufactured housing is not the same as a travel trailer or mobile home and withstands severe storms better than many stick-built homes. Unless you feel that living quite close to your son and family is perfect for you, I would strongly suggest you investigate several of these communities. Security, amenities, activities and you're still quite close to family. Not all homes in these communities are brand new, which = more costly. We found several pre-owned homes in excellent condition and most had recently had complete updates and the prices were much lower than we expected. Many current owners that just snowbird sell the homes completely furnished. That might be a benefit for you. Some of the homes we considered in FL have what they call a "roof over", which is essentially what you're thinking on the travel trailer.

Personally, we could not manage living a stone's throw from our younger DS. I hope you will investigate the 55+ communities in that area and also a Park Model if you want to be on the same property. Good luck and strongly suggest you start sorting and tossing NOW. It's not the job it was 30 years ago....this is a killer! We can sort of see the end in sight, but still plenty to do between now and then. Take care, enjoy!

[RoadLife]

Rather than a trailer, get a small mobile home or modular home. Since you won't be moving it, it makes sense to have something designed as a house with all the additional insulation and features.

Of course, we are assuming your reference to trailer means travel trailer not mobile home.

[rbpru]

Many areas have an entire community of modular houses for the retirees that no longer want the maintenance on their homes.

As for a private residence I suspect you would be looking at a “Park Model”, large and intended for semi-permanent set up. I saw a lot of these at the campgrounds that featured golf or fishing nearby in Florida.

Wish I could help you more.

Good Luck

[Heathertee2002]

Thanks, gr8life. Yes, I thought the same thing; put up a portable carport. IT would have to be very sturdy and well-anchored to stand up to the winds they often have down here.

[Gr8life]

I am considering the same options but I have never spent a whole summer in South Texas to base my decision on. I am thinking that one would have to have a carport type of structure over the trailer to reduce heat load and protect it from the elements at the minimum. My friend's mobile home is actually cheaper to heat and cool even though it is much larger than my travel trailer since it has much better insulation.