Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Some Thoughts as I Cogitate 'bout an RV Home Base

There's several motivations I have for coming around to thinking of building an RV Home Base. They wander from financial benefits, to maintaining options, to maybe even providing a lil' workshop space for wished for projects.

In the end it all allows a guy a lil' more leeway to take a lil' risk now and then. It's not quite so spooky to walk out and climb on a wicked Bronc... if he knows he he'll have at least a weak net under him to break his fall. ;)

For those that feel like setting up such a camp is somehow a betrayal of the Gypsy lifestyle... consider this... Jim Bridger is arguably one of this country's greatest wanderers... and the simple fact is; Even Ol' Jim had hisself a winter camp! and eventually a lil' farm all the way back in Missouri...

Now... Missouri is NOT a place I'll be settin' up for any length of time... and I'll still be wearing out the asphalt seven months of the year or longer... by Motorcycle and RV... but ya'll get the idea. 

I've also decided to just go ahead and start the work of beginning that new Website section; Building Our RV Home Base. It should start appearing in the next few days... I expect it'll start out pretty slow. Not a whole lot will happen there until we actually have a spot picked out and locked down to actually start putting a camp together.

I'm thinkin' maybe if I'm writin' 'bout it... it'll help keep me focused on the task ahead and maybe have a couple fewer mental detours and meanderings gettin' in the way...

... well... a fella can hope anyway! :)

Some of the Motivations I have for choosing to go the way of having an RV base camp...

1. Maintain reasonable long term Seclusion/Privacy/Solitude

2. A place with the lowest possible cost of living for a lengthy winter camp to address the significantly higher living costs that have risen the last couple of years. The idea being if we can cut the winter costs sufficiently and possibly even generate a bit of additional income (I have a couple of ideas for that) it would allow our summer travels to continue unhindered.

3. A place that would simplify longer lay ups for major repairs/maintenance or even heal up from possible injury or sickness.

4. An RV base camp to act as a plan B/alternative if  "something" unexpected happened that would force an end, or at least a heavy reduction of our wandering ways.

5. An "Off Grid", Self Reliant, RV Homestead sort of layout.

6. Lowest Cost possible in all areas. Initial land purchase, construction, and ongoing expenses.

7. Allow the use of our existing and road weary (frame and suspension) fiver to be used as the winter housing while acquiring/building/creating/setting up a lighter, more economical to drive summer Travel Rig. We'd like to have a lighter rig for those summer circles. My ambition is something that puts us more into the landscape in the way my Motorcycle does... without quite the same amount of austerity required! :)

As we do get into the actual work of our RV Home Base there's a few specific things I'll be working on and writing about;

1. Land acquisition and sitework
2. RV Port/Ramada Roof to shelter the fiver.
3. Paved and covered patio
4. Auxiliary Lodge Room Living Space to include a secondary bathroom and laundry room
5. Fresh Water system to include;
       a. Filtration
       b. Rain water collection and storage
       c. Supplemental Water Hauling from a community well (eliminate the cost/risk of our own well)
6. Waste Water systems
       a. Grey water
       b. Composter toilet to eliminate use of water for flushing
7. Lowest cost / self reliant living space heat and cooling systems
8. Redeployment of the existing onboard Solar power system to the Ramada roof and a likely expansion

... and a few other projects I'll save for future posts and the website!

Still Scheming... So What's New?
Brian

9 comments:

CJ said...

Oh I'm all over this...while we are just getting ready to go full-time next time (that would put the horse in front of the buggy O:))and we're leaving everything behind I wonder down the road especially for surgery healing, or basically any old age setbacks that are bound to happen some day. Love the little house movement. Thinking back in H.S. in the 70's we toured a commune in S. Indiana. Always tell my best girlfriends...lets all go in on one spot, hire a couple sweet nurses and skip the whole nursing home deal. Can't wait to hear your approach...

Barb said...

Your idea sounds good to me, too. When I decide to trim down my full time travel, I'd like a nice small piece of land to live on in between travels, either in a small house or in my motor home with hookups. Still living small and frugal.

I'm very interested in your ideas and what you decide to do, as are many other travelers, I'm sure. :)

Anonymous said...

Where you gonna' get the money to do all that? Way you been talking, you're broke. Aint got any!

Don said...

I'm looking forward to hearing what you come up with. If you are interested I could email you privately what brought us to our place; not that it's anything you would want but our thought processes might be of interest. Best of luck!

Brian said...

Anon; Where? Don't know yet. It'll take a couple years, workin' hard, one day at a time. Never let bein' shy of money get in my way much before, no intention of starting now.

Teri said...

There are lots of good ideas at http://thefieldlab.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

An Earthship concept. I have been looking into that process as well. :) Rick

kerry said...

sounds good brian, where r u going to be come jan?

Anonymous said...

At one time I read about several RVers up around Show Low AZ living off grid, I think it was 5 acre lots and they used the RV as a base and built around it.

Bill H, sitting in Johnstown waiting for medical issues to clear.