Building a small RV park.

[NGC 613]

So sorry. Certainly not my intention. How about. Draggin it Way

You're really dragging this thread down now Chargerman.
LMAO ? now that is a good one.
You almost had me spewing a little sip of water.

 

[Jim]

I am flooded with requests to reserve a site for the coming year, and I am truly humbled that so many people want to come visit our park. The problem I face is that while I know we will be opening, I'm just not sure when. Much of the heavy lifting is either done or will be in a couple of weeks, but there are gazebos to finish, a dog park to install, and grass (by the acres) to be sprayed in.

My best guess will be the first of June but I don't know the exact date. As such, I'm reluctant to take reservations before mid June but I will keep everyone up to date on this as we progress.

Quick question as we get close to activating the reservations software. As a small park of 8 sites, we can't afford to have people put a deposit on a site and then not show up. Yes, the deposit is forfeited, but that doesn't help much as we sit on an unrented site for several days. Other RV owners that I have talked with recommend getting payment in full at the time of booking. This eliminates people from locking up a range of dates they aren't sure they can keep.

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with this approach, but I'll ask the members for your input as you all have been so helpful in the past.

Thank you in advance

 

[NGC 613]

OK my 0.02 cents worth.


Maybe you can take in a full stay deposit and only refund if they cancel at least 15 days in advance. With the 15 days out you'd have more than enough time to fill that spot. The park you are building will be in extreme demand once the word is out. Keeping at least one nights fee anyway. With exclusions for sudden deaths in the family and sudden hospitalizations. You could ask for proof of those. Harsh sounding I know , but business is business.

 

[NWIP]

CANCELLATIONS / REFUNDS

Daily: Total balance is typically pre-paid; With a 7-day notice, you will have a choice of a 90% refund or 100% transferable/credit for a future stay. Notices between 7 days and 24hrs results in 25% cancel fee 75% transferable. Less than 24hr notice prior to your arrival date results in a forfeit of payment.

This is a policy a park located in So Cal that is very popular as it is a block from the beach. They did give full refunds when Covid-19 broke out last year as we had reservations in April 2020.

 

[Jim]

CANCELLATIONS / REFUNDS

Daily: Total balance is typically pre-paid; With a 7-day notice, you will have a choice of a 90% refund or 100% transferable/credit for a future stay. Notices between 7 days and 24hrs results in 25% cancel fee 75% transferable. Less than 24hr notice prior to your arrival date results in a forfeit of payment.

This is a policy a park located in So Cal that is very popular as it is a block from the beach. They did give full refunds when Covid-19 broke out last year as we had reservations in April 2020.

Sounds reasonable to me. Thank you, NWIP!

 

[NGC 613]

I do have a question on operations. Are you closing during the winter months at all?

 

[Jim]

I do have a question on operations. Are you closing during the winter months at all?

Yes, the rental season will end on November 15th.

 

[MapNerd]

I would have no issues with either of the proposed policies outlined by @Rolling Chaos or @NWIP

 

[SandraBrown]

Wow, you just have a great place , how cozy it looks and only nature around, great job!!

 

[GlampDaddy]

Quick question as we get close to activating the reservations software. As a small park of 8 sites, we can't afford to have people put a deposit on a site and then not show up. Yes, the deposit is forfeited, but that doesn't help much as we sit on an unrented site for several days. Other RV owners that I have talked with recommend getting payment in full at the time of booking. This eliminates people from locking up a range of dates they aren't sure they can keep.

Jim - I think payment in full with a fair (for both parties) cancellation policy will not cause heartburn for your guests.

 

[Jim]

Trenches are (almost) done and wire goes in next. Inspection follows and then a foot of dirt has to cover the wire. 4" sewer line goes in on top of that along with water lines. Then it all gets covered.

That will end the heavy end of things and we can start to focus on landscaping, dog park, finishing the gazebos, WiFi and whatever else comes along. Still a long way to go but this is the big stuff.

Funny, my dad always told me to pay attention in school unless I wanted to end up a ditch digger. Damn dad, It's official, I'm a ditch digger. Sigh. . .

trenching1.mp4

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Let me assure, your dad has a lot to be proud of! His son has common sense, a solid work ethic and a knowledge of the difference between right and wrong. All the rest is superfluous. Congrats on closing in on the final ”heavy stuff.”

TJ

 

[MapNerd]

I spent the day trenching. These trenches will hold the power lines, water lines and the sewer lines that go from the coach to the septic tank. They have to be fairly deep as the code requires 12" of dirt separate the power line and the sewer and water lines. So the power goes in first and we cover it with 12' of dirt. Then the sewer/water lines go in. After that is inspected, we can cover them up and move on the the next project.

It was nice to see our Mallard friends come by to visit. Last year was the first year they came by. They raised 9 little ducks and then everyone left. Good to see them back again and I'm hoping for a replay of last year.

Here’s a silly question from someone who has zero experience building anything more complicated than a dog house - why dig only a single trench for all utilities? I realize it’s all new and little to no near term maintenance is expected but in the event of a needed repair, doesn’t that kind of set you up for some treacherous digging if you’re for example, needing to get to the sewer but water and electric are on top of it?

 

[Jim]

Here’s a silly question from someone who has zero experience building anything more complicated than a dog house - why dig only a single trench for all utilities?

Experience? What’s this “experience” you speak of? lol

I have no experience either MapNerd, this is the first time I have ever done this. But I talked with the people at the building department, and they said to put the power lines on the bottom as it is unlikely I’ll ever have a problem with them. The sewer and water lines on top of that so if (when) they have a problem you can get to them without disturbing the power line. (Don’t forget, there is a foot of dirt between the power and water lines.)

If you dig separate trenches, you still must put the power 30” deep and 12” wide. Then the sewer and water trench must be at least 18” deep to be below the frost line, and that trench is 24” wide and has to be at least 5’ to one side or the other of the power trench. So twice the work and a lot more disruption to the area. I’ve been trenching for a week as it is, I’d hate to have to go back and do another one 5’ to the side of it.

And then there is the art of maneuvering the trackhoe around and between all this mess. Check out how the trackhoe is straddling the ditch in the pic below. For an equipment operator, that is not a big deal. But I am just a homeowner with a trackhoe, and far from an operator. For me, that is a pretty harry place to be, especially when I have to get the trackhoe off the ditch without a track falling in.

 

[Jim]

A while back, @MapNerd mentioned the necessity of a large enough entrance to accommodate two large RV's that might converge on the entrance at the same time. The driveway opening at that time was 20' wide, and I figured that was wide enough for two RV's to work out a organized exit/entrance. But the more I thought about it, the more concerned I became, as it was possible (even if not probable) for two large RV's to get into trouble if someone didn't yield to the other at the right time. Especially if one or both of them had toads and neither could back up.

So in one of those "better safe than sorry" moments, I installed another 20' length of culvert pipe, and made the exit/entrance 40' wide. The tree had to be cut down and today I dug up the stump. It was huge and I had trish stand next to it to put things in their proper perspective. But we now have a very large entrance to the park.

 

[Neal]

MapNerd Stump? Seems like a monument in the making. Poor ole tree, it didn't deserve this.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Poor ole tree, it didn't deserve this.

But, I think the park did. Having that wide entrance will avoid some frayed tempers in the future. Wise move, IMHO.

TJ

 

[MapNerd]

MapNerd Stump? Seems like a monument in the making. Poor ole tree, it didn't deserve this.

Come on, a monument? Do I really come off that uppity? A prominent placard declaring it the “MapNerd Entrance” would be more than sufficient.

i think it was a good move. If you never hear a peep about the entrance, you’ll know you did it right. Though, I would have happily played a game of chicken with someone to get into your park!

 

["EZ"]

Yes, the rental season will end on November 15th.

Just something you *may* want to consider. 3 years ago when we bought our Pusher we decided to go camping for Thanksgiving weekend since my wife had a couple days in a row off from work. I started calling around and looking on-line and there were no camp sites to be found!!! They were all full. Apparently Thanksgiving weekend (Thursday - Sunday) is a real big camping weekend for the RV crowd. I was shocked!!! I had no idea. I thought we'd have the place to ourselves since everyone would be at Grandma's house stuffing their faces. Nope!! So, you may want to close on November 30th instead. Otherwise you'll miss a huge week of camping revenue.

 

[Jim]

Just something you *may* want to consider. 3 years ago when we bought our Pusher we decided to go camping for Thanksgiving weekend since my wife had a couple days in a row off from work. I started calling around and looking on-line and there were no camp sites to be found!!! They were all full. Apparently Thanksgiving weekend (Thursday - Sunday) is a real big camping weekend for the RV crowd. I was shocked!!! I had no idea. I thought we'd have the place to ourselves since everyone would be at Grandma's house stuffing their faces. Nope!! So, you may want to close on November 30th instead. Otherwise you'll miss a huge week of camping revenue.

Good to know, thank you, @"EZ"