Building a small RV park.

[NGC 613]

Very cool. Now just keep the Skunks and Racoons away and they should make it.

 

[RKins]

Is that a normal size Brood? 11 chicks seems to be a lot.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Huge day today.

Van's Electric came out and wired up all the pedestals and the feeder wire that goes from the pedestal to the gazebos. The feeder wire will power the refrigerators and the ceiling fans, as well as the convenience outlets.

Also got the trench dug from the 1,000 gallon water tank to the pressure tanks in the utility room. Got the two pressure tanks installed and the whole mess connected to the lower park. Nice improvement as we desperately need to get water on the grass seed that was sprayed on last week. Meanwhile, Trish spread a bunch of mulch and planted some flowers on the left side of site 7. It's going to take a couple of years for the landscaping to take shape, but you have to start somewhere, right?

Starting to think that we just might get this puppy operational in a month or so. Now if the grass will just start growing. . .

View attachment 6552

View attachment 6553

“Ceiling fans in the gazebos?” Holy smoke, @Jim; this park has gone beyond luxury! Is there a bottle of Southern Comfort in the fridge too?

Things are really looking good. It is obvious that this is a “labor of love” rather than a “business venture.” Lucky, indeed, will be the folks who get to stay there.

TJ

 

[Jim]

“Ceiling fans in the gazebos?” Holy smoke, @Jim; this park has gone beyond luxury! Is there a bottle of Southern Comfort in the fridge too?

TJ

lol, well I don't know about that now, @TJ&LadyDi. I wouldn't say it's a "luxury" park, but it is a little bit different than most I guess. We just wanted to address a few of the shortcomings that we noticed in the couple of years that we've been RVing, and to capitalize on a few of the neat things that we have come across as well.

• Space being one. While we can't give everyone an acre to park on, we don't want your picnic table to be sitting on top of the neighbors septic hookup either, so we've tried to give each site an ample amount of room to camp in.
• And those septic hookups, I hate it when the hookup is so high that my slinky has a low spot in it! I know, I can use one of those bridge things, but I don't always want to dig it out for a quick stay. So I'm making sure our hookups are where they should be.
• For the newer 5th wheels who have two sewer outlets, we have two sewer connectors at each site, so that should be useful.
• The gazebos are something that I saw when we spent a week in Key West. The resort had a small hut, large enough for a refrigerator and sink area. It was awesome to put our groceries in the outside refrigerator instead of trucking them in/out of the RV each time we wanted to BBQ, or have a snack, or get a drink, etc. It was so useful that we basically used the RV to sleep in, and the rest of the time we were outside.
• Placement of the gazebo could have been better in Key West though as you couldn't see the outdoor TV on your RV from the hut. We've positioned ours so that you can see your RV's outdoor TV from the gazebo, just in case you want to watch Brady win his 8th super bowl ring.
• The ceiling fans are important for discouraging the evening bugs, which are an unfortunate fact when camping.

The down side of our park is this will be its first year in operation. All of the landscaping will be in its infancy and everything will be in the process of getting the "bugs" worked out. Like going to a restaurant that has just opened and everyone is excited to eat at. But the dishwasher breaks down and some of the help doesn't' show up. Yeah, you can tell the place has potential, but the dinner was far from what you had hoped it would be.

Fast forward a few years and the trees will be growing, the plants will have taken root and the bugs have been worked out. I hate to disappoint anyone and have them leave thinking the visit was just "OK". Know what I mean? As it is, we're running around trying to schedule things around several greedy inspection departments while planning the next steps of the development. Can't actually do one until the needs of the others have been taken care of.

Labor has been just short of impossible to find and prices of materials have soared to heights that I never imagined. In the beginning, I kept a tight spreadsheet and spent a good deal of time shopping, comparing prices, and working on getting the best bids on everything. Lately, I've given up and I'm just throwing money at everyone in an attempt to get things moving. lol, it's been challenging that's for sure.

But I digress. . . we'll probably have to pass on that bottle of Southern Comfort.

 

[Jim]

Is that a normal size Brood? 11 chicks seems to be a lot.

To be honest @RKins, I really don't know much about ducks other than they float. But she had the same number of little quack'ers last year as well. This is the second year they have come back, so it looks like it's going to be a recurring thing.

 

[Jim]

Lol, Cheese and Quackers.

 

[murphysranch]

My opinion, is that you WANT these nice folks here to come NOW!

We've been part and parcel to your build out, and with friendship and the knowledge of how things have progressed and the hurdles you've had to vault, all of us would be very gracious to HELP you iron out the inevitable wrinkles.

Much better than snooty newbies that demand instant satisfaction.

 

[NGC 613]

Much better than snooty newbies that demand instant satisfaction.

Yeah what he said.

 

[Jim]

My opinion, is that you WANT these nice folks here to come NOW!

We've been part and parcel to your build out, and with friendship and the knowledge of how things have progressed and the hurdles you've had to vault, all of us would be very gracious to HELP you iron out the inevitable wrinkles.

Much better than snooty newbies that demand instant satisfaction.

No, you're right. I didn't mean it the way it sounded. It's just that I'm a perfectionist and I always want things to be the best they can be before I put my name on it. Of course, you guys are the best, and I'm sure you will all be an asset to the overall program. Thanks to all of you for your support.

 

[Jabber Jaw]

Jim;

Just in the way you write about the goings on, construction, etc, we can surely tell that this is a "Labor of Love" for you, and certainly not a get rich quick financial investment!
Not sure when we will get there, but know we look forward to seeing and enjoying such a nice relaxing, and I'm sure enjoyable and unique "RV" Resort!
Keep up the good work & we all enjoy your updates!
Thanks!

 

[MapNerd]

Don’t worry Jim, I’ll bring my hat that says “Staff” that Neal gave me when he made me a moderator. I’ll be sure to walk around each morning and point at random things and a very supervisory manner and say things into my Walkie-Talkie talkie with no batteries.

 

[Jim]

Jim;

Just in the way you write about the goings on, construction, etc, we can surely tell that this is a "Labor of Love" for you, and certainly not a get rich quick financial investment!
Not sure when we will get there, but know we look forward to seeing and enjoying such a nice relaxing, and I'm sure enjoyable and unique "RV" Resort!
Keep up the good work & we all enjoy your updates!
Thanks!

Thank you, JJ. We are getting closer and as such, I'm starting to see how far we have to go. But we'll get there. Just be patient with us as we work toward providing the type of experience that we know everyone expects.

Don’t worry Jim, I’ll bring my hat that says “Staff” that Neal gave me when he made me a moderator. I’ll be sure to walk around each morning and point at random things and a very supervisory manner and say things into my Walkie-Talkie talkie with no batteries.

Thanks! Knew I could count on you MN.

 

[RandyB]

In the retail arena, a new store will sometimes have a "soft opening" to help work out the kinks. I'll be bold enough to suggest a soft opening at Deer Springs and allowing all your RVForums buddies a free night to be the Guinea pigs. Where do I sign up, @Jim ?

 

[NGC 613]

In the retail arena, a new store will sometimes have a "soft opening" to help work out the kinks. I'll be bold enough to suggest a soft opening at Deer Springs and allowing all your RVForums buddies a free night to be the Guinea pigs. Where do I sign up, @Jim ?

OH great here we go again with one of them fancy class A'ers trying to schmoose up to the owner for a spot. Dam those class A'ers. Da rat bastages ???

 

[Jim]

It's been raining for the last 2 days. A real gully washer as Trish would say. As we can't work on the park, I used the time to make a park site map. Note: We don't have the pavilion or the group fire pit built yet. But when we do, it'll be in the areas shown on the map. The rectangle area labeled "dog park", is a 20'x100' fenced dog run. The area labeled "Fairway Park" is a nice park to walk around in and enjoy yourself. It is also a "Designated Leash Free" zone, for pets who are well behaved.

Sites 1 & 8 are Pull In only and are therefore reserved for Class A, Class B or Class C motor coaches.

• Site 1 will accommodate up to 40’ motor coach.
• Site 8 will accommodate any size motor coach.

Sites 2,3,4,5 & 6 are Back In only and will accommodate rigs up to 45’ in length.

Site 7 is a Pull Through site suitable as follows.

• Up to 30’ 5th wheel or travel trailer
• Up to 40’ Motor coach.