Any one have experience with building a large shed to live inside in the RV?

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albon22

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We have a 35 foot 5th wheel. Last Oct we moved to Montana from WI. We sold our house in WI, stay at our cabin in WI some of the time (Grandkids you know). We don't want buy a house in Montana as we want to travel also. However we will spend most of our time in Montana. The thought is to build a shed (not decided what kind, thinking of insulated pole shed, dressed up). We will want to pull both 5th wheel and tow vehicle inside, and live in the 5th wheel. We won't care what the weather is out side, and can stay year round.

Would appreciate any leads or advice.  Thanks in advance.  albon22

How do you attach the (New in color when you post). This is my first post on this forum.
 
Hi Albon, and welcome to The RV Forum!

Most of the RV sheds consist of a roof over the RV, with open sides and/or ends.  There are several systems in the RV that exhaust waste products to the outside air - if the RV is in an enclosed building they'll accumulate in the air around the RV instead of dissipating.

All of the propane appliances - the furnace, hot water heater, refrigerator, stove, etc. produce carbon monoxide.

The plumbing system has roof vents that dissipate sewer gas (methane) and odors.

Propane is stored in liquid form, and if there's a leak it's vapor will expand to occupy 270 times as much space.

All of these have to be able to dissipate in free air, not build up inside an enclosed building.

You could build an external room and extend it's roof over the RV to provide some protection from the elements.  But it's probably not a good idea to completely enclose the RV.
 
here are some ideas that we plan or wish we could do to improve our existing rv barn.
if you build an enclosed building, build in vents in the eves, (soffit vents) and powered vents in the roof peaks. because of the need for venting, it is probably superfluous to insulate the building well. make sure that your rv has working carbon monoxide, smoke and propane detectors. install lots of windows, doors,  and maybe a deck.
install 50 amp 220v electrical service for your rv (even if you presently have a 30 amp rv) and plan a place for a refrigerator/freezer, washer, and a 220v dryer. plan lots of storage cabinets.
install a sewer clean out close enough to the building so that you can dump your holding tanks easily. do not leave the black tank drain valve open continuously.
install a fresh water hookup that will not freeze in the winter. you can use ribbon heaters on the water line.
:)
 
To comply with most county codes you will have to pour a slab, provide for sewage, install a power pole and register with the county for taxes, which means that code enforcement will be out to visit you and determine compliance.>>>Dan (assuming this is a vacant lot)
 
My suggestion would be to build a building big enough to store both the trailer and vehicle and at one end build a loft type apartment to live in, nothing fancy just a loft with plumbing, heat and water..
 
Thank you for the wuick reply.

This wasn't my first thought. But I will contact a local building inspector next to get specifics as what can be done/or not done.

I will post what I find out.

Again, thanks.    albon22
 
We live at The Great Outdoors in Titusville, FL. I always thought I'd like a port to cover the motor coach with a small living area attached. Having friends that owned one I found it was always dark inside the coach. I agree with Workingtorv about building a unit with a loft type facility for actual living.

We have lived full time in a motor coach for 13 years and love it but I don't think it would be as nice under cover. Works great to protect the coach but I think it would become more like living in a cave.
 
There are several companies building just that sport of thing.  There is one in WA state that advertises.  Do a google search for RV garage and see what turns up.
 
I'd look around for RV docks or Google RV communities. I remember a development in FL that marketed condo like structures with incorporated garages with all the hookups designed so that you could reside in your RV when at the home "20". I was intrigued; but never followed up on it. I know they exist, though.
 
  You didn't say where in MT. If you are within a city and call it an RV Garage you may be required to pour a slab, sewer etc as Utah CJ indicated. If you are in the country and call it a horse barn  thats another story. Many horse property areas in MT. have covenants concerning buildings etc.
  We've been working with Hansen Pole Buildings in MN. They seem to be knowledgeable on codes, wind speed and snow pack requirements. The great thing about a Pole Barn is once the basic structure is built it's simple to close in areas or remodel as desired.
  A Pole Barn with O.H. Monitor is our plan.
 
Albon22,

If you're going to be living in this RV, then any cover needs to accomodate things like satellite dishes or other things up on the roof.  It also needs to be tall enough so that you can get up there to do maintenance if required.  You also need to look into local building codes because all it takes is one neighbor who doesn't like what is taking place to put a stop to the whole thing.  You might want a slab anyway (whether required or not) so you don't sink into mud when it's wet.  Personally, I'd want one that's quite a bit larger than my RV just so mud and weeds aren't tracked everywhere.  Sewage and dumping can be problematic and codes are strict on that, especially near a water source such as a lake.  Sometimes the cost of bringing in electricity from the road or digging a septic tank and drain field can be prohibitive so you'll want to have costs of everything like that lined up before making any real plans.

I've seen RVs parked in various rural locales so I know it's certainly doable - just more so in some areas than others because or local ordinances and rules.

ArdraF
 
Received a catalog the other day that has a lot of of Storage Buildings & Warehouses/Portable Garages & Carports.
May be worth a look at. Their website is:
http://www.teksupply.com/farm/supplies/home
 
workingtorv said:
My suggestion would be to build a building big enough to store both the trailer and vehicle and at one end build a loft type apartment to live in, nothing fancy just a loft with plumbing, heat and water..
Click to expand...

This is what a friend of mine did.  Partly to evade high property taxes, and partly for convenience sake.

He built a large pole barn building, and in one end, made a 2 story apartment.  On the outside, it was pure pole barn.  Inside, it was quite comfortable, and he even had his own indoor basketball court.  ;D
 
After reading the OP I got to thinking this might be a good idea for me as I am 10 to 12 years away from retirement. I always thought of full-timing once that era of my life hit. One of these would make a nice home base somewhere. A place to stow some thing I may want to keep but not So I was searching around and found this site which peeked my interest. If you google RV Garages, or RV Barns there are quite a few hits. Good Luck.

http://unclehowards.com/RVGarages.aspx
 
I believe you want 50A 110Volt electrical NOT 50A 220Volt electrical.  Just make sure your electrical contractor knows the difference and wires it for your coach, and not typical residential setup.
 
Our dream house is a Quonset Hut high enough and long enough to hold our 34' fiver and 24' two vehicle.  It would  have to be long enough so we could build a loft bedroom and full bath on the loft floor.  We'd knock out a wall in the bedroom to build a full deck. Kitchen, guest bedroom and second bath on ground floor.  The living room would be alongside the RV, separated by a 10' high partition that would hide the RV and tow vehicle.  The fiver would not be lived in while it was parked inside.  The completed interior would be blown insulation, covered by sheet rock. Several large skylights would be added as well as a few large picture windows on the ground floor.  All windows and doors would then have the original metal sealed over them when we left on an extended trip.  Now; if we had a rich Aunt. . . :eek:
 
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