anyone own a static caravan?

VimFuego

Thinking of buying one, probably in the Dales or Peak district to use as a base for a bit of walking. My work pattern means I'll be able to use it for about a week per month, mebbe a bit more. Was wondering about hidden costs, how much value they lose over time, etc etc. 

TTony

My little sister lives in one (for most of the year).

I'll ask her next time I speak to her.  Or I might even call her to ask ...

Headphones

Static?  thought they were earthed.

VimFuego

Headphones said:

Static?  thought they were earthed.

think it depends how windy it is.

EricTheWeary

Oddly enough someone on one of my Facebook groups asked this the other day and there were dozens of people saying don't buy one at a Parkdean resort. So, I'll pass that bit of advice onto you. 
My sister in law had one (somewhere mid Wales) but sold it after a couple of years. Just became boring and another set of chores. They also wanted to go on nice holidays but had sunk a lot of money in going back to the same place all the time. My old manager had one, she was in a relationship with a woman who had two teenage kids so it became her personal space and they had family time without her when she was there. 
We were in Devil's Bridge at the weekend and had a look around. Refurbished caravans from about £30k, not one of those sites that makes you sell when it gets to a certain age. Site fees around £3k per annum plus your power and water. 
Bear in mind that you can't stay in it all year round, the parks shut for at least two months per year to avoid anyone using them as residences. 
The alternative is a seasonal pitch. Buy a towing caravan but set it up more like a static. I've seen huge seasonal pitch sites in Spain and Germany where this is definitely a thing (it's a thing here, just smaller scale). You get a smaller space/caravan but easier to move site at some point and you can add an awning, barbecue,etc. 

VimFuego

@EricTheWeary ; those are some good points. I was thinking along the lines of mebbe a camper van, tho the disadvantage of that could be having to drive the thing around when you want to get to the start of a walk (that said, do have some experience of driving big, fat vans around). Something to consider I guess. 

crunchman

EricTheWeary said:

Oddly enough someone on one of my Facebook groups asked this the other day and there were dozens of people saying don't buy one at a Parkdean resort. So, I'll pass that bit of advice onto you. 

My mother in law has one at a Parkdean resort, although I think the site was owned by something else before Parkdean took over.  Parkdean are not good.  They also have lots of rules - like not being allowed to put your own decking up outside your caravan.  You have to do it through their approved contractors - who charge an arm and a leg, and no doubt give Parkdean a slice as well.

Also, you are paying for all the evening entertainment and the maintenance of the swimming pool etc.  That means pitch fees are high, even without the other dodgy stuff going on.  Unless you want to spend the evening playing bingo and watching people who couldn't get jobs as Butlins redcoats, get a caravan in a site that is just a caravan park.

EricTheWeary

Assuming that it was just me or just me and the dog I'd get a van conversion (Fiat Ducato, Ford Transit, etc) of some sort big enough to provide a comfortable bed (fixed or made up from seats), a toilet, a shower (so some kind of wet room arrangement probably with toilet, sink and shower) and something to cook on. Reasonable amount of storage if possible. 
The VW camper style are smaller, easier to park, more car like to drive but you are reliant upon camp sites most nights. Large motorhomes more space than you can get away with as a single person and the bigger you go the more difficult to park, to manoeuvre,etc. 
I'm not a huge fan of 'wild camping' in the UK so it would still mainly be on sites (although CAMPRA are very good at encouraging the setting up of non campsites for motorhomes and campervans) in the UK but in France it's aires de campingcars, in Spain it's areas autocaravanas and so on - official free or cheap places to stop with basic facilities but you need your own sanitation(sink, toilet, shower). Have weekends away in the UK, tour in Europe on your big holidays. But that's harder work than chillin in a static with a beer and a copy of Reader's Digest. And sometimes that's exactly what you want. 

VimFuego

I was thinking of going down the van conversion route, but thought I read something a while back about they've tightened up the rules about that now WRT changing the vehicle from a commercial to a campervan. Although I am unclear how that's a benefit or not.

EricTheWeary

crunchman said:

EricTheWeary said:

Oddly enough someone on one of my Facebook groups asked this the other day and there were dozens of people saying don't buy one at a Parkdean resort. So, I'll pass that bit of advice onto you. 

My mother in law has one at a Parkdean resort, although I think the site was owned by something else before Parkdean took over.  Parkdean are not good.  They also have lots of rules - like not being allowed to put your own decking up outside your caravan.  You have to do it through their approved contractors - who charge an arm and a leg, and no doubt give Parkdean a slice as well.

Also, you are paying for all the evening entertainment and the maintenance of the swimming pool etc.  That means pitch fees are high, even without the other dodgy stuff going on.  Unless you want to spend the evening playing bingo and watching people who couldn't get jobs as Butlins redcoats, get a caravan in a site that is just a caravan park.

We were in Porthcawl a couple of weeks ago and the Parkdean there is massive (we had to walk through it to get to the dog friendly beach). Clean and tidy and probably quite nice if you have kids but it’s, for want of a better word, soulless. 

VimFuego said:

I was thinking of going down the van conversion route, but thought I read something a while back about they've tightened up the rules about that now WRT changing the vehicle from a commercial to a campervan. Although I am unclear how that's a benefit or not.

I know there are issues around that although I don’t know them in detail. I’d be incredibly hopeless at doing the conversion so be looking at companies that do them and sort all that side as well. Obviously the big caravan/motorhome companies do van conversions but lots of small builders out there who will work on older vehicles. We went to the Malvern caravan show 
last year and there was a company who converted used Mercedes vans and I liked them. 50,000 miles on the clock isn’t much for a van like that and around £40k ready to go is comparable with something like a static caravan. 

VimFuego

@EricTheWeary interesting, I shall google van conversion companies. I know the mercs we use at work get some ridiculous mileages out of them (some have over 400k and that's being driven hard), so they should have some legs left on them. 

Kittyfrisk

Just to add to what others have mentioned about things to check out & be careful of.
Some sites could dictate whether or not you can sell a caravan or pitch without their permission, ban you from a site but keep the caravan, refuse vehicle entry to a site in order to remove your property & a host of other things that can generally screw up your peace of mind. Not all of these things might still be legal, but they were once.
This happened to my parents about 40 odd years ago & is a lesson than isn't easily forgotten.
Read the small print is very much the guiding rule 

Iamnobody

From what I’ve heard from others you’re really tied into the parks with a static. From high rent increases to selling back to them at low prices, to your van is too old for our site now etc. 

If you go down this route do as much homework as possible. 

I’d love a campervan myself - you can see if that works for you by doing a couple of hires. 

Best of luck with it - whatever you decide. 

VimFuego

thanks for the input all, glad I asked. Seems it may not be a great idea to get a static caravan after all. Font of knowledge this place is.

westford

My cousin has one in Scotland and gets a lot of use out of it, but the park has a lot of rules about what you can and can’t do and is closed over the winter months. 

VimFuego

westford said:

My cousin has one in Scotland and gets a lot of use out of it, but the park has a lot of rules about what you can and can’t do and is closed over the winter months. 

yeah, being closed over the winter would be an issue for me, that's why I want something a bit more solid than a tent.

EricTheWeary

Many years ago when I did group work with violent offenders my co-worker thought 'tell us something about yourself we probably couldn't guess' would be a good ice breaker. I remember the first chap announced "I have a static caravan." It's just always seemed this odd Alan Bennett moment in a room full of men with convictions for serious violent offences. 

VimFuego

EricTheWeary said:

Many years ago when I did group work with violent offenders my co-worker thought 'tell us something about yourself we probably couldn't guess' would be a good ice breaker. I remember the first chap announced "I have a static caravan." It's just always seemed this odd Alan Bennett moment in a room full of men with convictions for serious violent offences. 

did you ever do any follow up work to see if there correlation between violent offending and static caravan ownership?

Kittyfrisk

I'm sure you have done loads of research into the subject, but here are a couple of sites maybe worth a read through.
Who knew that such a simple idea could become so complex so quickly ? 
https://www.allenscaravans.co.uk/blog/can-i-live-in-my-static-caravan/
https://www.willerby.com/blog/homes/can-i-live-in-a-static-caravan-all-year-round
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/the-rights-of-residential-and-holiday-mobile-homeowners-in-england/

TTony

VimFuego said:

EricTheWeary said:

Many years ago when I did group work with violent offenders my co-worker thought 'tell us something about yourself we probably couldn't guess' would be a good ice breaker. I remember the first chap announced "I have a static caravan." It's just always seemed this odd Alan Bennett moment in a room full of men with convictions for serious violent offences. 

did you ever do any follow up work to see if there correlation between violent offending and static caravan ownership?

There will be.

sev112

Are there any static caravan sites where you can live full time ?or just some ?