I have 2 acres (at least) of property tha I am thinking about putting concrete pads for RV's to park with picnic table and maybe grill(in time). At this time there would be no electric, no water, no dumping, no washer dryer....nothing but the pad...and maybe big trash bin. Just a special place in the trees along the river....I don't want more than 10 spots. I want it intimate and private for the RV's Since RV's are self contained, do I need electric and water and ? How much should I charge for such a place? They would have the river to fish and 3 lovely country restaraunts to walk too, skiing in Big Sky and Yellowstone Park to vist and snowmobiling and biking outside their door... I am in the beginning stage of this process and needing information to know whether this is worh such a step. Thank you for any help you can give me.
I would certainly use it as it sounds great. In my case, I'd prefer FHU, but there are many who prefer boondocking and it would be perfect for them. As for pricing, it would depend upon, among other things, if you had FHU's and other amentities. The more you have, the higher price you could charge. Check out the other CGs in your area and see what they offer and what they charge, then use them as a baseline. Good luck. Incidentally, 10 spots for two acres sounds like you will have a lot of empty space for expansion, should you choose.
I am about 99.9 percent certain county and state law will not allow you to have an RV park without sanitary facilities. Check with your county Health and/or Planning and Zoning Departments or your state Environmental Department. If you can do it, your pricing model will be to compete with State Parks and forest service campgrounds in the area.
I think that you are going to have to have at least a dump station with septic tank and water availalbe. This will be more expensive than the slabs, I would think. You will also need some type of roads to the sites. You will expand your market if you include electricity. I think onsite water would also expand things for you. We have boondocked for 6 days in a row, but most RVs can and will do a lot's less. You then need a structure for an office also. When you think it through, this will not be a cheap deal. very bit money you spend will increase your income. In many states fishing reuires a license which can be expensive also. You must also get listed in the directories and on the internet so out of the area people can find you.
Just another note, I noticed you mentioned Big Sky, Montana in your post. I built a home in the resort and if your property is in Gallatin County you can be assured your plan is not going to be implimented without MAJOR imput from Planning and Zoning. Gallatin County is considered to have the strictest code requirements in Montana. You will jump through enough hoops to join the circus. Good Luck
Before you think much harder...you need to check with the health department and the zoning board. QUOTE(montana bound @ Sep 29 2009, 11:25 AM) [snapback]19329[/snapback] I have 2 acres (at least) of property tha I am thinking about putting concrete pads for RV's to park with picnic table and maybe grill(in time). At this time there would be no electric, no water, no dumping, no washer dryer....nothing but the pad...and maybe big trash bin. Just a special place in the trees along the river....I don't want more than 10 spots. I want it intimate and private for the RV's Since RV's are self contained, do I need electric and water and ? How much should I charge for such a place? They would have the river to fish and 3 lovely country restaraunts to walk too, skiing in Big Sky and Yellowstone Park to vist and snowmobiling and biking outside their door... I am in the beginning stage of this process and needing information to know whether this is worh such a step. Thank you for any help you can give me.
I have an acquaintance who has 10 acres on which he built 4 gravel sites, with full hook-ups. Utilities were fairly easy since he also lives in a house on the property. He just hooked into the systems that were already there. He charges $300/mo and all four sites are always rented. State and federal parks are anywhere between $8-15 for a dry campsites, but they usually have as a minimum a toilet, a place to get water even if carried, and a dump station somewhere in the area. I have a couple of pads on my property. They were made with road base gravel. It packs down hard and is way less expensive than concrete. The property is not near a town, but turning them into commercial use would also require some zoning or code consideration. As a business venture, it might be better to put in 2-3 sites and then expand if the demand is there. That should be fairly easy if you aren't going to need specialized equipment to put in utilities.
I rather doubt that you would have much success in getting your investment back with no hook-ups at all. You will need to advertise them somewhere to find a market and that too will cost. Are you near a major highway so that you could just put up a big sign? What how big will the marked be in the ski season when most RVs head south for warm weather? Very few RVs will deal well with the kind of cold that winter brings to the Yellowstone area. Most of them would go through propane that they can carry in only a few days. Of course you would have to keep the snow plowed for everyone too if they are to be used in winter, assuming that someone came. All of this if you can get by the health and zoning departments.
