Temporary to Permanent

[Grandpa3]

Good Morning!

My Dad recently passed away leaving me his Montana 5th wheel travel trailer (32 foot?). He had it permanently parked and was living in the trailer full time. It has suffered some in the Florida weather but overall is in good shape.

I would like to move the trailer to my home in Georgia, permanently place it, and use it as a guest house when my children visit. My husband has agreed to this as long as we can make it NOT look like a travel trailer. Has anyone ever done this?

My first thought was some type of wood siding with foam insulation board between it and the trailer. But I am an ABSOLUTE newbie in regards to all of this (moving, placing, repairing, exterior, etc.) so any and all advice is welcome, but the part that perplexes me the most is making it look like a tiny house.

I'm fairly handy and brave, so the work and the unknown don't really scare me, but want to connect with the experts before I jump in with both feet!

Thank you VERY much for any direction you can provide.

 

[LeftOverParts]

Never done this so just some ideas.

I suppose you could clad the trailer with whatever siding you want. If you want insulation, one way is to use construction adhesive to add furring (slats) to the walls, then put the insulation between and attach the siding and trim to that. Draw plans or sketches to think through how the cladding will fit around the slide outs, door, windows, and utility connections.

It might be easier (and safer) to build a deck and roof to obscure the trailer. Or maybe build a facade like in the movies. Here’s a link to Pinterest for some ideas.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/cozy-mobile-home-with-upper-deck-and-porch--563018697750283/

You’ll have to make sure and leave access panels and ensure vents and clearance to places like the water heater; plumbing systems; and AC, air vents, plumbing vents on the roof. You may have codes to comply to.

Before you move the trailer, you should check the tires, wheels, brakes, hitch, etc. Other systems like AC, furnace, water heater should be checked too so you know the condition of the systems. You might have to hire someone like a mobile tech or rv inspector to do this. Might get pricey to fix or replace items.

 

[Mikendebbie]

To tag on to LeftOver's post...
Before you tow it or have it towed...check the date code on the tires.
RV tires AGE OUT well before they show any mileage tread wear. A five year old tire is due for replacement. Blow-outs with old tires are no fun and the can tear up your RV. Google tire date codes to know what to look for on the sidewall.

Look at the sidewalls for micro-cracks (sun damage)...they need to be replaced.
Plan on spending about $800 for a set of tires.

As mentioned - the bearing grease and the brakes should be checked...but if it was mine (for example)...if the tires were within 5 years old and looked ok...I would probably risk that the brakes and bearings would make the trip. You will get a feel for them pretty quick. I would drive slow (55 - 60 mph) and pray along the way.

You refer to the Montana as a "trailer", but I would venture to guess it is a fifth wheel unit. On the driver's side front, there should be a sticker with the VIN number and the year model/ manf date. It would be helpful if you could post the year model to this thread.

Concerning your desire to hide the RV...you cannot attach anything to the siding with screws. Penetrating the fiberglass will cause leaks. I agree with the photo example that Leftover posted...a structure built around and over the RV. I would venture to guess something like that would cost $5k to $10k if you guys supply the labor to build it. A large metal building barn (say 18' wide x 40' long x 14' eave height with metal siding on 3 sides to hide it real good) - I would guess the cost to be $15k to $18k. A concrete slab would be another $5k. I had a metal cover installed at my place in 2021 and it is open on 3 sides...the cost was $9800. Once you get it set up on a gravel pad, you will need to plug it in to a 50 amp electrical service. Lots of folks are handy enough to do the pad and the electrical service themselves. I paid an electrician to do mine because I am scared shirtless of electricity...but if you have to hire someone for the pad and the power, allow $3k to $5k. You really need the 50 amp power to run the air conditioners when your guests come for a visit. Tell your guests not to use the bathroom unless you can tie it into a septic system. Share these cost estimates with your husband to test his commitment to hiding the RV.

Edit: don’t mean to sound harsh. Maybe the city or HOA requires it. Fortunately I live in the sticks. The county regulates septic…no HOA. Sounds like you are new to RVs and such.

 

[Grandpa3]

Thank you both for the sound advice. Yes, it a 5th wheel. I'm not up to speed on the nomenclature! I like the idea of firring strips and although we don't usually get snow we have a wet, bone chilling winter in North Georgia so I'd like to add insulation wherever possible.

I think I can paint the vents, etc. so that they match whatever siding we use. And the Pinterest pictures give me lots of ideas. And some additional things I hadn't considered - like how to deal with the slide-outs! And a deck sounds awesome!

I have talked with some of Daddy's friends and they are offering to bring the RV to Georgia for us and have lots of experience. I'm headed down this weekend and will check the dates on the tires. As for brakes, etc. I'll have to leave that to them to check.

When an RV is fixed in place should you remove the tires and place it on some kind of support? And I would think some kind of skirting would be advised? I apologize if all of this seems ridiculous. I am grasping at straws and trying to make something good come from something bad.

Thank you again!

 

[LeftOverParts]

Glad to hear your dad’s friends can help.

That link has some other links to skirting but you can also Google for articles and images on how to skirt an RV. That will help limit drafts under the unit.

Re support, that was what Mikendebbie was mentioning. A concrete pad or gravel pad at least under the jacks and large enough to support the weight so the unit doesn’t sink into the ground. Since you mentioned it rains a lot, you’ll have to consider sloping the grade or something to limit water getting under the supports. The jacks on the trailer will help you get it level. Then you could add concrete piers or blocking of some sort for additional support. You could look up the year and model of the trailer to get an idea on the weight you’ll need to support.

You could take the tires off but as mentioned, if you leave the unit there for years, those tires will eventually age out. (If you have to replace them to move the trailer, you might get the cheapest tires that are rated for the trailer).

Btw, re the furring, if the sides are dirty, slick, or waxed, you’ll probably need to wash the outside with Dawn to remove dirt and wax. You might try a test pc of furring to make sure it’s going to hold.

Sounds like you’ll be able to keep good memories and be able to make a lot of new ones.

 

[BB_TX]

You would not want to add siding unless you also added a roof over the whole trailer to keep water from getting down between the new siding and the trailer. Otherwise it would retain moisture behind the siding and mold would soon begin to grow in those damp areas. But a roof creates another set of problems in covering the A/C(s), vents, etc. unless the roof is a couple of feet above the trailer roof to clear those items and extends far enough outward to prevent rain from blowing in on top the new sides.

The new sides could extend up to connect to a new roof, enclosing the trailer, as long as there adequate ventilation provided for the A/C(s), water heater, furnace to vent their heat.

 

[jimborokz]

We are also in NW GA and keep our fiver semi permanent at our daughter's house. Your husband doesn't want it to look like a trailer, I get that. My own approach would be to get it all set up and then just have a shelter built around it so it ends up looking like a shed. Depending on how often you use it you may or may not need added insulation. It gets cold here but not that bad. couple years ago we had temps in single digit at Christmas and our water froze but that was unusual. Are you going to set up water/sewer along with 50 amp power? We use a heated water line and put a small heater on a thermostat in the basement behind the convenience center and that has ended our freeze issues. You will run the furnace quite a bit when it's cold so I would add a large capacity gas supply. We have a 100lb tank and you could go even larger, otherwise you will be filling the small 30lb tanks often.
We generally stay in ours for the winter, moving to SC occasionally for a break, and our kids use it for a guest house during the summer when we are back up North. Your plan is definitely doable. Good luck.

 

[Kfinnert]

Good morning -

Here are a couple of thoughts for a permanent placement of your trailer. First and foremost is a good base whether concrete, road base or gravel. Utilities and septic at the parking location. Then the only limitation is your imagination.

Two weeks ago, I visited Sandy Pine Campground and RV Park in MI. I was amazed at what persons had done to convert their RVs into a permanent vacation location. RV's had decks, sunrooms, skirting, and I saw some very clever ways owners had conceal the caps of the RV to include incorporating them into a deck. Anyhow, here is a link to their sales location and you can see what others had done https://sandypines.com/listings/.

This sounds like a fun project!

Cheers