Ron & Sandie
'08 Safari Simba SBD35 CAT C7
Toad: 2011 GMC Terrain SLT2
Tow Bar: Sterling AT
Toad Brakes: Unified U.S. Gear
TPMS: Pressure Pro
Member of: GS, FMCA, Safari Intl, CAT
I understand that cost/income determines aspects of the design of the park but ambiance has alot to do with it too (others may freely disagree with me and obviously some don't mind being crammed into their sites) I am just stating that I personally will not camp there, I will go to a campsite that is more open with room for me to walk around my trailer without hitting my head on the neighbors slide.
2013 Jayco Eagle 328RLTS w/15K AC
2002 F350 V10 Supercab 4X4
Me,DW,DS-8,DS-3,2 Golden Doodles
Equalizer 14K, Tekonsha Prodigy 3, PI PT30C Surge
Days Camped in 2013 4 Every person brings joy to this place,
Some when they enter, Others when they leave.
romore wrote: I would think it would be cheaper to buy an existing one and upgrade as necessary rather than start from scratch. Either is far more work than we want and traveling time during the summer would be 0. That is a seven day a week job.
If it is a good layout already.
It is a massive overhaul, I think it could be easier to start from scratch rather than try to work with who knows what in terms of water, sewer and electric if you had to rework sites.
Alaska is next! Still trying to fit the pontoons to the RV so We can get to Hawaii!
Craig95005 wrote: We've been traveling around the country and staying in a variety of campgrouds. Some are pretty well managed, many aren't. I'm curious about the economics of owning a campground. Has this been discussed here?
I know that there are a lot of variables, but is it really expensive to develop a campground from country acreage? Would it be cheaper to buy a campground and upgrade it? How expensive to lay concrete pads as opposed to gravel? Is the sewer the most costly service to put in?
New vs already in existence? I'd look at the location. Is it within a two or three hour drive of a suburb? If it is, you'll get a lot of weekend traffic from there especially if it's close to or has a lot of interesting activities.
As far as fixing it up, see how close the sites are. Larger sites get better traffic and command a little more in rates.
As far as utilities being installed in a new campground, my wife and I have some electricians and plumbers as friends. When asked about a job like that, they all told us that the size of the job will give you more negotiating power for cost. You can go with a better layout and size for the sites and it wouldn't cost any more in electrical and plumbing labor, just a little bit more in materials but that's often negotiable too.
As to the work factor, as others have mentioned your traveling days are pretty much over unless you have some reliable relatives and friends to give you a break.
First law of science: don't spit into the wind.
Keep on rollin'!
Magnus
I checked into it also because I am addicted to rving.
I went onto a site that tells how to build a cg.
I could barely get past the zoning permits. Having to talk to the city about all kinds of situations before building. Yikes. It was a red tape nightmare.
I stopped right there
plus like weathershak stated, you won't have time to go rving. you will be working 24/7. I realized this was not for us.
romore wrote: I would think it would be cheaper to buy an existing one and upgrade as necessary rather than start from scratch. Either is far more work than we want and traveling time during the summer would be 0. That is a seven day a week job.
If it is a good layout already.
It is a massive overhaul, I think it could be easier to start from scratch rather than try to work with who knows what in terms of water, sewer and electric if you had to rework sites.
Even with a run down park, you can spruce it up a little and start making some revenue from day one. Upgrade and repair in the off-season. Again, unless someone has deep pockets, carrying construction costs for two or three years before making site rent #1 is financially impossible. A park consultant once told me you should work every year to make your 10 worst sites your best. Then repeat the next year. Some form of this works great for us.
* This post was
edited 06/16/12 03:35pm by westernrvparkowner *
I have seen the figure of $15,000 per site for a campground to be built, if you already have the land. This would be for a CG of approx. 100 sites. At one time we considered buying a campground but came to realize it would be a 24 hour, 7 days a week job to do it right for several years, leaving no time to RV ourselves.
joe b.
Stuart Florida
Formerly of Colorado and Alaska
Chevy 3500 DRW Dmax CC - Rockwood 8281 SS 5th Whl & 2008 Lance 845 TC www.pajbcooper.com web site
Alaska Trip 2011 posted
Colo-Utah-Ariz 2012 trip posted
"Without challenge, adventure is impossible".
Everybody that drinks in a bar, thinks they can run one, too. Why not start by getting a spot as a CG host somewhere? Then you'll get the chance to do all the behind the scenes stuff. You know - the stuff that isn't fun. Drudge work. Repairs. Obnoxious and/or drunk campers. Things that break in the middle of the night. Then when you throw your hands up in disgust, you haven't lost any money.
Retired and visiting as much of this beautiful country as I can.
Hard work, jack of all trades, make a lot of money and then spend it on taxes, cable, WiFi, water, sewer, licenses and fees. Oh forgot insurance, supplies, upkeep, electric, propane and on and on.
Never going to get rich.
weathershak wrote: The first thing you will need to do is sell your RV. You wont have time using it for a while. I know quite a few CG owners and consider them friends. You have to have great passion and be able to do hard work yourself to be successful. The best CG's I have been to are the ones where you see the owner there on a daily basis to keep things running smooth. It is something I could not do, unless I could buy the place for cash. I will use 1 place as an example. Tall Pines Harbor CG in Sanford Virginia was purchased many years ago by the present owners. I have watched the present owners bust thier butts in turning the place into an absolute beautiful place. In the 9 years we have visited this place, they have doubled in size, have some of the largest sites anywhere, have fantastic amenaties, and great activities. Check out thier Facebook Page and you will see what hard work and passion can do. Tall Pines Harbor
THIS is SO TRUE.
Unless you are really passionate about it and plan to work many hours, don't do it. I have been to CG's where the owners are clearly not happy with the choice they made, and nothing worse than going to a smaller CG with owners who clearly don't give a rip. The one we go to know is owned/managed by a married couple who clearly lvoe what they do and are extremely friendly to guests. It makes such a huge difference. Every year they put money into the place with nice upgrades.
It is not something just anyone can do. I love to camp but would not even consider being a CG owner. Way too much work involved. It's pretty much a 24/7 type of job.
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