Living In a Camper Inside a Pole Barn (Helpful Guide + Tips)
People come up with some innovative ideas when they own an RV. One is building a pole barn to house them and their vehicles instead of just buying a traditional home. This may work for some people but not everyone.
It is possible to do and if you like being an individual it may be an idea for you to consider. The cost of building a pole or some other structure is cheaper than buying or building a home. But watch out for insulation when you live in a cold region of the country.
To get more information on this unique topic, just continue to read our article. It will provide you with that information as well as any tips on how to build a pole barn for both you and your RVs. Take a few minutes to see if this information provides you with a great idea.
Living in a Camper in a Pole Barn
This is not a bad idea as all you are doing I putting up a structure that protects your RV from some of the elements. The hardest part will be getting the insulation right so that your RV does not get damaged by freezing weather.
That is if you live in a state that gets lots of cold weather during the winter. Of course, by cold we mean those states that go below 0 degrees F every winter and get lots of snow.
You will find that living in a pole barn and your RV is not going to be much different than living in an RV park all winter long. The only real difference is that you have a structure over the RV.
Also, building a pole barn gives you lots of freedom. You can pick up and go whenever you want and you do not have to worry about your home, The keys will be building the barn strong enough and giving the wood or other construction material the right protection to preserve them and help them last a long time.
Also, you will need to make it wide enough so you have room to maneuver when you go in and out of the RV as well as do any repairs to it.
5th Wheel RV Pole Barn
There are benefits to going to a pole barn and not building or buying a traditional home. Here are some of those benefits:
1. You do not have to worry about your neighbor’s property values- your pole barn won’t be built in the middle of a housing neighborhood so people won’t be mad at you for ruining their homes’ values.
2. You get easier access- most people do not put walls on their pole barns. This lack of restriction does make it easier to get into storage bins, do repairs, or even wash the RV.
Plus, you can go to it anytime you want if you are not living in it. If you will live in it, you will still have those same winter duties like shoveling snow but at least you will have more room to throw the snow.
3. Ease of packing- if you store your RV in a storage vehicle, you have to make one or more trips to bring supplies to the RV when you are ready to travel. Then you have to pack the trailer.
Living in it and a pole barn means you just have to pack the trailer once if the supplies are not always there.
4. Save money- living in your RV and a pole barn means you can save money on storage fees. That savings should pay the expense of building the barn. Also, it saves on gas fees as you are already living in your RV and do not have to travel back and forth from your traditional home.
5. Avoid weather damage- this is important as repairs can be costly on an RV. The pole barn provides excellent shelter from storms, snow, rain, and even hail and UV rays.
This situation helps you extend the life of your RV and you may not need to run your AC that much as your RV is out of the direct sun and should not heat up as quickly as if it was at an RV campground.
But this protection will depend on the design of your pole barn and its location.
Pole Barn For Travel Trailer
Here are some tips to guide you if you decide this is a good plan of action for you and your spouse.
1. Height- keep in mind that overpasses are not that high. It can be difficult to go under those structures when you are on the road. You do not want the same problem when you build your pole barn. Make sure you have lots of room to spare when you back or pull into your pull barn.
2. Use an automatic door- this will save you time and energy as it is easier to push a button and let the motor pull the door out of your way or close the door when you exit.
3. Design the barn with enough space- you can make it a tight fit but if you are living inside, you will want enough space inside to move around. You never know when you may make renovations to your interior and will also need space to move furniture in and out of the RV.
So plan ahead and make sure there is more than enough room for any projects or repairs that may arise.
4. Shop around- you can build your own pole barn and some people are very good at doing that. But it may be a better idea to have a professional company do it, especially if you are going to put a patio beside your RV as well.
They will have the materials, the right length and strength of the timber as well as the right metal connectors and supports to make sure the pole barn does not fall down on you.
Get a good price but this is not the time or project to go cheap. Protect your investment with a solidly built pole barn. That way you do not have to worry.
5. Make sure the land you are building on is very level.
RV Pole Building Kits
There are kits available that you can buy. The problem is going to be the size of pole barn you will want. That is dictated by the trailer and the tow vehicle length.
If you want both inside the pole barn you can make it long enough and that can be expensive. If you want them side by side, that is more realistic but will also not cut the price that much.
Generally, a kit will for a small pole barn will run you between $7,000 to $18,000. A medium-sized structure should run between $18,000 and $39,000 give or take a few dollars.
Then a large pole barn costs in the neighborhood of $36,000 to $88,000. The costs will have many influential factors including where you live, where you want it built, and of course the size of the structure.
Some people have incorporated a deck in with their pole barn and that extra feature adds to your costs. Costs will also be adjusted if you are adding walls and interior features to those walls.
Living inside your RV at the same time will affect the kit design and may influence the price somewhat.
RV Storage Pole Building Plans
Building plans will depend on several factors. Those factors include materials used, the design and size of the barn, and if you are going to live inside your RV in the barn or not.
We will only provide you with one link to get you started on this process as the links we could provide may not be near you. We suggest you do a local search on the internet to make sure you find a company that is very close to your location.
This link has 20 free designs for you to look at and see if they come close to your needs. You can use the designs to make sure you know what you want and what adaptions would be best.
You are not stuck with the designs you see. It is possible to just look at the design and then craft your own to meet your individual needs.
Some Final Words
This pole barn idea is not a bad one. It is creative, innovative, and possibly cheaper than buying, building, or maintaining a traditional home. It does save you on a lot of permit costs, sub-contractor work, and so on.
If you are in a position to utilize this concept, it is a good one to consider especially when you want to cut down on your yard work. But this is a concept that is not for everyone.
