Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to move family into caravan?

163 replies

mumofbeagles · 02/08/2020 17:58

DH and I currently own a 3 bedroom House in the south east. This has recently been sold STC etc and we currently can not afford to buy in the area we want to. Fab schools, loads of green space. It's the country life we want.
Would it be ludicrous to buy a 3 bedroom caravan and move us, our two children, dog and two cats into it?
We will get a reasonable amount out of our house for a deposit, but until youngest Is in school etc I am limited hours I can work etc.
So after much discussion PIL have offered to gift us 1 acre of land for us to put caravan on. It's in the area we want to live etc.
Getting the caravan would mean we would be able to double if not treble our savings potential. So that we can find our dream home and not be mortgaged up to the eyeballs. It would likely be short term 2-3 years. Until my earning potential goes up and so does the deposit.
What are you thoughts, those that have lived 'off grid' what advise would you give
TIA

OP posts:
mumofbeagles · 02/08/2020 18:13

@Timesdone

Sorry, mishap with fingers. Has the sale gone through? Would renting it out be a better option so you are keeping apace with the property market?
DH doesn't want to rent as we would be throwing away £1400 a month paying someone else's mortgage. Where as outgoings are likely to be half of that in a static
OP posts:
streamlinedcaverns · 02/08/2020 18:14

I wouldn't do that for 2-3 years. Living in a caravan would be awful for that long, instead could you look at self building on the land instead?

Chociefish · 02/08/2020 18:14

Great idea. However there has to be a dwelling already on the land to be able to do this legally. It's never quite as straightforward as you might think. Have a quick search on permitted development and caravan permission in case there isn't already something on the land.

AlCalavicci · 02/08/2020 18:15

Where are you going to store all your furniture / bikes / clothing you dont wear much ?
As PP said what about water / electricity / gas ( bottles ? ) sewage
Wifi ?
post ?
council tax?
insurance against weather / vandals / ?

Is there any way you could do a trial run 1st ? either by renting a motor home or similar and put it on the field or set your current house up to be used with the same amount of space

GiddapGreyWaynesKeat · 02/08/2020 18:16

Don’t you need planning permission to live permanently in a caravan when it is not sited on land which is being used to build a house?

Reallybadidea · 02/08/2020 18:17

I don't understand why you're selling your house rather than renting it out to someone.

022828MAN · 02/08/2020 18:18

It sounds fab, I'd love to do the same!

gassylady · 02/08/2020 18:19

I have been watching “How to live mortgage free” on Netflix whilst ironing recently lots of folk who have done variations on this. Seems complex in terms of permissions etc but you could get some inspiration there maybe

disorganisedsecretsquirrel · 02/08/2020 18:20

I would do it tomorrow in a heartbeat. I pay someone else's mortgage at the moment because I lost my house in the divorce and not enough left over to buy..
8 years at £1400 a month and now slightly smaller but more lovely place at £1000 pm.. still means I can't save for a deposit and doubtful I could ever get a mortgage at 59...

I live in the south east and the 'relaxed' planning laws whereby if you have a humongous house with land - means you can build an 'art studio' with 3 beds, 2 baths for £80k and move your kids into it for 5 years before claiming 'retrospective' residential use ... seems to be occurring at every other home in my area...

That's .. as they say .. how the rich get richer.. sadly my parents 3 bed semi does not have that potential..

Go for it..

mumofbeagles · 02/08/2020 18:21

@Raera

Would you have a postal address or is it close enough to use your inlaws? For admission to school you have to be living at the address you state or it would be seen as fraudulent (I'm an admissions appeal panellist)
It's at the top of PIL land so about 1/2 mile away from their house, so not sure what the rules would be there. Something to look into.
OP posts:
Namey32 · 02/08/2020 18:22

It'll be freezing in the winter!

Could you self build in the area you want?

Instead of selling the property right now, what about renting it out while you live in the caravan and save, then sell nearer the time of buying?
You will make far more in rent than you will in interest.

Would you not drive each other crazy in such a small space?

Bemorechicken · 02/08/2020 18:24

Yes do it and build your own.

AdoreTheBeach · 02/08/2020 18:27

Exactly my question too. Can’t you build in the area you want?

If in laws are gifting you an acre in the area you want to be, why not build your house on that acre?

(And perhaps live in a caravan There while its being done)

RNBrie · 02/08/2020 18:29

The biggest risk you run here is that house prices grow in your chosen area and your savings aren't able to keep pace. You won't have an asset appreciating in value either.

Have you checked out what you could rent out your current home for? It might be more than you're paying in the mortgage and therefore would make you money every month whilst you're in your caravan.

fedupandlookingforchange · 02/08/2020 18:32

I know quite a few people who have done this (my parents just lived in the derelict house with us all whilst it gradually got renovated, it was the best adventure ever though). Get rid of all surplus stuff including furniture that has no sentimental value.
Most people I know who do this add a shed to the main door of the caravan to act as a porch/utility room for boots/washer/dryer/freezer. Make sure the caravan has central heating even if you don't plan on using it much.
I think it you can stay for 5 years without issue from the council you can then get permission to build a dwelling.

airbags · 02/08/2020 18:34

I would in a nanosecond!

Pinkdelight3 · 02/08/2020 18:35

My brother tried this. Froze his arse off in the winter and gave up. Be really certain it's fully liveable all year round and look into all the rules in depth. Pretty sure you're not allowed to just set up residence in a field from a legal POV whether it belongs to your in-laws or not.

SickOfNorthernExile · 02/08/2020 18:35

I lived on a boat for years, and it’s very similar. Also had my son as a liveaboard boater.
Things to consider:

  • chemical toilet/septic tank situation
  • you need a wood burner or better a diesel stove. You can get systems that pump heat around the boat. Probably easier than storing coal and wood, which unless you have a wood store, gets damp. I had both. Diesel stove 100x more convenient. Wood burner smells good.
  • kids stuff. They will need to part with 90% of their toys. You won’t have room.
You and your DH will also need to get VERY used to less stuff.
  • Laundry. What will you do? I had a washing machine but could only use it when I squatted a permanent mooring with electricity and mains water or when I filled my water tank. Drying washing is a BITCH in winter and fucking hell it’ll get mouldy drying for a family of 4 indoors in winter.
  • speaking of water... will you be hooked up to the mains? You want to be.
  • you’ll need a genny. A good, quiet one or
It’ll wake the kids if you turn it on in the night.
  • you should create some kind of outdoor storage for wet wellies, wheelbarrow, pram, outdoor gear etc. Inside will be a fucker to keep clean. Preserve your sanity as much as poss.
  • get some kind of path put down. You could use something like sleepers or rubber matting or something more permanent like creating a gravel path- but you need it. And you’ll want some kind of light outside in winter. Getting kids in and out in winter is hard enough. Being able to see is a must.
-mould again. Honestly. In winter caravans and boats are arseholes for mould. You’ll need to get airflow wadding for under mattresses and sofa cushions and air regularly

I could go on.
It’s a great idea but it’s not easy. It could end your marriage - boatlife did for a few couples I know with kids. And you may find the trade off in terms of inconvenience isn’t worth it.

sage46 · 02/08/2020 18:36

Go for it!

category12 · 02/08/2020 18:37

I'm not sure you'd be allowed to. You need to check with the council otherwise you might find you spend money on setting it all up and then get forced to leave.

Submariner · 02/08/2020 18:38

We had friends who did this for a similar amount of time. At the end they moved into a beautiful home... And the wife said she was ready to burn the caravan to the ground.

florascotia2 · 02/08/2020 18:39

OP It can be lovely but - as others have said - legally it can be quite complicated. You do need planning permission and you need to be able to prove adequate sanitary arrangements.

We lived in a caravan - officially - while our house was being built. It was fabulous in many ways - just step outside to the grass and the flowers and the wildlife (but also the mud in winter). But caravans have very little insulation. As other have said, they are cold and - much more important - they tend to be horribly damp. Clothes, towels, bedding etc can so easily get mildewy. Also caravans have very limited storage. Just think, where are you going to store clothes/ towels/ bedding? In winter, where are you going to hang up dripping waterproofs/dry out muddy boots? How - in a damp environment - are you going to keep clothes and bedding aired and dry?

Cooking, washing/showering and just breathing create an awful lot of condensation. Books and papers - unless stored in sealed boxes - are in danger of rotting. Black mould - very bad for respiratory health - is a threat. (I got a really, really nasty chest infection.) If you're serious about this, an efficient dehumidifier is an absolute must, and for that you need electricity. Bottled gas for cooking etc is very expensive.

You also need to think about where to put a washing machine (needs solid ground to stand on and a link to some sort of sanctioned drain) and a freezer. We had a shed for this - with planning permission because our house was being built. But in certain areas, without pp that would certainly not be possible.

As others have said, you need to register an address for schooling, GP, banking etc - and to pay council tax.

In many ways, our time in the middle of a field was wonderful. But it wasn't easy.

Darkestseasonofall · 02/08/2020 18:41

Hell no, holidaying in one with DC of the same age has me hankering for our solidly built house after a few days.
Feeling like you have to whisper once dc are in bed, not enough storage, no way.
I'd feel like I was living in limbo waiting for the next chapter of my life, not really living IYSWIM.

Cakecrumbsinmybra · 02/08/2020 18:44

Pretty sure you need planning if people are going to live in it.

IndecentFeminist · 02/08/2020 18:44

Yeah I would, I'd factor in storage for stuff though, keep fairly minimalist in the caravan.

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.