Farm diversification - caravan storage

[JohnB94]

Afternoon,

first post on the farming forum.
I am looking to create a caravan storage yard next to our silage clamp. Does anybody have any experience with this?
Is PP hard to get?
security issues?
dealing with the caravan owners etc
Many thanks

 

[Forkdriver]

I rented a cottage next to a silage clamp when I was at college. Flies and smell will permeate a caravan, so good luck with that one.

 

[TripleSix]

@Dman2

 

[tullah]

Business rates

 

[George from SJM Planning]

You will need planning permission and the main considerations will be highways impacts relating to the movement of a number of caravans and impact on the countryside i.e will a large number of shiny white boxes be seen from miles away.

 

[Dman2]

All of the above

 

[ARW]

I don’t think the caravan owners will want to park next to a clamp

we store in a grain store spec shed, quite a tidy yard abs they still comment on the dusty floor!

 

[Dman2]

I don’t think the caravan owners will want to park next to a clamp

we store in a grain store spec shed, quite a tidy yard abs they still comment on the dusty floor!

Point to the brush

One thing i will say is we have never had so many calls looking for storage, not being able to go abroad has certainly done the caravan businesses a lot of good.
Saying that we`ve been full for the last few years

 

[ARW]

Point to the brush

One thing i will say is we have never had so many calls looking for storage, not being able to go abroad has certainly done the caravan businesses a lot of good.
Saying that we`ve been full for the last few years

Also being full for well over a year, only started 2-3 years ago
Like any business it always takes up much more of your life than expected for not as much return as you hoped!
and never underestimate the stupidity of people!

 

[JohnB94]

I rented a cottage next to a silage clamp when I was at college. Flies and smell will permeate a caravan, so good luck with that one.

Really good point thanks, didnt think about that.
I do have another area, green field adjacent to shed.
I can only see the medium term peoples demand for storage of anthing, not just caravans will go up.

 

[4course]

we used to have a few ,main problems where when they changed their car and number plate so hard to keep track of and after the third or fourth one was abandoned usually due to marital breakdown we got rid of them as well as the security problems for both them and us ,but there is certainly a demand even more so due to the covid effect

 

[Doing it for the kids]

Pikies - be like kids in a sweet shop.

you need bunds, motion sensor fences and concrete bollard in front of the gates each night I would say.

That alone would put me off

 

[HolzKopf]

Caravan storage - you'd have to build 50 or 60 kennels too, cos when the dwellers leave to go on their hols you'd have to look after the dogs until their real owners came to collect them
Mind you, you could earn more from the ransoms than the rentals

 

[Dman2]

Also being full for well over a year, only started 2-3 years ago
Like any business it always takes up much more of your life than expected for not as much return as you hoped!
and never underestimate the stupidity of people!

We found indoor storage just not worth it
Only outdoor now, and in my opinion far more worthwhile than farming

 

[CORNFLAKE]

We did it for 8-10 years. It brings a bit of money in and is less risky than farming. As others have said it brings it’s problems. Most of them can’t reverse, we had a grown man stroking his caravan and asking us to luck after it with loving care. Another couple used to come every Thursday to check that there was no damp inside. Loads of acrimonious divorces arguing over the caravan. We got rid of them and have never missed them. I have a mate though who has over 60 and does alright out of them.

 

[D14]

Afternoon,

first post on the farming forum.
I am looking to create a caravan storage yard next to our silage clamp. Does anybody have any experience with this?
Is PP hard to get?
security issues?
dealing with the caravan owners etc
Many thanks

Gave it up years ago as it was to much hassle. People wanting their caravans out last minute because they decided they wanted to go away. Friday afternoon 3pm and suddenly you've got to get 10 caravans out, washed, batteries charged, tyres blown up and to get to them you need to move 20 caravans in front of them. Also you'd have the people who paid for 6 months then stopped paying. Seriously I wouldn't bother if I was you.

 

[theboytheboy]

I have thought about this as a diversification opportunity. We are pretty well located.

These were my initial deas...please critique as I have no knowledge of caravaning
1) a nice drop of area that is presentable, separate from the rest of the farm, near a main road, big secure gates, bins to empty rubbish into, toilet waste disposal point etc
2) they book a time slot to drop off so no random appearances, they simply arrive in the slot that they booked, hitch off and leave
3) I then immediately take the caravan to a separate secure part of the farm myself and park it, so no issues with them not being able to park it.
4) when they want to collect the same happens in reverse.
5) extra services such as cleaning/valeting charging batteries, dehumidifiers, heaters etc, changing gas bottles, filling water tanks? repairs (I have a mate that does caravan repairs)
6) potentially a caravan service workshop as I have another friend who does this.
7) was thinking a bronze to platinum type offering where platinum only needs a few hours notice to drop or collect and bronze much more

 

[Dman2]

I have thought about this as a diversification opportunity. We are pretty well located.

These were my initial deas...please critique as I have no knowledge of caravaning
1) a nice drop of area that is presentable, separate from the rest of the farm, near a main road, big secure gates, bins to empty rubbish into, toilet waste disposal point etc
2) they book a time slot to drop off so no random appearances, they simply arrive in the slot that they booked, hitch off and leave
3) I then immediately take the caravan to a separate secure part of the farm myself and park it, so no issues with them not being able to park it.
4) when they want to collect the same happens in reverse.
5) extra services such as cleaning/valeting charging batteries, dehumidifiers, heaters etc, changing gas bottles, filling water tanks? repairs (I have a mate that does caravan repairs)
6) potentially a caravan service workshop as I have another friend who does this.
7) was thinking a bronze to platinum type offering where platinum only needs a few hours notice to drop or collect and bronze much more

All of the above is going to require full time staff to run it.
I can guarantee that they will turn up outside of any booked time slot.

As far as servicing goes, yes it is a good idea, we did for @ 8 years, customers just left me their keys and I serviced their vans in between farm jobs.
This was in a time when there were various loopholes regarding testing gas systems and corgi regs, and before new electrical rules came in.
cleaning and valeting take a long time to do, so be prepared.

The biggest problem with the above list, is that caravaners are notoriously tight

 

[Frodo]

I do it on a small scale, but damage one caravan and profit is gone, as well as the guilt. Mice are a big worry.

there is definitely a big demand

 

[Timbo]

I have thought about this as a diversification opportunity. We are pretty well located.

These were my initial deas...please critique as I have no knowledge of caravaning
1) a nice drop of area that is presentable, separate from the rest of the farm, near a main road, big secure gates, bins to empty rubbish into, toilet waste disposal point etc
2) they book a time slot to drop off so no random appearances, they simply arrive in the slot that they booked, hitch off and leave
3) I then immediately take the caravan to a separate secure part of the farm myself and park it, so no issues with them not being able to park it.
4) when they want to collect the same happens in reverse.
5) extra services such as cleaning/valeting charging batteries, dehumidifiers, heaters etc, changing gas bottles, filling water tanks? repairs (I have a mate that does caravan repairs)
6) potentially a caravan service workshop as I have another friend who does this.
7) was thinking a bronze to platinum type offering where platinum only needs a few hours notice to drop or collect and bronze much more

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