What to Ask Before Renting RV Spaces

Generally speaking, we avoid RV parks. Full-hookups are a nice luxury, but living in such close proximity to neighbors isn’t something we do for any longer than necessary. Before we ever commit to renting RV spaces in our travels, we try to ask good questions. This time we forgot.

Wagon Wheel OHV Area Free RV Boondocking
This is how we usually roll.

I didn’t think of asking good questions at Fountain of Youth RV Resort because we’ve been here twice. We keep coming back because it’s not the typical RV snowbird getaway. There’s a tangible happy, friendly vibe among most people that makes FoY feel more like a community of old friends than just another RV park. And this year we were thrilled to score our best parking spot yet. Or so we thought.

Renting RV Spaces Means Asking Smart Questions, or Else

When we reserved it for two months, management casually mentioned. “They’re putting a park model next door sometime soon.”

“Oh that’s ok, it still looks like a great spot,” I said. Silly me. I forgot to ask:

What exactly happens when they install a park model in a site?

New Park Model Neighbor at FOY
“They’re putting a park model there,” she said.

Little did we know that this would mean more than just dropping down a mobile home. We soon found out what happens when a space is prepped for a large “park model.”

First, the ground must be leveled out. 

For about three solid days, dump trucks brought dirt to the lot. They plunked it down just 10 feet from our slide out. A dirt cloud hovered over and around us for the entire week. The noise was consistent, loud and obnoxious. And we couldn’t do a damn thing about it. They warned us.

New Park Model Neighbor at FOY
All the fun, right outside our window.

Over and over, the process was repeated until a back hoe came along and started moving it around. Other heavy equipment soon arrived to finish the leveling job. 

New Park Model Neighbor at FOY
Could you back this sucker into a site?

Yesterday the home arrived in two segments. For over an hour, diesel trucks jockeyed the home’s halves into position. Talk about back-up skills. They made it look easy.

New Park Model Neighbor at FOY
The park model job is only half done.

Now the real fun begins. Utilities must be connected, decks must be built and who knows what needs to happen inside this beast. We expect the construction crew to arrive any moment to finish the job. 

And in the meantime, we’ll try to keep on working throughout the noise.

Lucky for us, this has been a great season at FoY. The neighbors behind us are the best we’ve ever had, the weather has been great and we’ve met more interesting people than ever before. All of which have helped us look beyond the construction zone outside our window.

No, it’s not the best campsite ever. But do we care? Nope. If we get really sick of the racket before our stay ends on 12/30, we can just hook up and drive away.

Ain’t this lifestyle grand?

 

 

 

6 thoughts on “What to Ask Before Renting RV Spaces”

  1. Hi Ya’ll.
    That isn’t what I would call a park model. Most people would say it’s a mobile home; in FL to be classed as a park model, it would have to be 400 SF or less; not including porches and decks. But even if they brought in a true park model you still could have had site prep, drilling and hammering. If they started too early or worked too late would have bothered me; and that dust. But like you said you were warned; just not fully.
    Best wishes,
    Clint

    Reply
    • You’re right, it’s bigger than 400 sf. The crew was actually pretty respectful with the prep work. I hope they are just as good when it comes to the finishing, which actually looks like it will take much longer. Ugh.

      Reply
  2. I thought that was your spot! I was walking Tahoe one night before we left and heard this banging sound. I looked over and saw an Arctic Fox. I vaguely wondered as Tahoe dragged me away whether that was you working on your jewelry. And why there was a mound of dirt and caution tape on the site next to you.

    Reply

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