With the increased need for recreational activities, many people are looking into buying Recreational Vehicles (RVs). It makes buying an RV park a sound investment.
RV park or a caravan park is like a large park or parking space where people can spend some time in their RVs.
Most people prefer paying for the parking space in an RV park than staying in the hotel for a night or two. If you are looking into making such an investment, one of the first questions that arise is the amount of land required to own an RV park.
So, how many acres do you need for an RV park? For this, the vital thing to remember is you can have 10-12 RVs in one acre of land. In short, you will need a minimum of one acre of land for an RV park. It is because, along with each RV, there are specific other amenities that you need to include in each campsite like water and sewage connection, landscaping to provide privacy, etc.
Factors that can impact the total area needed for an RV park
1. Municipality permit rules:
According to the area in which you plan to open an RV park, specific rules regarding the capacity exists. The municipal corporation of that region lays down these rules.
These specify the minimum land requirement that you need to meet. They also mention the maximum land coverage of your park (Although if we are wondering about the minimum, we do not need to worry about the maximum.).
2. Profit:
(Not to sound greedy!) The entire reason for opening an RV park is to earn a reasonable profit.
You need to consider the expenses (which are a lot if you’re building an RV park from scratch) and when the spots will be empty, and choose the correct number of campsites for your park. It, in turn, decides the land required.
3. No congestion:
You need enough land to allocate sufficient space for each campsite. RVs can be 20-40 ft and have slide-outs as well.
It would help if you also considered the motorhomes and fifth wheels. After this, ensure enough space and landscaping between two consequent RVs to provide people enough privacy (and peace).
Some rules specify the minimum length and width of each campsite in some states or counties in the park. It will help if you abode by these while building the park.
Keeping all these things in mind and setting a detailed budget, you can move on to decide the size of your RV park. Your park should also be flexible to accommodate any future changes in the municipal policies.
Things you need to know before opening an RV park
Aside from the area, there are other essential aspects that you need to know before opening an RV park. Some essential things you need to consider are:
1. Getting municipal permits for an RV park:
This is the first and biggest hurdle you need to overcome before opening an RV park. You need to be familiar with the rules and regulations regarding building an RV park in your area.
You need to get official permission for opening it from the zoning board or the township supervisor of your area.
2. The total cost of opening an RV park:
Building an RV park might be a good investment in the long run, but it is an expensive business to start. A single campsite cost can be anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000.
Depending on the park’s luxury, the entire cost of building the park can range from $1 million to $3 million. It covers everything from getting the permit to making the land ready for the park.
3. Choosing the suitable land:
(As in agriculture) The right land plays a massive role in determining the profit you will make from the RV park.
It would help if you made sure that the park is at an accessible location and not in some very remote place.
Lands near major highways are better than those far away. Also, people prefer flat surfaces to park their vehicles.
Nowadays, several websites provide information about suitable lands for RV parks. After choosing the right property, make sure to make it lush green and clean so that it is more captivating.
4. Park model cabins:
These are cabins that are on wheels. They are kind of like RVs, but you can permanently station them at the campsite.
For people who do not own an RV but want the experience, these are a good choice.
Having them in your park is a great way to attract a whole new crowd and ultimately earning a more significant profit. However, they require special and constant maintenance.
5.Leisure:
When staying in RV parks, people look for more than just scenic beauty and a peaceful place. Most of the RVers are people vacationing with their families.
So, they are looking for some fun activities to pass the time. It helps if your RV park includes a swimming pool, dog park, game room, etc.
6. Marketing:
This is one of the most important things to keep in mind before starting any business. You are what you show.
If you have built the park in collaboration with a franchise, you do not need to take care of marketing (As you already have a big brand name attached to the park.).
Your RV park can be the best in the state, but it does not mean anything without a good crowd.
You need to organize shows and use social media at its best (aside from showing off your latest vacation photos) to create a buzz for your RV park. Proper marketing is what shows potential customers why to choose your park over others.
7. Know your area:
If your park is near a tourist location, it will mainly come in handy for parking the RV and staying overnight.
However, if it is nowhere near a tourist place, you might need to add some modifications to make it more appealing.
There should be more empty spaces for such a park as people may prefer it for camping purposes. If you add enough fun activities like a water park and go-carting, it might become the area’s go-to tourist location.
8. Amenities:
Some of the essential amenities include proper sewage facilities, electricity, cable, and wi-fi. The guidelines in your state might regulate the sewage system.
But in any case, you need to make a proper sewage system for your park and each campsite in it.
It needs to be correctly maintained as well. Since most people come with family, cable is an essential requirement.
Nowadays, wi-fi has become a necessity as elders need it for work and children for social media. (It provides for good marketing as well!)
In closing
These were some of the things that might help you in building an RV park of your dreams. Although you need to put a lot of work and money into creating an RV park, this is the kind of investment that pays off in the long run.
