Thinking about converting a bus to an RV

[HTRN]

Wow. Under 10?

How many construction companies went under locally for there to be that much of a glut? I don't think I've ever seen them that cheap. Hmm, after checking Ebay, most of the ones on there seem to be hovering around 12K, and with "ebay inflation", that means locally should be about 8-10.. Makes sense though. Construction has been hit BAD in the US with the mortgage meltdown, and with Arizona being among the leading states for defaults, it only makes sense there's a glut of used heavy equipment for sale.

I missed that about you having the same idea about bobcats.

You might want to start haunting the heavy equipment auctions - you'll probably get the best deal there, and it will give you a good idea what's available and at what price.

<EDIT> That's interesting about the ICF forms. Mostly Commercial buildings here are slab floors, with hollowblock walls, often with corrugated roof supported by trusses and steel columns. A variation on this that I've seen recently for warehouse space was whole preformed slabs dropped into place with a crane for the walls. The downside I see for it is it really isn't DIY - you still have to have a crew in to fill the walls, so while you can do some "sweat equity", it's still going to cost you most of what it would to simply contract out the whole foundation. Residential housing mostly has basements, usually poured form.


HTRN

[Rod]

In thinking about your situation Chris, I kind of go with the idea of a work trailer too. And, when you've completed the spread and are going to get rid of the trailer, think of two words. REFRIGERATOR/TANNERITE!!!!! Lots of it.

[HTRN]

I should say, the construction bust down here is so bad I can pick up a good condition Deere 310 (a combo backhoe loader) for about $12.5k.

Jeebus, that is cheap. 4 years ago, you couldn't touch something like that for less than 20 grand.

I'm thinking that's probably the way to go.


HTRN

[HTRN]

Ah the joys of Ammonium nitrate and diesel fuel.


HTRN

[Rod]

In thinking about your situation Chris, I kind of go with the idea of a work trailer too. And, when you've completed the spread and are going to get rid of the trailer, think of two words. REFRIGERATOR/TANNERITE!!!!! Lots of it.

Screw tannerite; I'll be getting a blasting permit for whatever state we end up in anyway.

I want an invite for that.

[blackeagle603]

ICF is the ultimate DIY form. Close friend did a basement recently. Can't beat the value proposition either. It's like working w/ legos. About $5 sq ft for forms & steel.

[arctictom]

I should say, the construction bust down here is so bad I can pick up a good condition Deere 310 (a combo backhoe loader) for about $12.5k.

Jeebus, that is cheap. 4 years ago, you couldn't touch something like that for less than 20 grand.

I'm thinking that's probably the way to go.


HTRN

+1 on the Back hoe, defiantly ,very versatile, septic systems , roads, foundations.

I will also put my 2 cents worth in on the bus , save the money and time , invest in a good tent and cots , build your hanger, with an apartment/loft and live in it while you build the house(s) .

Built my current house, and my cabin, its very rewarding, have fun

[Denis]

This sounds like the beginnings of a great adventure. Best of luck, Chris.

I have no wisdom to add on the building or RV questions. I have spent a lot of time in boats and caravans, so I know that a small space quickly gets too small, especially with kids around. I heartily second the suggestion of having both parents' and kids' accomodation, if you can manage it.

Further thoughts. Would a couple of prefabricated Monolithic Cabins be more suited to what you need for temporary accomodation? They can be trucked in and dropped on a slab, and you can sell them later, or use them as guest accomodation or as an outbuilding. There's one on ebay now.

I kind of like the idea of building a monolithic dome, myself, but finding enough open space to put one on in Old Europe is prohibitively expensive.

[princewally]

You hate trailer houses, but...

After your real house is done, they can be used as a nice shoot house for your private range, or hauled off to the opposite corner of the property and rented out, or a guest house just out of sight from the main house.

Over the course of a couple of years, a trailer house will be more comfortable than an RV, even if the RV will have more use, longterm.

[rightisright]

Ok, so if you were me, given these parameters, what would you buy:

1. I need to clear and grade a road bed for the driveway and parking areas, a light duty air strip, a shooting range, and the yard and landscaping.

2. I need to clear and grade pads and footings for the hangar, rv parking, generator house, and other outbuildings

3. I need to dig a foundation for the main house

4. I need to sink pilings, drill large diameter holes, and pour tube footings.

5. I need to trench for cabling, plumbing, underground storage, septic tanks etc...

I would like to keep the capability to do this around; for continued property maintenance and construction.

I would like to do this with used equipment in serviceable condition, at a reasonable cost; hopefully the same or less than the cost of hiring the equipment for a few weeks at a time, several times over the course of two or three years.

Most of that can be done with a full sized backhoe like the 310 you mention. You can get a hydraulic posthole digger (or you can dig the holes with the bucket, put in Sonotubes and backfill around them.) attachment and a trenching bucket.

The trickiest part would be grading and clearing. Nothing beats a small bulldozer with a 6way blade for those chores. Small to medium stumps can be ripped right out. Large stumps would need the backhoe to loosen them up a bit first.

The grading and clearing can be done with the 310, but it would take a lot longer. Backdragging with the bucket has its limitations. Plus, the dozer can pull out a stuck wheeled machine if need.

If you are going to have a lot of room, you can probably forgo the skid-steer and the mini-excavator. They are great for working in tight places (landscaping/trenching near a completed structure.), but if you have lots of room, a full-sized 310 or 580 is the ticket.

So, to sum it up. A full-sized 4WD loader/backhoe and a small dozer would be a hard combo to beat.

If you can get a decent 310 for 12K, I'd jump all over it. Prices here in NJ have dropped, but not much. Other places in the country have seen HUGE drops in heavy equipment pricing. I have a friend who is an excavator. He just drove his dump truck/trailer down to West Virginia because he got a smoking deal on midsized trackhoe. He saved $20K over what the machine was selling for around here.