It's too tight....advice please (1 Viewer)

Mousy

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As you may know we are almost the proud and giddy new owners of a auto sleeper northants. It's 6.4 mts long 2260 wide. However, it looks like the access to our drive is just too tight, the dealer is willing to bring it up on Wednesdayto try, we've been out with a tape measure but it's all about the width and angle...steady boys!

It will cost us about 3-4k to have major landscaping and tarmacing done to provide access. (Taking down existing wall, pillar, lighting, digging out, moving and rebuilding wall, pillar new gate new lighting etc then making good and tar acing to lane and drive)

So I'm wondering about off site storage, what are the pros and cons? I've found a place locally £225 per year daily access locked and secure, or a gold cos thingy site at £365 but they won't know if they have space til dec.

Don't you have to keep the electric cable in over winter for the batteries and oil rad etc? The van does have a solar panel but not sure of wattage. Both stores are open air.

I would much prefer having it with us but not if the start to any weekend away is me standing outside with a pair of ping pong bats and a very grumpy husband doing a 50 point turn! :cry:

Of course if we do go off site that opens up the possibility of choosing a different MH aaarrrgh lets not even go there yet!!

Help...
 

old-mo

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Pesonally I would bite the bullet and have it done...

Do a lot of work yourself if possible to keep the cost down..

Nothing like having it on your doorstep to keep an eye on it and do odd job`s..

Some will say it is obvious when you are away..... but that`s a chance I have always taken..

And as to date nothing has ever happened to us... (Famous last words.. :Doh:):thumb:
 

Terry

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How wide is the drive ? using the mirrors I can reverse into holes of about 2 ins wider than the van easy :thumb: Less than a inch either side becomes more difficult :winky:::bigsmile:
terry

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Dec 6, 2011
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we have ours on the side of our drive with a hook up :thumb: i agree with old mo:thumb:
 
Dec 6, 2011
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How wide is the drive ? using the mirrors I can reverse into holes of about 2 ins wider than the van easy :thumb: Less than a inch either side becomes more difficult :winky:::bigsmile:
terry

i guess its all about the overhang and how tight you have to turn before clearing the drive pillars:Sad:
 
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Mousy

Mousy

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I'll see if I can find a pic, it's too grey with drizzle to see owt now!

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Jaws

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I would get more quotes !!
And forget tarmac. Lay slabs along the side ( proper big paving slabs not the silly things you get from garden centres .. Get them from you local council yard for very little lolly ).. Looks nice and will be able to support the van in hot weather ( ours sinks in to tarmac on very hot days ! )

I would hazard a guess that the whole job could be done for about £1200 tops
 

Heyupluv

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Pesonally I would bite the bullet and have it done...

Do a lot of work yourself if possible to keep the cost down..

Nothing like having it on your doorstep to keep an eye on it and do odd job`s..


Some will say it is obvious when you are away..... but that`s a chance I have always taken..

And as to date nothing has ever happened to us... (Famous last words.. :Doh:):thumb:

I agree with Mo and other's.....100% on your drive..it will be cheaper in the long run than in a compound...!!!...paying the compound...diesel / petrol back and forwards to the pound...security...plus when arriving home after a M/H holiday you can leave the van and unpack at your leisure...when the weather permits...also loading before a trip....heating in the winter...a low wattage oil heater inside...also filling up with water...vacuuming out when at home...washing the van...the list just goes on and on:thumb:
THE VAN ON YOUR OWN DRIVE:thumb: 100%
 
Oct 1, 2007
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Is it as tight as the pic in the link

Link Removed

Edit Link Removed

Added link to show the door :Doh::Doh:

That 24 " hole is my only exit when parked at home

The mirrors are folded against the cab doors

The van is reversed in to the gap 4 foot back from the front of the house

Took the Thetford door off first time well practised now

No not wrecking the Thetford door!!! :Blush:

Reversing in :Blush:

:thumb::thumb::thumb:

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marymary

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Yep im with the drive too, storage is always a bind, when its at home you can pop in and do things and have a cuppa.... :thumb:
 
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We had to take a saw to our gate post and remove a fence panel.
It never occurred to me when I accidentally bought the MH, just how we'd get it into the drive.:Doh:
Hope you resolve it without too much hassle
 

pappajohn

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never say never !

i had to widen our drive by around 1mtr for around 8mtrs in length.....1.2mtr high grass/soil/rock embankment.

then, to liven things up, i have to reverse around 300mtrs down a 7ft wide (tarmac-ed bit) lane just to get to the 90deg drive entrance....nowhere to turn round. :Sad:

my motorhome is 33ft long and 8ft 4in wide

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lorger

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In my current house I don't have an issue, this will change though when we move to the one I'm renovating. The drive on it is just a normal width drive and its more to do with the angle than the width, my solution was to take one brick pillar down and haven't touched the drive as I reverse in the overhang goes over the garden then as I straighten up its fine as wheels never leave drive.

My next problem is when parked on drive I can't get by it so have to go through house to get out back door not so great, I do have a solution to that and will be my winter project. The current garage is asbestos and sits on a concrete slab so I am going to remove this and this will give me a concrete slab of 7m long to park MH on. I will then build a large shed behind this, so mh will be parked all the way behind house out of sight and safe.

Only problem I have to reverse about 20M with mirrors folded in so very important to have it straight before this.

So you see with a bit of thought all things can be overcome.
 

lorger

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Here are some pictures of my drive to give you an idea of the problem;

http://imgur.com/a/ZMKxq

That's a lot better than mine, I'd take the pillar holding the gate down and replace it with a removable one. I don't think you should have to widen the drive as your wheels aren't the widest point, so see if you can get the axle width as I'm sure that will fit on the tar.
 
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Mousy

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Pics from google earth so it makes it look bigger at the bottom, but it gives you some idea.

I'm surprised the vote seems so overwhelming for the more expensive option. What are the major problems over wintering a mh on storage? we would aim to take it out every other weekend, if only for a daytrip. Although it being a new toy might be more lol.

I'm thinking all that dosh spent on the drive is lots of crossiants and ferry trips!
 

old-mo

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As far as I can see...

Just move the right hand pillar in a couple of foot or so... :thumb:

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Mousy

Mousy

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That's a lot better than mine, I'd take the pillar holding the gate down and replace it with a removable one. I don't think you should have to widen the drive as your wheels aren't the widest point, so see if you can get the axle width as I'm sure that will fit on the tar.

Post on right as you look at the house? I was thinking of taking the left post out and moving that curved wall along/over about 7 foot, it's not so much the width of the posts it's getting it to the posts. Does that make sense?
 

TheBig1

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Here are some pictures of my drive to give you an idea of the problem;

http://imgur.com/a/ZMKxq


Thats simple.... take down the gate pillar and rebuild 18" back (2 brick widths)

when concreting the foundation for new pillar add on an extra section to take the lamp post and re route cable

get a bigger gate made or pick a standard width off the peg at a farm shop

total cost under £1000

oh and cut the trees back a bit because of overhangs. I would bet that the van would then fit in front of the garage
 

peter marshall

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I would go for the widening, you might want a bigger van in a year or two, and still have the same problem. Pete

Ps very nice location.

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old-mo

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By my working`s out, say £3,000 divided by £365 (If it was to stay at that price,,, which I doubt very much. :RollEyes:)..... That Just over 8 years it would have paid for itself..:thumb:

And remember,,,, your insurance will probably go up considerably... if on a secure site... :Sad:
 

Allanm

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Putting your MH in storage is ok in theory, it then becomes a bit of a bind to keep collecting and dropping it off. It's less convenient when you just want to go off for the day/ weekend " because the weather looks nice". You have plenty of time to pack and unload when it's on the drive. You can keep an eye on it and any developing problems, sometimes it's just nice to go and sit in it for a bit of peace and quiet, it has an extra bathroom and an extra, quiet bedroom when the house is full of guests that don't want to go home. Plus, can wash it when you like. You can tinker about with it and fit / remove / modify stuff at a moments notice. It reminds you where all that money went, it encourages you to take it away for a while.
Of course, some people have no alternative to storage, but if you have even a slim chance of keeping it at home, do it.
You know it makes sense!
We measured our driveway first and looked at the biggest van we could get on it. At 7.2 m ours just fits on the drive nicely with enough room for Mrs A to get in and out of the garage to load her car up with boxes. If she didn't have to do that, we would have bought an 8m + van. :thumb:
Allan.
 

Armytwowheels

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Mousy, it looks like you have a giant white bra hanging from your bedroom window in one of those pics. :Eeek:

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Mousy

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Ok, once again thanks for all the help, all the big trees I had taken down this year, so no overhangs. Yes once through the gate it will fit up by the garage.

Can't have it in front of the house, we look onto the gower and the sea, I'm going along with mr mouses dream but blocking my view, it's not happening!

I guess Wednesday is the big day... I wonder if the dealer service is so good that he will come and remove it for us each weekend?:ROFLMAO:

And as for tofo, I'm still giggling about your hole, respect my friend!
 

superk

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We've always had to store ours and it can be a pain - when you set off for the big tour you've got to get everything to the van in the car. Then you're stuck with the car unless you leave it at the site.
A little job on the van becomes a trip in itself and then you've probably forgotten that thingybob that just does the trick:Doh:.
Most sites won't have any form of hook up so you'll need soe means of keeping the battery topped up if left for a while.
Nice day, think you'll give the van a quick wash and polish -maybe even the roof - got to take all your cleaning materials maybe even a ladder.
What about times of access - do they fit in with your late return - we even stayed over an extra day because the site wouldn't have been open if we'd come back.
Is it a farm or in the country - watch out for pesky mice.:whatthe: (You can always use 'Bounce' laundry sheets as a deterrent.

Then again your house never looks as good with a big white van outside :roflmto:

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Wildman

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That looks accessible to me without alteration from the direction of the curved wall anyway. As to oil filled radiators following a few fires a couple of years ago they are deemed unsafe to leave unattended and would certainly invalidate your insurance in the event of a fire. But as always my opinion and others may contradict it. using storage increases the risk of mouse damage as the van does not get checked as often and even worse if not on hard standing. If that gate is never closed then remove it and the right hand pillar, change capping stones for non overhang will give you a few extra inches as well. As the dealer is willing to bring it over go for it and see exactly what the problem is. Turning circle depends on wheelbase rather than overall length of the van don't forget that.
 
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Mousy

Mousy

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What is all this cleaning and doing jobs to the MH of which you all speak?

I thought I'd throw in some food and gin and head for the beach?

Naive moi?!
 

daisy mae

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Luckily we have a wide drive, as we have a large caravan and my Husbands large car, I have to park my MH between his car and a stone wall, as the front of the wall jutted out more than the rear, I took it down to make a straight wall giving me more leeway to get it straight in, so I don`t hit the car, :ROFLMAO:no problem, wouldn`t consider storage, went down that route when we first had a caravan, it was a right pain , the one next to ours, a brand new one only in storage for two days, got taken, and that had to go over two fields,someone was obviously looking at what was going in there, it was a secure site as well, well away from a road, on farm land in a barn so under cover, if anyone wants it they will take it, altered our front and lost most of the garden and had it paved, that was a mistake though, the paving that is, wish we had had it tarmac, good luck well worth having drive to take the MH a lot of pps don`t have any choice.

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