Habitation door etiquette?

J

john prince

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Burstner Nexxo T620G
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Actually start, 01/03/22
Hi ya, Newbie John here. Stupid Question time, booking up to go to a Site near Salisbury for my very first outing in the recently brought Motorhome. My habitation door is on the Offside, should I park up with this door opposite my neighbouring camper's door?

Also, how difficult is it to 'level-up' a Motorhome on a slight slope on your own ?
 
john prince said:
Hi ya, Newbie John here. Stupid Question time, booking up to go to a Site near Salisbury for my very first outing in the recently brought Motorhome. My habitation door is on the Offside, should I park up with this door opposite my neighbouring camper's door?

Also, how difficult is it to 'level-up' a Motorhome on a slight slope on your own ?
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As long as you dont mind seeing my step out with the dogs in the morning in the boxers your ok.

As for levelling. I have a small circular spirit level I place on the table and then put the ramps down to adjust.
 
Levelling is easy on your own, but easier still with help, just don't drive over the top.
Normal practice is to park with you hab door facing away from your neighbours hab door. Some people are fanatical about it but most more easy going. If your on a CMC site the warden will give you his commands.
 
It’s considered polite to park up with your door opening onto the blank side of your neighbours MH or Caravan. It just gives a bit of privacy.
Have a gander at your neighbours when you arrive and park accordingly.
As for levelling, it depends on your skill and nerve, I find it easier on my own but have been doing it for several years.

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john prince said:
Hi ya, Newbie John here. Stupid Question time, booking up to go to a Site near Salisbury for my very first outing in the recently bought Motorhome. My habitation door is on the Offside, should I park up with this door opposite my neighbouring camper's door?

Also, how difficult is it to 'level-up' a Motorhome on a slight slope on your own ?
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(y)
 
We park up with the bedroom area away from the road, this will cause our door to face our neighbours. there's no rules on most campsites so please yourself I say.

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Figaro said:
Levelling is easy on your own, but easier still with help, just don't drive over the top.
Normal practice is to park with you hab door facing away from your neighbours hab door. Some people are fanatical about it but most more easy going. If your on a CMC site the warden will give you his commands.
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.. MAY.. give you his commands.

Our experience is that the warden gives you the site map which has the instructions on the back for how to park your motorhome on your pitch in relation to the white peg. Then it's entirely up to you whether to drive in or reverse in. With a rear lounge, the best view is the main decider for us, then it's down to chance where the door ends up.
 
If you park next to me, you can do whatever you like with your door !

I expect you will want the afternoon or evening sun on the side of the van where you have an awning, so park it to suit yourself.
I'm amazed at people using mass market, everyday campsites, worrying about which way the doors faces ...?
 
Depends on the set up when you arrive.

I parked nose out as our Hab door is on the offside as there was a van on the nearside with his had door facing towards our pitch. Another van with an offside Hab door arrived the other side and they parked nose out as well so they didn’t open onto us.

3 days and no issues until the van parked on our offside left. The new pitch residents wanted to park their van nose out but their Hab door was nearside, so was facing us. Didn’t bother me, but he came over and told me I was parked the wrong way……I decided to be polite but say I was fine as I was thanks. 🤷‍♂️

Be guided by the wardens etc, but just go with what you find when you turn up. (y)
 
Hmm we wouldn't like it if someone parked next to us with their door facing ours.
We wouldn't say anything, we would just find it very uncomfortable, People sometimes do simular when we're out camping in the tents they pitch theirs next to ours and face their door towards ours haha. Again, never say anything but it does make us feel uncomfortable.
 
Ernesto said:
If you park next to me, you can do whatever you like with your door !

I expect you will want the afternoon or evening sun on the side of the van where you have an awning, so park it to suit yourself.
I'm amazed at people using mass market, everyday campsites, worrying about which way the doors faces ...?
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I park facing away from people already there for their privacy, but once I’m parked I’m not moving for whoever comes after me…….. (y)

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It may also depend on how long your motorhome is, on some pitches i have to reverse in as i have a bit of an overhang at the rear so wouldn't fit on going in forwards, which means the doors on the side it has to be on.
 
We have the same hab door opening concern, when we are on a site with hard standing in the UK we usually drive onto the pitch keeping the grass area by our hab door. And has already suggested we keep a small spirit level in the cutlery draw and level up on the worktop using ramps, usually most site pitches are level enough so we don't bother with the ramps.
 
As you have probably gathered, there’s lots of opinions out there. The big problem is finding all this out on arrival at your pitch, there are no indicators, folks don’t put up signs, you are expected to work all this out for yourself.
Enjoy your trip
 
ChrisL said:
You may want to consider parking up with your hab door facing southish so you get the sun on that side if you intend to sit outside.
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exactly this.. its pretty much the only consideration I make when I turn up on site!
Hab door facing South, and second, if possible not next to another occupied pitch.

I cant help that my door is on the offside, Im certainly not sitting in the shade.
Personally, I quite like talking to my neighbour rather than do my best to pretend they dont exist.
 
Some club site wardens, will tell you not to have your habitation door facing your neighbour if your door is on the off side. It happened to me, but I still wouldn’t call them jobs worths. It is just their decision to make it comfortable for others and ensuring their privacy when relaxing outside. I get that.
Some people are not bothered but some are.
 
Strikes me the OP is asking about using ramps on their own. Since we travel together and I’m usually the one outside with the hand signals I’m sympathising - hoping I’m useful!
it might take a few goes but you’ll soon get the hang of it! Someone on here gave a tip about using mirrors somehow, I seem to remember, to make ramps easier…
 
put a bottle of water on the cupboard and when it looks level your there . I have wheel levellers used them twice once because the warden expected me to , the second because I'd stranded the van intending to move it got chatting and could not be bothered so tried them again
 
Afraid we're like OldHaggis, don't like habitation doors facing each other, I tend not to say anything but management might offer her opinion to the site wardens.
 
We were spoken to by the owner of a site in Somerset last week as we had parked 'the wrong way' around. He was very polite and said he would speak to the new arrivals he was expecting to see if they had a problem or he would move them.

As it happens they too had a continental van so all was good.

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ChrisL said:
You may want to consider parking up with your hab door facing southish so you get the sun on that side if you intend to sit outside.
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I travel solo and the way I face is always my priority. I keep a compass in the dashboard cubby hole as well as a circular spirit level. For levelling when I first got the m/h I found a spot for the spirit level beside my seat which is as level as the worktops/bed.
Be aware that if you drive over the top of levelling ramps they are most likely to flip up and jam under the wheel arch or body.
 
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When I run a fun rally I try to give everybody a bit of privacy so park doors away from each other, If somebody wants to face their neighbours then I think it is polite to clear it with them first, I have done this in the past as having a 20 foot brick wall 3 foot from the windscreen is not a good view;)

Although I do try to have everybody's hab side facing the sun.
 

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