Versatile Park Model Homes for Vacation Living

Understanding Park Model Homes

Enjoying your vacation is made so much easier when you own an RV or a camper, but it's made even easier when you own a park model. You may have heard of park models and may have even seen them in your neighborhood in an RV lot or a campsite. Park model home designs shouldn't be confused with modular home designs though as park models are intended more for recreational use and not for use as permanent residences. Modular homes can be lived in full-time because they pass the requirements for the HUD, which is the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development. The HUD requires that people have a home that is more than 500 square feet for use as a permanent residence, while park model home designs are usually only about 400 square feet. In Canada, however, there are some park model home designs that are 500 square feet or more, but similar rules still apply for most urban locations. The two types of home designs do look quite similar, but they are each made for different purposes.

Affordability and Space Considerations

The modular home designs can be parked in a modular home community while the park model homes are parked in RV lots. Many people purchase a park model home design to use as a summer vacation house since purchasing a wood cabin can get pretty expensive. Some prefab park models are priced at $20,000 to start which is very affordable. Park models are built onto what is known as a single trailer chassis and are usually between 8 to 13 feet wide, and loft and deck space are allowed to be added to the park model home designs and doesn't add to the square footage of the home. Both modular and park model home designs are built by way of prefab construction indoors which avoids a lot of the problems that often come with building a conventional stick frame home design outdoors in the elements. Both styles of homes are built with the use of vinyl lap siding, with sheathing under the siding, and with fiberglass exterior wall insulation. They also have a fiberglass shingled roof, roof sheathing, ceiling insulation, truss rafter system, and ventilation.

Customization and Community

You can choose the colors of the finishes such as the vinyl siding and trim, interior kitchen cabinets, walls, floors and more. People who purchase a park model home design will usually find a location that they enjoy traveling to and find a park model community to park model their home in. This way they don't have to pay for high campground fees, and only pay a lease. Campgrounds often cost up to $40 per night depending on where you travel, along with having to prebook which isn't always possible if you don't know your schedule far in advance, plus the gas it takes to drive around so traveling by RV or camper can cost a lot more. Plus, it's nice to go back to a familiar place every summer and to enjoy the community around you.

Finding Your Perfect Park Model

There are several park model companies who build prefab models and deliver them right to your building lot. There are also plenty of preexisting park model home designs that are available for sale through Park Model Homes. You'll want to keep looking in the area to own one as another option instead of buying brand new.