Australian made Black Rider RVs - check it out on You Tube answers all but one question for CW. That question is - insulation. The American presenter kept mentioning why don't American RV manufacturers implement these features - the inertia syndrome - we've always done it this way.
CW did you take a look at this? built for serious use and mileage. I can tell you that for a single person or a young couple this is a way better option that paying a lot more money for a one bedroom crappy flat anywhere in rip-off Britain and that's before you add on council tax, rip-off maintenance charges or connection charges for water,gas or electricity.
I wonder how much more this would cost imported into the UK or EU.
I wonder how much more this would cost imported into the UK or EU.
If you mean Black Series RV's then yes I am familiar with them. They look to be a middle of the road unit built for bumpy roads. I would still not consider using them as a permanent residence anymore than I would put wheels on a mobile home and call it a travel trailer.
I don't ride my mountain bike on pavement and I don't take my road bike on the trails.
I don't ride my mountain bike on pavement and I don't take my road bike on the trails.
CW read my post - your not single or a young person but it is does meet your rational opinion about suitability for constant road use.
Where I used to live on the South coast of England £70K would buy you a single garage. The UK is not the only country that has insane property prices but one I know a lot about. In London you will pay rent of around £15K for a crappy 1 bedroom flat in a crappy part of London then there's the local 'council tax' and standard charges for gas,water, electricity, say £20 per year. In 3.5 years it's paid for itself.
A road bike and an off road bike why - check out Geoff Apps - Cleland Aventurer. At Europe's first mountain bike competition at Small Dole In Sussex, England his Clelands all finished the course (it was in fact a motocross course, bone dry chalk, worse than ice), not one crappy mountain bike finished, they all went **** over tip. I was there and everyone was gobsmacked at his brilliant design, not least the Japanese Shimano guy. Had he promoted it properly, it and his other iterations would have sold in millions - you have to be an innovator and a business man or employ someone who knows how to promote a product. Sinclair and the PC comes to mind.
Geoff Apps an ACU expert trials rider who badly smashed one of his knees, the medics told him that if he wanted to have mobility in later life he should take up cycling. So he set about designing a bike that would allow him to continue his passion of trials riding sans a motor.
Where I used to live on the South coast of England £70K would buy you a single garage. The UK is not the only country that has insane property prices but one I know a lot about. In London you will pay rent of around £15K for a crappy 1 bedroom flat in a crappy part of London then there's the local 'council tax' and standard charges for gas,water, electricity, say £20 per year. In 3.5 years it's paid for itself.
A road bike and an off road bike why - check out Geoff Apps - Cleland Aventurer. At Europe's first mountain bike competition at Small Dole In Sussex, England his Clelands all finished the course (it was in fact a motocross course, bone dry chalk, worse than ice), not one crappy mountain bike finished, they all went **** over tip. I was there and everyone was gobsmacked at his brilliant design, not least the Japanese Shimano guy. Had he promoted it properly, it and his other iterations would have sold in millions - you have to be an innovator and a business man or employ someone who knows how to promote a product. Sinclair and the PC comes to mind.
Geoff Apps an ACU expert trials rider who badly smashed one of his knees, the medics told him that if he wanted to have mobility in later life he should take up cycling. So he set about designing a bike that would allow him to continue his passion of trials riding sans a motor.
Wel, i live just north of France in the Picard region (north of Ath) of the Hainaut province of Belgium, and here i see a lot of people who buuld new houses with a combination of wood, loam and straw. That combo when used right is very insulating without poisonating the inhabitants. It's also relative cheap. The wood is the structure, and the loam and straw are mixefd to a material that fill the walls and incapsulate the wood structure. You need to put an outer layer (often just ordinairy bricks or wood plating) to protect the loam/straw wall from water, but this is a technique that should be very solid, durable and doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
But most here in my village and the region arround live in old farm buildings, that are a few hundred years old and kept being renovated and upgraded. The walls are thick and made of baked clay briks, the roof is based on oak beams and ceramic tiles (but also heavy insulated) and those houses are very comfortable to live in. I live in an 450 years old farm like that. And even a lot of new buildings are build by this old receipe as it just works in this climate (cold windy and rainy in winter, hot and dry in summer). The only disadvantage is that those houses have small windows and small spaces (but a lot of them) and nothing is straight.
Up north in Flanders (the dutch speaking part of Belgium) they build also those cheap brick/plaster kind of boxes next to fake farm houses build more or less the same, and i hate those. And more and more crappy appartmentbuildings also within the same styles (who are even worse). And construction rules are so hard that it's hard to deviate from those. France is on that level way easier i have to say, and so is Wallonia (the southern french speaking part of Belgium) where i live. But in Europe everything is way more regulated than in the US, which has it's advantages and disadvantages.
But most here in my village and the region arround live in old farm buildings, that are a few hundred years old and kept being renovated and upgraded. The walls are thick and made of baked clay briks, the roof is based on oak beams and ceramic tiles (but also heavy insulated) and those houses are very comfortable to live in. I live in an 450 years old farm like that. And even a lot of new buildings are build by this old receipe as it just works in this climate (cold windy and rainy in winter, hot and dry in summer). The only disadvantage is that those houses have small windows and small spaces (but a lot of them) and nothing is straight.
Up north in Flanders (the dutch speaking part of Belgium) they build also those cheap brick/plaster kind of boxes next to fake farm houses build more or less the same, and i hate those. And more and more crappy appartmentbuildings also within the same styles (who are even worse). And construction rules are so hard that it's hard to deviate from those. France is on that level way easier i have to say, and so is Wallonia (the southern french speaking part of Belgium) where i live. But in Europe everything is way more regulated than in the US, which has it's advantages and disadvantages.
Re.my last post that should have read £2000 not £20. I also forgot to mention the rip-off maintenance charges as well.
waxx - what do you think will happen if they catch fire. All these materials are a huge fire risk, if they catch fire, make sure you get out in time.
In the USA except for the houses of the ultra rich, the houses are in reality very flimsy, using far to much timber (which is relatively cheap) and burn very quickly - look what happened in California and in Australia.
I worked in construction in the Netherlands at the end of the 70's and that was where I first encountered aercrete blocks - 1/3rd the weight of dense concrete blocks (which should be banned for constructing homes of any kind) they are fireproof/insect proof - woodworm and termites, thermally very efficient and acoustically excellent.
Here in France and Spain they use 75mm hollow clay bricks/blocks for internal walls which give zero privacy. In the UK they use timber stud and plaster board for internal walls they are also crap/merde/stront.
Those old houses you speak of have very thick walls - the thickness of a wall has no relevance to it's thermal properties, sadly so many think it has. Yes oak framed houses last (a long time ago most of Europe was one huge oak forest, which man stupidly cut down and din't replant) - when oak becomes old it almost becomes stone that woodworm/termiets cannot touch) but aercrete blocks which are environmentally are very good are way better and will last as long.
Take a look at Xella - they have sites in many languages - it is the only material I would ever use to build a home. Properly built an aercrete block built home will have an internal temperature of 19C, will require little heating or cooling year round and a music room without plastering the walls (irrelevent) will be a revelation to anyone who listens seriously to music.
waxx - what do you think will happen if they catch fire. All these materials are a huge fire risk, if they catch fire, make sure you get out in time.
In the USA except for the houses of the ultra rich, the houses are in reality very flimsy, using far to much timber (which is relatively cheap) and burn very quickly - look what happened in California and in Australia.
I worked in construction in the Netherlands at the end of the 70's and that was where I first encountered aercrete blocks - 1/3rd the weight of dense concrete blocks (which should be banned for constructing homes of any kind) they are fireproof/insect proof - woodworm and termites, thermally very efficient and acoustically excellent.
Here in France and Spain they use 75mm hollow clay bricks/blocks for internal walls which give zero privacy. In the UK they use timber stud and plaster board for internal walls they are also crap/merde/stront.
Those old houses you speak of have very thick walls - the thickness of a wall has no relevance to it's thermal properties, sadly so many think it has. Yes oak framed houses last (a long time ago most of Europe was one huge oak forest, which man stupidly cut down and din't replant) - when oak becomes old it almost becomes stone that woodworm/termiets cannot touch) but aercrete blocks which are environmentally are very good are way better and will last as long.
Take a look at Xella - they have sites in many languages - it is the only material I would ever use to build a home. Properly built an aercrete block built home will have an internal temperature of 19C, will require little heating or cooling year round and a music room without plastering the walls (irrelevent) will be a revelation to anyone who listens seriously to music.
That aercrete blocks have been pushed aside a little in favor of prefab walls with fake bricks. Too bad as they are quite good. Mostly known here as Ytong blocks. Costs for laying bricks were already 1 Euro per brick a few years ago...
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Advice is only good if you want to hear it.
The only way to truly learn is to experience.
Experience means little if it isn't yours.
I get it.
I did try though.
After 30 years as a roofing and building envelope consultant, in one year's time, I will be enjoying my travel trailer in 1-2 week increments as it was intended.
BS, I wish you the best of luck in your adventure(s). I hope it all turns out well for you.
The only way to truly learn is to experience.
Experience means little if it isn't yours.
I get it.
I did try though.
After 30 years as a roofing and building envelope consultant, in one year's time, I will be enjoying my travel trailer in 1-2 week increments as it was intended.
BS, I wish you the best of luck in your adventure(s). I hope it all turns out well for you.
jean-paul - they are very good indeed. Using the 'thin joint' method they have excellent insulation values. Xella use various names in different countries.
Until a few years ago they were sold by Brico Depot and were 1/3rd the price quoted by Leroy Merlin and Gedimat the two big companies in France. The 15cm wide ones were sold @ €1.10-20 depending on which branch you bought them at.Really accurate as they are made by the auto-cleaved process +/- 3mm. They are really easy to work with. Up until a few years ago I could build a single story house of around 150 sq.m in two weeks with a little help, they are that quick to work with. As labour is mostly the most expensive element in house building, they don't work out that expensive. You have to handle them carefully but they are really easy to cut unlike dense concrete blocks and with re-inforcing at the corners with using special hollow blocks with concrete and steel infill they are earthquake proof.
No question that a room built using them will be an excellent basis for playing music. Absolutely no need to use a hard plaster finish just fill any small defects with appropriate material and size the walls then use 1200/1400 grade lining paper, cross line - that is paper horizontally and then vertically and you have a room with zero reflections.
Something that has fallen out of favour but again for good acoustics use plaster coving this does away with right angles and looks far more attractive.
The beauty of these blocks is that on the bench you can cut out (carefully) for the electrical boxes,light switches, power points, paint with a 5-1 Unibond wash and drill one block in the centre (half bond) to take wiring and (chase) the other on the perp (perpendicular) end, so your creating your electrical wiring needs at the same time - try that with dense concrete blocks - I wish you lots of luck.
Until a few years ago they were sold by Brico Depot and were 1/3rd the price quoted by Leroy Merlin and Gedimat the two big companies in France. The 15cm wide ones were sold @ €1.10-20 depending on which branch you bought them at.Really accurate as they are made by the auto-cleaved process +/- 3mm. They are really easy to work with. Up until a few years ago I could build a single story house of around 150 sq.m in two weeks with a little help, they are that quick to work with. As labour is mostly the most expensive element in house building, they don't work out that expensive. You have to handle them carefully but they are really easy to cut unlike dense concrete blocks and with re-inforcing at the corners with using special hollow blocks with concrete and steel infill they are earthquake proof.
No question that a room built using them will be an excellent basis for playing music. Absolutely no need to use a hard plaster finish just fill any small defects with appropriate material and size the walls then use 1200/1400 grade lining paper, cross line - that is paper horizontally and then vertically and you have a room with zero reflections.
Something that has fallen out of favour but again for good acoustics use plaster coving this does away with right angles and looks far more attractive.
The beauty of these blocks is that on the bench you can cut out (carefully) for the electrical boxes,light switches, power points, paint with a 5-1 Unibond wash and drill one block in the centre (half bond) to take wiring and (chase) the other on the perp (perpendicular) end, so your creating your electrical wiring needs at the same time - try that with dense concrete blocks - I wish you lots of luck.
Did the first winterizing of the trailer on Tuesday. Nice to get that out of the way. No worries about the temperature now.
A few years back I got to know an English IT man who bought a really badly part renovated stone barn. He blew €40K plus got ripped off by two English cowboys. Tried to persuade him to buy a small top quality caravan to live in. He had bought a brand new transit van but he wouldn't entertain that idea because people would think he was a Gypsy WTF. He was divorced, had no home and at the time no job. A lot of people, predominately young are doing just this. With house prices and rents at insane levels in many countries, it really is a no brainer. If I was young or youngish and single with things the way they are, it's a great freewheeling way to live and save a lot of money as well.