The New Venture

We're in the process of buying a brand new, 4 berth static caravan on a lake at Hoborne Water Park near Cirencester, in just about the best position on the park. We've been considering buying a static caravan on the park for some time, keeping an eye out for a nice 2nd hand one, but they are sold the minute they become available and invariably to someone already living on the park and plugged into the local network. We were just very lucky to hear about this one new one early on and snapped it up.

The intention is to rent it out as a high-end let for the duration of the ground lease of 15 years. Even allowing for 2 completely fallow years, due to another pandemic or some other disaster, and allowing a conservative 75% occupancy (the park's average, pre-Covid was 85%), we should pay off the van in just over 4 years and make a healthy profit, after costs, of some 200%.

After the 15 years site lease we have to remove it and leave, or replace it with another new unit. Ours could feasibly be transported to our house and sited next to the new pond, or sold for its residual value, which will still be several tens of thousand quid - if I make it past 81 years old, that is, and Hay makes it past 71, but I'm ever the optimist.

It's was put on site last week, but has yet to be levelled out and have the decking fixed into place. We hope to take possession around the 1st of October.

To that purpose, we're in the process of buying all the necessary kit for it and decided yesterday to go to IKEA in Bristol for some kitchenware. However, the shelves were almost bare. Hay managed to get a few items and a crockery set but, when we got to the checkout, the queues were hideous. We abandoned the trolley and left as quick as we could. On-line is the way to now go.

The Wi-Fi on site is awful, so we're going for a 4G router to provide internet for the 2 smart TVs and guests' mobile phones and computers. I found the Three network to be the most cost-effective solution for unlimited data and am now considering a 4G router as a replacement for our wired home broadband, as we never use the phone, despite being charged for it, and it's cheaper than our home broadband.

A bone of contention between Hay and myself is the bedding, which I believe should be plain white or grey, which easily complements the acanthus-patterned curtains, small pillows and short bedspread. Hay, on the other hand, has gone for a totally different patterned set, believing it to be more practical for a rental and easier to launder. I totally disagree and, on the basis of the high rent we're going to be charging, maintain we could afford a new set of bedding every month, if necessary. If you're going for high-end clients, it has to look the bollocks, not like it has my mum's bedspread on it. We shall see who is right once the reviews some it but, the problem is, you can never recover from initial bad reviews you could get. Practicality has to take a back seat to what you would consider the bee's knees and what you'd like to see yourself.

While in IKEA I spotted some bedding with exactly the same acanthus leaf pattern as the curtains, but in reversed colours. 

The above photo is a mash-up of the IKEA bedding (upper half) and the curtain material (lower half). It would have been perfect as a compromise, but Hay had already spent a few hundred quid on what I consider the be totally inappropriate bedding in a small, grey floral pattern.

The wife of an old school friend, who specialises in 1950s and 60s themed fashion art has, agreed to do some artwork to adorn the walls at mates' rates.

Given the decking takes 6 to 8 weeks and that currently there are additional delays due to the scarcity of building materials, we probably won't be fully up and running before November - hopefully in time for the Christmas and New Year market. Until the decking is in place, we'll probably rent it out at mates' rates to friends and family, hoping they can critique the service we'll be offering (and, hopefully, the bedding).

Hay herself wouldn't mind us staying in the van occasionally, but wild horses would not get me staying in a static of my own free will. I much prefer the motorhome and the freedom it gives us to roam around the country and stay in out-of the-way places devoid of holidaymakers. Staying in it ourselves would also impact the earning potential.