Statics on the move
Caravans now offer walk-in wardrobes and even hot tubs, says Jane Slade
THe old-fashioned static caravan could be on borrowed time. Supersized lodges resembling traditional homes, with pitched roofs, walk-in wardrobes, kitchen islands and wine fridges, are part of the new-look stock at top holiday parks.
‘Long gone are the days of old-fashioned, unattractive caravans; today, our customers want bigger and better,’ says Kirsten Bolton, marketing director of upmarket park-home manufacturers Willerby. ‘They crave high-spec features so we now offer the option of a Magnet kitchen, Hotpoint appliances, even a snug for the children to disappear to for a few hours.’
A Willerby Park Home, which can measure 50ft by 20ft, costs from £110,000, rising to £500,000 for a top-of-the-range model in a prime location.
Suzie, 58, and Mark Nixon, 55, have had a pitch at Ladram Bay Holiday park in Budleigh Salterton, Devon, for 27 years. The couple, from Shepton Mallet, started out in a seasonal touring caravan and ten years ago upgraded to a double-size lodge with a sea view.
Their home has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, big enough for when their children Matthew, 30, and Jenna, 28, visit, as well as Suzie’s father, Ray, who is in his 80s. The couple, who keep a boat nearby, bought their lodge for £80,000 ( ladrambay.co.uk).
‘We have all the mod cons — TV and internet — and two sheds to store our gardening and boating gear,’ says Suzie.
‘ We also have an open- plan sitting, dining and kitchen area and huge windows.’
Holiday Park group Hoburne has launched a new development of Pathfinder Hideaway lodges in Cornwall in response to demand.
‘In the past ten years, we’ve seen more demand for higher quality holiday homes,’ says managing director Rod Tucker. ‘So we’ve introduced bigger, more luxurious holiday homes across all our eight sites. We’ve also seen a huge demand for private hot tubs.’
Recent research by the Mintel Group found that 43 per cent of those surveyed would be prepared to pay more for extras such as a hot tub or underfloor heating.
But as with a traditional home you pay for location when you buy a park home. The lodges at Hoburne Naish, which sits on a clifftop in Hampshire with panoramic views towards the Isle of Wight, cost from £179,995 to £499,995.
The super lodges have bi-fold doors, vaulted ceilings, wine fridges, as well as Bose SoundTouch multi-room speakers, LG TVs and a Celestron telescope with smartphone adapter.
ONE of the big attractions of holiday park homes is that they are exempt from stamp duty and conveyancing costs. But you do have to pay annual pitch fees, and the park can charge up to 15 per cent commission on the final sale value of your home.
You cannot live on a holiday park all year, but some parks will let you rent out your home.
Park Holidays UK has just sold a high-tech beach-front lodge at Sandhills Holiday Park in Dorset for £420,000. The split-level 40ft by 20ft lodge has a large elevated lounge, two bedrooms, and decking surrounded by glass panels.
The park has also released a second holiday home on its front row with a roof-top garden — for £399,950 ( parkholidays.com).