15 Affordable Ways to Improve your Camp or Vacation Property in Western Pennsylvania

In this week’s post we will concentrate on the properties that are older or less developed. Many camps in Western Pennsylvania still have no indoor plumbing and outhouses. Other property may not have electricity or even an existing structure to work with! Some people inherit a property from their parents or other relatives that was truly an old-fashioned camp, or a property that was once polished but has fallen into disrepair.

Over the last few years we have worked with this type of property when the owner does not prefer to build a completely new house just yet. Many young families are choosing to improve their property with a few smaller project per year instead.

Here is an example:

1. PHASE ONE

   • All necessary consultations, approvals and permits are obtained. Under most circumstances, the most you will need to obtain is a driveway permit from PennDOT or the township. Then your access road can be built, giving you the ability to access your property.

   • BUILD THE ACCESS ROAD FIRST. Sometimes this can simply look like a parking area along the road. Sometimes clients put a prefabricated shed adjacent to this area.

   • Meet with building contractors and determine where you want to build.

   • Driveway is built without gravel. The access road is not necessarily the same as the driveway. (Helpful hint: decide WHERE you want to build your house, and THEN build your driveway to access it!)

   • Utility hookups are installed with relevant piping if needed. (We can help consult on this to make sure the utilities do not conflict with the driveway plan! This should be decided in the initial consultation, but does not have to be done the first year.) See our articles on perc tests and septic systems to learn more.

2. PHASE TWO

   • Property is graded and seeded for drainage, yard, etc.

   • Prefabricated sheds can be installed with rocked or concrete foundation.

   • This is the primary land clearing phase for your building site. We can pull stumps and other obstacles on your property as desired.

3. PHASE THREE

   • Parking area is expanded.

   • Garage or shop is built.

4. PHASE FOUR

   • Foundation is built with one of three types installed:

     • Poured Concrete

     • Concrete Block

     • Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF)

   • House exterior is built. (We are not a house building contractor but can recommend reliable local contractors for you!)

5. PHASE FIVE

   • House interior finished. PLEASE NOTE: Permits to build a camp are in most cases much easier to get than permits to build a house. Streamlining the process for building permits, we are not a building contractor but we can recommend qualified building contractors.

   • Patio or driveway is poured.

   • Pond is built.

   • Retaining walls are built.

   • ATV or walking trails built, rocked in.

The best part of this is that you can mix and match these projects in the way that works best for your property and budget! In this way, a family can affordably improve their property over several years while being able to park and camp on it from the get-go.

Check out our portfolio below and give us a call today to consult at 814-221-7424. You can also request a quote online here.