Thanks H............we'll be intouch hun xxx

I'm trying to get prices for that decking atm Jackie, coz it HAS to be the plastic (new regulations), but we'll be having it from the front door at the side, all the way round to the front, and make it pretty big at the front so we can put up table and chairs coz of course, nobody is opposite us which is another good thing! I'm guessing that's gonna be about 3K??? Nobody will give me a price on t'internet but that's coz they want to get there and stitch us up!!! I won't want it 8ft wide at the side surely and the front of the van is 10ft wide, so bearing in mind it has to come up along the side to get to the front it's gonna have to be at least 13ft across the front hasn't it? I'm not particularly interested in a wide bit around the side, but then again, we have the garden to the side, so it can kind of hang over there, but it's the price I'm worried about!!! Yes, we can have a little "shed" most peops have, but it's gotta be the green metal or plastic one, not wood. We can have fencing too, but again, it's got to be the white picket fencing just coz it looks nice I never thought I'd ever be saying that, I'm a 6ft green wooden fence girl at heart!!!! I'm trying hard though, and I've definitely got the earrings!!!!

I got the Delta Santana, but only because I like the bigger lounge, instead of having that kitchen on both sides sticking out into the lounge one side on the bigger vans, and also because it's like brand new and doesn't smell! Lol!

Insurance is another thing, nobody will insure me because their own insurance company has got that site all sewn up with all the other sites, it's such a big company apparently, but on their paperwork, it says £240 a year which is quite good I think, but when I tell them I want to let it out, well, it might be a different story, and then I won't be able to insure it elsewhere....... hmmmmm, have to work on that one!!!!

Oh that's great Lynne, so glad you've talked him into his next holidays (as yer do!!!!)

I will Mish, when I've worked that bit out, but my main priority really is to get it let out for the peak season at top market prices, i.e. I need 6 weeks @ £500 a week to cover the rent, and then it's gonna be a matter of my mates rates (which will be cheap honest!!!) for all the other weeks they want, and that includes you, especially in November, but then November is sometimes nicer than July down South!!!

Thanks tink, I'm hoping to, but most of all, I'm hoping Dave will, because it seems to me the only way I can get to be on holiday and relax with the dogs! I've tried booking a cottage or something away, but he won't leave the dogs in it, whereas this static, they have security at the gate, you have to have a special card to get in, and they've never had any burglaries!

Okey dokey Steph.xxx

i would be guessing you are talking aroud the 3k mark, Iknow we paid nto much less that that yrs ago when we had ours..ours is 8 ft wide down the side of the van, we dotn have any round the front, but thats becuase of the way the van is set out, and potision.

These places usually have regulatiosn stating the size of the varanda.

I think 8 ft being the widest.. either down the side or at the front. all dependign on how you want it.

Thanks for that Jackie, I was guessing on the 3K mark too, and hopefully it won't be any more, otherwise, I will make it smaller! They don't have any restrictions coz the salesman said we can have what we want because of the garden area surrounding the van, but in all honestly, he said, all we really needed was to extend it from the side door and make a nice seating area at the front, and they have this type of example in the brochure he gave me. He's organising that we meet the decking people there when we go to sign up Saturday week, but I'm hoping I can find some other quotes beforehand to take with me and maybe knock him down a tad!!

The insurance is worrying me though, as I'm beginning to wonder if this is the very reason that nobody else on that site lets theirs out?? The insurance company who seems to have the sole rights to all their parks, might hike it up to a ridiculous figure if you let it out?? Don't know yet, but I'll be phoning the salesman tomorrow to ask him first hand!

Tomorrow will be shopping day, I'm off to Dunelms (again!! I only went there last week!!!) but a girl can't do too much shopping I say!

Dave wanted to do the decking himself, but I've talked him out of it, coz of the height at the front, it's too big a job to put bit posts in like that even if they are plastic coated metal or whatever they be, but he's going to do the fencing himself he said when we set it all up next week-end! Poor Dave hey??!!!! I always manage to stitch the poor bloke up when I get these ideas!

I dotn blame you not letting him do it, you want professionals to do it, they know what they are doing and will do a good job.

Have you decided on the decking part, Astra turf or wood/plastic decking, all have pros and cons.. the turf wears over time, but you can hoover it, the plastic decking is fairly new , but the wooden gets slippy so just like at home needs maintenance.

jus ta tip, the astro turf is better for the dogs, more comfy underfoot,and no slits for nails to get caught.

Here you go H, this may be of help to you.

my veranda.. I get the sun all day at the side of my van, so mine is down the side. you can get the gist from these I think.

OMG that looks fantastic, especially those boys zapping the rays there!!! Thanks very much for those Jackie

I would never have thought of the astro turf, but yours looks lovely and it seems easy to maintain. I would never have that normal grooved decking, I haven't got it at home, I went for the plain hardwood here, and in fact, when he took me to view another van which did have it, and the rain had been on it, it was pretty lethal! It'll be plastic here I think, but what's underneath your astro turf there, you have to have something underneath don'tcha?!

We can't have it behind I don't think, coz we've got a steep bank with trees and I assume that van will get shoved up in there, so no point. As for the sun, I'm a shade girl, except for that morning sun, and if my bearings serve me right, I'm guessing the front of the van facing the road and trees the other side would be north(ish) maybe I can check that out on their website, which would mean the side we want the decking to go would be west, so that's afternoon sun, so you could be right, we might want to extend the side more than the front really wouldn't we? Good tip there thanks Jackie, I'll check that one out. Thinking further about this, I could be a real cheapskate here and just have the decking along that side and not bother with the front at all hey??! The garden (our plot) is to that side as well, so it wouldn't matter how much it extended out that side. Hmmmm, I think you've given me a good idea there Jackie

Dave asked how much did that cost you, it looks great he said! My mind is now made up, I think I'm going to just have it along the SIDE, not the front but make it wide, and that way, it'll kind of be part of our living area when we have the door open at the side (maybe there are two doors I've forgotten lol!)

I think Helena, it cost somewhere around the 3k mark, but that was 8yrs ago..friends have just had a new veranda and it cost them around 5

Under the astro turf , is plywood planks.. then the turf gets laid on top, we have just last yr had to have some of the plywood replaced... due to wear.

My tip to you H, would be get the van set up, spend a weekend or two there, and see how the land lies.. you don't want to put up the veranda then realise it woudl be have been better placed another way.

Settle in, see what is best, then put it in.

Yes, I think you're right Jackie, I always get too far ahead of myself, but then I want it all done, and yesterday, that's me all over!!!! I'm surprised I haven't managed to fill it up for the summer yet...... but I will!!!

I'm worried about that insurance now, so I'm going to ask my salesman for the company phone number, so they can give me a quote prior to me signing up, because deep down, I really feel this could possibly be my one and only drawback with this, I knew it was too good to be true! If it IS too much, then it'll just be family and friends but all of Dogsey are friends aren't they!!!!