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Land/Barn Insurance-New Barn Roof
I need some pointers on an issue not directly bus related but one I would not be trying to solve if I did not own a bus. Maybe some of you can help me.
We travel pretty much the whole year and have for 12 years. When we are home we park at a church. There is a piece of property next to the church that we have had our eyes on for a few years. It is a shade less than two acres and has a 64×30 pole barn with metal siding and a concrete floor. It was built in the 80s and the owner used it as a shop for his excavating business. It is not zoned business but he owned the house next door at the time. The door is a slider but is 14′ tall. The rafters are even taller so it should be able to take an overhead door easily. It has a man door and a second shorter sliding door on the side.
I took this picture in August with the barn in the background.
I had let the owner know we were interested and several weeks ago she called me with a price. We are within 6-10 days of closing according to the title company. I was not going to say anything here until the deal was done but I have hit a snag. It is time to secure the insurance and the two local agents will not even talk to me since it does not have a house on it. I am planning to buy it in my ministry name but they say it makes no difference whether personal or business, they will not consider it. I do have calls and emails into a few more agents.
I told one of the agents that I needed them to research this and tell me what I need but I am afraid the agents are now mostly computer operators. If it is not on the screen in front of them then it does not exist in the world. I need an old school agent.
I know that often getting the correct answer is in knowing what to ask for. Any ideas? Have any of you been in this situation? What can be done?
Davy
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25 Replies
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Davy, you will likely need a commercial or farm policy. If you cannot procure insurance through reasonable efforts, you may be able to resort to the Ohio Fair Plan. http://www.ohiofairplan.com I don’t know any specifics about Ohio, but many states have a mandatory pooled risk insurer of last resort sort plan like this that all insurers must participate in. Typically they issue very bare-bones policies at rates that might be higher than if you were able to get insurance directly, but at least it is something. I’m vaguely familiar with the Fair Plan in California. From what I’ve seen, a Fair Plan policy does statisfy lenders. Good luck. That looks like a sweet property.
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We had the same issue when we bought our property. The Allstate agent was all confused by the fact that we were not living there. Ended up with a farm policy for 1/3rd of the price and covers tractors and imiplements. Any rural insurance agent will be able help you.
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Thank you for the tips. I have found a local agent that has been in the business long enough that he can look beyand what his computer says. He handles several lines and he is confident he can get it done without breaking the bank. I will pass the farm tip to him.
Thanks again,
Davy
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I was going to start a new thread but this error comes up on a blank page every time I do.
Uh-oh, something went wrong! Error Code: 500
I am using a windows 7 based laptop and the error comes up in Chrome and Explorer even when I log out and back in and make sure everything is correct.
Any way, we finally closed on the property today. The insurance ended up being a circus but we finally got it done. The pole barn was built in 1982 and it is 64×30 with a concrete floor and a 14′ door. It looks like it was made for my bus.
We will not be home much over the next year but we are a little excited about it. We will get to be there a few days over Christmas. I have posted a few pictures below. You can see more pictures and read the whole convoluted story if it interests you HERE.
DavyThis is taken from near the road.
Side view
Front with the door open and my Dad standing there.
Google map view. The church where I have parked when I am home is on the left and you can see the bus and the tent trailer in the picture. This was taken over the summer. The property I am buying is the grassy area to the right of the parking lot and the barn is in the lower right hand corner.
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We’ll find out what that error code is.
Nice property, you can’t go wrong and the barn is a perfect size.
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Congratulations!
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Thank you. It will be nice to park inside for Christmas! I have parked in all the snow and cold I want for a few years.
The ghost of winters past still haunts me.
Davy
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Congratulations Davy, You have a beautiful place. Have a great holiday .
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Davy it looks wonderful… Enjoy !!
I hope your daughter is still doing well and you and your family have a wonderful Christmas!!
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Hi Davy;
Do you do anything special to prevent water lines from freezing? We survived -10F last month, but not by much. We have Grand-kids in the frozen north that we need to see before warmer weather.
Thanks!
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Looks like a sweet spot Davy good luck with no snow
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Thanks all. It is not perfect but it is perfect for us.
Do you do anything special to prevent water lines from freezing? We survived -10F last month, but not by much. We have Grand-kids in the frozen north that we need to see before warmer weather.
=10F is bad. Most of the times we have been in weather that cold and colder we have also had LOTS of snow like in the pictures above. With snow piled up very deep all the way around we actually had absolutley NO trouble with anything freezing.
If it is single digits or below with no snow and wind against my passenger side there is nothing I can do to keep my water on that side from freezing. Vantare run the water lines for two sinks and the shower in the outside wall when it could have easily been ran though the floor. Thankfully they have never busted.
The only hope I have in that situation is to run the Aquahot on diesel and keep the thermostats turned up 24/7. As I have mentioned in other threads, that is not an option for me right now. I spent last December in Ohio and Oklahoma and most of January and February in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. That winter nearly did me in!
I can not wait to be parked out of the wind while I am home. The barn is only partially insulated and is not heated yet but it is bound to be better than parking in the wind.
If all goes as planned, I should pull in the barn for the first time next Thursday.
Davy
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Wind is a killer. Whether it is from driving or strong winds on a parked coach bitter cold combined with winds takes a lot of heat in the coach and bay(s) to keep stuff warm enough to prevent freezing. Unlike in a conventional house we cannot leave water running to prevent freezing unless the objective is to deplete the water.
If I had to use my coach in very cold temps and I knew it had a potential issue as Davy describes I would quickly make some modifications to eliminate the issues. I am guessing each converter has their own way of doing things so there is likely going to be different solutions if there are issues. On all of my coaches the water and drain pipes run through a chase that contains a wire bundle, water and drain lines. If needed I would add vents or openings at each end and add a very small fan at one of the ends to blow or suck warmer air from the house through the area where the pipes are run. I am sure there are ways to make the vent and fan inconspicuous.
The real solution is to head south. I realize that is easier said than done because for a number of years I used the bus to go to trade shows along the Great Lakes and Northeast where there are no campgrounds even open so parking was often in a big open parking lot where winds and snow would make it a challenge.
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Still can not start a new thread. Still receiving same error as I mentioned above.
Our Bus has landed in its new home. I pulled in the drive Thursday morning. Please excuse the dirty bus. I drove several hundred miles in rain and even some sleet and winter slop Wednesday.
I have plenty of room to turn around.
My wife backed in the barn as I guided her in. The door is a full 14′ tall. It also has an 11′ 8″ tall by nearly 15′ wide sliding door on the side at the back of the barn. One of the first things I price will be overhead doors. I know nothing about overhead doors so any suggestions are helpful.
Here is is!
Looking closely it is easy to see it is a 32 year old pole barn but it was built pretty well in the beginning. It was built without a concrete floor and the floor was poured at different times by different tenants. Some of it is not the best and will probably be replaced eventually but where the bus sets is very good. The electric is in pretty good order.I am tackling little projects in the few days that I am home. Once we leave December 26th we only plan to be home one week in May, one week in August and then back in December, so not much time for improvements.
The outside temperatures were in the lower 20’s the first two nights but the bus and water bays were easy to heat with no wind at all. It is nice to be inside!
Davy
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I’m really happy for you. there is no substitute for the protection your new barn will provide.
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