When looking for lodges for sale off site, you may encounter terms like ‘mobile lodges, ‘static lodges,’ or even ‘residential lodges. What’s the difference or, are they the same thing?
Static Lodges For Sale Off Site
A lodge is a single or twin unit holiday home, made in a similar way to static caravans, and usually made by companies that also manufacture static caravan models under the same brand name. Static caravans came first and became popular for use on caravan parks / caravan sites in the 1970s. Lodges became popular later around the 1980s and 1990s when holiday parks began to segment their holiday and ownership options. The link with static caravan manufacturers and the fact that lodges are often sold by static caravan dealers are the main reasons for the term ‘static lodges’ being used in searches. Inside the industry they are simply known as lodges or twin units / twin lodges.
Mobile Lodges
The term ‘mobile home’ is often used interchangeably in Google searches for static caravans even though the only mobile aspects of a static caravan are that they:
Have centrally located, small wheels so that they can more easily be manoeuvred onto their pitch once delivered.
Are delivered as whole units (or two halves) on the back of a lorry to the customer before being moved onto the pitch and sited (joined back together for twin units).
In terms of planning, they are a movable structure (built for human habitation) rather than a permanent structure.
Mobile homes is more typically a term to describe larger types of camper vans I.e., a vehicle, drivable on the roads with a built-in living area on the back.
Residential Lodges
Lodges are usually sold from new to holiday parks where they are purchased by residents or rented out for short periods as holiday homes / holiday accommodation.
Lodges have all the comforts and fittings you would expect to find in a modern home. This means that it is possible to live in them (planning allowing).
Residential lodges is also a term that is sometimes used to describe ‘park homes’ i.e., buying a park home to live in, on a residential site. These park homes aren’t always same as residential lodges in their design and manufacture
Some searchers online also ask whether lodges are ‘residential spec.’ This is basically a question about whether they can be lived-in like as bricks and mortar all year round. A residential spec lodge or park home is built to comply with a standard e.g., Residential Specification BS3632:2015 to allow for all-year-round living. In addition to double glazing and central heating, this standard requires the right amount of extra insulation in the walls, floor, and ceiling to make them more energy efficient so they’re warmer in Winter, cooler in Summer – better thermal performance. Conforming to standards like BS3632 also means better acoustic insulation, higher heating performance, better air quality, and more energy efficient lighting and appliances.
People often search for lodges / twin units using different terms and, hopefully, this article has given some clarification of the possible reasons, differences, and crossovers.