Mobile home, static caravan, park home, lodge or chalet — which to choose?
Choose a static caravan for holidays and seasonal use, a park home for permanent year-round living, and a lodge or chalet for a premium finish aimed at glamping and tourism. The types differ in size, insulation, permitted use and price, and the size (single or twin) directly affects the transport cost. Rules on use vary by country and municipality, so confirm with the local authority before buying.
"Mobile home", "static caravan", "park home", "lodge", "chalet", "modular home" — the names overlap and don't always mean the same thing in every country. Choosing wrongly is costly: a leisure unit is not suited to permanent living, and a residential unit can be oversized (and more expensive to transport) for someone who only wants a holiday home.
This guide clarifies what sets each type apart in terms of size, insulation, permitted use and price — so you can choose the right unit for your plot and your goal.
Static caravan
The most common type in British stock and the most popular on holiday parks. It is a leisure unit built on a chassis, typically 10 to 12 metres long in a single version, or up to ~6 metres wide in a twin version (transported in two halves). Insulation and heating are designed mainly for seasonal use, though better-insulated "residential" models do exist.
It offers the best price-to-space ratio for anyone wanting a holiday home or a seasonal second home. Good-condition used British units are the most affordable entry point on the market.
A single is usually 3.0 to 3.7 metres wide, while a twin reaches around 6.1 metres once its two halves are joined on site. The seasonal use these units are designed for typically runs from April to October. A typical static caravan has two or three bedrooms, a bathroom and a living room with an open-plan kitchenette, and more recent models come with gas central heating and double glazing as standard. In terms of floor area, a single offers roughly 30–45 m², against 55–100 m² for a twin.
From a regulatory point of view, a static caravan is classed as a removable structure, which eases reversibility and resale but does not exempt it from permitting when it is installed with a permanent character. In the UK the reference standards are EN 1647 for leisure units and BS 3632 for residential units; they set the requirements for insulation, ventilation, fire safety and structural strength. Size also has a direct effect on logistics: a single travels in one piece, whereas a twin travels in two halves that are assembled on site, which typically adds 50–80% to the transport cost. A used single in good condition starts from EUR14,576; across all used static caravans in our 2 October 2026 stock, the median was around EUR41,700.
Park home
A park home is the residential evolution of the static caravan: built to insulation and durability standards for permanent, year-round living, with an aesthetic closer to a traditional house. It is more robust, better insulated and designed to be a main residence — which is reflected in the price, higher than that of a leisure static caravan.
It is the choice for anyone wanting to live in the unit all year round, not just spend holidays there.
In the UK, park homes are built to BS 3632:2015, which requires insulation able to keep the interior at 21 °C with reasonable heating, even through a British winter. In practice this means thicker walls — typically 100–150 mm of insulation, against 50–75 mm in a static caravan — high-efficiency double glazing, central heating with radiators and, quite often, a heat pump. A twin park home can measure 20 metres by 6.1 metres (around 120 m² of living space), with three or four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a separate kitchen and a spacious living room.
Interior finishes come close to those of a conventional house: a high-end fitted kitchen, a full bathroom with a shower tray or bath, and options to personalise colours, materials and layout. Residential park homes are priced on request. In Portugal, park homes are increasingly sought after as an affordable alternative to conventional construction, particularly in the Alentejo and the Algarve.
Lodge and chalet
Lodges are premium-finish units, often in timber, with generous dimensions and refined styling — the typical choice for glamping and high-end tourist accommodation. Chalets and cabins follow a Scandinavian or Alpine language, with a strong presence of wood, ideal for mountain or forest settings.
Both prioritise comfort and design over price, and are more expensive than a static caravan of equivalent floor area.
In construction terms, lodges use solid timber or a timber frame with quality exterior cladding such as cedar, thermowood or composite. Models of 45 to 80 m² are common, often with large glazed surfaces, integrated decks and contemporary design. Chalets add robust insulation and pitched roofs, and are popular in France (chalet de montagne), the Netherlands (recreatiewoning) and Germany (Ferienhaus). On price, new lodges in our stock started at €139,851 (median around €218,000), against €41,655 (median around €118,900) for a new static caravan.
For holiday lets or glamping, the extra outlay is easier to justify: lodges typically command €100–€250 per night, compared with €50–€100 for a standard static caravan, so the additional investment can be recovered within two to four seasons.
Mobile home, modular home and capsule
"Mobile home" is the umbrella term for any prefabricated dwelling transported ready-assembled — it covers many of the types above. The modular or container home uses industrialised construction (sometimes with a recycled shipping container) and allows greater layout flexibility. Living capsules are minimalist, compact-design units, popular as garden offices, studios or distinctive tourist accommodation.
Terminology also varies by country: in France, the rules distinguish the mobil-home, a leisure unit for campsites and parcs résidentiels de loisirs (PRL), from the broader category of habitation légère de loisirs (HLL). A modular home is assembled on site from factory-built modules. Because it is not limited by the road transport profile, it can be larger and more customised than a classic mobile home, but once assembled it is usually treated as a fixed building and needs the same permits as a conventional house.
A container home converts 20- or 40-foot shipping containers, fitted out with insulation, cladding and services. The containers can be stacked over two floors or combined side by side for larger layouts, and container homes in our stock started at €20,980 (median around €60,700). Living capsules usually offer 15 to 30 m², enough for a couple, and panoramic models with glass walls command premium rates on booking platforms.
Quick comparison
Summarising the types by the variables that weigh most in the decision:
| Type | Typical use | Price position |
|---|---|---|
| Static caravan | Holidays / seasonal use | Entry level |
| Park home | Permanent living | Mid-to-high |
| Lodge | Glamping / premium tourism | High |
| Chalet / cabin | Mountain / premium leisure | High |
| Modular / container home | Flexible housing | Variable |
| Capsule | Studio / design tourism | Mid |
In summary
- Static caravan = best price-to-space for holidays and seasonal use.
- Park home = designed for permanent, year-round living.
- Lodge and chalet = premium finish for glamping and tourism.
- Size (single vs twin) directly affects the transport cost.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a static caravan and a park home?
A static caravan is a leisure unit, designed mainly for seasonal use on holiday parks, and is the more affordable option. A park home is built with the insulation and durability for permanent, year-round living, with an aesthetic closer to a traditional house and a higher price.
What's the difference between a single and a twin mobile home?
A single unit is typically up to ~12 metres long and travels in one piece. A twin is wider (up to ~6 metres) and is transported in two halves, assembled on site. The twin offers far more interior space, but transport and assembly are more complex and costly.
Can I live in a mobile home all year round?
Yes, especially in residential units (park homes) with good insulation. The rules on use and installation vary by country and municipality, so you should confirm with the local council or authority before buying.