Temporary Garage Advice Needed

So we are moving house - just up the road to Carlisle MA. Its a smaller house, but on 5 acres! Enough room to build a barn (for the various animals - horse & pony) and a garage for a certain Triumph (I also need some advise on building a a new garage but that will be the topic of a seperate thread).

But for the winter I will need to store the Triumph out side, or at least in a temporary structure of some type.

Has anyone got suggestions on what might work best? I have seen what look like aluminium framed "tent" structures - anyone had experience with these? Are these weatherproof? It needs to be able to go through a New England winter, with its fair share of snow.

As always, I am grateful for any help.

Rob.

Rob,

I built a 24x24 Cape style barn as my car workshop. We built it as a kit from www.shelter-kit.com. Here is me building from their website gallery : https://www.shelter-kit.com/b_gallery_K055.html . We have been very happy with the quality of the materials and detailed instructions. If you want to see it just email. I have a 4-post lift on one side, shop on the other but no walls. The upstairs loft roof peak is 12.5' and 12/12 pitch slopes to the floor but is very roomy. A couple of years ago I added a small covered entrace/woodshed across the back and next year will be adding a 14"x24' extension on the side for body/dirtywork, painting, and detailing, Best $$ we ever spent and highly recommend it. Andy, the owner had a Bugeye at some point in his lifetime. NFI

But for this winter, I would start by looking around at my new neighbors for barns to winter your 250. I found my neighbor was able to sore my 4A tub for me for free. Just ask. Outside weather here is just not good on cars. Best choice.

If you decide you have to leave it outside in the yard, forget buying a temporary garage and save that money for the real thing. You need to double tarp. Lay out a large tarp and drive the car 1/2 across the middle of it. Make sure that the car is sitting on top of a HD tarp and not the ground. Remove all food, nesting material including the seat bottoms, plug the tailpipe with a tennis or racket ball.. Put a couple boxes of Moth Balls under the car to keep out field mice. Then wrap the car from the bottom up and tie. Try not to leave and corridors in the tarp for mice to enter. And then wrap from the top down with the second tarp and tie off. After a fresh snow brush off the top periodically.

Definitely agree with PeterK on mouse prevention. You cannot do enough to keep these creatures out.
I would go one further by removing the seats entirely as well as placing Warfarin in trays in the vehicle

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Rob,

I built a 24x24 Cape style barn as my car workshop. We built it as a kit from www.shelter-kit.com.

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Thanks Peter for the link and recommendation. These look like just the thing I had in mind for a permanent structure. And they are in NH. Hope you don't mind, I PM-ed you some other questions.

I will definately take precautions against mice - I know there are plenty of these around here. And chipmonks too (but I don't think these nest - just burrow a lot).

Rob.

Rob.

I like the double tarp idea. As to the aluminium tents, around here we call those 'blow away garages'. The nick name says it all. My brother in law has some nice damage on his Alfa Romeo thanks to one of those. The snow load can exceed the bearing capacity and with some freezing rain on top it gets heavy before you know it (he was trying to keep the snow off, but life gets in the way some times).

I have been in a similar situation as you are in and was able to find a kind person to take it for the winter. just start talking to folks and I am sure you will find a home for this year.

"Enough room to build a barn (for the various animals - horse & pony)" Rather the thinking of a temporary home for you car, you might consider the smaller (like 10x16) steel roofed pole barns used to cover boats and RVs. The structure properly placed on pavement or well drained soil covered with rock, with the sides covered with tarps will protect your car from the weather, provide good ventilation, and still allow you access. Once your permanent barn and garage are finished, the pole barn can easily be moved for storage of hay, tractor, or other items not needing walls.

There is still the rodent problem..

This is off topic Rob, but I hope that we'll see you at the Cape this weekend? Are you planning to go?

Actually, I can make it on topic. John from the CCBCC will be there and he built a beautiful post and beam garage for his Model A and TR6, as well as his land Rover and her Honda. And he still has a big workshop in it! I drool everytime I go to see him working in there. He can give you tons of advice on building.

https://www.capecodbritishcarclub.org/index.html

I have your solution;5 years ago i purchased a 12X8X20 foot portable aluminum framed structure with a heavy weatherproof cover from a company called;'COVERIT' They provide everything needed to set it up with 2 people in 2 hours,This cover is truly seen ever kind of weather from below zero,hail,heavy snow winds in excess of 80 mph.And has stood firm in all of it.The company makes them in all sizes & shapes.Mine is a regular garage type peaked roof,but they have the round type also.They come with all types of accessories.The best news i paid $300.00 + S&H(freight)At the moment it houses my sons 2000 Chrysler Sebring...One of my better investments.If need be i can send a photo attachment. Ken

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This is off topic Rob, but I hope that we'll see you at the Cape this weekend? Are you planning to go?


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Hi Paul - No, unfortunately I will not be able to make it to the Cape this week-end. Too much going on I'm afraid. I will PM you also.

Ken - is this the temporary garage you were referring to -
https://berkshirecoverit.com/index.htm
Thanks for the tip. Did you use the "round" or "peak" roof?

Rob.

Hi Rob:

My 250 would like some company for the winter in her nice cozy 2 car garage; unfortuneatley I don't think my wife would go for keeping her Volvo outside for another winter.

It certainly would give me some incentive to get my TR in order! lol!

Your car is way to nice to store outdoors, I could talk to someone in Ipswich who has a commercial building & is into Brit Iron, stores 3-4 all the time, but it may be too far for you.

Let me know if you want some contact info.

You could go to a u-store-it place, and rent a garage. About $100 close to town center, maybe cheaper in the boonies, if you don't mind driving a while to get to your car. Fortunately a Triumph does not need a big space!

Edit: $100/month

You may wish to discuss any extra insurance coverage or "notification of offsite storage" requirements that your broker - insurer may require

How low tech and cheap do you want to go?

Hoop houses from PVC pipe and plastic sheeting. Do a google search on "hoop house". I've used them for years. Poke the pipe end in the ground, bend it over, poke the other end in. Repeat for as long as you want the building to be. Throw a cheap plastic sheet over it (no tarps!), put rocks or dirt on the edges, you're done. They'll last a year or two before the plastic gets brittle and shatters.

I've also got a shelter logic "garage in a box" that's working very well. I've had it up for a year now. It even went through a hurricane while up on the top of the hill. Anchor it well. I recommend double cross staking myself. Something like this Double stake swivel I used them, one at each end, 18" long rebar crossed through the holes. It held my 12x20 fabric garage while it was doing kite routines two feet off the ground in that storm.

Fwiw, BJ's has someones fabric garage, 12x24, for $259 right now.

Yep! $259.00 PLUS $119.00 SHIPPING FREIGHT
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/lol.gif

? They don't ship, they're a retail chain store. You pick up, no shipping charges involved.

They shipped mine? same place;go figure /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif

The link below is a box storage container I know some people have used for temporary storage.

I'm not saying to get it here but I wanted you to see what they looked like. You can rent it by the month. They are waterproof, mouse and two legged rat proof provided you don't let them in.

https://www.daddiosautoparts.com/storage.html