What do you bolt a carport to?

[blue83ranger]

I'm looking into getting 2, 2 vehicle carports and bolt them end to end and i don't want them sitting on the ground. So i was needing some ideas on what to bolt them down to. My cousin thought we should just make a trench and pour concrete in it but a few people thought they might tax us on them then. and someone said rail road ties but i'd prefer to just do it once. The plan is to put 3 walls on them and i'm not sure if we're going to put a door on it or not. But we definetly don't want them to blow away or rust in the ground. and they're just for storage, they won't have any power, probably a rock or lime floor. Any ideas? maybe parking lot curbs?

 

[Mark_88]

You don't need a whole trench..just a few post holes will hold them down...use sonotube if you want to sink wood into them, but I've poured that quick post stuff straight into an 8" hole with successful results...

depending on your area and their regulations...you should be able to anchor them with the concrete bases without increasing your taxes...but I'd find out about "unsightly" buildings...my area has some pretty strict rules about out buildings...

 

[LIMA BEAN]

Just use mobile home anchors and be done with it.

http://www.mobilehomedepotmi.com/parts_pages/anchors.htm

Also look up the cross drives and duckbills. They are cheap, meet most codes and you can get them at most home improvement stores. Also you can set it on treated timbers or railroad ties.

Edit see you already mentioned ties oops

 

[straycat]

I'm looking into getting 2, 2 vehicle carports and bolt them end to end and i don't want them sitting on the ground. So i was needing some ideas on what to bolt them down to. My cousin thought we should just make a trench and pour concrete in it but a few people thought they might tax us on them then. and someone said rail road ties but i'd prefer to just do it once. The plan is to put 3 walls on them and i'm not sure if we're going to put a door on it or not. But we definetly don't want them to blow away or rust in the ground. and they're just for storage, they won't have any power, probably a rock or lime floor. Any ideas? maybe parking lot curbs?

You need to read your tax laws before you get in on over your head. A lot of counties can and will tax a standing structure. The county can fine you if you don't add it to your property. Free standing barns for example are taxable as well.

 

[LIMA BEAN]

You need to read your tax laws before you get in on over your head. A lot of counties can and will tax a standing structure. The county can fine you if you don't add it to your property. Free standing barns for example are taxable as well.

Yea alot of times its defined by what it sits on. If your poor a footer or sono tubs its a permanent structure, if its on skids or timbers and and anchored with earth anchors most places accept that as temp. Check with your building dept unless your being incognito.

 

[shane96ranger]

You need to read your tax laws before you get in on over your head. A lot of counties can and will tax a standing structure. The county can fine you if you don't add it to your property. Free standing barns for example are taxable as well.

Agreed. Technicaly mine can be taxed, or they can force me to move it because it is literally 1.5 inches from the property line. To be that close, it is supposed to be behind my house.

As far as how I anchored it down, I got a hammer drill and put expanding 1/2" concrete anchors I got from Lowes. I was a little leery of them, but my brother recommended them. They just held up to a 70+ mph wind storm the other night.

Here's a pic of how they work, and how the look:

 

[blue83ranger]

A few weeks ago we had an unexpected county assesor come out and measure all our buildings and we have a semi trailer with no wheels on it just sitting on 2 small homemade concrete slabs and he didn't measure it, or even look at it really. But i basically want to make them not blow away, not rust from water on the ground, and as waterproof and mouse proof as possible, at least for the bottom edge of them.
Thanks for the suggestions, i didn't think of any of those. But i'm pretty sure the concrete tube idea would be a taxable thing but if it wasn't i would probably go that route.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Standard the ones we sell just come with rebar anchors, they beat them in the ground and bend them over. Moble home anchors are a popular option. There are a lot of people that put them on a pad or on small concrete walls too.

Our display one sits out all by itself with just the rebar anchors, it has taken 60+ winds on the top of a hill like a champ like that. We did find a big hunk of channel iron that runs more than the width of the carport to set the front wheels on when we started parking it in there a couple years ago... it will have a hard time floating away with most of a loadered up 4020 sitting on it. We only did that so it wouldn't hurt the tractor if it would have otherwise blown away.

 

[LIMA BEAN]

Each demographical area will be different. Up here in Alaska we have some of the highest wind, snow and seismic load codes in the world. Loads of recordable quakes everyday, 24 plus feet of snow in as many days and 100+ mph winds all the time... its a fun ride.

Like this:
http://www.aeic.alaska.edu/recent/macsub/index.html

 

[snoranger]

Up here in Alaska we have some of the highest wind, snow and seismic load codes in the world. Loads of recordable quakes everyday, 24 plus feet of snow in as many days and 100+ mph winds all the time... its a fun ride.

At least youre not complaining about it. I know someone who lives in a flood zone and bitches when the house floods.
"Hey jackass, you know its a floodzone. If you dont like it, MOVE!"

 

[Defective]

I pounded a couple fence posts into the ground and use ratchet straps to both hold mine down, and keep the poles together. It sits on the ground, and has galvanized poles with little feet on them.

I'd look into railroad ties like you mentioned not doing. They are treated to not rot and maybe keep pests off. I'd screw lag bolts through the feet of the poles and into the railroad ties. That should hold it down pretty good.