Portable Carport/Garage

[wildbill23c]

In looking at 85_Ranger4x4's post...May very well be in your price range. Free installation. And yes, a lift would be awesome and the cost has really become affordable.

Not sure I want another carport LOL, I have that already which isn't enclosed either. Plus he's not exactly in my neck of the woods LOL.

I'll have to see what I can figure out. The lean to addition on an already currently built building may be a better approach for my area.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

85_Ranger4x4 Are those the "American Steel Carports" that you sell and install? Website has lots of info and pricing...

We sell Tri-State. They don't go that far west, as close as they get is Nebraska.

But they (and I am sure other companies) sell lean-to's also... might be worth checking into. It seems a lot of them do a lot of the same kind of thing.

 

[Doofy]

wildbill23c http://www.americansteelinc.com check it out. Evidently, not yo mammas carport any longer. I was impressed!

 

[Doofy]

http://www.tristatecarports.com. Still more than my idea of "Carport"! I am sure they adhere to wind and snow loads for your area. Worth thinking about. I only wish alaska wasn't so far away from civilization and that shipping costs weren't so outrageous.

 

[wildbill23c]

Those aren't carports they are garages and they are taxable here in Idaho just like any other building. And of course not a company in Idaho .

 

[Doofy]

Sorry. I live in the Boonies and don't pay any taxes. I do see they are buildings but pose as carports. Makes no sense to me.

 

[wildbill23c]

Sorry. I live in the Boonies and don't pay any taxes. I do see they are buildings but pose as carports. Makes no sense to me.

Yeah, Idaho seems to be ass backwards in many of their ideas, and rules.

I thought about enclosing my carport a few years ago as it has a concrete slab but it would then be considered another building .

This is why I was thinking of adding a lean to on the back of my current shop which really is a barn. If I ad the lean to on the back it can't be seen anyhow, and if I rebuild the front to incorporate a standard garage door I think it may work out better in the long run as the majority of the building is already there, just some simple construction for the lean to on the back which the back wall needs work anyhow and the front I have always hated the design because the walk through door is up off the ground by about 18 inches, its pretty stupid for entry and exit LOL.

 

[Doofy]

Yes, it is usually cheaper to make what you already have better and more functional. If you can make a few modifications and make the area suit your needs, you will be money ahead. Can you move the walk thru door and make it normal?

Having all your wood working tools on casters sure makes it easier to move things out of the way for vehicles. You must not have many thieves around there...

 

[wildbill23c]

Yes, it is usually cheaper to make what you already have better and more functional. If you can make a few modifications and make the area suit your needs, you will be money ahead. Can you move the walk thru door and make it normal?

Having all your wood working tools on casters sure makes it easier to move things out of the way for vehicles. You must not have many thieves around there...

The walk through door could be moved but its in the same wall where the drive through garage door would be installed so it would certainly be getting moved.

There's a 48" walk through door on the south side of the shop already, the west side was setup for horse stalls so there are 2 doors on that end but they are split so you could open just the upper half and leave the bottom section closed, both of those doors need to be completely removed as they are not installed properly and there are terrible gaps in them making any sort of heating or cooling of the building impossible.

The plan so far is to add the lean to onto the west side since those doors are in need of removal, get that area all done and floor put in, get all the tools moved over there out of the way, then concentrate on the rest of the shop as I have the time and extra money, probably in the spring I'll get all this stuff started, winter is creeping up on us now so I may do some of the interior work that I've been wanting to get done, like finishing the inside with insulation, and putting some sort of wall board up, thinking about sheathing, it can be painted, and would be great as you can put a nail or screw anywhere in the wall to hang stuff rather than finding a stud through drywall.

The shop right now I can't remember for sure but seems like its a 24' x 36', so its not that bad for size as it is, its just not very well designed on the ends. Course it is actually a barn and was used for horses and hay storage for many years, so at that time it served its purpose, but now its just not setup for what I need. I need a barn remodel LOL.

 

[Doofy]

Well, that certainly sounds doable. Can be done at your own pace and as money permits. I also hate drywall. Worse crap ever invented. To save money, you may be able to find used or re-purposed materials. No real need for new stuff in an old barn. Old stuff is better. A friend of mine got a good deal on some old steel roofing and used it on his ceiling. (Already had a white finish). You can plan as you go and make changes, as needed.

Sounds fun. I almost wish I was there to help!

 

[wildbill23c]

Well, that certainly sounds doable. Can be done at your own pace and as money permits. I also hate drywall. Worse crap ever invented. To save money, you may be able to find used or re-purposed materials. No real need for new stuff in an old barn. Old stuff is better. A friend of mine got a good deal on some old steel roofing and used it on his ceiling. (Already had a white finish). You can plan as you go and make changes, as needed.

Sounds fun. I almost wish I was there to help!

Pretty much my plan. I know a few contractors who love when people ask if its ok to take the left over building materials from their junk pile, it saves them the time and money hauling it off. I've got some good stuff in the past doing this and on a couple occasions I used every bit of what I picked up, and saved me hundreds of dollars in building materials costs.

I don't necessarily need or even want new stuff, as long as it works. I picked up 50 sheets of plywood from the mill years ago, they called it "blown plywood" which all that was wrong was the plywood went through the saw crooked so it wasn't square. That was an easy fix, and it got used for all sorts of projects. It was 1/2 inch plywood, and they had it priced at $4 a sheet.

 

[Doofy]

You are a lucky man! Nothing in Alaska is reasonably priced. Even Lowe's and Home Depot have jacked up prices and the nearest of those are 120 miles away. I just don't build much of anything anymore.

 

[wildbill23c]

You are a lucky man! Nothing in Alaska is reasonably priced. Even Lowe's and Home Depot have jacked up prices and the nearest of those are 120 miles away. I just don't build much of anything anymore.

I'd love to live in Alaska, but I don't think I'd like the higher prices on everything, I love the wilderness and snow aspect of Alaska that's why I'd love to live there.

I try to get stuff 2nd hand rather than buying new. I missed a really good deal on lumber last year which was all rough cut stuff .

 

[Doofy]

Wildbill23c. This is what I see every day.... https://www.flickr.com/photos/snowshoe_photography_alaska/

The Wife is a photography buff so this is what I see on a daily basis.

 

[wildbill23c]

Amazing pictures. That's the type of scenery I'd love to see every day. The area I live in here in Idaho is nothing but dry desert conditions, we get snow but nothing like we used to. Still gets cold enough here to make it uncomfortable trying to work outside in, the temps in Alaska are the only thing that would get me but I'd do just fine without the 90 degree plus summer days though LOL.

I plan on eventually having the shop climate controlled so I can actually work year round on whatever I want LOL.