Garage in a box...thoughts?

[Rollerman 290]

Since moving into our new place in Goshen my wife hasn't kept her promise on letting me build a shop yet...

It will come in time, still settling in (wife's flower beds come first) & our son has graduated high school this year

We're hoping to pick up an empty lot adjacent to ours that will make a better location IMOP for a shop.

 

I down sized my herd a lot prior to moving since the garage here is quite a bit smaller than my old one.

In the meantime I've been picking up a few more Horse's (big ones...D's) among other things here & there & I've been looking into the "garage in a box" kits to hold me over till the new shop does happen.

 

TSC, Big R, Menards & other stores all seem to carry about the same size & style's.

I like the 10x20 kit's size, but the construction & tarp material make me wonder how well it will hold up to the Indiana weather.

We've had a lot of T storms, wind & hard rains this year so far.

 

Anyone using a "garage in a box" kit?

Having any luck with them?

Any tricks to making them last?

 

[KC9KAS 4,744]

We put up a 12 X 20 on a foundation of RR ties. The ties ate pinned with re-bar so they don't move, as they are 3 rows high on 1 end. There is also a re-bar with threaded rod on each end to hols the sides "together".

 

We have had a couple of snows on this will NO ill effects, but you are quite a lot farther North and in the "snow-belt" of indiana!

 

 

 

[Rollerman 290]

That's a nice setup.

The kit's I've been looking at are more basic & called a canopy, then you by the sidewall kit to go with it.

What can you tell me about yours...where did you get it?

[KC9KAS 4,744]

It came from MENARDS and everything was there in the 1 box.....the vent was an extra that we bought. It is a SHELTER LOGIC brand.

Wife & I put it up by ourselves.....she is mechanically inclined!

The foundation was what took the most time and effort, but I didn't have a flat spot on the property. I could have leveled out an area with the (rented) skid loader, but I really didn't want to do that because I would have had to put some drainage tile around the thing.

Edited July 14, 2013 by KC9KAS

[AMC RULES 37,194]

Have you heard any complaints from your neighbors yet? 

[Sparky-(Admin) 23,066]

  I put up a Shelter King brand 12x20 many years ago and the steel frame has been fine. I built a 12x20 pressure treated frame with 3/4 T&G plywood for a floor and its also been great. My tarps roof generally last me 4-5 years before the suns UV rays weaken it to the point that I can poke my finger thru it with no effort (and they leak   ). I ended up with 3 extra covers so I just do a swap when it gets weak. I suppose I could cover the weak tarp with a hardware store tarp when my final top is finished.

  The poles seem to be thick-walled pipe and not the flimsy painted white poles that the Harbor Freight kit gets you. I have had no issues with sagging or bending.

  I did not have any extra ends or doors so when the one end/door that I used gave up (zipper) I ended up building a wood front with double hinged doors.

With the framing underneath its a nice clean place to work if need be, plus it never turns to mud inside.

 

 

Mike............

 

[AMC RULES 37,194]

Does look really nice Mike...I like the enclosed hard sides.  

[Don1977 604]

Have you considered a lean-to on the side of the existing garage?

Edited July 14, 2013 by Don1977

[baerpath 517]

Sparky's got the right idea. A freind of ours has two of the shelter logic tents, that he covers with a light silver plastic tarp to make it last longer. Been up for 3 years with the same building tarp and he's replaced the silver one once. Town wouldn't give him a building permit but the temparary tents were fine

Edited July 15, 2013 by baerpath

[stevebo-(Moderator) 8,527]

I have had the garage in a box from tsc. They are much weaker and not rounded on top which makes the snow load build up. They both collapsed the first big storm. I ended up going with the 12x20 rounded shed with the heavier tarp and pipes. No issues as of yet. 

[Rollerman 290]

Have you considered a lean-to on the side of the existing garage?

Don already have one & will be making it into an open porch once the new shop comes to be.

Also the wife will be taking over the existing garage for the car & her clutter. 

 

 

I have had the garage in a box from tsc. They are much weaker and not rounded on top which makes the snow load build up. They both collapsed the first big storm. I ended up going with the 12x20 rounded shed with the heavier tarp and pipes. No issues as of yet.

Thanks Steve and that was the style of garage kit I was going to buy, but after looking at some of the rounded top garage kits here...I think that's what I'll be going for now.

[JamesBe1 84]

I have a 15 x 36 from shelterlogic.  It has it's pros and cons.  Before I bought it, I read around the internet as much as I could.  The thing that I remember most was a story about someone who noticed that the thickness (mils) of the covers was not what was advertised.  They called up the company to complain and was told that their shelters were made in china (go figure), and that the thickness was as it was defined in china (ror).

 

But there doesn't seem to be a lot of alternatives, so I went with shelterlogic.  I considered making a structure from pvc tubing and a tarp (there are places on the net that specialize in that), but it didn't seem to be strong enough.  I live in NNJ, and we get some wet heavy snows.

 

I had another shelterlogic "engineered" shelter.  It was very strong and robust.  I used it as a hanger.  The problem I ran into, which is very common to all of these types of shelters is that the snow makes the tarp sag.  You really have to stay on top of it or the weight of the snow will tear the tarp.  Several folks at my small airport used the regular shelterlogic shelters to store their aircraft.  It never ends well.  One or two heavy snows, and if you can't get in to clean the snow off of it, it collapses.  I've seen several aircraft destroyed that way.  Sadly, when my airport closed and I had to leave, I had to abandon the shelter.  It was way too much to consider moving.

 

When I got my present shelter, the materials and instructions were shoddy.  They didn't have all the right nuts and bolts.  The instructions (more like destructions) were vague and didn't match the parts supplied.  I had to figure it out as I went along.  I finally got it together, and while it looks nice, it is a bit lacking in quality.

 

One thing that I am glad that I did was run some reinforcing cables across the insides.  That gives it extra strength and will hopefully keep the sides from bowing out under the weight of snow.  I still have to be mindful of the snow and knock it off as soon as possible.

 

It is in the background of lots of pics in my albums.

 

Oh, yeah, it leaks.  I have a couple of small patches on it with Gorilla tape (great stuff).  I have been thinking about putting a tarp over it.  Haven't looked too far into doing that.

 

Anyhow, that's my 2c worth.

j

Edited July 15, 2013 by JamesBe1

[SousaKerry 503]

I had one at my last place a 10X12 from Menard's.  I had it anchored to a concrete slab for about 2 years,  The zippers busted and I had a few tears from the Teenager improperly storing things.  It survived a few heavy snows although I usually went out and shook the snow off before it got too deep.  If your not expecting it to last more then 2-3 seasons it should work just fine. 

[varosd 1,185]

  I put up a Shelter King brand 12x20 many years ago and the steel frame has been fine. I built a 12x20 pressure treated frame with 3/4 T&G plywood for a floor and its also been great. My tarps roof generally last me 4-5 years before the suns UV rays weaken it to the point that I can poke my finger thru it with no effort (and they leak   ). I ended up with 3 extra covers so I just do a swap when it gets weak. I suppose I could cover the weak tarp with a hardware store tarp when my final top is finished.

  The poles seem to be thick-walled pipe and not the flimsy painted white poles that the Harbor Freight kit gets you. I have had no issues with sagging or bending.

  I did not have any extra ends or doors so when the one end/door that I used gave up (zipper) I ended up building a wood front with double hinged doors.

With the framing underneath its a nice clean place to work if need be, plus it never turns to mud inside.

 

 

Mike,

         Nice cat flap!

[KC9KAS 4,744]

Have you heard any complaints from your neighbors yet? 

No problems with the neighbors, and we do not have any building codes that would be for a structure like this.

[redidbull 54]

I have had a Harbor Freight for around 5 years. It is the dome style and the snow slides off. Even held up to this years 38" snow storm! The zipper is broken and I needed to buy some of the bungee cords to hold the front and back on. They lost the elasticity.Things to watch out for are moisture and critters. Jim