Portable/Temporary RV Shelter

[1nshort]

I live in the country. I had a lower drive put in to park the RV in the winter, but there are a lot of trees. How to keep the leaves off, how to keep tree sap off, how to keep bird stuff off. How not to get taxed (and have the expense) of a permanent shelter. My older smaller RV was covered with a tyvek cover, it was a pain in the lower extremities to deploy an remove/fold. I found a solution at
www.portablegaragedepot.com I bought the 14Wx16Hx40L shelter with stock grey canvas cover and zippered roll-up end panels. It is now up, pictures (including assembly) coming soon. One person can do the pre-assembly but it takes 4 people to do all the final assembly stuff. Basic hand tools required. For frame assembly, end panel, and main structure canvas assembly ..... a 12 foot stepladder (minimum) is required. I chose this route...has anyone tried a different route? Looking for 'on property' storage only. Reason it is on this thread is because it will house my Coachmen Encounter 37TZ-Chalet.

[Roll]

Waiting for those pics 1nshort. Want to see how this goes for you. I'd like to put up a building on my property for the coach and storage for some equipment. I'd want electric and water and heat so I could work on it in the winter. Shoot from the hip estimates put it at about $50K. I can rent a single inside stall at a local storage place for $225 a month making the $50K investment a looser. No heat at the local place but they do give me electric and its an individual stall, not an open building so for the time that's where I park.

And yup, its a tight fit.

[CSMRetired]

Originally Posted by Roll

Waiting for those pics 1nshort. Want to see how this goes for you. I'd like to put up a building on my property for the coach and storage for some equipment. I'd want electric and water and heat so I could work on it in the winter. Shoot from the hip estimates put it at about $50K. I can rent a single inside stall at a local storage place for $225 a month making the $50K investment a looser. No heat at the local place but they do give me electric and its an individual stall, not an open building so for the time that's where I park.

And yup, its a tight fit.

Good grief, that is a tight fit

[1nshort]

Okay, pictures edited so I can post. Still have to figure out how to sequence them. This is a canvas garage with quick zip front and back doors that roll up/down. It is steel tubular frame. The whole kit came in at 1330 lbs. I bought the optional auger anchors that go into the ground 33 inches (8 each side), which fasten to frame members with hefty wire. Cost delivered with options (ez zip doors, auger anchors, tailgate service) $3200. It is 16 ft high 40 feet long, 14 feet wide. On the site they now are 15 feet wide. Most would probably prefer the 44 foot long one. I just wanted it to fit, didn'tcare how much room to front or back I had. My ladder is at the backdoor and I have 2 ft at the front...good enough for me.

Forest River Forums - 1nshort's Album: RV Garage

[1nshort]

Originally Posted by Roll

Waiting for those pics 1nshort. Want to see how this goes for you. I'd like to put up a building on my property for the coach and storage for some equipment. I'd want electric and water and heat so I could work on it in the winter. Shoot from the hip estimates put it at about $50K. I can rent a single inside stall at a local storage place for $225 a month making the $50K investment a looser. No heat at the local place but they do give me electric and its an individual stall, not an open building so for the time that's where I park.

And yup, its a tight fit.

Roll, if you want a more permanent structure you might contact
Steel Home Kits » America's #1 Choice in DIY Steel Homes tell them you want a garage give them the details and get a quote. My Arizona house (retirement house) will be one of their houses. Either the Wyoming, Silverado or Anchorage.

1n

[Roll]

Originally Posted by 1nshort

Okay, pictures edited so I can post. Still have to figure out how to sequence them. This is a canvas garage with quick zip front and back doors that roll up/down. It is steel tubular frame. The whole kit came in at 1330 lbs. I bought the optional auger anchors that go into the ground 33 inches (8 each side), which fasten to frame members with hefty wire. Cost delivered with options (ez zip doors, auger anchors, tailgate service) $3200. It is 16 ft high 40 feet long, 14 feet wide. On the site they now are 15 feet wide. Most would probably prefer the 44 foot long one. I just wanted it to fit, didn'tcare how much room to front or back I had. My ladder is at the backdoor and I have 2 ft at the front...good enough for me.

Forest River Forums - 1nshort's Album: RV Garage

Wow, what a monster job. Opening and getting acquainted with the parts, assembly, set up, and pulling the cover over. Looks like a crew of 4 or 5. Nice work.

From opening the packages to finished product, can you estimate the time it took?

Is the cover wind proof around the bottom edges?

And completely off topic, did you coach come with a painted grille? Yours looks black, mine is aluminum in color though mine is not painted.

Nice Job Denis.

Gary

[1nshort]

2 days to unpack and become familiar with the assembly.
1 long day to assemble the frames.
1 long day to stand up the frames, connect, and install top frame
1 day to install the front and back doors on the frame.
1 day to pull top over and tighten. Install quick zippers and roll-up lines.

Crew of 4 a necessiTy.

1n

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[ependydad]

Do keep coming back to this thread and post your thoughts as time and conditions pass. I'm curious how this holds up. This likely will be what we end up with if we move and are finally able to store our camper at home.

I'm surprised that you have so little room on either side of your coach. I'm not positive I'd be able to open my slides with what I'm seeing.

[1nshort]

I'll keep posting. I bought the minimum canvas which should be good for a few years. They have a medium duty and a heavy duty canvas also. The RV is 8.5 ft wide and the enclosure is 14 ft inside. I really have no desire to put out the slides. The newer enclosures are 15 ft so most people should be able to open slides. Go to the web site and you can get an idea of durability. I will not be here that long but it is a sale item when I do sell the house when I retire, but in this area being near the Chesapeake Bay there are a lot of boat owners and RV/TT/5th owners that would jump on a setup like this. I have 29 inches on one side and 41 inches on the other side. This is my first time backing in, so if I center better I think I can deploy slides. It would be tight.....might give it a try in a couple of weeks.

[1nshort]

Originally Posted by Roll

Wow, what a monster job. Opening and getting acquainted with the parts, assembly, set up, and pulling the cover over. Looks like a crew of 4 or 5. Nice work.

From opening the packages to finished product, can you estimate the time it took?

Is the cover wind proof around the bottom edges?

And completely off topic, did you coach come with a painted grille? Yours looks black, mine is aluminum in color though mine is not painted.

Nice Job Denis.

Gary

Roll,

Missed the bottom edge question. There is sufficient skirting to resist wind, particularly if you put weight (non abrasive) on it at points along the length.
My grill is metal with a baked on black powder coat. My time to assemble in a separate post is the times I/we actually performed each step. I stopped between blizzards and torrential rains, at each step. It is not really hard just tedious repetitive assembly. Warm hands a must. If I back in centered I believe I can level and put out the slides. I will try that in a couple of weeks. Right now we are getting the camping urge

1n

[ependydad]

You're right about it being a selling feature around here. I'm just north and west of you a bit.

Thanks for the info!

[Roll]

Originally Posted by 1nshort

Roll,

If I back in centered I believe I can level and put out the slides. I will try that in a couple of weeks.

1n

Thought I would offer an observation from my experience; may not work for you.

You saw that the storage unit I have is tight too. I backed in for the first year and it was always a problem. I hung a light in the back of the storage unit on the drivers side to help me keep track of the wall and still, rubbed the rear left side against the wood wall slightly one day. You know what that overhang tail swing is like. Monstrous.

Then I bumped into another coach owner (there are about 5 of use who store our rigs at that location). He suggested I pull in and back out, much easier he said. I was doubtful but tried it. He was right. It is much easier to pull straight in and then just back straight out. I've been doing it that way ever since, as you can see in the picture.

Just a thought.

I was impressed by the models you pointed out. The sale pricing was really outstanding but I thought you were going to full time in the coach?

Gary

[1nshort]

Roll,
Yeah, the plans were to full time with no brick and mortar ties, but reality hits. We have a lot of antique furniture (100 plus old) and a lot of solid oak Amish furniture we have accumulated...not to mention electronics. We were going to put it all in storage, atmosphere/temperature controlled, etc. Then we thought of the expense every month for that. We do want to leave it all to our daughter. So.......build the house, put it all in there and operate several months on the road, return for a bit and do it again. The property and house would be al paid for and the taxes would cost a heck of a lot less than monthly storage. Plans change.
The RV Garage might be big enough to put out slides, I know the new 15ft wide one definitely would be. I'll try the driving straight in thing....makes sense.

1n

[ATVer]

I recommend a steel pole building with sky lights. I built one with concrete floor and one power outlet for battery tenders. It's large enough to house 32 ft MH, 25 ft toyhauler, tow vehicle and one car and cost just $20K. It has 4 steel garage doors so everything is easy to get out and in. Much more secure, dry, and weather tight than a tent structure. Every thing stays clean and dry between trips which alone is worth the cost to me. If you just want to house 1 MH you should be able to get one built for about $10K.

[1nshort]

ATVer,
I agree. Your solution is more permanent. What did the slab, electrical work, assembly and permits run? Also how much did your property tax go up? Maryland is the 5th highest tax and fee state in the 50 states. The steel framed tent is considered temporary structure...no permits needed or property taxes. If I was going to be here much longer I would have gone with your solution. The tent does keep it out of the elements and dry. Ran an extension cord. (Multi head) and put some clamp lights on the poles for lights with LED bulbs. By the way, Camping World now sells these structures.

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[ATVer]

Originally Posted by 1nshort

ATVer,
I agree. Your solution is more permanent. What did the slab, electrical work, assembly and permits run? Also how much did your property tax go up? Maryland is the 5th highest tax and fee state in the 50 states. The steel framed tent is considered temporary structure...no permits needed or property taxes. If I was going to be here much longer I would have gone with your solution. The tent does keep it out of the elements and dry. Ran an extension cord. (Multi head) and put some clamp lights on the poles for lights with LED bulbs. By the way, Camping World now sells these structures.

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20K was all in costs. Building turn key was about 16K, concrete work about 3K, and 300 for permits. Taxes are 300 a year. This was the first addition or garage that I didn't do all myself. Getting too old to do this heavy work and the labor costs on pole buildings are so cheap it's not worth it to me.

I've used tents as well and they work well especially for temporary situations. However I would still need a permit and approval in my area to keep it up more than 60 days.

[1nshort]

Just an update. We have had several strong and nasty thunderstorms and very high wind gusts (up to 60 MPH), did not seem to phase the shelter one bit. MH dry and clean, which would not have happened in the open. Also no tree sap or pollen to wash off. I'm happy, now all I have to do is de-winterize and become a happy camper.