I rent a garage where I used to live and while it is only 20 minutes away, it is difficult getting over there to even do maintenance.

I also can't do everything I would like such as making a lot of noise, weld, paint or anything else creating fumes.

It also has poor lighting and no heat.

Where I live now we took out the pool and there is still electric and natural gas where the pool was.

So I'm thinking about at least putting up one of those quonset style car shelters, but I know Linda would prefer something that looks better.

What do you think are the minimal dimensions needed to put a 914 or 911 in it and still have enough room to walk around it, jack it up, etc.

Tight but doable is ok.

I have a Costco car canopy 10 x 20. Has lasted 5 cycles and I have a replacement top ready to go when it perishes.

Around us there are a lot of Amish built garages. The smaller ones can be shipped as a kit. They look nice and can be customized. I think the smaller ones can be set on a gravel bed and use a wood floor. Figure out the dimensions you need and let your wife pick out the style.

I have a 10x20 shelterlogic northern tool , I wish I had more room for a 12x20
but it works for me (someday I'll have a garage ) , I also use a 6x6 tuffbuilt platform shed (elevated platform floor) for compressor , rollaway & welder ect. ,
thankfully I dont have a HOA (home owners association ) Bill D.

northern tool - 13 x 20 x 12
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/pro...11388_200411388

here's a few pic's ,
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment

I looked into this as well, They have some plastic one's at home depot that are actually pretty nice. About 3800 will get you 11x18.5

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lifetime-11-ft-...60025/202080019

There are metal ones are the cheapest, and the wood ones (like amish built) are right in between..

Besides being butt fugly quonset huts that are not insulated rain (condensation) more on the inside than the outside.

had this one for a few Winters before I built the addition/garage on my home.
most importantly, it survived heavy snow.
secured it to a concrete patio, wasn't going anywhere till I removed it.
Click to view attachment
I'll try to find order info and spec's if your interested

I'd strongly recco a full garage - stick-built, kit (DIY or set-up by provider) in your area with cold winters.

10 x 20 single bay or 20 x 20 2-bay - or + 2' each more, if you have that much room, or even add 5-7' to length for "shop area" in front of car (nose-in) if room.

9 x 18 min or 18 x 18 otherwise to still have extra room. Too small for 914/911 only will ultimately waste your money spent, if you or later buyers can't use it for other cars IMO.

Cost wise on stick-built or kit won't differ much 20x20 ~ 18x18, etc. for a few feet of materials, relative to overall cost, so don't short change yourself. Steel is an option too, but may not be as durable & isn't rust proof for long, unless a high end Butler building or similar.

In NH/Northeast - remember that a permitted & with utilities, enclosed & insulated garage will add value & sale-ability to your house (really in any area this holds true).

Tough Shed is another option in many areas, & other pick-&-they-set-up prefabbed garage/shed providers are good options.

I agree with you pick the size & interior & outlets/set-up inside, & let the wife pick the "look".

Make sure to do whatever is considered an acceptable all-weather driveway from street to it also (some areas are okay with gravel, others the market &/or city/county require paved).

Think of it as adding a garage, & preferably a 2-car one - rather than a big shed - for best ROI. That too can be on your 1st morgage or HELOC 2nd Mortgage, etc., whereas a "shed" generally will not pass muster at cost for most lenders.

Good Luck!
Tom
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They only last maybe three years at best.

If you have the money, price out doing it with 2*4 walls, simple 2*6 rafters and a flat ceiling...the use texture 111 for siding and sheathing, conventional roof.

I suspect 2-3k max.

Otherwise, get a round top one like Ray posted, the cheaper peaked roof ones require you clean them off after every snow storm or they collapse.

Speaking from experience just down the road here, the snow is the killer.

I did see at Home Depot and lowes that they sell the full 10*20 kit garages, a weekend to setup, and sometimes they have zero percent financing for decent deals....

Rich

I have been looking at these.

https://www.versatube.com/building-kits/garages-buildings/

Besides the cost, part of the problem is that a real garage would be difficult to impossible to put on this property.

Out front in the driveway it may not be possible to get it to fit town ordinance and Linda doesn't like the way it would make her house look (yes her house).

In the back yard I don't think you can get a driveway approved because the property line is very close on both sides.

Technically sheds are limited to 100 sq ft but I don't think we would get called out unless it is obviously huge and permanent.

If I went with a shelter type of enclosure it would be the rounded top style to shed snow - we get a lot.

Linda would live with it, but doesn't like the way they look.

A cute shed, isn't permanent and unlikely to draw attention.

Either way the car would only be in it for the winter and repairs/maintenance, it spends the rest of the time in the driveway under a good car cover.

With the shelter/Quonset hut they are cheap so I can get a fairly big one.

The sheds are expensive - that is why I am asking how big is just big enough for a 911 (assuming it is bigger than the 914) as I might go that way in the future.

Thanks for the suggestions and feedback so far - this problem has me considering giving up on owning an old car

Existing slab or are you planning on one? 12x20. Wide enough so you don't bang the doors on the walls.

I had to replace my Costco garage roof. The material REALLY hates a southern exposure. They sell the replacements right next to the complete units.

IF you are good about it, the super cheap ones can take it over the winter, but y MUST clean off snow at about 8-10 inches, never let it get to be too much.

A roof rake of broom works fine.

If I go with a shed then it will have a wood floor and placed on the level sand where the pool was.

Not sure what I would do for a shelter floor - pavers?

After this past winter we need a snow rake for the house anyway

I don't have much to add, but to express my humility. We bought our first house in 2014, which is 80 years old and not much to look at. But it does have a 2 car garage. I thought of it as pretty pitiful, but now I realize just how lucky I am. I had no idea there were so many folks here without a covered place to work, and most of you have more life experience than I.

If any of you were closer I'd gladly offer up my garage for you to work in.

I'm looking into this as well. The primary goal is winter storage for the 914 to free up my heated single car garage bay during winter. There's no driveway to my back yard, but there won't be a lot of thru traffic.

For size, the 914 will fit in a 10 X 16...but I'd recommend at least 12 X 18 if you want to do any work at all on it.

I'm leaning towards a 14 X 20 Amish built pre-fabricated garage, wood floor on a crushed stone base. It will give me enough space for all my yard equipment and enough room to wrench on the 914. The garage will match the color and trim of the house.

Let us know what you go with.

I would not worry so much about the floor.
It's moisture from below that gets you, so I would suggest you lay down some heavy plastic, not a tarp, to keep the moisture from rising up.
Lay sheets of plywood over that, done.
You can take it all apart in the spring and store it.

Honestly, I always forget one storm, that is always the beginning of the end of the shelter for me....one storm too much and it rips or stretches the roof.
The temporary shelters with sides work great and heat up nice.
Plywood floor keeps the heat in and makes it easier to find stuff when you drop it.

I gave up after too many years and ended up junking my huge truck and got a smaller one that fits inside.
Rich

Scott,

If you have any projects and need a shop you are welcome to come over. We can always work it out.

This is exactly what I went with, 14x20 Amish build shed with garage door and side man door.

this is the minimum I would recommend if you are going to work on the car. not a lot of extra space though. my tractor now lives in the motorcycle trailer.

Hi Scott

I'm in the process of cleaning out the barn.
I can free up a little space for you do do some projects as well.

PM me and we can talk.


Steve

Thanks for the offers John and Steve!

I knew and know I have friends in the area that would offer to help!

I would/will take you up if I get in a bind to fix the car, but nothing is urgent right now so an at home solution that will let me pick away at projects a couple of hours/nights per week, have a beer or two, go inside to eat and go to bed is what I'm struggling with.

Even though Linda hasn't complain the few times it has happened (mostly with my sons 944), jack stands in the driveway is not an option for the bigger projects and even with the car cover I feel bad leaving her outside during rain storms.

Parts on the shelf that didn't get put in because of this situation:

turbo tie rods
powder coated front cross member
Koni struts
new rear pads
Weld in rear sway bar mounts
Weld in new jack point pyramids and any required repair behind the rusty ones
spare transmission to combine with the one in the car for better shifting

To be clear, I do have winter storage at my rented garage which is cheap at $75/month, but I'd rather spend that paying of a CC for a shed or shelter.

You guys are recommending bigger than I was hoping for, probably ruling out a shed.

I think a shelter falls into a gray area as far as how big it can be and where I can put it as it isn't really a permanent structure.

For what it's worth, we happily use a shelter logic. Under $500 but not very conducive to work in, given the size we bought. ...Next time it will be longer and wider.

The SL does a great job of keeping the car dry and if anchored in concrete, can withstand high winds and some snow. It was also easy to buy from Amazon and arrived in 2 days

Why not?

Sorry my bad. The size of our particular shelter logic is not conducive to work in .

The SL itself was easy to put up (anchor in cement), strong and keeps the inside dry. It was also a reasonable price on Amazon and arrived in 2 days.

Sorry for the confusion

With the bench, parts cart, storage cabinet and misc. junk I haven't disposed of yet - that looks as big as my work area in the garage.

At home I do have a walk in basement for a bench and such, so that much space looks doable to me...

Are there any safety or other concerns running a natural gas space heater and electricity into a shelter?

I'd only be running the heat when I plan on working on the car.

You would have to watch any of the shelters running plastic or tarp setups. They would be almost counter productive. Very likely to melt & wouldn't keep the heat in very well if they didn't. If you are talking of working in the winter. I would not recommend one of the shelters

I don't think you would get it hot enough to melt unless you put the heater to close to the cover.

It's more about the btu's you pump than the temperature of the heated air.

I've worked in houses under construction with one of those "jet" kerosene heaters and while you can stand right in front of them, they can heat a tarped house pretty easily.

I'm not suggesting one of those, lol, but a sufficiently (over)sized natural gas heater will be able to keep it warm on any day I'd consider going outside in the first place!

Sometimes you get some winter days without much wind where you only need to get the chill out.

Or just extending my ability to work on the car into the late fall and early spring can really let me get stuff done.

That said, nothing short of buying another house with a proper garage is really is the right solution and neither is that.....

Sometimes I just start thinking I should sell it, buy a used Cayman, put winter tires on it, park it in the driveway and drive it all winter!

Make sure the Nat. Gas heater is vented properly.

How are you going to pipe it to the shelter?

Steve

The shelter is going to go where the pool was.

There are underground gas and electric lines that were for the pool heater and filter.

I'll take and post a picture when I get home.

Power and gas line on the left

I'm thinking of doing to same thing with the Costco Car Canopy. I did not know they have replacement outer shells though. That makes it even more attractive. So, after 5 years the sun has not eaten up the outer shell material?

Yup,
Just think about snow collapsing the shelter and prepare for it.
It's safe enough but put a large dog crate over your heater to keep it safe from snow collapses.

Put plywood on the windshield, just saying

The power receptacle would be handy. The sand and grass would make for a terrible parking surface. You would have to drive thru your side and back yard to get to it? $500 for the one Jett posted seems a bit excessive. Both ends open on the Costco one and there are 4 screened Windows plus a side door with a fold open awning.

Yes the sand would be bad, but that is why I'm thinking putting pavers on the sand would be good.

The yard and grass is why it would be for longer term projects and storage - not daily use!

I will have to look at the Costco one, your description sounds promising!

A 914 barely leaves a mark when you drive it on grass. Unless it's your daily driver or the ground is wet, you'll be fine. Spend the money on the building, worry about the drive later.

The 914 will barely leave a mark on the first pass. For the $ and function the Costco one is hard to beat. The pavers might be a good solution for the floor. Easy to remove when you're ready. A slab not so much.