How well do shelter logic hold up in heavy snow areas?

[doxford jim]

I put up a 10ft x 20ft x 10ft set up as a shelter for a small car. Unfortunately, our area is prone to sudden strong wind gusts and the shelter lifted off the ground and carried some 30 yds and then came back to earth and bent all the framing and tore the fabric beyond repair. This shelter had been bolted to long railway ties and concete blocks - the ground was too hard to drive in proper anchors.
If you do erect such a building don't leave it without adequate ground anchors or it might just end up airborne.
I ended up building an enclosed carport and am happy with they way it has turned and the way it deals with the heavy snow we get over the winter.

 

[ruffdog]

I first had a 12x40 greenhouse frame that I installed pole barn steel siding length wise on it with the screws with the gasket on them. Snow would build up on it but never had any problems. I then bought a 10x10 pointed top type shelter logic building and it is still doing OK years later. It is in a shaded spot so it has less sun damage. I then bought a 12x20 tall round top type shelter logic building and wet snow would build up just like the smaller building. The fabric failed after a few years so I installed 20' sheets of siding steel length wise on that building and has held up nicely so far. Screwing the metal on the ribs REALLY stiffens up the structure so wind doesn't move it around anymore. Rain water will run to the ends so I cut a 4"x12' piece of black plastic drain tubing length wise and snapped it on the end for a gutter. I put two drums under the gutter ends to collect rain water for the garden. Once the fabric fails on the small building, I'll install metal on that one too. I'm not a fan of the fabric covered buildings BUT I sure do like them after I cover them with metal!

 

[super55]

Ruff dog thats a brilliant idea.

I kind of figured sooner or later the fabric would eventually fail and was going to end up being used to cover the wood pile and I was just going to use the steel for welding projects. Putting ribbed metal on the frame after the fabric goes is pure genius.

Think I will go with the 12x20 structure now just because I know I can get 20' pieces of steel on my tandem axle trailer without an issue.

 

[japody]

I first had a 12x40 greenhouse frame that I installed pole barn steel siding length wise on it with the screws with the gasket on them. Snow would build up on it but never had any problems. I then bought a 10x10 pointed top type shelter logic building and it is still doing OK years later. It is in a shaded spot so it has less sun damage. I then bought a 12x20 tall round top type shelter logic building and wet snow would build up just like the smaller building. The fabric failed after a few years so I installed 20' sheets of siding steel length wise on that building and has held up nicely so far. Screwing the metal on the ribs REALLY stiffens up the structure so wind doesn't move it around anymore. Rain water will run to the ends so I cut a 4"x12' piece of black plastic drain tubing length wise and snapped it on the end for a gutter. I put two drums under the gutter ends to collect rain water for the garden. Once the fabric fails on the small building, I'll install metal on that one too. I'm not a fan of the fabric covered buildings BUT I sure do like them after I cover them with metal!

Have any pictures?

 

[ruffdog]

Have any pictures?

I'll go out and get some now....have to do it quick before the Packer game. Stay tuned....

 

[Looking4new]

I am outside North Bay, ON and I have two. A 10x20 peaked roof that has seen three winters and a 13x24 SUV shelter with a round top that has seen one winter. Both are good, but the one with the peaked roof you NEED to keep the snow load off. The 12x24, the snow load falls off as the wind blows.
I like the corrugated metal idea (I'll use plastic instead) and I will consider that for next year for the peaked roof one.

 

[ruffdog]

Here are the pictures. The little 10x10, the greenhouse hoops covered in metal with wood end walls, and the round top needing new end walls. The greenhouse hoops were too short so they are on top of buried 6x6 posts. I drilled 2" deep into the post tops for the hoops to sit into then fastened both together with angle brackets. One note, the more level and straight you get the hoops, the much easier and better results will be with the metal. Start at the top, with lots of measuring, then work down each side.

 

[3930dave]

I think this may be a different fatality than the woman I was thinking of. The CBC article also describes another fatality at a workplace.

Quebec woman dies after car shelter collapses under snow - Ottawa - CBC News

As this thread shows, some people have had good service from them... but if you get much snow at all, you need to be aware of the risk.

That point should be re-stated...... outdoorsey mechanically oriented types of people who live in High snow-fall zones should already be aware of snow load risks, as permanent structures have roof collapses in those zones many Winters. Probably who is at higher risk are people who live in a Light or Rare Snow zone, and are suddenly subjected to a major snow storm.

Catastrophic failures happen when the tubing bends/breaks under too high of a roof snow load. As has been pointed out, side-loading the vertical pipes can be a factor too.

It's not that the concept of the design can't work, it's just that when things are Built To a (Low) Price..... what can suffer is pipe gauge thickness, and truss spacing. Fabric can tear too, but that is less likely (IMO) to bring the whole thing down instantly.

Rgds, D.

 

[Deere Dude]

My BIL in NW Wisconsin put a 14'sidewall x 14 x 40 long with a 12'OH door on each end for his camper last year. He was concerned as are you about the snow load.

His unit has a peak type roof and the outside material is canvas/plastic type stuff. The structure is 2-1/4 poles that slip into each other and then are pinned. He was gone all winter and someone else was keeping an eye on it and there was no snow build up on the roof. It just slid right off. Their snowfall is about 150-170" per year. He built this thing in a shaded area so sun doesn't play much of a roll in melting the snow.
I think he said the whole setup cost around $3500. I only saw it once a month ago and I was impressed with it, but I was expecting something worse.

 

[Clint S]

Or a carport and add tin to the sides and back?

I live directly east of lake Ontario in snow country with 200 to 300 inches . I have seen a few of these collapse over the pat few years. Don't get me wrong I have seen more stay up than collapse , but they too need to be cleaned regularly.