Kit outbuildings for your vehicle storage

[MESSMAKER]

I think the metal carport idea is the cheapest, but no help with the rodents. I have had mice in my house from time to time. No shop will be that tight.

 

[TractorGuy]

Carolina Carports 42x31 open front on gravel. Panels were standard 26 gauge and I had the frame upgraded to 12ga. I also had the side walls at 9' and the center walls at 14' so the backhoe can driive in with the boom stowed. Actual height is 4" lower.

Mine is Florida spec rated for 170 mph winds.

I had to have the foundation ready and send pics before they would schedule. Took 6 weeks to arrive and two guys put it up in 2-1/2 days.

$11,400 in May 2020. I have another grand in fill and crushed red brick.

 

[Doc G]

When we bought or place it had a nice 30x60 slab about 100' from the back of the house. I saw it as halfway to a barn. We looked at kit barns which we have done in the past but didn't want to spend that kind of money. We then looked at metal buildings and ended up with this for half the cost of a wood kit barn. Worked with the salesman on the design and asked if I could erect it myself which is my normal approach. He talked me out of that and it worked out well. They erected it in three days. 14ga square tube frame and we upgraded the sheetmetal from 29ga to 26ga. We have since fitted it out with stall fronts on the left and hay storage and tack room on the right. I'm sure the price of metal has changed and don't know what labor cost is in your area. This was a local operation in central Texas. Not a big seller like Morton.

Phil: would you mind sharing who did this work for you? Am I correct in thinking it's kind of like a square-tube pole barn? (You could PM me if you want...) Thanks.

And here's another vote for outdoor cats if your local government allows. I am not a "pet" guy, but my cats work overtime and are well-trained cold blooded killers, God bless 'em.

 

[shooterdon]

I doubt a rodent proof building is doable on the cheap. I use bucket traps and they have done a good job of keeping mice at bay. If I lived in a more moderate climate, I would get two or three "barn cats", and put up a large car port structure. I see no need to have an enclosed building to store farm equipment. Just what to keep the sun and weather off the stuff.

 

[Kosmo]

My wife and I built a 14 x 27 VersaTube for a tractor that worked okay for a few years until I replaced the tractor with on that didn’t stand a chance. I believe cost was well under $5k but darn there were a lot of self-drilling screws to install. Structurally it was strong but sealing is difficult as the roof forms lateral water holding channels. We replaced it with a much larger, sturdier, and super costlier pole building whatever we build it’s not enough.

that's disappointing. after reading the info on their site i would have thought water intrusion would not be an issue. i just estimated a 35 x 50x 16 ft high on their site. $25k. without doors. i imagine my excavaton and gravel will be close to $15k. yikes!

 

[Kosmo]

I doubt a rodent proof building is doable on the cheap. I use bucket traps and they have done a good job of keeping mice at bay. If I lived in a more moderate climate, I would get two or three "barn cats", and put up a large car port structure. I see no need to have an enclosed building to store farm equipment. Just what to keep the sun and weather off the stuff.

yeah i've had issues with them buggers before up here. took me months to figure out they chewed a wire to my ecm on my grand cherokee a few years ago. in my garage.

 

[Kosmo]

Carolina Carports 42x31 open front on gravel. Panels were standard 26 gauge and I had the frame upgraded to 12ga. I also had the side walls at 9' and the center walls at 14' so the backhoe can driive in with the boom stowed. Actual height is 4" lower.

Mine is Florida spec rated for 170 mph winds.

I had to have the foundation ready and send pics before they would schedule. Took 6 weeks to arrive and two guys put it up in 2-1/2 days.

$11,400 in May 2020. I have another grand in fill and crushed red brick.

View attachment 691773

Nice!

 

[Alan W.]

Cousin learned the hard way that snow load ratings are a bit optimistic sometimes on the carport structures.

 

[RidgeHiker]

I have two carport type structures from American Steel. One is 20' x 20' m/l and the other is smaller. They are enclosed on three sides. The smaller one is for car storage, the larger for tractor, implements, etc. The latter has heavy duty sliding tarps to provide reasonable weather protection on the 4th side that I devised on my own. In no way rodent proof but certainly adequately weather proof. Both have snow and wind loads higher than required locally. I have had at least 2' of snow on the larger one without issues.

 

[buck12]

I doubt a rodent proof building is doable on the cheap. I use bucket traps and they have done a good job of keeping mice at bay. If I lived in a more moderate climate, I would get two or three "barn cats", and put up a large car port structure. I see no need to have an enclosed building to store farm equipment. Just what to keep the sun and weather off the stuff.

My cheap rodent proof tractor storage.