Jayhawkhusker, i just sent an email to complaining to every member of parliament in Australia for the same very issue of how difficult it is to spend money in a recession, when we need planning permission to build a barn to house a proposed purchase of a tractor. So Im surprised your having same problems in your country...lol The Greenies have taken over our economy so we cant generate deisel polution, but then we cant produce food either... the world has gone mad IMO. (RED Emphasis added by My Hoe)
Jayhwkhusker,
Off-topic Preamble
Well, I'm a "granola-crunching, Birkenstock-wearing EXTREMELY-LIBERAL/PROGRESSIVE GREENIE" albeit with a possible solution for you. And as you will see, by the attached pic, MY STORAGE SOLUTION ACTUALLY PRODUCED FOOD, too, thereby SIMULTANEOUSLY addressing your second objection to "GREENIES"! LOL
Mea Culpa
But to be fair, I must admit I'm taking your comment out of context, as my "food production" was not NEARLY enough to feed me, and had nothing to do with diesel emissions, so I can't address that issue, as I am ignorant of the restrictions facing you in your country. In the U.S., however, IMO, it seems like it doesn't matter what us "
Greenies" want--it's more like "burn, baby burn!" Or "drill, baby drill!"
(Inexplicably, not too many of my fellow Americans seem to "get" that if you only have 3% of the PLANET'S known oil reserves, yet you CONSUME 25% of the PLANET'S known oil reserves, you can't drill 3% into 25%. :confused2: And I too hope to burn diesel in a Kubota, one day soon, so I'm just as guilty as a "non-Greenie," in that regard.
Renewables ARE Becoming Economically-Competitive
It is a fact, however, that renewable energy like wind power has now become cheaper, in some locations, than some conventional forms of electricity production, particularly natural gas. However, I freely admit that natural gas is NOT the main source of U.S. electrical power--we get about 51% of our electricity from coal, here, (
which releases coal's naturally-occurring URANIUM into the atmosphere, possibly linked to autism) and I also freely admit that Kubota's don't run on electricity, but there ARE ways to generate motor fuel, other than dino-oil--
but they have their own problems (cold temps being just one), and that's a topic for another day.
Climbing Down Off of My "Green" Soapbox Now....
So I'll try to restrict my wordy-self to your storage issue, as my saga may just work for you, with a little luck. (And I only started wearing Birkenstocks [sandles favored by granola-crunching "Greenies"]
AFTER I developed foot problems--so please, kindly, knock on REAL WOOD for me, THREE TIMES, for my foot problems, because they are a MAJOR PITA and I hope to HEAL them!--THANKS!).
I did wear "Mandals" (sandals for men) for many years, however, (and whenever I could) as they are more comfortable than what many of the other humans wear. :thumbsup:
Not ALL "Greenies" Want to Spoil Your Fun, Or Economy....
But I would like to ask you to consider not painting ALL of us "Greenies" or ENVIRONMENTALISTS with the same brush, because SOMETIMES, (at least the "blue collar Greenies") DO have the pragmatic answers you seek, as you will see, if you keep reading, and view the attached pic.
A Cheaper Way to Store Your Tractor?
In the U.S., a USED SHIPPING CONTAINER, that's only 20'L by 8' wide by 8' high, is $1,200-1,500. USD--and usually, that's PLUS delivery.
But I got on
The Freecycle Network, and got myself a "high cube," 9.5'H by 8'W by 20' long SHIPPING CONTAINER, with an OAK FLOOR,
FOR FREE. The website I named is INTERNATIONAL, so you "drill down" by country, state, city, etc....
A guy was getting rid of this storage container, which he'd used as part of his motorcycle business, for 20 years. Yeah, there's a few 1" holes that, when I weld patches over them, will end up being 2-3", no doubt, but only the ENDS need painting. One door is bent (he lied about that) and it only closes to within 1.5" of being closed,
but IT WAS FREE.
Freecycle is DEDICATED TO KEEPING GOOD STUFF OUT OF LANDFILLS, by giving it to PEOPLE WHO WANT IT.
Unlike the "short" 8' tall shipping containers you can see behind a Home Depot (here, in the states)
this one is a "high cube," meaning it's 9.5' tall, INSIDE--mine came from the U.K., originally, per some legend inside it. It does NOT leak (other than the bent door, and that has NOT been a problem).
You WILL Have to Transport Your New "Garage"
I hired a rollback ($500., in the NYC-tri-state area--probably cheaper by you?) and I tipped the Romanian driver $50., as I had to chainsaw a few more trees to keep his nice truck from being scratched, while he waited, patiently, for 20-30 minutes.
If you could find one WITHOUT a bent door,
you've got WATER-TIGHT storage, (there's rubber gaskets on the doors) and I'd say the skin is ALL of 1/8" thick, solid steel--if not 3/16"--and the doors are MASSIVELY-SECURE, (okay, other than the LOCKS--LOL) as you can see on any shipping container. It weighs 8,000 lbs, which means I can call a "scrapper," when we move, and he'll PAY ME more than the $550. I've got in it. and he'll haul it away, again, FOR FREE,
so I'll get my $550. in transportation charges back--with "interest!"
I'm CHEAP--I Didn't Like The Alternatives. Your Mileage May Vary :laughing:
Now, consider that, for $650. USD, (i.e., $100. more than I paid, including delivery) I can buy a
plastic (Rubbermaid?) "shed," at Costco, that's only like 8'x8' (maybe 10' x 10"? And probably a lot shorter than 8', let alone 9.5' tall. But I'm probably being generous) that's, again,
plastic, meaning anyone with a cordless Saw-zall, or grinder with cutt-off wheel, that
"wants in," will
EASILY GET in.... And it's NOT big enough to put a B-sized Kubota in--maybe not even a BX?
By comparison, if I chain the door (since the one won't close all the way) I've got DRY, SECURE STORAGE, for (possibly?) LESS than a Shelter-Logic (and no offense to the member suggesting that--I looked at them HARD, but I got put off by the issue of how to keep ground moisture from coming up, in MY location--others with a dryer property may not have that problem like I would.
(And if you don't have snow to contend with, Shelter-Logic looks even better.) However, in my location, I just threw a few 6" x 6", pressure-treated timbers my friend gave me, on the ground, (six yeas aog?) and the rollback driver dropped it EXACTLY where I wanted it. I would have used railroad ties, but I didn't have any.
So, check The Freecycle Network. If they're in your country, you can put up a post, requesting what you want. If 8'-9.5' is not high enough for your tractor, then please disregard this post. But if it is, you might just get lucky.
I love my shipping container. I will hate to scrap it when we move, but SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) says it doesn't fit with the "decor" of our next house, and the transport to the new location would be a lot more--the $500. rollback fee only got me about 30-40 miles.
The thing is, although the doors and front end are heavily surface-rusted, all it would need is a half day with a sandblaster and some paint, and it'd be good for another 20 years--and I'd have to weld up a few holes--no big deal.
I had plans to cut in a "man door," made out of steel, if I could find one, complete with doorjamb, for free.
There is actually a movement to build HOUSES OUT OF SHIPPING CONTAINERS--you can google it. Some people go crazy and insulate and sheet rock them inside, or better yet, get a "reefer" that's already insulated, (and you'd never know, from inside--and sometimes, even from
outside) that they were 2-3 shipping containers, welded together.
Shipping Containers ARE COOL!
Okay--I googled it--here's some cool pics, IMO:
"shipping container houses" - Google Search
Many People Speak Highly of Shelter-Logic--I Might Get One Too....
Of course, if a shipping container is not an option, then by all means, a "Shelter Logic" solution is probably the way to go, as was suggested. I've read good things about them, and may just get one, to put all the crap inside the container, under cover, so I can put the Kubota I HOPE I'm buying, in the container. I just happened to "luck out," because a guy actually came TO BUY THIS CONTAINER, prior to the owner listing it on Freecycle, but the would-be buyer had made no arrangements to load it onto his lowboy, which he showed up with, with cash.
And unlike a tent, I never have to worry about knocking the snow off of it, like if I'm out of town. I WALK on it, to trim the high hedges away from it, so I can see into the ladies' pool, next door. Just kidding--I don't go up there to see their pool--they'd spot me. But I do go up there to trim the hedges. The roof will "oil can" in one place, where the top got crimped a little, under a low bridge, I guess, but other than that, it's (
almost) like walking on the ground--it's SOLID STEEL, after all.
I just got lucky--but maybe you could too!
Ah--"Zoning" Issues--It Pays to Be "Sneaky"....
Oh! Btw--regarding your zoning issues--I was worried about that too--technically, I DON'T think I would have needed a building permit, as there's no "foundation," but I'm pretty confident the Town does NOT want INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING CONTAINERS in your
yard, either, and would have said "You can't have it because yada yada yada...," as we're only 30 miles from The Big Apple. But instead, luckily, the day I had it delivered, a HUGE BLIZZARD was forecast, and ARRIVED, right on time. Previously, I had gotten USED,(FREE) WOODEN FENCING ("PRIVACY" FENCING? WITH THE POINTED TOPS?), from a fence company. I screwed two 6-7' tall sections together, over-lapping them at the "crossbars" that reinforce the tops, for a total height of 10-ish feet.
Then, ALL IN THE SAME DAY I HAD IT DELIVERED--after I had spent like 10-15 hours snow blowing the site off, the night before, and trimming our 15' hedges back, prior to delivery, IT
SNOWED. DURING the blizzard, after screwing two 10+' high, by 8' wide sections together, I just TIPPED THEM UP against the container. I lacked the last 4' of coverage, but BECAUSE OF THE BLIZZARD, THAT AFTERNOON AND NIGHT, WHICH I WORKED THROUGH, no one noticed! A couple of weeks later, I scavenged the additional 8' of fence I needed, cut it in half, screwed it together, so it was 10+' high, tipped it up, and tied all of them across the top of the container, to the hedges--and to the universal "crane-pick holes"--I don't know the correct term, but these containers are stackable, like at least FOUR LEVELS HIGH, LOADED, on ships, so they have BIG, Lug-holes at the corners) so the fences wouldn't come down and kill me, next summer. Then, I tied strings to the fences, so our beans could climb them.
Actually, only the cucumbers climbed them--I'm still mad at the beans....
Happily, it was one or two
YEARS before a neighbor happened to "notice" my international shipping container, and asked me about it. No DOUBT it's not "to code," but then, my neighbor's DRAGSTER TRAILER is probably not "to code," either. We dislike each other
intensely (he's an EXTREME conservative, and too uptight to accept a Heiniken, for Chrissake!) but I guess neither of us want "zoning trouble" so we just don't talk to each other. I talk to his wife, occasionally, as she's a gardener, so it's all good.
It Pays to Buy BETTER ROPE! LOL
Oh! I found that the lifespan of the neoprene rope I used is only 5 years, so one section of fence has fallen down, and I can't put it up alone, anymore (and please knock on REAL WOOD, THREE TIMES, for me, so that I'm physically capable of such "Tomfoolery" again? Thanks!) But my neighbor's son is pretty helpful, so that's on my "Hey Joey, can you help me just..." list. He's a good kid. :laughing:
I'm gonna try to attach a pic--that'll help you visualize all this.
The "moral" of this screed?
If it's FREE, it's for ME. :laughing:
Best of luck to you--and seriously, try
The Freecycle Network. I've gotten bicycles, stereo equipment, a router and router table, a table saw (but lacking a fence, ironically) and, well, you name it. You're supposed to OFFER something on Freecycle, first, before you post your "wants," but the two items I've offered, people said they wanted them, then never showed....
Of course, if you're not as "Scottish" as I am, you could just BUY a nice, clean, used shipping container. They're only 8' wide, obviously, but if your big issue is zoning, well, at least, here, in my part of the U.S., no foundation means a) they don't raise your taxes because it's not "permanent" and I don't know if you'd even need a permit.
Again, the "official" answer is probably "No way!" from a purely aesthetics point of view--but that's assuming you ask, in the first place. A greater mind than mine once said "Sometimes it's better to say 'I'm sorry' than to ask permission...."
A Fake Roof?
I've also considered that if one were any kind of carpenter (which I am definitely NOT) one could put a short, cosmetic, peaked "roof" on one, just by welding some angle iron along the top edges, and bolting your "roof" to it. Maybe some paint that matches your house, and a roll-up door (which a van body off of a "straight-job" truck would already have) and it's a "narrow garage?" But I have no idea if the roofing would be more expensive than something wider, and thus more useful, like a for-real garage. :ashamed:
Speaking of Trucks--Don't Forget About a Box Van-body
Sometimes, you will see a "spent" straight-job truck for sale, at auction, or whatever. What's nice about that is that they may already have a nice, garage-style roll-up, overhead door. Once removed, this "box van body" could be also "roll-backed" into your yard. Places that rent storage trailers may have, or know of, just such a van-body, already off of the truck. And some are "high cube," i.e., taller than 8', too. Just a thought....
I guess I just lean naturally toward "recycle, reuse, repurpose."
I'd apologize for the length of this screed (as I know that irritates some folks) but if you've read this far, it's too late. I'm sorry anyway, if that helps.
Again, best of luck with a solution.
My Hoe
