Storage shed questions

brianlanning · 2006-03-15T14:23:45+00:00

This is running the risk of being off topic, but since it may involvesome woodworking and the shop, I figure it's fair game.I have not one, not two, but ten bicycles in my garage/shop. Inaddition, I have a lawn mower, weed wacker, gas cans, propane tanks,snow-related doo-dads, and a lot of other crud I'd like to get out ofthere to free up more shop space and keep the little ones fromhabitually parking their bicycles in exactly the worst locations everytime.The obvious solution is a back yard storage shed. The idealarrangement would be something extremely large, but there are a numberof caveats.We're renting our house at the moment. For a variety of reasons, wereally like the current arrangement of not owning the house and wouldlike to stay there for years to come. We have zero faith in ourlandlord's ability to continue to make mortgage payments though. Andwe know he wants us to buy the house a year from now at a ridiculousprice. So there's a good chance that we'll have to move in a year.Money isn't really a problem. If we knew we would be staying there forthe next five years or more, I would have no problem investing $5k inan out building. We don't really need a huge building that $5k wouldget, but would use the space if we had it. For now, a small 4x8 shedwould probably be adequate.So I need to be able to take it with me when/if we move. This meansthat I would need to be able to get the shed onto, say, a 6x12 open airuhaul trailer without too much trouble. Or, I would need to be able todisassemble it into pieces I can throw on a trailer.The really easy arrangement would be to use an actual trailer and justpark it out there. But that's way too trailer-park for theneighborhood. And the association says that the out building needs tobe painted to match the house.So can anyone suggest a house-looking trailer with removable tongue andwheels that can be set up in the back yard to be a storage shed,painted to match the house...orCan anyone suggest a...

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lwhaley 20 years ago

at the moment. So there's a good chance that we'll have to move in a year.

For now, a small 4x8 shed

I had a similar situation when I lived at the trailer park. I needed a substantial shed for secure storage. I built a nice sturdy full-height shed, 10x10 at the base and 12x12 at the eaves. I never gave a thought as to what I would do when I moved. Well, when I did get ready to move, I was able to hire someone to move it for me. I just looked in the phone book under house movers. I was able to hire a guy to move my big shed 250 miles to my new location, no problem. For someone who is used to moving houses, a shed is a non-event.

So if 4x8 is big enough for you then you should be able to buy or build anything you want. You could even look for a mover in advance. I think you should build or buy an extra sturdy shed that will stand up to being towed at highway speed. I lost a few shingles on mine but was otherwise was very happy and surprised at how easy it was to have a rather large shed moved.

Lawrence

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Mike Reed 20 years ago

Ack! My bikes are only outside when I'm on them! Dunno about brianlannings, but, well, ACK!

-Mike

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Steve DeMars 20 years ago

In my area, if you have a shed on skids . . . any tilt-back wrecker company will move it for you at the same rate as towing a car . . . One guy here says he would rather move an eight by ten shed than a full size pick-up . . . Basically a dollar a mile . . . . I would line up a wrecker/mover and build with the intent for it to fit on a tilt-back wrecker . . . this way you are not limited to one hauler down the road . . . . My brother builds large iron gates and has them moved this way . . . . he has a large wooden skid, builds the gate on it, then calls the wrecker . . . cheaper than a trucking company & most of these guys are independents and price is very negotiable . . .

Steve

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brianlanning 20 years ago

The weather here is brutal in the winter. I doubt the bikes would last a year outside. Besides, the association police would start sending me nastygrams.

brian

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Leuf 20 years ago

I gues then I would think of the shed as more a "bike garage" with room for storing other things rather than a shed in which bikes can be put. If all the bikes have a real place where they belong and it's easier to get them in it than find a place in the garage to leave em then you've at least got a chance of them ending up there at the end of the day. Otherwise it's just going to be space that gets filled up and you'll be right back where you are now.

God help you when they start driving :)

-Leuf

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brianlanning 20 years ago

The oldest one gets a learner's permit next year. We've already joked about paving the front yard to turn it into a parking lot.

brian

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Robatoy 20 years ago

Yes indeed. But it has its drawbacks too. That 'quick-glue-up-so-it-can

-dry-overnight' can run into hours. For years I worked on premises then built out in the country, some 25 km away (that's 15.5 miles for you metrically impaired readers) I did that drive for 13 years and liked closing the door and leaving it behind. Now the cycle seems to be starting all over again. In Sept '06, my non-competition agreement expires and, man, I need to move..I'm getting claustro here.. I actually manage to bump into myself on a regular basis.

To build a 2.5 car garage on my property would do the job, but then I'm still taking a chance with the zoning folks. My current garage/shop is one a property two doors down, which is zoned farm/light industrial, but there I can't expand as the 'coverage' of the property would need a variance...and the odds are not good around here.

Onward

r

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