Building a Carport for Trailer Storage

[Lainey]

I never worried much about my parking area for the Boler as it is so small and easy to move around, but now that I’m thinking about a bigger unit – probably a 17’er or there about, I was hoping for some suggestions.

I will be having a garage built, hopefully this summer, and I would like to build a carport area on at the same time that I could park the trailer under.

I am attaching some images of my preliminary plans and would welcome any comments / suggestions / critiques of them, particularly for the trailer parking size, height, and feasibility.









Thanks all

[CarolnJim]

Here's what we did..

The gate is vinyl .. The 3/4 side opens to the front yard and is on two wheels. The small gate on the left side opens into the carport. This gives us a wide area to back into without worrying about the gates.

[Pete Dumbleton]

Just a general observation; if anyone building an RV storage facility makes the roof high enough to fit a BulgeMobile, it may enhance future sale of the home.

[Kathy & Doug Roach]

If the plan includes the potential to put a Boler 17 (or similar sized FGRV) in there, I think it's just a bit short lengthwise.
Our Trillium 5500 is 18 feet long tip to tail. Seeing that your shed doors open to 2'6 and the length of the overhead is 19 feet (20'6" with the overhang) I suspect some small bit of the tongue of that puppy is going to be sticking out.
Not a big deal until you want to either close in the end with a gate or store anything at all ahead or behind the Boler or walk around the rear of the trailer with shed doors open.

Just sayin'

Doug

[Alf S.]

Hi: A little too big is better than a little too small...If you got the space for bigger I would Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Lainey]

Thanks for the replies.

Your carport looks very spacious Carol! Very slick.

So I was trying to see where this garage of mine would sit on the site, and I ran into some difficulty (par for the course...) There is a utility right of way running along one side of my property, and the carport would have ended up over top of it ( a big NO-NO) so, I did a redesign.


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This is the largest set up I could do. Luckily I'm on a corner lot and I can use the street to access the carport instead of the lane (once I get my neighbours trained not to park on the street in front of my carport access that is!) I know the carport isn't very large, but do you think it is feasible for trailer storage? Or am I going to have a heck of a time backing a 17'er into it? There would be a fence/gate in front of the carport access, but it will be a few feet away, so if the tongue hangs out that's okay.

[CarolnJim]

Hi Lainey

10 foot wide is going to be tough, but with work, probably OK if you have a straight in run - Turning from the street into the carport ... I don't know.. The 16' 10" could be doable depending on your trailer... You might still want to use a cover over the trailer .. it won't be protected from weather ... our trailer still gets some sun, wind, rain, as large as the carport is.

[Denise K]

OK, so it's not a carport, but it has a carport for my old Suburban.
We had a special height garage built for the RolyPoly. Its 26 feet long and 12 feet wide inside:


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[Chester Taje]

Hi Denise K
I noticed the garage is built on skids. Any reason for that?
Garage and Car port look good.

[Brian B-P]

Lainey, I was going to suggest that the carport should be longer, so that the trailer could be far enough from the storage doors for access and still have sufficient overhang to keep rain and sun off of the tongue-mounted stuff (propane tanks, etc); however, it appears that reality will be in the other direction. Perhaps some sort of removable cover for the front would be ideal, but at least there won't be snow buildup on the roof, which will be good.

I agree with Pete that for resale value something capable of accommodating a more typical RV would be good, but taller RVs are going to be too long for this carport, anyway, so I wouldn't worry about it.

The 17' trailer will be easier to back up than a shorter one, since overcontrolling is not so much of a problem. The bigger issue is that if the new trailer is a widebody (like a Bigfoot, the B1700, or a widebody 17' Burro - not that anyone's ever seen a Burro here...) it is a foot or more wider that a 13' Boler. 10' is still enough room, but care will be required.

[Denise K]

Hi Denise K
I noticed the garage is built on skids. Any reason for that?
Garage and Car port look good.

The county was giving me static about where I could place the building when I applied for the permit. There is a 50' foot setback from the property line, and though we own the 32' wide strip of property immediately next to our original lot, because we hadn't redone a survey they didn't want to let us place it where we wanted it. If we had done it their way, it would have been attached to the house.
I read through the requirement, ran it by our lawyer and found that I didn't have to hassle a permit if it was on skids! In this county it is considered a 'drop-off' shed. Plus cost of pouring a foundation would have been too much. The building was delivered without a roof and that was added, along with the carports (there is one on the other side for the tractor/mower) afterwards.

[Chester Taje]

The county was giving me static about where I could place the building when I applied for the permit. There is a 50' foot setback from the property line, and though we own the 32' wide strip of property immediately next to our original lot, because we hadn't redone a survey they didn't want to let us place it where we wanted it. If we had done it their way, it would have been attached to the house.
I read through the requirement, ran it by our lawyer and found that I didn't have to hassle a permit if it was on skids! In this county it is considered a 'drop-off' shed. Plus cost of pouring a foundation would have been too much. The building was delivered without a roof and that was added, along with the carports (there is one on the other side for the tractor/mower) afterwards.

Kool---Thats what i thought.Thanks for answere.