PORTABLE GARAGE

Ever since we bought the boat, we’ve been thinking about where/how to park it in the summer so that it would be protected from the sun and rain.  We’ve been parking it on the north side of the shop where it get some shade during the middle of the day and have covered it with a tarp which isn’t very effective.  We considered building a roof attached to the shop and out over the boat, but that would use up the RV parking space and would still not provide full protection from the afternoon sun.

After much research, we decided to purchase a portable garage and set it up at the north-east corner of the property.  The right one was available at Canadian Tire and we were able to buy it at a sale price.  We had fun putting it together and spent about 3 days in all on the job.

The first step was to put the metal “ribs” together and that was quick and easy.  We were able to assemble each one in the comfort of the shop where it is clean and handy to all of the tools.

 The next step was to put anchor boards/skids down on each side of the structure to add a few inches to the overall height and provide a level and consistent surface for attaching the ribs.  We secured the boards to the ground with rebar pounded through them at an angle.

Then came the skeleton structure and that went okay once we got 3 sets of ribs connected for stability. Putting up the rest was quick and then we secured the ribs to the anchor boards.

The end tarps were next and they took more time to get secured.  Each tarp has drawstring style webbing that needed to be pulled taut and then secured with ratchets on each side.

Once the ends were up, we pulled the huge (24 feet by 28 feet) main tarp over the top using ropes attached to one side.  That wasn’t really difficult, but it was a good thing it wasn’t a windy day.  This tarp was secured with cross-pipes that went into sleeves near the bottom of the tarp and then the pipes attached to the ribs.  This was the most work as they needed to be pounded down to fit properly between the ribs and all at the same height from the ground.

We levelled out the gravel surface inside the garage and then backed the boat in very slowly.  We were confident that the width of the door opening was adequate but the height was very close.  We cleared the opening by an inch or two and the boat fit very well.  We were even able to put our inflatable boat in the garage as well so everything will stay dry and protected.

It was a fun project and very satisfying to have a good result.  Next posting will be about the garden.