Anyone ever use a "Garage in a box" for a wood shed?

[rosencra38]

I know I've seen posts where people are paying for the metal car garages to use as a wood shed but today I found a "garage in a box" 12x20 (I think 10' tall, might be 8' though) on sale for $329 regularly $399. It's a poly canvas type cover on a steel frame. The cover enclosed the entire unit from the ground up and had the option to keep the ends open or close it down when needed. I was thinking this might be a good option to use as a wood shed. I am already planning on building a 10X16 wood shed from wood framing but might have to rethink. I'll have to do a cost estimate of my wood frame shed idea vs the "garage in a box" but I know I'll get a lot more wood in the latter...

 

[LLigetfa]

One year I couldn't get a truckload of my fav Ash and had to settle for Birch. Birch will rot if left out and I had more than would fit in my woodshed so I stored the rest of it in my roundtop. Mind you, it was the third year before I got to it but it was some of the best wood I ever burned. It you mount the legs up off the ground so that air can get underneath and you elevate the woodpile on pallets, with a vent cut into the back panel, it works well. What I really liked about stacking in the roundtop was that with the angled sides, the crosspiled ends of the rows leaned enough to not risk falling over. If you stack the full 10 foot height, lock the rows together with a few double-length logs after you reach about 5 feet height.

I put concrete blocks under the legs and dug a trench around the gravel base.

 

[Brian VT]

I'm considering one too but am concerned about wind storms . We usually get a few 50 mph per year. Any thoughts on that ?

 

[jadm]

I'm wondering how long the cover would hold up with snow and wind and sun....and how much to replace if it were to tear and if a replacement could be found.....

 

[LLigetfa]

I hammered stamped steel fenceposts in the ground at every upright and clamped them to the uprights. It hasn't moved in any wind. Mine's been up for around 5 years and I see a lot of them still standing after 10 years. I pull the snow off of it.

 

[matt701]

I have 2 garages from a box. The first one is a 10x20 shelterlogic I got from pepboys for $200. It's on it's fourth winter and holding up great. The second one I just bought was $300 at BJ's and is much heavier and is 12x24 and built really well. The only thing about using them for wood storage is you need to occasionally knock the snow off the roof which is easily done by walking inside of it and extending your arms above your head and jumping up in down in the 8 or 10 sections in between the frame. If it's filled with wood, I dont think you would be able to do that. I live directly in the lake effect snow belt and can tell you they hold more heavy snow than you'd think. I've had about a foot of heavy lake effect snow on both pile up while I was at work and they were fine. I store my tractor in one and a vehicle in the other. I thought about wood storage, but for me I don't think it would work well with all of the snow we get. As far as wind, they sell the 30 inch augers that go into the ground with cables to tie to the frames from pepboys. I didn't buy them, I took steel posts, drove them deep into the ground and wired them around the garage frame with no problems so far. Check out the ones at BJ's, they are a great deal.

 

[LLigetfa]

Mine is 12x20 and 10 feet tall. I stacked the wood right to the top and as it dried, it shrunk a foot. I made the mistake of not tying the rows together so as the first row dried more through the end grain, it put on a bad lean against the rear panel.

I pull the snow off with a roof rake. Leave a thin layer of snow so you don't damage the tarp. Don't try to pull ice off as it will take bits of the tarp with it.

 

[cityevader]

I have a 10x20 unit, first put up summer '03. Last summer was showing definite signs of roof deterioration, and this past summer the roof was so sun-damaged any pressure at all tore it. Got a new roof from Northern for $80, and it'll go at least a good 4 years...easy to replace. and my wife and I by ourselves managed to pick the thing up and inchworm it 50 ft over and 8 ft down. I had a little less than half of it filled to nearly 8 feet tall for this years wood. If I had a nice and actually level spot, I'd pay more for a permanent metal roof. For now, fabric fine.

 

[Girl]

My neighbor uses what looks like be an old military tent, but it could be one of those garage in a box.
Although it looks more like a military tent, never walked up to really inspect it.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

We've considered those also. They come in various prices depending on the fabric and frame as to cost. It would perhaps pay one to not go too cheap.

We've been watching one that a fellow put up about 4 or 5 years ago and he uses it for a garage. It still looks fine except for one tear. Probably something fell over inside creating the tear, but these can be fixed very easily.

But I'd like to know where to buy one for $200 or $300! That is cheap and if they lasted only maybe 5 or 6 years would probably be worth it. Then when the fabric went bad you could always put galvanized on the frame and just make a roof, leaving most of the sides and ends open.

 

[LLigetfa]

I got mine at Menards. If I got another one, I'd be tempted to line the inside of it with tyvek house wrap.
http://www.acehardwaresuperstore.com/barricade-basics-perforated-housewrap-p-91717.html?ref=42

I've also thought of lining the lower part of the walls with long skinny trees. I have lots of young Poplars growing over 25 feet tall that are 4 inches at the stump. With the walls lined, you could just loose pile the wood inside. Slabs are another option if you have a source. OSB would work too and be a lot less work.

 

[savageactor7]

I would recommend a rounded 'Quonset hut' design if you live in a snow area. Arches can take wicked heavy loads.

 

[iskiatomic]

A wood burning buddy has one of these garage in a box that works out very well. Leave's the end flaps up a bit to get air through. You also have to figure it can be picked up and relocated if necessary.


At the moment, we are in Sunday River ME. Kinda waiting for the mercury to hit 0 so we can do a little skiing. I have a 0 tolerance rule. Damn, I miss my wood stove this weekend, it seems I can hear my boiler kicking on from here and seeing the $$$$$$$$$$ being spent for oil.


KC

 

[LLigetfa]

I cut a louvered vent into the top of the rear panel of mine. There is a 6 inch gap under the panels and in the Summer I would lift the skirt to let more air in. I stuck a pipe inside the loop at the bottom of the door panels so I can roll up the door panel on this pipe and hold it up with bungee cords.

Whatever you do, only get the heavier roundtop style. A guy down the road from me tried using the cheaper white shelters with sloped roof on his woodpile and it didn't last the winter. I had one of those cheap white shelters that I used for portable shade but a nasty storm ripped it to shreds. The rountop survived the same storm.

 

[rosencra38]

Thanks for all of the replys. I am definitely leaning towards going this route for a wood shed. I could probably build one for less but it would hold almost half the amount of wood as well. I know I couldn't build a wood shed of this same size for less than what they are selling for...