Temporary car ports

[nonofyobiz]

Has anyone here bought one of these? Gonna be a couple of years before I can build a garage so I was thinking one of these would be really useful. Can tire had one on sale however it didn't look like the anchoring system would be adequate. Ifi could tire down the tops of the posts/ribs i'm sure it could stand up to calgary wind storms.......thoughts?

[Tik-Tok]

You can get them way cheaper in the states. My boss is picking one up this week. One thing he mentioned that I didn't think of was that if you secure them to the ground, you legally need a permit, as it's now a "permanent structure". So he's going to anchor it to 2x6's and sandbags to weigh it down.

[J-hop]

You are correct the anchoring system is not adequate. We had one at the cabin and it was picked up and thrown across our yard in a wind storm. I would want to anchor it using cement blocks or something next time. But while it lasted it was great, easy to setup kept the elements out.

The only issue I could see is push back from your neighbors when they see an ugly beige structure pop up next to them.

[clem24]

I also can't see these working in the winter either... Definitely would collapse from the weight of the snow.

[lilmira]

I think it's better to leave your car exposed than to put something made for temporary use over it. The picture of a flying tent in my head will keep me up all night on any windy day. The risk of damage far outweighs the benefit.

[510-Trevor]

I've used mine for the last 4 years with no problems. Bought it at CDN Tire for $300.
I have mine staked it to the ground at each post. The cover is also attached to the base of the post with a ratcheting system to make it all tight.
Make sure to stake the doors to the ground when they are closed as well.

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k89/SpecV-Trevor/My%20Dime/winterstorage4.jpg

[Abeo]

Originally posted by clem24
I also can't see these working in the winter either... Definitely would collapse from the weight of the snow.

Definitely won't collapse from the weight of the snow. Let me see if I can dig some pic up from back east...

Biggest worry that I see is the wind, without proper anchors the shelters get tossed around with >50 km/h winds. I tied mine to some 20 ft long logs, that kept it down, but man do they ever catch the wind.

[e31]

Only use these things for short term storage, and make sure that it is well sheltered (by another garage, fence, etc).

Don't get the ones that have multiple fabric pieces. I had two of these anchored to a 2x6 base all the way around. The problem with these is that the fabric on most of these will wear out very quickly if it flaps in the wind; since it is impossible to keep these things taught. 510-Trevor's looks like one piece of fabric, so that one may be better.

[Abeo]

The biggest issue we had from the fabric was it was basically a tarp, and after a few years of sun exposure it broke down. We replaced the cover with another tarp, it lasted ~6 years as well. The canvas-like covers last longer.