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garage space / out of the box ideas?


Guest dansin1923

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Guest dansin1923

Greetings. Here it is:

We currently have 3 old cars, 1960 Desoto, 1921 Model T, & 1923 Dodge Bros. Sedan. We are posisble looking to add another, but we have effectively run out of garage. As it is, we are fortunate enough to be able to use Grandma's garage for 2 of them, but if we were to add another, we'd be out of luck. My question- what are you guys doing for storage? Renting space? Pole Barn probably not an option for us where we're at)? Commercial storage facility? Any ideas that haven't occurred to us?

Thanks,

-Dan

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Guest Kingoftheroad

Some Self Storage places rent private 10x20s for indoor car storage (very limited as far as how much you can work on car at location), other places have outdoor parking spaces.

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A California car collector, who has now passed on, had a similar problem and his solution was to buy another house to use as a rental when he needed additional garage space. He rented out the houses and kept the use of the garages for his car collection. He had dozens of rental homes and none of his renters could use the garages because he would lock off the garage from the renters.

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Dan, you're in my neck of the woods. You know what real estate conditions are like. Block buildings aren't bringing anywhere near their replacement cost. A friend just bough a nice 5,000 square foot building for $137,000. It's actually two commercial storefronts. He rents out one side and stores cars for friends on the other. There's a good business model in there somewhere.

I own two block buildings in Redford. That's where I keep my toys.

Here's my second solution. I was able to "raise the roof", so to speak, to accommodate two stacked cars.

IMG_0960.jpg

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Back in the early eighties when we got our first antique car, a one owner 1958 Chevy Biscayne 2-door, we only had on-street parking available. Luckily our neighbor across the street knew of a widow lady with a nice free standing garage in a good neighborhood and she was willing to rent it to us. We were allowed to put our own lock on it and come and go as we pleased. She was happy to add to her limited income. :)

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Guest Dave Boyer

Doesn't matter what you do, you'll never have enough room....

73grabber012.jpg

Since this picture was taken, I've put a 10X20 addition on the back of my garage, but it's now full.

Edited by Dave Boyer (see edit history)
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I live in the urban Bay Area just east of San Francisco, where every property is pricey, lots are small, and cities require variances for constructing outbuildings over 450 sf.

Years ago, even as a teenager (that was a very long time ago), I was often able to find rental garages by (1) asking neighborhood elderly widows who no longer drove, and (2) by posting 3x5 cards on the bulletin boards at neighborhood churches. In both cases, I stated clearly that the intended use was for infrequently-driven collector car(s) so that I would not be in and out twice a day. It usually helped if the car was running. I also assured the owner that the cars were fully insured for comprehensive (fire & theft). I could rarely get 'work-on' privileges, so these rental garages were primarily for running cars.

Over 20 yrs ago, after a long search I found a single family home with an 1800-sf clear-span garage + a 2-car garage. I bought it and continue to rent out the house and keep the garages. I have a provision in the lease that the driveway will not be blocked 7AM-9PM unless a licensed driver is home.

In 1996 I was able to buy a second rental property which backs up against the driveway of the first property. The second property has a 20 x 50 (1,000 sf) garage with overhead doors at both ends. I removed part of the driveway fence of the first, so I can enter the second property's garage from the rear as well as from the front.

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  • 6 months later...

Monitor sea-land boxs for moisture sweting,,

Be nice to the skinney kid down the street,,He may slide in easier for getting car out,,Cheers,,,Ben

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  • 5 weeks later...

Another idea I would seriously consider would be to buy an enclosed trailer, that way, you get an additional covered storage space and the advantage of the trailer as well. I know a couple people who do this, and I think a nice one can be had well under $10K - assuming you have a suitable tow vehicle.

A friend I know is also partners on one, but I do not know who gets to keep it as I do not know his other partner(s) - I would imagine guy who is willing to store it would get the privilege of keeping a car in it when not in use.

Also, you list some smaller cars - have you priced a "prefab shed" - a "T" or say English sports car could easilly fit into one of those for less than the price of adding a garage. (actually in thinking about this not sure about the height on a "T"...

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There is NO answer to this problem, as I currently have 9000 sq feet of garage space, and can't get my modern cars in out of the weather. We also borrow 5 spaces inside from another local collector who has 20,000 sq feet. He is also out of room! It is a sickness we all have, and sadly there is no cure. :rolleyes:

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Hi, have you tried this site?

Coachbuilders, Coach Building, Coachbuilt Cars, Coachbuilding History, Encyclopedia of American Coach Builders & Coachwork

"They also built a total of 35 bodies for Rolls-Royce’s Springfield, Massachusetts subsidiary that were shipped to Brewster in-the-white for use in Rolls-Royce’s Custom Coach Work (RRCCW) program. " from the above site.

There is a 1924 Pierce with his work on it. It's in Hugo Pfau's book. The car is now in the deep south.

Lots of good information on the coachbuilt cars. My intrest in LeBaron is post Tom Hibbard. Mostly from 1930 to 1934. Hibbard did a lot of work on Springfield Rolls and that would be a good place to look. Ed.

Edited by edinmass (see edit history)
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Here's my second solution. I was able to "raise the roof", so to speak, to accommodate two stacked cars.

IMG_0960.jpg

This is great idea if you have the head room in your garage but some sort of "liner", as is visible in the photo, is a must to protect those well waxed finishes.;)

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  • 2 months later...

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