New trailer shelter

[Jordan]

Here’s a little project I put up in my driveway. A little more expensive than a trailer cover, but still only C$1400 in materials plus paying two guys for 8 hours to build it. Much faster for for winter use than a cover, and lots of airflow for the trailer!

[cpaharley2008]

Jordan, You can edit your pictures to fix them upright for I think up to an hour.

[Eggscape]

Looks like it is going to protect your trailer well.

I am sure with the green grass and nice flowers, some will not believe that the pictures were just taken and that you live in Canada...the great white north.

[Jordan]

Originally Posted by Eggscape

Looks like it is going to protect your trailer well.

I am sure with the green grass and nice flowers, some will not believe that the pictures were just taken and that you live in Canada...the great white north.

This is Victoria spring! Now we just need to hope this COVID issue wraps up so we can get out and use our new toy!

[cpaharley2008]

Those blocks I see, do you have to put the trailer up in the rear while in the carport?

[Jordan]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Those blocks I see, do you have to put the trailer up in the rear while in the carport?

Good eye Jim. Yes, they are to get the trailer level due to my sloping driveway. It is a bit tricky to back onto them, but they seem to work.

[gocamp]

You ever have rain water make it under your garage door with that slope. I see the drain but wondered about a downpour. Thanks for sharing, great photos and finished project!

[sclifrickson]

Beautiful! Nicely done!

[cpaharley2008]

Does your metal roof divert water back to your house and if so do you have a downspout to divert it away?

[arniesea]

Originally Posted by gocamp

You ever have rain water make it under your garage door with that slope. I see the drain but wondered about a downpour. Thanks for sharing, great photos and finished project!

Victoria, as with most of the Salish Sea area, (Seattle, Victoria, Vancouver) rarely gets downpours. Victoria's annual rainfall averages 23" / Year which is less than most of Oklahoma. And that is spread out over 8 to 9 months. It drizzles here ... constantly! So the reputation for rain in our area is because it is always raining but little bit at a time. T-storms are very rare. Actually in terms of total rainfall, it is half of New York City at 50" / year.

[gbaglo]

Hope it's engineered for this ( from Wiki ): Every few decades Victoria receives very large snowfalls including the record breaking 100 cm (39.4 in) of snow that fell in December 1996.
I took down my flimsy carport because I couldn't walk on it and it got layered with wet cedar and sometimes heavy snow.

[jennykatz]

We are thinking about the same kind of a carport down in SW Florida .It sure helps keeping the tree sap and grunge that comes with leaving it out in the open . We used a cover but it is falling apart here in the Florida sun hopefully we will get 4 yrs out of it .I went to building dept and permits will cost about 1/3 of what it will cost to finish car port ?
Did you use 4by4 posts and how high were they ? I was thinking maybe 6by6 or 4by6 posts for our Hurricane season .It all depends on what is allowed from the building dept . Jim W

[cpaharley2008]

In the picture shown they appear to be 4x4 posts.....probably 10' long

[Dave Walter]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Hope it's engineered for this ( from Wiki ): Every few decades Victoria receives very large snowfalls including the record breaking 100 cm (39.4 in) of snow that fell in December 1996.
I took down my flimsy carport because I couldn't walk on it and it got layered with wet cedar and sometimes heavy snow.

There are cross-braces in the front to back direction, but nothing in the side-side direction. May not take much lateral loading to become unstable in that direction.

[cpaharley2008]

It would appear with the base supports locked in place as well as the top cross members secured it would meet applicable building codes for the area.

[Jordan]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Does your metal roof divert water back to your house and if so do you have a downspout to divert it away?

Yes, the water from the metal roof does run towards the house (just as it did on the driveway), but I was able to use a gutter to tie it into my house drainage.

[Jordan]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Hope it's engineered for this ( from Wiki ): Every few decades Victoria receives very large snowfalls including the record breaking 100 cm (39.4 in) of snow that fell in December 1996.
I took down my flimsy carport because I couldn't walk on it and it got layered with wet cedar and sometimes heavy snow.

"Engineered", no. Overbuilt, a little. Will I be home to move the wet snow off, I hope so!

[Jordan]

Good eyes everyone. The construction is 4x4 on the ends, with a 4x6 in the middle to attached the 2x8 bearers onto.

The interior clearance height is 9' 10", as when I back down the top lip of the driveway the back end of the trailer gets pushed up a little.

The lateral bracing is an issue. After these photos were taken, I attached some bracing on the back wall. I can't do it on the front two posts because there is not enough clearance for the trailer. The saving grace is that the posts on one side are not just attached to the driveway, but also to the retaining wall. This is the only reason the structure wont fall over in a high wind!