Storage: Found some
 

Man the rates around me are all over the map - and imo a bit crazy.

38 feet for $105-$130 (im 42) - protection for the roof, 1/2 the rear and god knows WHO parking / bumping into me on each side - no utility or 15/110 shared on a 4 outlet plug.

Ive been quoted 160-190 for roof only (no front / side or rear) w/ NO utility or shared 110/15a outlet.

I finally found a Sweet deal - FULLY enclosed PRIVATE - my own roll-up / lockable door....50' deep by 15' wide (18+ tall) w/ 1-50a outlet and 2 110/15a (four outlet).

the site has a DUMP TANK & wash-out ON SITE <no more paying flying-j or begging a dump/washout> and the location even has a wash bay !

Ive found its easier to BACK IN <while most pull in> !

https://www.truckconversion.net/attac...b340a02247.jpg

mini storage/storage units ........ aka cash cows

you got that right Don !

this business/storage lot owner built these 60 private garages SPECIFICALLY for coaches - probably because he's got a new ForeTravel (1M+) - I figure just the RV Storage lot I'm in so delivering something about 20k a month in revenue - and theres some more vacant land on the property for another building or two.

i was on several "waiting" lists for 40 foot storage - and NOTHING was opening up - good thing my new HOA board isnt doing their job as ive had the coach parked in our driveway for more than 6 months.

That lot owner is pretty smart to cater to the motorhome crowd. At 50' deep and 15' wide even someone with 45' coach or T/C motorhome has lots of room for storage. Can you share what you're paying?

oh yeah he definitely knew what he was doing when he built 'em - 5th Wheels or Coaches, thats it and the place is SPOTLESS.

Theres no dumpster or trash can on site (people cant abuse it)

I love the idea of the PRIVATE on premises dump tank (have already used it to take my time and wash out my black tank) - and the wash bay...ive seen several folks washing their coaches on site.

the choices were 20w or 15w (all are 50d & more than 18h w/ 14 foot roll-up doors)
250 or 350 are his advertised rates....his location as private as it is, borders some nice affluent subdivisions and large multi million dollar (not us) homes - so im sure a lot has do do w/ location - this property owner knows his market (he is one of us, basically, w/ his own $1M+ ForeTravel 45' coach)

Surprised no dumpster; you'd think his clientele wouldn't abuse it. Is the electrical metered? Is it gated? At 20' wide and 50' long , you could use it as a race shop ... Trailer and two vehicle along one wall and the race car, bench, shelve against the back and other wall. At $350 for month, that is a good deal for small size short tracker, drag racer, road racer, or vintage racer.

I good friend of mine, now passed on, started with a GMC motorshome (the front wheel drive fiberglass job with the Olds Toronado front end), then a 33' Blue Bird, and then five 40' Prevost's converted by Liberty Coach of North Chicago, Ill. He had a pretty good sized lot where his house was on the side of hill overlooking a valley so he put in a concrete pad for the motorhome with connection to the for the dump tank to the city sewer, 220v/50amp, cable TV, landline phone, and running water with a drain in the pad under the center of the coach. He had it all layed out so he could wash the coach exactly where he parked it between his many expeditions. I can see not having to go somewhere to dump and wash the coach would appeal to lots of people. And the folks that have something like this always have tons of "stuff" to store, so they can kill two birds with one stone.

Thanks for sharing.

Dick

im glad he doesnt have a dumpster - its just something else for someone to over flow or mess up - you stick a dumpster or trash can on site or near the clean out & people will haul their garbage from HOME and try to dump it - ive seen it happening in other storage lots.

I put a small trash can in our bay & ill haul that off & dump it at home - if ive managed to forget to dump any trash when i leave any of the resorts or camp grounds....and face it EVERY coach or 5th wheel has a trash can in it.

Theres NO "work shops" permitted <he runs it better than my current HOA does our community> keep it restricted and somewhat exclusive and he can probably charge a little more (although i must say the rates i was quoted for significantly less, indicate to me that he's priced it fair & reasonable).

If i had a lot large enough for my coach i do the pad w/ the sewer, water & electric, the drain is a good idea too - but id want it enclosed to reduce the UV wear and dirt/dust/pollen. We park ours in the bay (or driveway) and put it up on the levelers just enough to get some light under the tires (and reduce flat spotting).

Sounds like a sweet setup. There's a guy in MN that had the "million dollar idea." He built storage buildings with individual units and then divided the units into condominiums. Boat RV Storage in Minneapolis . I bought my first one from him in '04. It was 45' deep by 18' wide, 16' high. Worked great for our first rv. Then I decided I'd need more room so in '07 I bought a double (actually two seperate properties with no wall between) 18' x 90'. Full size roll up door at both ends. These units are insulated and heated, all have 60 amp sub panels and a handfull of recepticles. Dump station outside. Common bathroom. 60' from door to next building. Fenced with electric gate entry. It's 35-40 minutes from my house. You can pretty much do what you want inside your unit, within reason. There is an association (I'm a board member, big deal, get yelled at by the rule breakers sometimes, even threatened by one of them but he's gone now). Dues are pretty reasonable. Taxes are way too high because the assessor classifies them as "commercial" even the ones that aren't used for commercial (I'm actually in the middle of a huge legal battle over that). There are at least 5 of these type of developments in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Now, you guys have the info. A business idea for somebody with some capital to build a site like this in your area.

I've got some bad pictures, I should take some better ones.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-m...0/SDC10160.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-K...0/SDC10345.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-k...0/SDC10352.JPG

REALLY nice storage Bob !

I could see wanting/needing more width - for shelves etc - I'll get some better pictures of mine, but I've got some exposed I-beams along the wall on one side that provides shelving (cleaning products etc) I've already started taking things OUT of my coach and leaving them IN the storage - things that i might not need on EVERY trip/outing (depending on where im going - camp ground, races, mother in laws etc).

Isn't it great having inside storage? You can leave windows open too so everything is better aired out. I run my slide out a bit so it allows the seal to not be squished figuring maybe it's better to let the seal be not squished all the time? I also extend my awning so it doesn't get moldy. My place is wide enough to allow my awning to fully extend. It was very expensive to buy, but I don't suspect that I'll ever sell it for less than what I bought it for. So, in the end it'll cost me what I pay in taxes and association fees. My homeowner's insurance covers everything I put in it.

Ive got my rear slide out, i dont keep the vents open <but could>

the coaches previous owner kept all the doors cracked open & slides slightly open/out to keep all the pressure off the door seals...I'll do that too <just getting comfortable w/ the idea>.

Ill need to check on the Insurance coverage and how its handled / covered.

If I could have found one of those. I wouldn't have had to build this lol

and if i could have built one of those i wouldnt need what im renting....

Very nice shed, Gordy. I'm with Don, no room for another building. I live in St. Paul, right in the city. Neighbors close on each side. So I've got to drive a bit to get to my rv.

Just got the building up before the cold weather. Spring will see the floor and stucco finish to match the house. Will get the inside done this winter. Then will concentrate on the conversion.

Bob, too bad I didn't know you lived in St.Paul. We were there last summer, watched the Twins spank the Yankees-good day indeed. Then we went to Brainerd to check out some NHRA drag racing. Nice state.

Aw bummer. BIR is pretty nice. We go up there for road course stuff (SCCA, NASA, HPDE, etc...). We steer clear during NHRA tho, too crazy. Come back and we'll show you a good time.

What kind of car do you run at BIR? We were up there crewing for a friend running in the Trans-Am series over Labor Day.

We're drag racers. I crewed a competition eleiminator car out of California for 13 years for a buddy of mine. Hadn't been to a national event for a couple of years so dropped by BIR Sunday to check out the go fasts.

Gordy: Are you going to put heat in the floor?

I really like in floor heating-got it in the house but since it has a slow recovery time I won't be putting it in the shop. It would be fine if I left it at say 58 degrees all the time but I won't be going out there too often in the cold weather. Thought I would install natural gas overhead radiant heaters (like they use in hockey arenas), my plumber/gas fitters says they are fast and reasonable to operate.
If everything goes right, I won't be here in the cold months anyway-lol.

went with it in our shop 40X64

1000 gal propane tank in the ground using one of those wall hung baxi boilers set at 50 deg. the temp is always around 55-58.

we fill the tank every second year. (could get 3)

filled it this year and it took 580 gals.

two years ago it took 500 to fill it to 85 percent.

about $350.00/year

https://www.truckconversion.net/attac...4aac6c0dd5.jpg

We're not in the same league, hahahahaha. I've got an '86 Vette that I had a 383ci forged motor, Trick Flow heads, TPIS mini-ram intake, manual valve body TH400 trans with a Gear Vendors overdrive behind that, Grand Sport brakes, tons of suspension stuff, etc.... I do some NCCC (National Council of Corvette Clubs) stuff, autocross, road HPDE stuff, etc.... No wheel to wheel. My son has a '99 Vette FRC (fixed roof coupe) that he's been building to run in the One Lap of America. Looks like we're going to do it this year. He's pretty familiar with most of the venues. He's had a 442ci LS motor built to the hilt (dyno'd at 590 rear wheel h/p on a chassis dyno). Normally aspirated and no nos. He's got a guy building it, John Boos (Boos Performance Home Page) that is about the best Vette builder there is. Huge Stop Tech 6 pot front brakes w/ 15" rotors, almost as big rear brakes, millions of dollars in chassis and aero mods, etc.... He's got dreams of winning or placing real high in the One Lap. He's a very good driver and the car has potential. If we can keep it together and on the road. He's done lots of track days but no "wheel-to-wheel" either. Which is fine since the One Lap isn't a w2w race either. One of the days is at Road America, you should come see us there. Check the schedule at One Lap of America - the Official Webpage .

Okay, enough thread hijacking.

Don:

If you want to bump the temp up to degrees, how long does it take? Like Gordy says, I've heard that recovery is slow with infloor. Your thoughts.

Thanks!

Dick

My friend's shop (30x50) is using infloor with a residential style on-demand HWH - typically if we're going to be working in the shop, he'll set the temp the night before from 40 up to 55. One day we forgot, and I remember it taking ~2 hours before I started to feel anything.

The infloor also doesn't seem to heat much above 8' above the ground (but that's just my own 'feeling' from being on a ladder).. YMMV. Ideally in my dream shop, I'd use infloor and radiant...

Dick,

on monday we had extra company and put them up in the shed. we have two rooms with beds in the shed along with a 3 piece bath.

at noon on monday the temp was set at 50 and the room temp down there was at 53. bumped the thermostat to 65 degrees and it took about 4-5 hours to raise the temp the 12-14 degrees.

the warmer the room temp is to start with, the quicker the response seems to be.

heres our combi boiler, Combi boilers from Baxi

while setting it up and adjusting the gas valve i was seeing 93 percent efficiency on high fire and 98 on low fire.

don