Parking car in side yard ideas

[zimm17]

I'm looking to free up some much needed space in the garage and thinking about booting my Jeep Wrangler to the side yard with a cover on it (the roof leaks in rain). Thoughts on how to deal with parking long term in the grass? I was thinking concrete pavers under the tires, or making a vehicle sized pad with some kind of heavy duty plastic grid "tile" that the grass can grow through? I can't dig down, I have underground utilities going through there (electric and fiber).

The Jeep is rarely driven, just for off-road/camping/overland trips every few months. I thought about selling it, but I have too much ******* in right now. I just need the garage room. 2 vehicles and a motorcycle are taking it all up.

 

[cvairwerks]

Scrape off the grass, form it up and pour a slab with no rebar or fiber. When it goes away or you sell the house, the slab is easily broken up and removed. Just be aware about having a cover over it for long term, is that they will cause the paint to deteriorate due to contact with the cover itself.

 

[ybnormal]

are there any deed restrictions that prohibit you from parking the Jeep there? what about the local Code Nazis (aka HOA or Municipal Code Compliance)?
why not just rent a covered space at a local storage center? secure and covered at the same time

 

[PCustoms]

What's the issue on the grass?

Seems the roof leak is more the issue....

Though I can't imagine having to much money ******* in a vehicle I don't drive where it makes more sense to park it unused then to sell it.

 

[tncatadjuster]

Mice!

 

[PCustoms]

Mice!

I park in my gravel driveway daily, only had mice once. Oddly I think they were from parking next to a particular vehicle at work...

 

[rooster59]

PSP - Perforated Steel Plate aka Marston mat

 

[Shiftless]

Though I can't imagine having to much money ******* in a vehicle I don't drive where it makes more sense to park it unused then to sell it.

I can’t either…

Mice

A friend and neighbor suffered a $7,000 loss when mice chewed up the under hood wiring in her couple year old Prius. Her husband parks his early ‘70s Cutlass convertible in the garage. He hardly ever drives that car.

I agree that storing a car long term outdoors with a cover Is less than ideal. Paint will suffer and dampness might encourage mold inside.
How about installing pavers and building a lean to? Pavers could be lifted if access to underground utilities is needed.

 

[zimm17]

Yikes, I didn't think about mice. Lean to or any structure is a no go with the HOA. But parking next to the house is okay- my neighbor has a '70 C10 with a cover on it in his side driveway full time. But I can't pave that section with the electric and fiber going under the ground there (at least I think that's the rules).

There's about $40k in just parts in that Jeep, I'd dislike selling it. I'm just getting a little tired of the off-road trips after 60k miles and seeing most of the country with it. My F150 does 99% of what I need to do minus the rock crawling trips.

 

[BillK]

Zimm,
I park my daily driver 1984 S-10 in the driveway next to my house that goes back to my detached garage. It is what we call CR6 or bluestone around here. I have been parking it there for 20 years or maybe more and it is fine. I would frame out a "pad" with landscaping timbers and spread bluestone maybe 4" deep or so. Cant help you as far as how to cover yours for the roof leak.

You dont want grass under it long term. The moisture from the grass will kill it.

Bulk Driveway Gravel Delivery - #57 Bluestone

Bulk Driveway Gravel #57 Bluestone Supplier. Whether you need for Mulch, Topsoil, Compost, Sand, or Gravel, we can deliver it.

mulchandstone.com

 

[zimm17]

I could totally make a pad with timbers and fill with blue stone. That's a good idea. I can see that grass is bad. The top leaks a bit, but with a cover on it, it should be fine. They even make "cockpit" covers that just cover the roof and windows to keep the water out, but the paint would be exposed and not wrecked by a cover.

It did 2 years of government storage while I was overseas and I think they left it outside even though they advertised "interior warehouse" storage. It got so moldy inside when I picked it up and I had to rip out all the carpet, roll bar padding, anything "soft". The seats were treated with industrial fungicide and seems to be fine now.

 

[Jgaz]

Will the HOA allow pavers instead of concrete?
In my AZ city (and HOA) a paver pad is not considered permanent and does not require a permit of any kind.

My 10’x20’ pad beside my garage and behind my RV gate

 

[niget2002]

If you're not using it, sell it. Count the money you have in it as being payment for the fun you had with it. Vehicles are a depreciating asset and you'll never get the money back that you spent on it. The longer you just 'store' it the less you'll get for it.

Or put down a crushed rock pad.

 

[bakmopar]

How about putting down some river rock and parking on it, especially since it is a Jeep. Is parking somewhere in your backyard a better option? Personally, I have had zero experience with HOAs.

 

[PassnThru]

Looks like you have quite a slope angled toward where you want to park it. I think that would make things much worse if you just parked it and covered it. The ground would take a lot longer to dry out after a rain. Even if you put some gravel in do something to drain the water away before it gets to it.

 

[WillyBoy]

Lots of good ideas so far. I'll add one more thing. 30 years ago, I stopped using a small pick up when I got a newer truck. I parked the old one on the side of the house, on the grass. In less than a year the steel brake lines, and brake backing plates, including the breeder screws rusted to the point of being unusable. There is a lot more moisture rising from the ground and condensing on the underside of a vehicle when it's parked on grass versus when it's parked on concrete, even when it's outside .

 

[Viper98912]

Given the nice aluminum fence and then the mini fence to cover your mini split and garbage can, I'm surprised that your HOA would like you park it on the side of the house in the grass.

I like the large paver stone idea, but you could dress it up by making a grid of stones with grass in the middle, so it looks like one of those nice driveways that has a small amount of grass growing through the large grid of paver stones

 

[mrbill55]

I'm looking to free up some much needed space in the garage and thinking about booting my Jeep Wrangler to the side yard with a cover on it (the roof leaks in rain). Thoughts on how to deal with parking long term in the grass? I was thinking concrete pavers under the tires, or making a vehicle sized pad with some kind of heavy duty plastic grid "tile" that the grass can grow through? I can't dig down, I have underground utilities going through there (electric and fiber).

The Jeep is rarely driven, just for off-road/camping/overland trips every few months. I thought about selling it, but I have too much ******* in right now. I just need the garage room. 2 vehicles and a motorcycle are taking it all up.

Spend the money, fix the top leak issues. This is a long term solution that will allow you to travel cross country with a little less lost sleep.
Next, go old school, two simple strips (pavers, poured concrete, properly prepped, compacted river stone, or ???) Otherwise, there are plastic grid panels you can place into the same two strip area that will allow the grass to grow up through them all while keeping the same area from rutting and becoming a mess.


Simple, elegant and well worth doing right the first time.


Bill S.

 

[2gslse]

As much as you dislike the idea if selling the jeep ( beautiful btw...) seeing it fall apart and rust from underneath will be much much worse and lose more of your time and hard work not to mention the money. I would keep it inside the garage and park the daily outside or find alternate storage location but that gets spendy as well.
I have had to replace brakelines,oil pan on my truck from lack of use and it sat on pavement but wasn't ran often enough.

 

[iagsxr]

If it's truly temporary I'd lay down a couple treated 2" x 12"s and park on them.

If they start sinking into the ground, I'd scew another pair on top.

 

[four.cycle]

You dont want grass under it long term. The moisture from the grass will kill it.

There is a lot more moisture rising from the ground and condensing on the underside of a vehicle when it's parked on grass versus when it's parked on concrete, even when it's outside .

^ Learned this one the hard way. Parking a 2000 Ford Mustang on the grass resulted in the entire interior being covered with mold, the underside of the convertible top covered with mold, the entire trunk covered with mold, and nothing in the electrical system functioning. Had the vehicle towed off for $125.00. Legal owner got $1600 for it from some fool for "salvage" (with no title.)

Good way to ruin an otherwise perfectly good car: park it on the grass for a couple years.

 

[mikedodge]

Pavers is a good idea. You're better leaving it uncovered. Covered can cause more damage then being left alone.
What else is in the garage? With that amount of money invested in the jeep it seems that should be the one to be left inside.

 

[4x4Pete]

Around here the bylaw police will go around and fine anyone who have vehicles parked on grass. Bylaw is done to prevent people from parking junky cars all over their lawn. If you really want to park cars in a spot that's not your driveway, you need to apply for a variance and build a parking spot that is code compliant gravel or pavement of some sort. Leaky roof? It's a Jeep thing, you wouldn't understand!

 

[Junkdrawer Dog]

I did the paver pad thing at my old house. I just made four mini pads for the wheels to rest on. Eventually, they sank just enough that I could run the mower over them quite easily. After a few years I got rid of the extra vehicle and took them up, sowed a little grass seed and it was like they were never there.

 

[unslow1]

Google plastic grid to park a car on. There are a lot of options. I would fix the leak first. Temporary solutions have a way of becoming long term.

 

[four.cycle]

^ The issue with ANY permeable surface is that you are going to have a constant, daily, condensation creation/drying out cycle going - 24/7, 365 days a year.
That Mustang ran just fine before it was parked out in back. Took three years for NONE of the dash lights to come on, even with the jumper hooked up to it. At five years, the horn wouldn't even honk.

YMMV

 

[yhprum]

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/under-vehicle-rust-protection.535117/

To help with ground moisture problems.

 

[KenC]

If you must park it there, I'd recommend a plastic sheet covering the grass where it will be parked. Edge with landscape timbers and lay pavers or rock on the plastic. Stop the moisture totally from the ground. Is a portable tent style thing allowed? Like Harbor Freight's portable garage?

 

[hmbemis]

If you must park it there, I'd recommend a plastic sheet covering the grass where it will be parked. Edge with landscape timbers and lay pavers or rock on the plastic. Stop the moisture totally from the ground. Is a portable tent style thing allowed? Like Harbor Freight's portable garage?

IMO the plastic -- with proper grading! -- is a must for long term parking over dirt (vs. asphault or concrete). The moisture level is much higher parking on dirt/rocks vs. asphault/concrete. If the grading can't happen, then I'd probably think twice about the plastic because it might end up forming a bowl to hold water.

Based on the photos I'd be really concerned about the grading -- it looks like the yard slopes toward the house. In that case a pad that sits at least an inch or two above grade really makes more sense. There's no specific reason you couldn't pour it over the utilities as long as you are OK w/ the reality that it might need to be broken up and repoured if work is needed.

Depending on the neighborhood, and OP's household's tolerance, a free standing wooden carport with a shed roof sloping away from the house will also help keep the moisture down and will help protect the vehicle from UV/water, and I think it would probably look just fine. Hand digging for the post footings will let you avoid any underground utility issues.

 

[PCustoms]

^^^I've parked several vehicles on gravel driveways over the years

 

[u2slow]

Gravel (crush) to start. River rock moves around, and usually costs more. Pavers can go on top... but cost adds up. 24" ones make it happen quick though.

There are various lean-to type carport type things you can build or buy. I would keep that to a simple/temporary nature to avoid building permits/permission issues with setbacks and the electric meter.

OTOH, if the jeep can fit in a shipping container, these are usually regarded as temporary. Providing your jurisdiction allows them.

 

[gahrajmahal]

I think I’d be tempted to erect a harbor freight portable garage behind your garden shed. Put plastic sheet down over the grass for moisture. We had our 1970 MGB in one over the winter in the driveway without any moisture issues. Otherwise we have had both our old cars in paid storage buildings for 20 years. Keep mouse traps in there, not poison so not to kill any raptors in the area. We use moth balls for our leaf chipper, on pavers over a plastic tarp with a tin roof to keep the mouses at bay. You do need to check every month or so.



You could add a solar fan to it for some air movement.

 

[NUTTSGT]

If I had a vehicle with $40,000 worth of parts on it, it wouldn't be sitting outside. It would take priority over something else and sit inside while something else sat out in the driveway.

 

[crewchief888]

i had my S-10 blazer parked out behind the garage for several years. zoning was around at least once a year trying to get 2 of my neighbors to clean up the **** (non tagged cars & parts) they had parked in the driveways and back yards. zoning stopped by my place after a visit to the neighbors and tried to ticket me for the blazer sitting in the grass. once he walked around the garage he saw the 24"square X 5" thick concrete (leftover pieces of a sidewalk i had previously demoed) that the truck was parked on. wasnt exactly to code, but was acceptable because it was poured concrete.

 

[Wrench97]

Parking on grass will rot out the bottom form the moisture, you may be better off selling it and buying another when you have the time/space to work on one.

 

[Doozer75]

Just spray down some diesel fuel if you don't want the grass growing up around it.
I can tell you it lasts a good long while.

-Doozer

 

[no704]

That’s too nice to let rot. How long are you needing the extra space? Build bigger garage, or rent a storage unit.

 

[Viper98912]

I just realized something -

Do you have two vehicles and the motorcycle in the garage? Is one of those two vehicles the Jeep, or is the Jeep a third vehicle?

If the Jeep is one of the two, then leave it there. Garages are for cars (cue the people on here who will flip out and call this blasphemy), not for low-value ****. That Jeep is probably worth WAY more than whatever junk you're planning on putting in your garage (no offense, this is only my guess!). If you need more space, use that shed you got back there! If the shed is full junk, clean out the low-cost junk (trash it) and put the more-valuable junk back there! And keep your Jeep in the garage and not let it rot outside.

After your house, your vehicle is the second most expensive thing you will probably buy in life (excluding medical bills). Take care of it.