Winter Car Storage in a Shed

[dtbingle]

My original plan after moving into this house was to have one side of the 20'x21' garage serve as a parking space/winter storage for my new miata and the other side have all of my tools/saws setup and also be a work bay for basic vehicle maintenance. However, after getting everything in there, I've come to the realization there really isn't enough space. My revised plan is to build a dirt floor shed to house a car for winter storage. This would leave the whole heated 20'x21' garage for any woodworking or working on a vehicle.

My main concern is how the car will hold up in the shed. Has anyone else done something similar - winter storage in an uninsulated, dirt floor shed? How did the car hold up? Any other issues to consider? Other thoughts?

The car will be stored in a carbag with desiccant packs. That should take care of any humidity/mold issue and hopefully keep animals out. That would mean the worst the car is seeing is just temperature swings.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Treat the gas, and the car will be fine. Only thing to worry about is rodents.

 

[lurtz]

I use my shed with a dirt floor to store a car in the winter and summer, and everything has been fine. ( I dont have a full size garage)

I do line the floor of this shed with a cheap but large tarp, mostly to keep the dirt from getting into the car when I get in and out of it.

I drive the car in the summer on nice days, and it is stored in the winter due to salt/sand issues. It would be great to have a heated garage, but keeping it in the shed is far better then leaving it outside in the Sun. UV damage will hurt it far more then a little bit of dirt.

As was said before, treat gas, remove battery (or keep a smart charger/tender) and if you are using a car bag anyway.. the car wont know the difference between the garage or the shed.

 

[finn]

Pet a moisture barrier on the ground, under the car.

I would actually put the moisture barrier down, then cover it with a couple of inches of crushed stone.

A concrete floor, or even landscape/patio blocks would be better yet.

 

[TheKidinBuff5789]

I had a 18' x 21' metal shed built on top of a level but pitched 2 inch pad of crushed stone with driveway barrier underneath during the summer to store my cars in.

Once it started getting colder at night, going in there every so often I noticed the stone being wet. Long story short, I had to go and pull up about half of the ~4 inches of stone that was laid down so I could put plastic barrier underneath. 4 mil was too thin for the (I think) #2 stone, so I had to go with 6 mil.

It has been dry ever since. It was almost like the cold stones were drawing the moist out of the ground and through the geo-textile paper. And it would just never dry out.

Home Depot sells 1000 sq ft roll of 6 mil for about $60.

 

[Druder]

The moisture barrier is key, other than that I see no issues

 

[Billy Jack]

I've done winter storage with my sunny day cars since the 70's in PA. As mentioned, hook up a battery tender if you have power available, or pull the battery and put it on a tender at home. I've used Sta-Bil in the gas tank for long-term storage, but never for just a single winter. GM required premium fuel for the first-gen Chevy Volt, since they felt premium had a one year minimum shelf life, so I just fill the tank with hi-test if it's just for a few months. Over-inflate the tires, so they don't go soft in the colder temps. I agree with a tarp on the floor if no pavement underneath. If you're really concerned about the moisture, you could always spray exposed metal underneath with Fluid Film, or even something as simple as WD-40.
My major concern would be keeping critters away. I work for a Chevy Dealer and see rodent damage to wiring and insulation on a regular basis. If you can't seal everything from intrusion, the old-school solution of mothballs has worked for me at keeping rodents at bay.

Bill

 

[dtbingle]

Great thanks for all of the advice.

What are your thoughts on parking the car in there each night during the summer when it's NOT in a carbag? Seems like heating/cooling cycle along with humidity all boxed up in a shed could be worse than just leaving it outside.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Great thanks for all of the advice.

What are your thoughts on parking the car in there each night during the summer when it's NOT in a carbag? Seems like heating/cooling cycle along with humidity all boxed up in a shed could be worse than just leaving it outside.

Does the shed have any sort of ventilation built in? Vented ridge, soffits or vented gable end walls?

I don't think it'll be a big deal. There will be humidity in there, but at least the interior will be protected from the weather.

 

[Atrus]

I would think a moisture barrier would be a good idea, and I personally would want air circulation in there, either passive through proper venting, or active via a small fan or something. It could lead to a colder space, but you wouldn't have the moisture in the air impacting the vehicle.

 

[tinmanwpk]

For winter storage I always put my car up on stands to take the weight off of the suspension system and tires. I also put laundry dryer sheets in numerous spots inside the interior as well as around the engine area to keep the rodents away from wires, etc.

 

[lurtz]

Originally Posted by dtbingle View Post
Great thanks for all of the advice.

What are your thoughts on parking the car in there each night during the summer when it's NOT in a carbag? Seems like heating/cooling cycle along with humidity all boxed up in a shed could be worse than just leaving it outside.

As I stated, I keep my Sunny Day car (Pontiac Fiero.... dont laugh ) in my shed every day. I doubt that your shed is "air tight" enough to maintain too much of a humidity difference to the outside. My shed is a lean-to built off of my concrete floor workshop, so I do not have any soffits in my eaves so air still flows through pretty well. As far as having a dirt floor, I just use a tarp. Keeping the car outside in my dirt driveway would not be any better.

In my case I find it is so much better for the car not to sit in my dirt driveway everyday getting pounded by the Sun and elements. My paint job is your typical 80s GM quality, yet it is original and 35 years old without any clear coat issues. I have to believe that my interior and paint would be shot like most other 30-40 year old cars if it was left outside.

The underside of my fiero is absolutely rust free, and I live in the saltiest state in the world LOL.. I do not even have slight amount of surface rust. In the winter the car is stored with a custom cover. I do not bother using the cover in the summer as I do not like to cause additional scratches from constantly removing and installing the cover needlessly.

I think you may be over thinking it at this point (Don't worry, we all do). Do as you wish, but considering the options you have stated... outside or in a shed, I would vote for in the shed.

 

[dtbingle]

Originally Posted by dtbingle View Post
Great thanks for all of the advice.

What are your thoughts on parking the car in there each night during the summer when it's NOT in a carbag? Seems like heating/cooling cycle along with humidity all boxed up in a shed could be worse than just leaving it outside.

As I stated, I keep my Sunny Day car (Pontiac Fiero.... dont laugh ) in my shed every day. I doubt that your shed is "air tight" enough to maintain too much of a humidity difference to the outside. My shed is a lean-to built off of my concrete floor workshop, so I do not have any soffits in my eaves so air still flows through pretty well. As far as having a dirt floor, I just use a tarp. Keeping the car outside in my dirt driveway would not be any better.

In my case I find it is so much better for the car not to sit in my dirt driveway everyday getting pounded by the Sun and elements. My paint job is your typical 80s GM quality, yet it is original and 35 years old without any clear coat issues. I have to believe that my interior and paint would be shot like most other 30-40 year old cars if it was left outside.

The underside of my fiero is absolutely rust free, and I live in the saltiest state in the world LOL.. I do not even have slight amount of surface rust. In the winter the car is stored with a custom cover. I do not bother using the cover in the summer as I do not like to cause additional scratches from constantly removing and installing the cover needlessly.

I think you may be over thinking it at this point (Don't worry, we all do). Do as you wish, but considering the options you have stated... outside or in a shed, I would vote for in the shed.

Nice! Where are you located? If it's somewhere other than michigan, I'd have to dispute that your comment of living in the saltiest state lol.

From all of your points, I think I'm sold on keeping it in a shed. I'm even contemplating one of the HF 10'x'17' portable garages as a quick and dirty solution. A bit concerned with the snow load on it though. Or maybe come up with a genius build plan where it can be disassembled down the road if we sell the house.

 

[lurtz]

I live in northern N.H. We just had 3 weeks of constant below Zero with temps hitting -28 at my house. Then a thaw with crazy ice/rainstorms. This last weekend I was able to wash the DD by hand and remove atleast 5lbs of salt from the melt off of our shoes. Thank goodness for weathertech liners. Im not sure there is more salt used in Michagan but I bet we are one of the top 3 users/mile in the country. It is real inconvenient to keeps cars in good conidtion over any length of time, but it does keep our roads safer.


I used a shelter logic framed tent kit for a couple of years. It worked in the summer, but I'll be frank, every wind storm had me worrying all of the time. If that tent moves your car is the only thing holding it back. I am sure you dont want to scratch your car up trying to protect it... from getting scratched.

I also did not use my tent in the winter time. Snowloads would have kept me up at night as well.


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[lurtz]

Also the money spent on a tent would better be used for a decent outbuilding. Plus IMO a nicely trimmed outbuilding looks so much nicer than a tent building.

Build it right once and dont worry about it for years.

Another thing to consider, I built my unit for my fiero which is a short vehicle. The barn style doors are less than 7 feet. Because of this and the dirt floor it is not considered a garage so it values for less money on my property taxes. Not sure about the regulations in your municipality but could save yourself some ongoing money.


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[dtbingle]

I completely agree with you that an outbuilding would be the more solid and appealing, however there are a few factors forcing me towards a portable/temporary garage solution. I already built a 10x12 shed, which is the max sq ft allowed before requiring a permit and being taxed on it. Although I don't think there's any issue with a second building, this storage garage needs to be at least 10x14 to fit the car. A temporary structure skirts around this. Our lot layout is also somewhat strange and the location that it has to be in to be able to access it from the driveway probably wouldn't have a universal appeal to future buyers. Normally I wouldn't care, but we plan on moving in a couple years given money and market allows.

With all of that said though, you have me thinking. With the portable garage basically being a glorified tent, the two main issues would be: 1) anchoring, and 2) roof holding up to snow load. I think #1 would be handled by the auger anchors. If it doesn't seem like enough, the metal frame could be anchored to a 4x4 skid structure with THAT also anchored to keep it from collapsing under a lateral load. #2 has me worried though. Only thought is a cable system between the "rafter" poles to create a makeshift truss system for spreading the load.

Another structure solution might be to move forward with typical shed framing, but build it so it can be disassembled somewhat easily in the future. Build the walls in sections and bolt together opposed to framing the entire wall in one piece. Use screws when attaching the roof to the walls so that it can be undone without hacking it apart. Finish off the roof with cheap rolled roofing. Going this route might not even be that much more than the portable garage tent.

 

[rsanter]

You should be fine, but there are a couple things I would do.
I would put a layer of DG down and make sure the area is a little higher or at least not lower that the surrounding area.
Then I would also put a couple layers of heavy plastic down to help protect the bottom of the car bag.
Then you should be good to go

 

[alien]

I have been keeping my summer sunny day vehicles in a shelter logic shelter for over 10 years. First was a 1972 GMC Jimmy with an LS swap. Then a C5 corvette for a few years, and lately a mint Mercedes SL500 (with the panoramic roof hanging from the frame).

This is the one I use.

And how it looks weathered after 10+ years.

And how it looks inside with the top hanging. Build it right, get the heavier covering and it will last and work almost as good as a physical garage!