RV Storage- Weather - Sun - Carport Did you Build One, Show Me Please?

[thelazyl]

Here is the nearly-final product.  I had to make sure our 37' actually fit.  A neighbor of mine had a similar project to learn, too late, he didn't plan for a high enough door.  We may be upgrading to a 40-42' in the future so we built a 48' barn.

I have some final gravel/grading to do and also electrical (lights and a 50-amp outlet).  We chose against a concrete floor mostly because of the cost, and also because we have small earthquakes in my neighborhood and I was worried about big cracks developing.  I'll put down stall mats in areas where I need to crawl under - near the rear jacks for example.

 

[X-Roughneck]

Looks good. You got some Cross ventilation in there too.  )

I was washing my RV on Sunday.  I was standing on the roof of the RV and I could feel the sun Radiating from the corrugated roof onto my face, blazing hot. 

Down here in my dusty desert I know that purchasing the RVPort was a wise investment. 

I was at home depot yesterday and the car outside temp thermo was reading 107F. 

That lightweight plastic scattered throughout the RV can't take the Bake without becoming brittle and failing.

I was inside my RV later doing some reflextix work of a cabinet area with door and windows opened up, and it was still smoking hot in there. 

I could only imagine what the temp would have been with direct sun hitting the roof of the RV. Surprised I did not have any nightmares over it...LOL.

 

 

[X-Roughneck]

Well, I have to come back and edit the post.  Yesterday we had our second Hail storm of the year.  This RV cover in my mind was worth every penny we have sunk into it.  First hail storm wiped out the Tulips in Momma's Garden, the hail storm yesterday was small hail, some golf ball size and a few bigger than large eggs.  Protected the RV just as it was intended to do.  I can almost bet that the plastic roof vents would have fallen victim to hail falling from the sky had we not have had it. 

I will have to get up on the house later and look at the roof.  Had to put the "Thunder Shirt" on my 4 legged Son Archie.  He was Trembling as the hail was banging off the roof of the house, sounding like gun fire and Gong-ing off the RVport.

I will say the shade the RVport provides is excellent and keeps that BAKE / OVEN effect off the RV roof also. 

We were hitting 60 MPH gusts yesterday and she stood proud and tall.

Luckily we are close to the month of June where we won't have to worry about violent weather any longer (Here on the end of Tornado Alley) just BLAST Furnace heat thru end of September.

I love the Desert.

JD

 

[thelazyl]

That's a nice looking setup!

Ours is mostly done except electrical.  There was difficulty planning for 50amp so we settled on 30.  There have been many unplanned expenses on this one .. we are going to name the barn "for a few dollars more". 

 

[X-Roughneck]

Depends on the Area I am sure, but in my neck of the Mesquite Wooded Forests  / Desert and Cactus better adjective for my piece of the desert, is in my "Opinion" RVports are a necessary Evil $$$. 

Just Washing the RV last summer, the Steam Coming off the Sponge water while washing, I knew I had to do something with our new to us RV. 

We have some hard A@@ water to boot.  Oilwells around these areas have trashed the Fresh Water resources, so we have the triple whammy...

Heat, Potential for Violent weather, coupled with terrible water.

I am sure when it is all said and done....you will be happy with the protection it provides your Rig.

It's only money.  Can't take it with you when you Go.

JD



 

 

[ISLANDMIND]

Hello board, We are Semi-new RVrs.

We downsized, moved a couple 100 miles to our new Sticks and bricks. Basically walked away from the Rat Race in July 2019.

At our new place we poured 1000 +' of Concrete, (AKA: Weed killer) in the back yard, installed a 16? gate. Paid to move a freshly installed 16? gate, purchased our first RV ever in August flying from San Antonio, TX to Detroit, Motor City USA, Michigan, one way for a Fly, buy and Drive back to West Texas.

In between staying out of the Summer 2019 heat I did some DIY sweat equity installing our Desert scaped front and back yards at our little house in the hood. Met a guy that built a porch for us. Did I mention I love smoking some BBQ? It?s in Texas DNA.

Now it is time to build that RV Cover we need.


In my, "Neck of the woods", mesquite trees and prickly pear cactus would actually be more fitting. Here in the high desert summer time temps easily top out for consecutive 90 days in the ?Flame Throwing Heat? category. July, August, and September are dreaded almost.

I want shade and cover for our $$ investment.

Sun and Water are destructive forces, and wind does a whammy on things too. We have plenty of everything but water where I reside. Stay out of the sun and the south western wind coming off those mountains in Mexico will just make you want to grab a beer and listen to some HWjr

There are 2 types I am considering.

1 The one I really want is something I see at car lots, 2 metal boxed arms cantilevered with stretched colorful nylon sail, A frame pitch,

but?? I can see that 10 years down the road that Nylon will look like a Flag on a Ship on Deadliest Catch or the Land Version, with No Water, a Flag Flying atop a Oil Derrick looking out over the Permian Basin. Torn Tattered, Out ?der flapping (ODF), Flying Bold and Proud, but in this case whipping my RV.

I am also thinking this could be done on the cheap, DIY with 4 each tall Metal I beams of steel, nylon tarp and a come along, 15? to 13? Pitch, concreted 3 ft down at corners of my pad, Slant?? though, am I crazy? Of course I am.

2. Here are the photos of the one I think I am probably going to get.

I got quoted $4189 installed. (35? x 15?) with corners at 12? high. Flattened ?A? shaped roof, corrugated type metal on the 2 each 35?long sides have 3? down hang for sun and high enough to allow ease of walk around RV.

My Worry and I think is valid, the RV we own is 11?4? at top of roof AC unit to ground level, so I am asking myself?Roof maintenance would be impossible at 12? on the corners apex-ing out to 14' ish? Dieting is not a option for getting that small.

//Building this frame will prevent me from a full awning extension here at the house.

I need to go a little higher on the corners 14?-15? pitching higher to roof apex. I need to have enough room to get up there and have at least attic maneuverability? Maint on Seams, etc.
Plus I can easily mount a solar panel for a trickle charge for the coach batts on the corrugated.

I think keeping the project at a max of $5K is top end of my reality.

The seller guy I talked to on the phone said they guarantee 90 MPH winds because of the anchoring on each side of the legs at the concrete feet.

I think if I am outside and the wind is blowing 89 MPH I am probably going to be looking at a funnel cloud anyway.

Carport Seller told me if the pad is 16? then make the width 15? so the holes they drill in the pad won?t crack the concrete RV pad.

On the demo lot where I snapped these pics, I got out of the car and shook the awning leg as hard as I could. Nobody was there so I didn?t hold back. I was impressed. The demo was anchored into the earth on the 4 corners. It felt real solid, I like the way the bracing has no real nesting opportunities for birds to nest and crap on my RV. We got birds around here. Did I mention Archie, my Apricot Male Shar Pei has fallen in Love with the chickens next door? Birds. Yea we got ?em.

Do you have a progress report or pics of your cover yet?
going to buy my first RV and its a 5th wheel too. Just starting the research.

 

[jackiemac]

@X-Roughneck Strike 3 this is for you

 

[X-Roughneck Strike 3]

We purchased from American Steel Carports out of Joshua Texas. I opted for the double reinforced legs. I have 38 anchor bolts in the concrete 19/19 on each side of the carport. I have bounced hail off it a couple times since I purchased. The Sun is brutal down here. I can see already that the $5500 ish bucks for the 33x15 was worth every penny. We also benefitted from some shade we did not have pre-purchase.

 

[Pastor Paul]

We purchased from American Steel Carports out of Joshua Texas. I opted for the double reinforced legs. I have 38 anchor bolts in the concrete 19/19 on each side of the carport. I have bounced hail off it a couple times since I purchased. The Sun is brutal down here. I can see already that the $5500 ish bucks for the 33x15 was worth every penny. We also benefitted from some shade we did not have pre-purchase.

I am looking at building a similar structure. It the 15 from the ground to the panel or ground to Gable point? I haven't bought the RV yet and still searching, but I need to get an idea of good height to clear any RV. Thanks

 

[Larry N.]

I am looking at building a similar structure. It the 15 from the ground to the panel or ground to Gable point? I haven't bought the RV yet and still searching, but I need to get an idea of good height to clear any RV. Thanks

The normal max legal height for road going vehicles is 13' 6" and most of the tall class A units are in the neighborhood of 13'. For a roof height, I'd have a door a minimum of 14' to clear most any RV, and higher yet inside, room enough to at least crawl (if not stand) on the roof for maintenance work., perhaps some room for lights. If the entry ramp/drive is other than flat with the inside, I'd also consider what happens to clearance when the rig is entering nose high or nose low. Large motorhomes are at least 8' wide, and I'd want extra room, so a bare minimum of (IMO) 11' wide for the door.

On a related note, the longest RV is 45' long, and to accommodate the future it might be a good idea to have your structure hold that size with at least walk-around room at each end.

 

[Pastor Paul]

The normal max legal height for road going vehicles is 13' 6" and most of the tall class A units are in the neighborhood of 13'. For a roof height, I'd have a door a minimum of 14' to clear most any RV, and higher yet inside, room enough to at least crawl (if not stand) on the roof for maintenance work., perhaps some room for lights. If the entry ramp/drive is other than flat with the inside, I'd also consider what happens to clearance when the rig is entering nose high or nose low. Large motorhomes are at least 8' wide, and I'd want extra room, so a bare minimum of (IMO) 11' wide for the door.

On a related note, the longest RV is 45' long, and to accommodate the future it might be a good idea to have your structure hold that size with at least walk-around room at each end.

Thank you. Also some of these have slides. The west side of the structure will be an open carport, so mom can see out. The East side will be a storage building. Do you know the maximum side slides are offered. I will need to take this into account. Most of them I am looking at have slides on both sides. Thank you so very much.

 

[Larry N.]

I can't give an absolute max, but the most I've had on a slide was 3 feet (and maybe an inch or two).
But if you're putting sides on the structure, then you'll want to allow at least 3 feet (maybe a tad more) for each slide, plus space for you to walk around, to access doors, panels, etc. and perhaps do some work on the rig. Note that some rigs have a full length slide (well maybe not quite full length), and others have just one room (or living and kitchen) in a slide, but maybe other slides too -- lots of variations -- so make that extra width the full length of the RV.

You also might want to consider whether you want workbenches, storage cabinets, etc. in that structure when you're planning the layout.

 

[Isaac-1]

I agree about having extra clearance at the top if you can, if nothing else it makes life a lot easier when you need to jack it up to change tires, work on brakes, etc.

 

[X-Roughneck Strike 3]

I am looking at building a similar structure. It the 15 from the ground to the panel or ground to Gable point? I haven't bought the RV yet and still searching, but I need to get an idea of good height to clear any RV. Thanks

Paul, I decided to initially go 16 ft on the Double Reinforced legs (Extra Cost). Standard height is 12', which would have been OK as I would have clearance as my Rig is 10'3" height. I opted for the upgraded double Legs also for extra strength.

The day of the install I had 2 ft cut off which gave me 14' legs after talking to the installer. 14' legs and add another couple ft at the apex of the Roof. I can stand up and power wash my roof. I am guessing 16' at the highest portion of the roof.

I hang a tarp on 4x Bungee to block the west setting Sun off the back of the RV. The Reinforced legs I think are necessary here at 1800 elevation ft level here in Texas, as we get alot of Wind, especially in the spring time.

Most of those Car Port Places (Web Sites) have a virtual model where you can play with your dimensions and add on options for a Preview of your RVport with a Pricing Reveal also. Nice tool to help you decide what you want to do.

 

[X-Roughneck Strike 3]

Double Posted/Deleted

 

[Pastor Paul]

Paul, I decided to initially go 16 ft on the Double Reinforced legs (Extra Cost). Standard height is 12', which would have been OK as I would have clearance as my Rig is 10'3" height. I opted for the upgraded double Legs also for extra strength.

The day of the install I had 2 ft cut off which gave me 14' legs after talking to the installer. 14' legs and add another couple ft at the apex of the Roof. I can stand up and power wash my roof. I am guessing 16' at the highest portion of the roof.

I hang a tarp on 4x Bungee to block the west setting Sun off the back of the RV. The Reinforced legs I think are necessary here at 1800 elevation ft level here in Texas, as we get alot of Wind, especially in the spring time.

Most of those Car Port Places (Web Sites) have a virtual model where you can play with your dimensions and add on options for a Preview of your RVport with a Pricing Reveal also. Nice tool to help you decide what you want to do.

Thank you I appreciate the information. What online car port sites do you know of or are there any you can recommend. I am in Palm Beach County, FL. I googled, but not sure about these companies. Thanks

 

[X-Roughneck Strike 3]

Pastor,

I would be hesitant to offer a estimation of what National Company would be best. I am super happy with American Steel Carports out of Joshua TX. I suggest look at their site and take their leg specs (gages of Material) to other sites as a reference. There should be a virtual build link to click in their site to build and price what you are wanting to do.

The installer (Babe Ruth) of carport installation, had told me that this was the best company he had worked for in the Carport Game with 20 + years of installing.

Look at their materials (Upgraded legs) and the way they offered the install options when you shop for carports. If you are in FL the Hurricane direct hit and you are screwed, but I would still opt for the reinforced legs. My legs are rated at 90 MPH (wink). I figure if it is at 91 MPH then those winds are driven by a tornado. Life...We Roll the Dice! We gamble. We Live. Rinse & Repeat.

This RVport I paid 10% down and 90% at the finished product. I think I was in the "Que" for about 8 weeks before they came out here to the Desert to install.

I would say try and YouTube or Look on ripoff report and web sites as such. Ask them about the Gage of metal they are using. If you are going to build a concrete pad, make sure of what type of anchoring they use in the slab and how many will be sunk into the concrete. My legs are double reinforced and I have 19 anchor 8" anchor expansion bolts on each side. I know the company told me to ensure if I have a 16' wide slab to come back 6" off each edge so the concrete would not split and crack when drilling the holes. My RV port is 33x15, I opted for the roof that is situated where the snow will slide off (Extra Cost), Extra Reinforced legs (Extra Cost). I was in all around $5500-$5800.

As for concrete, I poured around 1100 ft of concrete poured in July 2019, 105F plus and it was $6.20-$6.50 a ft.

 

[Kirk]

This is the house/RV storage, all in one.

 

[Pastor Paul]

Pastor,

I would be hesitant to offer a estimation of what National Company would be best. I am super happy with American Steel Carports out of Joshua TX. I suggest look at their site and take their leg specs (gages of Material) to other sites as a reference. There should be a virtual build link to click in their site to build and price what you are wanting to do.

The installer (Babe Ruth) of carport installation, had told me that this was the best company he had worked for in the Carport Game with 20 + years of installing.

Look at their materials (Upgraded legs) and the way they offered the install options when you shop for carports. If you are in FL the Hurricane direct hit and you are screwed, but I would still opt for the reinforced legs. My legs are rated at 90 MPH (wink). I figure if it is at 91 MPH then those winds are driven by a tornado. Life...We Roll the Dice! We gamble. We Live. Rinse & Repeat.

This RVport I paid 10% down and 90% at the finished product. I think I was in the "Que" for about 8 weeks before they came out here to the Desert to install.

I would say try and YouTube or Look on ripoff report and web sites as such. Ask them about the Gage of metal they are using. If you are going to build a concrete pad, make sure of what type of anchoring they use in the slab and how many will be sunk into the concrete. My legs are double reinforced and I have 19 anchor 8" anchor expansion bolts on each side. I know the company told me to ensure if I have a 16' wide slab to come back 6" off each edge so the concrete would not split and crack when drilling the holes. My RV port is 33x15, I opted for the roof that is situated where the snow will slide off (Extra Cost), Extra Reinforced legs (Extra Cost). I was in all around $5500-$5800.

As for concrete, I poured around 1100 ft of concrete poured in July 2019, 105F plus and it was $6.20-$6.50 a ft.

Thank you again for your time and information. I had already checked with American, based on your previous post. They don't service South FL. Yeah the stuff they build here is minimum wind rating of 150mph and most companies can beef it to 180mph. Thanks again.

 

[Pastor Paul]

This is the house/RV storage, all in one.
View attachment 145733

Looks great. What size and who built this for you? Thanks