Any suggestions for an emergency car shelter?

I am sure I am not the only one here whose workshop furniture is all on castors so that when a storm comes it can all be pushed to one side to allow the long suffering car to get in out of the hail.

The problem with this scenario is when you are in the middle of a large project you just aren't in a position to clear it all up in a hurry, for me that means a mad dash to throw moving blankets over the car.

I have been thinking about building a minimalistic carport but I fear that even that would be subject to council approval the cost of which, alone, would be hard to justify for the, perhaps, 3 or 4 times a year it is necessary, let alone the misery the sadistic swines put one to, LOL I should be too hard on them as in many ways they are very helpful, but when it comes to approvals they are very hard to deal with.

The best I have been able to come up with so far is a sail cloth or similar off the side, or even the front of the garage, I am pretty sure that wouldn't be subject to approval.

Lot's of inventive and outside the box thinking on this site, have you any thoughts for me?

Thanks in advance.

PS Any level of DIY and even cost is permissible as long as I can avoid needing approval.

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Brad

At least in SA there is the 20sqm rule, 2.4m high, no span over 3m, 0.9 from a boundary unless there is a side street and not passed the front of the house.
Makes it easier than it used to be...

I have a side street 2 sheds with no room for a car in either so Linda's car lives in the carport along with a drywall cart, pipe bender, smoker, BBQ, gas burners and junk...

Still no room in the sheds to do much work so I am outside, I have thought about a Marquee 3x3 non permanent Gazebo as an answer, two would fit a car and be legal here, you might want some side cover though. In my case dynabolts into pavers is non permanent isn't it? $129 investment for one.

Bundaboy

Thanks for that @Brad. Same in NSW, in fact as my property is over 300 square metres it is a max of 25 square metres.

However, apparently my council can override exemptions, or at least that's what they are telling me, I wish there was some way to test it that didn't incur "fees".

Anyone from NSW had a similar problem or know whether councils CAN override the act or not?

I went the Marquee route about 4 years ago, I didn't have to buy it, my sister gave it to me when she moved.
It lasted up to the first storm - the winds here can get ferocious and just crumpled it up - I even had anchor straps on it (as they sometimes do with greenhouses.

I have thought of going the semi-permanent route which are much sturdier but also much more expensive. Bunnings had a nice looking one on promotion a while back but procrastination was my undoing yet again.

redracer01

Please tell me the dimesnions of the car length, width, height.

Bundaboy

@redracer01

L=4.48818, W=1.7526, H=1.435 (metres)

Your question took me aback as I didn't have a clue really, so I had to look it up, then I didn't believe it so had to go out and measure it to confirm it, then I typed it all in and hit the post button only to find my session had timed out and I lost the lot, so had to type all this back in again.

LOL what fun!

Cheers.

PS: There are a few funny things on this web site, another one is that Ctrl-V (paste) doesn't work.

redracer01

Hello @Bundaboy,

Strong winds? No worry! This contraption has lasted me 10 years and the only thing I had to replace was the tarp! ( I've moved house since then and had to dismantle my temporary garage ) Below is the plan for a half dome car shelter. Now it is very open to interpretation you can add your own twist to it. But seeing as this is Sunny Queensland I do occasionally get strong winds. I strongly suggest to use green pressure glue to make sure you have a strong bond on the 20 mm tee's. Once you have assembled it you literally bend it into a half circle. Make sure the ends are anchored well, if you get hurricane winds I suggest using a large tin with rocks or sand inside it, at least 15 kgs. in weight for each pole. I suggest using the heavy duty silver topped tarpaulin! So that it won't flap in the wind, has very strong UV protection and will last several seasons. You can anchor the entire thing with ropes and deep set steel star pickets. Zip tie everything like there's no tomorrow. Best part is that in high winds this thing flexes, but returns to shape once the wind is gone.

This is a temporary shelter from hail.This is an example of how it might turn out.

Bundaboy

@redracer01

Hah! I was wondering how I could get rid of the stay wire I have in this, my temporary storage solution:

I threw this up with stuff I had on hand to store some garage stuff whilst I cleaned and reorganised my messy and overcrowded "workshop". This has withstood some ferocious winds with only a few of the "clamps" popping off where the tarps are over lapped and therefore a bit of a stretch for these makeshift clamps (split conduit).

I used clamps instead of zip ties to avoid having to puncture the tarps - but I would go with zip ties on a more solid structure as your solution is.

Do you have a source for that heavy duty tarp? I would much prefer to not have the overlap as in my contrivance.

Thanks for that, this approach had crossed my mind but was worried that without the stay wire it wouldn't be stable enough but with your approach it should be. Cheers.

redracer01

Bunnings gardening section, subsection tarps. Maybe a 4 x 5 meter set.

Brad

4 way cross could make life a little easier/neater.

https://www.klevercages.com.au/4-way-cross-pvc-connector/

https://duralirrigation.com.au/products/pvc-crosses?variant=32223665169

Klevercages has some interesting other items as well...

Bundaboy

@Brad Very definitely, tried to place an order but they seem to be offline at the moment. I'll try again later.

Cheers for that find Brad.

Annie1963

Hello. As I work in Traffic Control, I find myself often thinking about " mobile hail protection. I'm not able to put together what I envision. But you may have the ability to manufacture something like I'll describe.

I own a Ford Escape. What I envision is a multiple layer of racks stretched tightly with a product like crim safe. These thin racks would be permanently attached to the roof of your vehicle. And at the push of a button. ( Off road) 4 of the tracks could move with an attenuated system.. Forward, Back and a smaller side extention on each side.

The first rack would remain stationary above the roof.

Everything would have to be in the lightest weight possible. But I'd imagine the entire weight for an SUV or similar, could be as little 40kg. Just an estimate. But I know If I could buy a product of that weight or less, that could keep me on on the road and working without having to miss any time off for window or windscreen breaks. That was simple and quick to deploy? I'd be the first one to line up for it.

JacobZ

Hi @Annie1963,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community.

It certainly sounds like an interesting idea and a solid product if you could develop it.

To keep it lightweight, but rigid enough to protect from hail, you might have to use something like carbon fibre for your protective shields.

Allow me to tag @Noyade as this sounds like it is something that is right up his alley.

I'll also tag @DIYGnome, @JoeAzza and @Dave-1 to see if they have any ideas.

Jacob

Annie1963

Hello. Yes you're free to tag whomever you like. I didn't mention that it's a triple layer design in my mind. Stationary layer on the bottom or closest to the roof, in case of distortion through storm. It would be easier to take the top two layers off. ( Side moving and front rear moving without displacing the foundation mount.

Dave-1

Afternoon @Annie1963

Mmmmm I am sure there are some of us in here that will have ideas along the lines you want 🙂

My first thought was "drag" as in wind drag on a car and would it be worthwhile having something like that on top of the car.

My second thought and something that we all have in theback of our heads is "a woollen blanket to throw over the car when hail strikes to dissapate the impacts.

The next thought I had was a roll of bubble wrap that has been double side tapped to a long blanket (wool) and rolled, much like a swag. Something that can be rolled out and will sit there. You could go the route of stitching elastic in loops to the edges of the blanket so it will stay attached in the wind even.

I like the non mechanical solution as I wouldnt need to worry about something not bending or being bent too far. (Plus you could still use my blanket as a picnic blanket so double use! ) 😀

Dave

Annie1963

On the leading edge of the 3 level racks ( directly over the windscreen) those moldings holding the shielding in place would have to be staggered and aerodynamically levelled to an extension/ elevation of the natural roofline to produce least drag. ( Also coated in reflective paint/stickers for obvious reasons 🙂 Right now I'm wishing I'd trained as an engineer lol I like your idea too. My idea is probably more for commercial customers.

But easy to operate/deploy in windy/ hail conditions. Something for everyone. The bending out of shape I referred to earlier, was more from debris impacting in event of cyclonic category winds. ( In which case you've done everything you can despite conditions) There's no bullet proof system any of us could design or create. But I'd certainly feel a lot safer with a system like I described.

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