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Driving in winter is one of the biggest and most risk-prone challenges of living in northern Maine, and it’s especially rough for people who don’t have or can’t afford a garage.
The garage and the automobiles inside them may separate the proverbial haves from the have-nots. But well below the cost and hassle of building a garage are a slew of affordable options to avoid the long slog of cleaning off a car with a brush and scraper every time it snows.
All around New England, metal frame and tarp-covered garages – most made by the Connecticut company ShelterLogic – are fairly common sight. Many are as likely to serve as a small shed as they are a winter cover for cars. Considered temporary structures, they’re also usually not subject to local building permit requirements like a garage.
By various accounts, ShelterLogic and similar “garages in a box” can be a good deal and can last, while some may prove the “you get what you pay for” adage and inspire creativity on other options.
“I have had a few ShelterLogic garages in the past and they work okay and last about 5-6 years,” said Mike Cyr, the owner of several Presque Isle businesses, including Bradley’s Citgo & Convenience Store. “They’re an inexpensive shelter for storage.”
The last one he bought was a similar portable garage made by the Canadian company Tarp-Rite from their store in Woodstock. It was “very reasonable, especially with Canadian exchange rate,” he added.
Depending on the size and durability grade, ShelterLogic and other tarp-shelters range anywhere from $200 to upwards of $1,000. On its website and through various retailers, ShelterLogic sells ports in three grades of standard, superior and premium. One of the company’s standard auto shelters is 10 feet wide, 15 feet long and 8 feet tall and priced at $270, with a one-year warranty. At the other end are models that are specifically wind-and-snow rated, such as a 12x20x11 “Shelter Tube” said to be able to withstand winds as strong as 80 miles per hour and snow weight of 43 pounds per square foot, priced at $1,200.
Leo Freeman, owner of Perception of Aroostook in Presque Isle, sold hundreds of the middle-price range ShelterLogic shelters for more than a decade and uses a few different models around his kayak and outdoor guide shop.
One has been up for 15 years, storing kayaks in the winter. He sold a model that was priced at around $600, and he stopped when a lower-priced and seemingly less-durable variety came on the market via Tractor Supply stores. He now sends customers to Gary’s Upholstery in Madawaska if they’re looking for the heavy duty shelters.
“They’ve worked really good. The frames are solid. The covers are good for six or eight years and maybe longer.” At the same time, he said he probably wouldn’t trust the shelters for something like storing a large boat at a seasonal lake house all winter. It’s something that you should be around to check on and regularly push the snow off.
Also to consider is that the light-duty models tend to have thinner metal frames and are also likely to be limited in their snow load capacity, Freeman said. The quonset frames like the models he sold shed snow easier.
His 10- by 15-foot ShelterLogic, still going strong after 15 degrees, is in the traditional dark green color, which Freeman recommends for winter conditions. “It does get really warm inside and helps with the snow load. You can get in there in January on sunny, zero-degree day and it’s warm.”
Some online reviews complain about difficulty setting up ShelterLogic models, with issues like fitting the cover over frames and following the instructions. Others report success and some suggest putting it together with two people.
Going beyond $1,000 for an auto and equipment shelter takes one into garage territory. With plans or a kit, a basic multi-purpose garage might be built yourself for $2,000. Or consider a living garage that could also be a place to grow food just about year-round: a heavy-duty greenhouse with a large overhead door.
And without shelters, of course there are small investments that can make getting the snow and frost off the car a bit easier. Online and local retailers sell things like frost covers to put on top of the windshield, for as low as $10, as well as full-car soft-materials covers that can be pulled off after removing some of the snow cover. And to prevent frost buildup inside, let some dry, cold air with the window cracked before leaving the car for the night, and leave a moisture-absorbing material inside, like a small stack of newspapers.
