I thought it was awesome when my Dad bought a boat. What I didn’t realize was that he would have nowhere to park it. So it sat and sat until it killed some grass. The thing also got covered with leaves in the fall. Then he decided that it needed a place to live permanently. So we did some research into how he could store it. Self Storage
The first idea we investigated was a self-storage unit, but those are really expensive. Plus you don’t have ready access to your boat. Say it's a nice day, and Dad wants to go out on the lake and take my kids with him. That’s a win-win for me, but first he has to go and pick the boat up at the storage place, and by then the kids are cranky and tired of waiting. Paying a monthly fee for someone to keep your boat locked up just doesn’t make sense.
New Garage
Then we looked into building onto his house. This was his idea not mine. I already knew I couldn’t afford it, and I doubted that he could. Sure enough, the quotes he got for building a new garage were over $20,000. He could buy another boat for that! What’s more, there would be a lot of turmoil during the process. A foundation would have to be dug. Heavy equipment would run all over the yard. I saw that happen with a renovation a few years ago at a neighbor’s house. In the end, they spent another $1,000 just to reseed and replant their yard.
Free-standing Carport
So then we looked into getting a free-standing carport. I was surprised that a metal carport was such an affordable option. It wouldn’t disturb the yard or require much in the way of installation. Sure enough, Dad went for it. The new carport was installed quickly. Mom was happy because it was a no-mess, no-fuss solution. Dad was very happy because it cost a tiny fraction of what a garage would have cost, and it protects his boat. This seems like a good option for cars and campers, too. You protect your investment from the worst of the weather, but you don't spend a fortune doing it.
Disclaimer: This is a guest post. My dad did not buy a boat, though it would be cool if he did. He did build a carport, though.
