What do you do when you have too many cars / too few garage stalls? I've started to look into leasing a small amount of industrial space (400-600 sq ft?) for me and a couple of club brothers to keep cars, parts, tools. I've been checking at Craig's List and Chicago real estate ads. Problem is it's hard to find anybody willing to carve industrial space into pieces that small at a reasonable price. I know a few folks here (like Modernbeat and the Cheaters) have some shared warehouse/industrial real estate, and any pointers and ideas would be welcome. BTW - if anyone knows of some good cheapo garage/storage in North or NW suburban Chicago, I'd appreciate the info... I
I'm renting a couple storage units right now. Got my cadillac in one, and a bunch of parts and things in the other. Keep my T in my garage at home, as well as my other cars that are in the driveway. The place is right down the street from my house so its easy to pull one car out and put another in. I don't do any work on them there though. I hope to buy some land and build a shop/garage. The storage thing is a little pricey too and I imagine some storage unit managers frown on moving cars in and out very often.
Real estate in the chicagoland area is real high.. it makes it tough.. real tough to find a spot cheap. We have looked in the past.. and got tired of finding nothing.
try to find a used 4 post lift and stack the cars. Might be cheaper than even 6 months rent for more space. Or move where its cheaper... Or buy a lot in the sticks and put your stuff there.... Small airports have hangars for rent , or someone there might rent you a piece of one..
Airports kick ass. See my post for space in a NJ hangar. Noise not a problem, concrete floors, electricity, 24 hr security.
I'd also try for an airplane hanger. I'm thinking about trying to rent the hanger next to my father-in-laws plane.
I don't know how Chicago is, but in Houston airport space is more precious than downtown nightclub space. Even with three airports there's a shortage of shop space for all the supporting services. Mike, my current space is divided into four lots. My living space, my shop space, a closed off area I lease to an aquaintaince for furniture and fishing equipment storage, and an open wing that I lease to friend for car and parts storage. The furniture guy has no working rights, the car guy has the run of my shop and tools. If you're just looking for a storage place to park all the iron, I'd suggest purchasing a shipping container for approximately $1000 and finding a neighbor or nearby business that's willing to let you stick it on their property for some rent. It could be done much cheaper than a U-Lock-It storage space, and you'd have ultimate controll of it. The containers come in various lengths and widths, but the standard lengths are 40 and 20 feet. Do you need secure storage? Or just off street parking? See if any condos or business parks with covered parking offer long term parking contracts. Stick the cars there under blankets and car covers. Check on them often. Tip the guys that see them everyday. Stencil your contact info on the car cover. Like was recomended earlier, grab a used lift if it will fit. Modify your garage celing if necessary. Bring the beams up to the roof. I have a friend that did this - lost the attic, but gained a great acoustical space to listen to some super speakers and tube amps. Can you put a garage door in the back of the garage to make it a drive through? Put a patio on the back of the garage to protect the cars in storage. If this is for shop space to work on the cars, I'd spend whatever bucks it took to keep it close to home. Having a remote space is just one more excuse to not work on the projects.
My dad lives in southern NJ and doesn't have garage space for his '65 Mustang. He found an elderly neighbor with a two car garage who doesn't drive anymore. She rents him garage space for $25 a month. It's not fancy,but it keeps the car out of the elements and away from the curious. You might look around for something similar-folks with more garage space than they now need who will rent cheap for a little income and some company-worth a shot anyway.
Shipping containers are a good idea, but you need to set up a type of ventilation system. If the area is closed up for a long period of time, even though they are suppose to be air/water tight, the moisture still gets in and can reak havoc with condensation. My Brother just got his car out of a storage/shipping container. Luckily it is drivable and he was able to get it dried off before any bad stuff happened.
Thread is back from the dead! Looking at options for storage in the Chicagoland area (burbs) for a project car. Secure site is a priority. Following in order of importance is: covered, hardstand, indoor/enclosed. Looking for best price/options or leads - thanks!
Slate, I see this thread ancient, but I am looking for the exact same thing. What did you ever find, if anything?
If you can't solve the problem, change the problem: maybe start selling off stuff to reduce your storage issues.
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