RV Storage Garage

I don't think my DW would like me walking through our coach with grease on my shoes little alone cleaning up after installing new brakes.

You want a door that is 14 feet wide x 14 feet tall. Make the shelter at least 50 feet long so you can fit any sized motorhome or 5th wheel. Put a drain in the middle so you can wash it. Insulate the walls, ceiling and door so it is more comfortable to work on there if you need to. Have enough room on the sides so you can get the slides out and still walk around them. Make the ceiling high enough so you can work on the roof.

BubbaChris wrote:
No mention yet on climate control for the building. At the very least, a swamp cooler would be good. We have a friend who added one to his garage so he can be more comfortable while cleaning his boat in there.

humidity is too high in oklahoma for a swamp cooler & its probably way too expensive to cool the bay w/ an air conditioner (it would have to be well insulated).

We don't see cold temperatures (in texas) for very long - but we do see a week or 3 of 20 degrees....even then the interior temperatures of our storage bay never get below 45 degrees.

While i always drain my hot water heater (to prevent corrosion / build up) when i put the coach in storage, I don't have to winterize. I do put two small oil filled electric heaters in the coach and can easily raise the temperature 30 or 40 degrees inside the coach.

a propane heater (hung from the ceiling) could always be added after the fact if needed.

for winters and summers - it might be nice to have a SEPARATE WALK THRU door (so you don't have to always open the roll-up door to enter & exit the building.

No mention yet on climate control for the building. At the very least, a swamp cooler would be good. We have a friend who added one to his garage so he can be more comfortable while cleaning his boat in there.

I would think it all depends upon what you plan to use the garage for, how much $$ you want to spend, and your location.

If just for storage of the rv, you really don't need all the extras....a simple 50amp service panel will power outlets, lights, with enough left over for 30amps for the rv to keep the batteries charged.

If you plan on using the garage for other things, then design in the items you will need.

What is the going $$/sq ft that contractors are charging in your area? Don't know? Find out. Use this figure to determine the "max" size you can afford. At a minimum I would go with 50x20...absolute minimum. 14'x12' roll up door...16' walls.

Your location and the time of year you will be storing the rv will determine if you need to insulate or not...or even installing heating and/or AC.

As previously mentioned, during excavation, put in empty pipes for future requirements.

Once you have come up with a plan, have someone draw up some plans and get the building permit. Then make copies of the plans and ask at least 3 contractors to bid on it. Choose the contractor that you think will do the best job for the least amount of money. Always make sure that the contractor will be open for changes/additions that may come along....keeping those at a minimum of course, due to also having to change your building permit. $$

Good luck

Ron

I would add a sump/drain in the middle of the bay......Lifesaver if you wash the MH indoors.....Assure whoever does your concrete/flooring to angle all sides slightly towards the drain....I built a 50x40 and this drain is the best addition I added during construction.....

hotbyte wrote:
Not sure I see need for bathroom if you have water, sewage and a motorhome???

- Some method for venting black/gray tanks out of building if totally enclosed.
- Floor drains or appropriate slope toward door so you can wash rig inside garage.

i agree - no need for the bathroom if you've got a coach w/ water and sewer connection, it could add value for the next buyer - but it could also add complications to the construction, inspection / code regulations.

Our storage bay doesnt have water or sewer - but the property does have a dump/septic system. Ive never needed water (since i have water in the coach tanks) & I've had to use the facilities when working on the coach - and sometimes (in the winter) the coach might not move for 4-6 weeks (I've never had a odor issue)

There is something to be said for leaving a campground, coming home from a long road trip, race weekend or even camping in friends driveway or curb WITHOUT having to worry about dumping your tanks (knowing you can do it at your storage garage/lot) - it also allows me time to THROUGHLY flush/rinse my tanks clean.

grading the garage floor slightly for draining could be easier & cheaper than dealing w/ inspection & codes related to a floor drain.

I would invest plenty in the thickness of the concrete floor - to insure the weight of a coach won't crack the floor (i like to put our coach on the jacks & get the tires off the floor, when in storage).

Bathroom is for those times when you don't want to use the coach facilities. I don't really need it for my setup since I have both in a nearby shop. If you are going to run power, go ahead and put in 50amp service. My facility is 60' long - just long enough to have my toad hooked up to my 39' coach. I seldom do that, but there have been occasions when it was very helpful. If you have a concrete floor, make it about 14 feet wide. I had a 10' X 60' slab poured, and could really use the extra two feet on either side. My basement storage bins extend with the slides.

Where in Oklahoma? You will definitely need to winterize. I'm in SW Oklahoma, and it gets below freezing several times in the winter.Seldom stays that way, but it does happen.

GM

Not sure I see need for bathroom if you have water, sewage and a motorhome???

- Some method for venting black/gray tanks out of building if totally enclosed.
- Floor drains or appropriate slope toward door so you can wash rig inside garage.

Bay Door Front and Back......I like the Bathroom and Drain ideas