Covers and Climate
Saving money and carbon while taking care of your stuff
Note: This photo is not my house, but it is a good picture of what a frugal home might look like.
When you buy and own a place that is just enough to meet your basic needs, you often end up confronting a stark reality—your needs get bigger as your imagination expands. Here at Walden Woods, storage became a nearly instant challenge. Just the basic tools for managing ten acres—lawn mower, tiller, snow blower, bicycle, and tools was too much for my undersized 8’x8’ shed. I rented a separate storage locker, but it is twelve miles away. I started thinking about a garage.
So, one afternoon last summer I hosted a local construction guy to start thinking about building a garage. I figure that if I am going to build, it should be big enough to handle any more expansive imagination that might arise for me! I showed him a couple of locations I was considering. I told him to figure a two car garage with a little extra length. And he told me: “Plan on $130,000.” I gasped. No way.
Of course, I started looking at alternatives, but even so-called economy garages started at $30,000 and didn’t include site preparation. It was easy to get to $50,000 for the total project in an “economy” style. And that for something I would not enjoy looking at. I thought about building it myself, and while that’s possible, it’s not really my jam. I can build, but I don’t love to build.
Then, this summer, I bought a small patio fireplace, and Amazon served up something that many people buy with their fireplace—a cover. I bought that, too. Although I would prefer to just have things open, I immediately understood the utility of what I was looking at. I could cover things, which can be just as good as a garage at protecting them. I can do so at a fraction of the cost. The materials are simple and would have a far lower carbon impact than any construction alternative.
There seem to be two ways to go about this: Individual covers and tent sheds. While tent sheds are intriguing and could provide an easier solution than the individual covers, most of them are lighter weight than individual covers, and in my snowy climate, I have my doubts they would last all winter. I may test one. But in looking at specs, the fabrics for individual machinery covers is about 2-3x thicker than the tent sheds. I’d rather bank on thicker, tougher material in my area.
So, how did I approach this? Basically, I am getting covers for my primary machines—lawn mower, snow blower, garden tiller, and mountain bike. Total cost? Under $200. I also bought a cover for my vehicle—total cost is $65. I already have covers for my grill and patio fireplace. And I am purchasing a tarp for the patio table.
Photo by Anthony Signorelli
Although the covers are infinitely flexible regarding location, I feel it will be helpful to identify a dedicated place. I already used all the gravel I had purchased this year on my driveway, so I obtained some shipping pallets and will park the machinery on that to keep it up off the ground. Next year, a new gravel pad for such storage might be in order.
Here’s why I like this idea so much.
First, it saves money. Instead of the huge outlay to build a garage, I can protect my equipment, from cars to patio furniture, for less than $500 total. Love that! And, I don’t need to spend time building another building
Second, it saves carbon. Sure, the covers need to be manufactured and shipped, but that is far less than the carbon impact of building materials, clearing trees, and everything else that goes with construction.
Third, it protects the gear I have and prolongs its life, thereby delaying any future time when I would need to replace the equipment, and it also saves the carbon from more manufacturing.
Fourth, it is impermanent and flexible. If I don’t like where I stored something one year, I can easily move it the next year. Since this place is relatively new to me, my imagination flows into it with varying ideas of what “finished” will look like. This flexibility helps preserve options for any more permanent construction I may or may not want to undertake in the future.
Ultimately, it seems that covers are a climate friendly solution. With good care, they can last a very long time. Lower cost, less carbon, and living well. It fits the formula for a climate abundant life.
Anthony Signorelli
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Tony- great problem solving and willingness to be open to a low-tech solution. As long as you can keep your machinery out of the mud (and rodents from getting in from below), they should withstand the elements fine.