outdoor car cover (again!)

[dapinky]

Hi guys,

I know that there have been a fair few threads over the years, and that many different opinions have been bandied about (including mine, as it happens!)....

... my bit related to a S/H cover I bought a few years ago, and whilst I was happy with it at the time, it has gradually shed its inner fleece lining, and I no longer wish to use it against my tidy paintwork because it *may* not do it any good (it was fine / weatherproof before, and still is, but when I had cr@p paint it wasn't an issue to me, but now it is).

Anyway, the situation is that I am moving house and will no longer have a covered storage for the Elan (it may or may not be short or long term - depending how efficiently my solicitor can remove a restrictive covenant banning detached garages/car ports - or seeing if I can build it into a hillside under the garden).

So - certainly for the short term, and possibly forever, I need to protect 2 cars from the weather - the Elan, and the Triumph.....

Cars will be out of direct wind (mostly!) in the lee of the house, but open to rain/sunlight/bird poo - no regular 'walking traffic' so abrassion not so much of an issue

I have read all the reviews, opinions etc etc and it seems to come down to a straight choice between Hamilton Classics (but they don't do a tailored version), Stormforce, Classic additions, Covercraft Noah, and the TLF offering from Bibbs (make unknown - but as it's made from Avantec, I'm assuming it to be Specialised Covers, and as there are 4 colour options, it should be the Stormshield +).

Assuming that price isn't the biggest issue, but value for money/performance is, what should I get???

I am drawn towards the Stormforce on price alone, and if it is for a short-term, I think it is best value, but should it stretch out to longer term, then a better one offers more value - so I'm leaning towards the Noah (£300 ish) or the TLF one at £250 (£50 less than getting it from Specialised directly).

Go on - give me your 2p worth.....

(and I'm fully aware that the Noah can be got for $224 in USA, but they won't ship international, and by the time I've faffed arround with the 'LEC courier' system, I can't see it being much different than paying more over here)

[Steve A]

I suppose tarp's out of the question I'll get me coat

[Rambo]

Dave - have you got space for 2 of these outdoor Carcoon things ? It will cost you about a grand but they are obviously temporary structures so shouldn't affect your restrictive covenant

Or as a short term fix, how about a WillB shower cape or similar for the Elan and a Hamilton classics car cover for the Triumph. Or a tarp, a couple of bungee cords and 4 bricks

[Dave Eds]

Ok Pinkers here goes

I bought a green one from Bibs.com 30 months ago for Collapso and it was fine until a couple of months ago when the outer layer started to flake(clear warm days and night frosts). To be fair to both Bibs and Specialised Covers they have replaced it FOfurtherC with a silver/grey cover as this will apparently deal with sunlight etc better. So from a customer service view spot on.

I also have a green one for the Evora but it's been in a cupboard in it's bag ever since - the cover not the Evora.

Do you want my green cover to sit under your old cover?

[dapinky]

Marc,

I could fit 2 carcoons on the drive (it's wide enough for 4 cars, and deep enough for 2 (so 8 spaces) ) - but I'd be annoyed if I bought them and then get permission to build the garage I want....

The Triumph isn't weatherproof (no windows) - but I can get it weatherproof with a day or 2 of work...

.... I already have a rain cape (2 actually!) for the Elan, but want something a bit more weatherproof as the bad weather approaches (I'm buying at the moment, but not selling yet, so expect to be in situ by October(ish). The planning dept won't enter into negotiation until I own the property so I am hoping that my solicitor can sort out the covenant before I exchange contracts. That will allow enough time to do the building work before I move the cars over (hopefully!).

I will then need something to keep all the crap off the cars during construction (maybe) - so I think that a couple of covers will fit the bill without costing a fortune.

The Stormforce covers have a good rep, but only have a 2 year waranty, whilst the 'better' ones have 4 years (but cost more). If I can get permission, even if delayed, then short-term is fine, albeit that it will be possibly over winter.

I'm really just mulling over options at this stage (Angie isn't keen on a matching pair of enclosed car trailers, a tent structure or similar, so carcoons may not go down well either). There is a double garage for sale 1/2 mile from the house, so that may be an option - nowt to rent that I have yet found. Open storage is available locally, but why pay when I have the drive-space at the house, and I'll still need covers.....

....it may come down to reversing the building works that the first owners did when they converted the garage to a bedroom with en suite, but I'd rather not do that as the house is just what we want/need with regards to potential for elderly parent accomodation. I may be able to stick the Triumph in my dads' garage if he were to move in with us (He's 93 and considering giving up driving anyway) - but it's all unknowns at this stage.

If they let me build what I want it won't affect any of the neighbours, and still allow enough turning circle so I don't have to reverse onto the road (even though it's a quiet cul-de-sac). I could just about manage with enough space to build within Permitted Development if the covenant can be overturned, but would prefer to go a tad bigger with Planning Permission (for 2 cars and a workshop).... and if they let me excavate into the bank then it doesn't change the footprint, only the frontage look (which is still 11m from the pavement) as there will be a garage door instead of the current retaining wall. Obviously, it's far easier to build on open land, but I can easily get machinery onto the site for excavation. I'm led to believe that the bit I want to dig out is rubble/subsoil and not into the bedrock (It's 9.8m of flat lawn 2.2m above driveway level), so 6m excavation would be my first choice, which would enable a decent garage with enough height to reinstate the lawn over the top (not cheap, and not quick - but definitely my favourite idea).

I blame Angie for finding a 'perfect' house - and just expecting us to be allowed to do the building works we envisaged.....


Spud,

I'm not sure how well the 'breathable' bit would work with 2 covers - I did consider that, but don't know if it would just cause more issues than it solves. If I can convince myself that my current cover will not scratch/wear the paint, then I'm going to be sorted (even if I need to clean all the 'dust' off the car every time I take it off) - maybe even think about a stretch 'indoor' cover to go on the car first, then my grey one.... aaarrrggghhhh - bloody decisions!

[Rambo]

I would look at that doubke garage option if its within your price budget. You can keep both cars in temporarily until you get planning and building permissions. And long term if the planning goes belly up !

If it's a temporary thing, and you get to build your garage, then you have the ideal extra space for all your spare parts ....... And maybe even another M100 project

[theelanman]

Pinky
Ive got a Noah cover...........Im going to check with the possible new owner if he wants to buy it....
if not........would you be interested.......I paid just over £340 incl shipping/taxes/duty etc........
I have only had it out of the bag once....that was just to make sure Id got the right one......
the cover as yet has never got wet.........
let me know if youre interested.......and make me an offer
cheers
G

[par]

Would a timber garage/workshop get around the covenant by being classed as non permanent?

[theelanman]

Would a timber garage/workshop get around the covenant by being classed as non permanent?

should do.......IIRC providing the 'eaves' are not above 2.5m.....or 2.0m if on a boundary......

[MPx]

I've had two indoor covers from Bibs on the Lotus cars for the last 6 or 7 years and they work well indoors and haven't detrimentally affected the paintwork at all - quite the opposite! If Spud's is the same then that under your existing outdoor cover would seem a good answer short term for free(ish) until you have more info on what the longer term options are.

But if it was me, I'd buy the double gge that's available Dave. That's what I did when we lived in Bickley - although that was just a single. Kept the Carlton in it for about 5 years. Then we moved and used it as transitional storage...then I sold it and broke even overall despite agents fees, conveyancing fees, lost interest, etc. So a free private gge for 6 years - ideal!

[MPx]

Oh and a thought on the covenants...you could open a can of worms that's best left closed given the neighbours from hell potential, but:

There's a big difference if you have permitted development or if that's been removed (eg with a section 106). If you do have PD or planning permission then it is just the covenants and neighbours who will stop you. The covenants will probably have been established when the development land was acquired for building, or by the developers themselves. It is material who you are covenanted to. If the site is long established then it is likely that the entity that you are covenanted to no longer exists or has no real interest in the site. Unless they are still actively involved with the site it would be rare for them to take any interest. Your neighbours on the other hand will be very interested and almost certainly against any change that you want to make - regardless of your planning permission status etc. Therefore they will probably make the complaint.... But covenants are only enforceable by the party who you are covenanted to and they may take some persuading to take an active interest and pursue you through the courts even if they can be found.

I found all this out in an old house where I put up a "tasteful" (!) Italian awning in the front garden as a car port. It counted as a temporary structure. My next door neighbour tried to warn me off, so I asked my solicitor to get permission from the holder of the covenant - which was put in place over 100 years before. He could not identify anyone who any longer had a legitimate interest and advised that I could effectively do what I wanted as none of the covenants would be enforceable. Not good for the rest of the unwashed to know but reassuring for us at the time.

[dapinky]

To answer a few of the questions raised....

.... a timber construction is still classed as a 'structure' (albeit non-permanent if intended for use of less than 3 years) - it gets round the Planning Permission aspect, but not the Covenant (and, if wooden, cannot be within 1m of boundary).

Purchase of the (if still available) garage will mean re-negotiation of the bridging loan, or waiting until we have sold our current house (which sort of defeats the purpose of getting the finance that way to allow the overlap to get the building done) - may still be worthwhile, but too early to consider right now.

The Covenant was placed when the land was first earmarked for development 30 years ago - but the final 2 properties on the hill have only just been completed. As such, the developer may still have an interest, or may now not be worried as he has completed all the stuff he was intending to do - the Solicitor is looking into it. Unfortunately, it appears that the Covenant(s) may have been adopted by the Local Authority who now get to enforce them - but only if I sign to accept them (which I haven't yet done, and is where the solicitor is earning his money to avoid me doing it!!).

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The boundary wall to the neighbour is a foot onto our land, so i can whip that down, drop the retaining wall and dig out the subsoil without affecting our house or any other.... go back 7m, whack up another retaining wall, drop in a concrete slab, put up some blockwork, tank it with a French drain, bit of backfill, concrete roof, topsoil and turf - jobs a good-un - and all to the current lines (I hope that the Planning Dept see it the same way )

[Rambo]

Looks like you might be applying for permissions for a granny flat too