Buying a Lockup/Garage

[wodge]

Does anyone have any tips on buying lockups or garages.. I'm finding myself short of storage for man stuff and Self store places don't seem a cheap long term option.

What should I be looking out for? Any pitfalls to avoid?

Cheers
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nolidge iz pouwur.
Yamaha RXS100 RS100

[syl]

As nearby as possible and with electricity. Preferably in a not too scummy area and well lit. It's probably best that when you look around most of them have their doors still attached.
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Current bike: Kawasaki Z750S

[Benno]

Install a ground anchor inside if you're getting one away from your house, because they are not as safe as you think!
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I'm autistic. That means I'm smarter than you.

[G]

In Reading I was renting a garage for £60pm for storage. It was a few miles away, but this was purely a secondary storage as had a decent sized garage already.
Similar would have likely cost at least £10k to buy - so a decent lot of time for 'pay off'.
They were right next to the bloke who was renting them's house - he got annoyed with the bit being used for whoring right next to his garden when they were pretty much abandoned.

Do you have a garden or similar you could stick a shed up in?

[BTTD]

I bought one last year, and it should be pretty straight forward.
The structures are about as basic as you can get - usually concrete blocks with either a tin or fibrous cement roof.

Problems I had with mine.
1. Roof had been patched but not all that well. I went over the patches with a fibreglass kit from ebay £20.
2. The door is pretty shagged. I could get a service kit and new runners, but I'm going to get a new sectional door with better security, sealing and insulation.
3. Wooden beam across the top of the garage door was rotten, and side of garage door posts. I've replaced the beam, and will do the posts when I do the door.
4. Guttering was leaking. New black plastic parts £16.
5. Garage floor was just about lower than the shared area in front, due to tarmac resurfacing over the years making the drive way a bit higher each time. They'd countered this by putting a concrete berm a couple inches high behind the garage door, probably fine but if the roof leaks water inside the garage it won't drain out. I have a cement mixer, so a couple of weekends and a few hundred £ on concrete means I now have a lovely new concrete floor with a DPC underneath.

Other things I've done.
Painted the inside white, fitted shelving and slatwall type stuff as inspired by this:

https://americanwoodworker.com/blogs/shop/archive/2009/08/04/hyper-organize-your-shop.aspx

[dydey90]

The ones I've seen always seem to have the same problem. Decent swinging garage door, nice thick, sturdy walls... Corrugated steel roof bolted to some sparse pine 2x4's.

If somebody wants to get in, they can do quite easily and add that to the fact that every garage door I've ever seen can be unlocked and opened from inside means that you don't technically own the contents as soon as you've left.
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This post is probably not serious and shouldn't be taken literally.
Past: CBR125,ER6f NINJA 650, ZZR600 Current: VFR750

[BTTD]

Everyone that I've seen also has extra padlocks and / or a garage defender fitted.

[map]

[dydey90]