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Thread: Semi-outdoor shop

  1. #1

    Semi-outdoor shop

    So I have a covered driveway. No garage door that pulls down, but an actual covered asphalt driveway that the roof extends over. I’ve turned this into my shop, but here’s the problem. The asphalt is both rough and sloped.

    I figure I have a few options.

    A. Rip up the asphalt and pour concrete flat. Everything will be smooth, but I’ll have to deal with water in some way. Maybe expensive? This is basically the size of a suburban.

    B. Rip up the asphalt and lay down more asphalt. Cheaper, but pushing tools around will be rough.

    C. Do just minimal patching. Don’t move the tools hardly at all, or only the lighter ones. Deal with the slope with adjustable pegs or whatever. I won’t be able to change the direction a tool is facing easily, but I won’t spend thousands on the driveway either.

    What to do?

    Thanks!

  2. #2
    If doing concrete is an affordable option, I would do that. Putting in a drain shouldn’t be hard or that expensive.

  3. #3
    Join Date
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    Look into permeable driveway materials. They let rain water go through the driveway into the underlying soil. Or another way to look at them, they serve as driveways. but don't let water stand on them.

  4. #4
    Interesting. I have never heard of these things

  5. #5
    Join Date
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    You can remove the asphalt under your car port and have concrete poured with a minimal slope to deal with any water. You should be able to move your tools around with locking wheels on the concrete with few issues. Cast iron tools and other non plated tools are likely to rust significantly under your outdoor roofed area. Depending on your neighbor hood, tools could also walk away.

    You can cut your cost significantly by doing all the preparation work, such as removing the existing material yourself.
    Lee Schierer
    USNA '71
    Go Navy!

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  6. #6
    Join Date
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    I ordered a few samples of "deck tiles" from build direct as a possible solution for a client with an ugly patio. They did not go for them. I am curious how they would work out for future projects. I do not think they are going to support a Suburban. I will see if any have a surface that would be nice to work on.

    Builddirect currently has a much smaller selection than when we last looked. Here is a capture of the ones I had shown the client.

    Screen Shot 2022-04-23 at 6.15.50 AM.jpg
    Last edited by Maurice Mcmurry; 04-23-2022 at 7:37 AM.
    Best Regards, Maurice

  7. #7
    Join Date
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    I wonder if this solid vinyl garage flooring could work. I have used it to spruce up rough, ugly, garage floors with good results.

    Screen Shot 2022-04-23 at 6.28.41 AM.jpg
    Best Regards, Maurice

  8. #8
    Join Date
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    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    Concrete replacement makes sense. Do know that your local jurisdiction may require some minimal slope for drainage away from the structure, but hopefully, that really is, in fact, minimal. The one concern that immediately came to mine from your description is security for projects and tools. Hopefully, you have a workable solution for that.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  9. #9
    Luckily my neighborhood is extremely safe with residential and police cameras everywhere. Doing that prep work is a good idea, thanks.

  10. #10
    My solution is luck so far. I live in a rather enclosed neighborhood, on a private road, which is itself off the end of a long dead end. Am considering adding a security camera as well.

  11. #11
    Another possibility I totally didn’t think of. Nice.

  12. #12
    I’m going to check this out. I don’t park my car there, it’s just the size of a suburban.

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