Wanted: Short Term Rental Garage for Van Conversion in the Northeast USA

[Retired 96]

I'm posting this thread for myself and others looking for short term garages for rent for van conversion projects in the Northeast USA area.

I am still looking for a place to finish my project anywhere in 11 NE states of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire or Maine.

Wanted: Commercial, Industrial, or Residential Garage, Warehouse Bay, Work Space, Work Shop, Woodworking Shop, etc For Short Term Rent

- Utilities needed: Electric for light, small space heater, a few small power tools

- Dimensions needed for entrance:
9 feet Height clearance
8 1/2 feet Width for garage door entrance
20 feet Length for the van
and need approximately 500-1,000 square feet total additional interior space to work in

- If the van can't fit inside he building that's ok I can work inside and bring the finished objects into the van docked next to the garage or workshop entrance
- Purpose: 2-3 months of upfitting, wood cabinetry work and interior work on a van
- Willing to sign a liability waiver since some people don't want to rent short term (that needs to change as there is an urgent unmet demand)
- Email me via Craigslist , post below or pm me via this fo

I wonder if Uhaul have electricity in some of its detached large outdoor storage units?

 

[anothertry]

Thanks, I called a few local places that have storage units and shipping containers and they didn't allow work in them.
Some storage facilities that had electric removed it as people were living/sleeping in the units themselves.
The Northeast in general seems to have more restrictions as even when a storage facility allowed me to work in there the local board it was part of cited them and got those tenants out.

 

[bullfrog !]

Just a crazy thought what about a wrecking yard or construction site, trade maybe night time security for working space?

 

[maki2]

Thanks for the info, some of it's new, some I was aware of.

I wonder how all the regulations differ between individual states and their local municipalities, maybe some locations are more amenable for either landlord or renter or both to get something like this done if both parties can be trusted to be responsible.

The federal guidelines for Hazardous Materials Disposal have to be complied with in all states. There will be some additional local restrictions on where it gets disposed of. I am more tuned in on that stuff than many as my last few years as a lead at Boeing I was put on special assignment to assure compliance with those regulations in my 400 employee work group. Including compliance for storage and use as dictated by the local fire regulations and the state. When I later setup my own miniatures model making workshop the state thought I was a big business and sent an inspector out who quickly realized I did not have enough chemicals in my workshop to violate any regulations or even require a flammables cabinet.

 

[Retired 96]

Thanks, I called a few local places that have storage units and shipping containers and they didn't allow work in them.
Some storage facilities that had electric removed it as people were living/sleeping in the units themselves.
The Northeast in general seems to have more restrictions as even when a storage facility allowed me to work in there the local board it was part of cited them and got those tenants out.

Maybe the Nomads that still has bricks and sticks in different parts of the country are willing to let someone on this thread use their driveway and garage?....

 

[Retired 96]

What about the possibility of using a large tent as a work space and then the only problem is finding a park...or parking lot and having charged up portable power tools?
( You're welcome also )

 

[anothertry]

Just a crazy thought what about a wrecking yard or construction site, trade maybe night time security for working space?

I covered this and more in a post here. In short that option is probably illegal to pull in there and work, you will be noticed, I honestly think that's a bad/dumb idea. It might work for some people to work outdoors in parking lots but not for me.

The federal guidelines for Hazardous Materials Disposal have to be complied with in all states. There will be some additional local restrictions on where it gets disposed of. I am more tuned in on that stuff than many as my last few years as a lead at Boeing I was put on special assignment to assure compliance with those regulations in my 400 employee work group. Including compliance for storage and use as dictated by the local fire regulations and the state. When I later setup my own miniatures model making workshop the state thought I was a big business and sent an inspector out who quickly realized I did not have enough chemicals in my workshop to violate any regulations or even require a flammables cabinet.

Thanks for the details, this and probably more guidelines, regulations, local codes, etc is probably what also makes it difficult to to set up and find garages for short term project rental.

Maybe the Nomads that still has bricks and sticks in different parts of the country are willing to let someone on this thread use their driveway and garage?....

This is a good idea for those people who still have homes or who travel and don't use their garages, if they are relatively roomy enough, to rent them out to people.

There is/was a website Garage Time, which aims/aimed to be the "Air Bnb" of garages but since this is a niche and most people use their garages as storage units I don't think it's going to grow. I think community work coop spaces are the ideal but they are rare and I don't see much of friendly climate for those ideas in most places. The closest things to that are artist lofts, college makerspaces and performing arts centers.

What about the possibility of using a large tent as a work space and then the only problem is finding a park...or parking lot and having charged up portable power tools?
( You're welcome also )

This may work for some people but not for me. I need an actual building that is properly taken care of to finish my project. If I don't find it I will simply live with a partially finished van until I do or not, that's life.

 

[bullfrog !]

Possibly renting some hanger space at a small airport, but it will be expensive. There are a few people that work on and store planes as well as boats and vehicles in hangers in the small airports. There are exceptions to every situation and after reading your link above in my opinion you make a lot of general assumptions about possible places and rule them out. Really what you should be looking for is that one exception to the general situation again in my opinion. Maybe a church has a garage for their bus fleet they might let you use a space for a charitable donation or a farmer with an equipment shed, not very likely but you only need one out of many to let you use a space. Used to be vocational schools had 3 hour night woodworking, mechanics or welding classes two or three nights a week you could enroll in to do special projects which might work for your needs if you are a good organizer and planner.

 

[Retired 96]

I covered this and more in a post here. In short that option is probably illegal to pull in there and work, you will be noticed, I honestly think that's a bad/dumb idea. It might work for some people to work outdoors in parking lots but not for me.


Thanks for the details, this and probably more guidelines, regulations, local codes, etc is probably what also makes it difficult to to set up and find garages for short term project rental.


This is a good idea for those people who still have homes or who travel and don't use their garages, if they are relatively roomy enough, to rent them out to people.

There is/was a website Garage Time, which aims/aimed to be the "Air Bnb" of garages but since this is a niche and most people use their garages as storage units I don't think it's going to grow. I think community work coop spaces are the ideal but they are rare and I don't see much of friendly climate for those ideas in most places. The closest things to that are artist lofts, college makerspaces and performing arts centers.


This may work for some people but not for me. I need an actual building that is properly taken care of to finish my project. If I don't find it I will simply live with a partially finished van until I do or not, that's life.

I wish you success sir...and I like your spirit!

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Short term rental repair garages were plentiful 40 years ago but bad actors destroyed that market. If you find something it is either someone who doesn't know the risk they are taking or a business.

I know of a few in the midwest and they are expensive. They will require:

- a waver (make sure you understand what you are signing).​

- a large deposit (or they may have damage/clean up insurance and add it to the rent).​

- liability insurance ($$$) will be included in the rent.​

- they may require proof of medical and disability insurance.​

IMO it would be cheaper to hire a carpenter to do your build.

 

[DRAGNSHIP]

It seems like a good amount of van dwellers are in the city - for good reason...if you dont own property it's full of resources! But it also seems costly, and loaded with restrictions.

Out in rural USA there are so many old barns and large swaths of property w/ essentially no rules...it might be worth it to just chalk up 6 months or so to re-locate and look into taking a farm hand job where a property owner would allow a van person to stay on the property and utilize an old barn.

Around Kentucky there seem to usually be at least a few horse or cattle farms looking for some type of help thru Craigslist posting and often they offer a live-at type of deal or would likely be open to allowing a person to do things on their property more so than city people...down south in the country things are different. If you work hard and don't make a mess people can be very accommodating for a helping hand weed eating/cleaning out stalls, etc.

 

[DRAGNSHIP]

I wrote above because that's kind of what I do since getting my van.

One person I do mechanics on his work trucks and odd jobs, he lets me stay at his shop and use electric - he's basically a friend of mine now but also pays me.

Another person I'm a paid worker helping grow vegetables part time, again I can stay there and use their water and power and made them friends.

Another person runs a junkyard (like someone mentioned above) and they don't care if I stay there and use the facility all evening and night as long as I put in a days work before hand.

Just through random friendly conversation on the side of the road I had an offer a few years back from an old man who owns 500 acres of cow farm to come help him make hay and maintain fencing a few miles from where I currently base out of...never jumped on that one though.

Where I base, there are people that own properties they only hunt at, and I've met a few people who look after these properties for such people (making trails, setting up stands, cutting the grass around the camper, cabin etc...) and they are basically granted full access to these places year round, and get paid, even though the owners are only there 10% of the time.

Opportunity can be out there in many different forms! Good luck, stay positive and keep searching!!