Stationary garages for cars are rarely built in summer cottages, because there is no reason to spend money on them if you come occasionally, and even then in the summer. But you will not leave the car in the open air either, because an unexpected hail can spoil the paint, and the scorching sun can deform the panel and discolor the inner lining. The wind makes its contribution, filling the car with pollen, dust and leaves. In addition, it is not very convenient to park a car on bare ground, because over time an ugly track will break out, which will be washed away by rains and will have to be constantly equalized. Saves from such problems parking for a car in the country, which is easy to craft with your own hands.
Selection of a place for future parking
As a rule, they try to put the car closer to the house so that it is convenient to “pack it” with vegetables and fruits grown in the country. Especially if the building is located far from the entrance to the site. Putting against the wall, you get an additional bonus in the form of protection against wind and lateral precipitation. You just need to choose a wall located on the side of the often blowing winds. In addition, if there is no dog in the country house, local thieves rarely open a car under the window. But this option has a small minus: you have to sacrifice a few meters of the garden or flower beds.
If the territory is guarded (by a dog or a video camera), then the most convenient parking option is right next to the entrance gate. Then you do not have to create a wide entrance to the house, but you can do with narrow paths.
Parking under the windows of the cottage will protect the car from nightly thieves
Entrance parking is convenient in small areas where every meter is appreciated
The size of the parking will depend on the size of the car. For cars up to 4 meters long, a 2.5 X 5 m platform is allocated. If you have a minivan or a jeep, the platform should be larger: 3.5 X 6.5 m.
Open parking device
The simplest parking is open. They are a flat solid platform, which is slightly raised above the surface of the earth. It can be sown with lawn grass, covered with gravel, poured with concrete or asphalt, or laid with paving tiles or stone.
Option # 1 - grass field
The worst option is lawn grass. Over time, two strips of wheels will be driven out on it, which are unlikely to be restored. Yes, and wait for the lawn to take root, you need at least a season.
Live grass is very unstable to wheel pressure, but if you replace it with an artificial lawn, then the parking will turn out smooth and beautiful
Option # 2 - crushed stone platform
A more practical option is backfill with gravel. To create it, they remove the fertile layer of the earth and sand instead of it. Sidewalk borders are poured along the edge of the site, which will keep the site in shape. When the curbs are cooled, they fill in a layer of rubble 15 cm, raising it above ground level. Such a drainage area will always be dry. You can lay two strips of concrete tile in the center (under the wheels) to make it more convenient to call in.
With all the ease of installation, the parking lot from rubble will be clogged with dry leaves and garbage, which are difficult to clean out
Option # 3 - concrete parking
Concrete parking under the car in the country is done if the soil in your area does not clutter. To make the coating durable, you need to remove the fertile layer of earth, fill up the sand cushion and put the formwork around the perimeter of the parking lot. A reinforcing mesh is laid on top of the sand for strength and a 5 cm concrete layer is poured. Then a new reinforcement layer is laid on the wet solution and another 5 cm of concrete is poured on top of it. The total height of the site will be about 10 cm, which is quite suitable for a car. If you count on a jeep, then the concrete layer should be raised by 15 cm.
For strength, concrete parking is reinforced twice during pouring
Three days waiting for concrete to harden, then the formwork is removed. But the car should be parked only after a month, when the coating finally hardens.
Option # 4 - paving slab
If the soil in the country house is prone to heaving, it is better to replace the concrete with paving slabs, because there will be gaps in this coating that will not allow the site to warp. In addition, moisture from tiles evaporates faster. The tile is laid on a sand-cement pillow or on a densely tamped gravel, crushing to the base with a rubber mallet.
The tile is rammed with a rubber mallet, and if it is not, then gently hammer it
Polycarbonate Canopy Construction Example
Unlike open areas, parking with canopies will protect the car from sudden rainfall or summer heat. Yes, and a flying bird does not cause trouble.
The awnings are not made too high so that the car is not “clogged” with oblique rain, and the structure itself is not shaken like a sail by the wind. The optimal size is the height of the car + the height of the possible load on the roof. As a rule, this parameter varies from 2.3 to 2.5 m.
The principle of installation of all canopies is approximately the same. The difference will only be in the material of the racks and cover. You can cover the canopy with polycarbonate, metal profiles, slate, boards and even reeds.
If you are building a parking lot for several cars, then the pillars are put up after one and a half meters
The canopies are made stand-alone or attached to one of the walls of the house. If an attached canopy is mounted, then two support posts are made, and from the side of the house the rafters and the canopy roof are fixed directly to the wall. To securely fix the racks, they are concreted or anchored to the base.
The attached parking will protect the car from snowfall and wind, if you build it from the south
If the canopy will be separate, then the supporting pillars should be at least 4. The exact number depends on the number of parking spaces and the weight of the material that will cover the canopy.
Stages of the construction of the canopy:
- Fill the foundation. For covered parking, a concrete or tiled base is suitable, the creation of which was described above. One caveat: if the site is made of concrete, then the pillars must be placed immediately at the time of pouring. If it is planned to tile, then first support the concrete, and then mount the entire base.
- We knock down the frame. The frame begins to be installed only a week after concrete work. At the same time, if it is summer on the street, concrete is poured daily, otherwise it may become cracked due to quick drying. For a frame structure, a metal profile or thin wooden beams are suitable. They connect pillars-supports from above, then proceed to the installation of the rafter system and the creation of the crate.
- We fill the roofing. If cellular polycarbonate is selected for the canopy, then sheets of the desired size are first prepared. For this, the frame is measured and polycarbonate is cut directly on the ground with an ordinary hacksaw. Cutting is carried out along the length of the polycarbonate channels, so that during installation they turn out perpendicular to the ground. This will allow moisture inside the sheets to flow down calmly.
The polycarbonate parking lot looks airy and easy to install
Polycarbonate sheets are marked and cut on the ground.
The angle of inclination of polycarbonate sheets should be more than 5 degrees, so that internal moisture goes down, and does not accumulate, spoiling the appearance of the roof
After cutting, mark and drill holes for fasteners. They should be slightly wider than a self-tapping screw. In the heat, polycarbonate expands, and if you do not give a margin, then it will burst at the fastening points. So that dust and water do not get into the wide openings, they are covered with rubber gaskets on top and only then fixed with screws.
If you cover the parking lot with corrugated board, then you should use galvanized self-tapping screws, and lay the cover sheets with an overlap.
The parking lot is part of the landscape of the summer cottage, so its design should be in harmony with the rest of the buildings.
