According to a story in St. Petersburg Times, Florida set up a program years ago to provide mobile home owners with anchors to destruction in the face of gale-force winds. Unfortunately, the well-meaning program didn’t quite work out:

“Of the more than 23,000 mobile homes retrofitted so far, few appear to have received enough anchors to bring them up to the state’s tough safety standards. Mobile homes requiring a dozen or more new tie-downs instead got just a handful. And state-mandated devices that keep a home from sliding end to end were not always installed.”

Even though Florida spent $33 million on the 23,000 outdated homes, it seems that many of these homes are beginning to fall apart. The article says the problem lies within the legal constructs of the program, which has lax installation standards:

“Despite some homeowners’ expectations, the program does not require [the anchor installation] company to make old mobile homes comply with today’s installation standards. Instead, it lets the company determine how many anchoring devices can be installed. State inspectors randomly check the retrofitted properties to see if equipment is installed correctly. But they do not determine whether the number of anchors meets state rules.”

This is problematic, especially if you have dealt with wicked weather and portable buildings. Anchors and other canopy accessories are extremely important when considering the safety of your carport, which isn’t even a home. Let’s hope Florida can work out its issues.

However impressive solar canopies are, I have failed to look at the actual solar technology behind these products. Interestingly enough, the plastics industry is being hit pretty hard by solar technology development and have needed to develop new plastics for certain standards for charging stations. According to Plastics Today:

“…charger manufacturers are turning towards plastics as they take different approaches to developing covers for the outside. Outdoors, charging stations must remain durable in northeastern Europe’s icy winter weather as well as heat resistant in the southwest deserts of the United States. They also need to allow unhampered communications, as more are operating with wireless…some charging stations now contain links to databases that will accept and keep track of payments.”

The article says that some of the newer charging stations are being made from materials like wood-composite plastic, which is also used for decks and patios. Although one might think that indoor charging stations might have looser regulations, the industry actually demands the opposite. They must be insulated, lightweight and fire retardant in case of emergency situations. One company out of Europe is actually using a type of plastic that can be used indoor and out:

“…their pole and wall-mounted electric vehicle chargers are used in both indoor and outdoor private and commercial locations, and can power electric cars, bicycles, or scooters. The new plastic they use from Bayer MaterialScience is a recyclable halogen-free PC+ABS bend.”

How does this affect the canopy industry in the future? It still stands to be seen, especially since the solar technology being developed is advancing very quickly. However, canopies and metal carports are certainly strong enough to deal with the restrictions from government bodies, so only the plastics need to be tampered with.

-          Shelters of America carries products made from galvanized steel frames instead of powder coated steel. The latter has the ability to rust, scratch and be unreliable, negative traits that galvanized steel doesn’t have. There is also the anti-corrosion that galvanized steel offers to people relying on canopies in terrible weather conditions like rain, snow, etc.

-          Galvanized steel also has a much higher threshold for tension and can handle larger amounts of weight if necessary. It won’t wear itself thin from the inside out like power-coated steel. You can’t go wrong with strength and corrosion protection in one package.

-          Always be aware of the warranties that come along with your shelters – this can add a lot to the value of the product you buy. Even though we have some of the best canopies and garages you will ever find, having a strong warranty is a benefit that pays off in case of problems.

-          The buildings at Shelters of America are built to withstand all kinds of weather, but that doesn’t mean that you should overlook bigger storms that require special attention to your portable shelter. If a large storm is on its way, make sure to secure your shelters extra carefully with appropriate anchors and canopy accessories as well.

Carport Fight – Alabama Live has an editorial talking about the storm shelters that were set up by the Federal Emergency Management Agency after tornadoes hit in April. These shelters were set up at schools in various counties around the state with FEMA fronting 75% of the cost. Now FEMA wants the money back and some Alabamians aren’t too pleased:

“School officials learned later that…they would either have to buy the temporary shelters, sell them at “fair market value” and give the money to FEMA, or tear them down. Only one of the school systems said it has enough money to buy its shelter. Many would agree with Charles Warren, the DeKalb County superintendent who helped raise a fuss about the policy. Warren told Robin DeMonia of The Birmingham News. ‘…I didn’t want to see a half-million-dollar safe room torn down.’”

FEMA should probably just leave the shelters up until the county can figure out the financing or maybe just let them keep the shelters. After all, this probably won’t be the last time Alabama needs a shelter.

Prettying Up Carports – Carports are usually placed outside the home and not always attached in any way. Some architects are seeking to change this, according to My SA. The story says that some groups in San Antonio are looking to make carports a design element in homes that also act as a useful resource for space. One of the examples cited sounds like a beautiful economic storage option:

“The home on Encino Avenue…also uses a carport in a very prominent way. The detached wood and stucco carport was designed to complement the main house with sensitivity to the small lot and existing shade trees. It serves as the anchor for the outdoor living space.”

Another major draw of the Big E is the entertainment, which ranges from parades to horse shows and major concerts. This year, there are a number of wildly popular musicians coming to perform at the fair, including country songstress Reba, classic rock band Cheap Trick and country star Blake Shelton. Don’t miss out on the The Big E Super Circus either – it’s a blast for the whole family!

However, the Avenues of States and various concerts are not the only part of the Big E that people come out for – let’s not forget all of the vendors who come to the exposition to show off their wares! One such vendor is Portable Garage Depot, a world leader in the sale of portable garages, shelters and other temporary structures for storage. A wide variety of products from Portable Garage Depot will be on display, including a number of DIY garages for your vehicles, lawnmowers, boats, RVs and other equipment you simply don’t have room for in your house. You are definitely going to want to check them out this year at the Big E.

Throughout the Big E, stay tuned to Portable Garage Depot’s Facebook and Twitter pages for information about the fair – and a secret fans-only contest that will be announced shortly! Make sure to stop by their booth for the best in portable garages, canopies and all of your outdoor storage needs!

The Big E takes place at the Eastern States Exposition from September 16th to October 2nd.

The majority of canopies and carports are used for these reasons as it is – protecting vehicles from the elements – but some towns are looking to make them even more useful. In an article from Physorg, the canopies are being fitted with solar panels to collect energy while shielding the cars from the sun. This isn’t anything new (I’ve written about it before) but the solar canopies we’re talking about are very different:

“…they’re big silver specimens with 12-foot-tall trunks and broad steel canopies that will shield cars from the sun – and produce solar power. Known as ‘solar trees’ because they are topped with photovoltaic cells, the ‘groves’ are sprouting up in California parking lots at Santa Clara County government buildings and health clinics in San Jose and Gilroy, and at a jail in Milpitas.”

The installation costs of this type of project might seem too much to handle in a rough economy, but just think about the money being made on the backend. According to the article, greenhouse gases will be cut down and $18 million will be saved over the course of 25 years. The real beauty of these solar trees however, is not the shielding of heat, is the space they take up:

“The solar trees at the eight sites will eat up only six of more than 1,000 parking spaces.”

Now that’s environmental and friendly!

According to the Herald Democrat, one person actually had to petition a town council to place a carport four feet from where the zoning laws required it to be:

“The board gave the go-ahead for the construction of a carport in the front yard of 2031 S. Jerry Ave. To construct the carport, the project needs a 21-foot variance for the set back in the front yard. The regularly required setback is 25 feet…there were two other carports on that street located in the front yard. Ten property owners were notified; two approved and none disapproved.”

This variance doesn’t just seem silly because of the small space, but also because this type of variance usually costs the homeowner a good chunk of change. Other types of alterations to current laws are being considered in California, at least for canopies and carports, in this report from My Desert:

“The items the commission is expected to consider include an appeal by the Palm Springs Village Apartments which wants to remove mature trees and grass to construct a new parking area; a proposed amendment to a zoning code to allow rotating barber poles; and a proposed amendment to a zoning code to allow canopies and carports in front yard areas and side yards.”

How much longer are carport and canopy owners going to have to jump through hoops just to have more storage on their property? What do you think about these restrictions across the country?

Rocklin and Roseville Today reports that Placer County in California is currently changing regulations that clarify where emergency shelters are allowed to be placed:

“Under the new rules, host churches will not be subject to discretionary land-use review by the county. With the Zoning Ordinance changes, church-based emergency shelters that provide humanitarian assistance are now a permitted accessory use not subject to discretionary review when operated on the church sites.

The new rules implement provisions of a new state law that require a local government to identify at least one land-use zone where emergency shelters are permitted uses and thus are not required to obtain conditional use permits or other discretionary permits.”

Thankfully, these regulations may make it a bit easier for organizations to place homeless persons in emergency shelter situations. By reducing the number of permits needed, emergency shelters have a place in Placer County, where many nonprofits have temporary housing:

“Several nonprofit groups provide transitional housing where individuals and families can stay for up to two years while receiving support services. Placer County’s Adult System of Care provides various types of supportive housing where residents are eligible to receive onsite and offsite support services. No limit is placed on how long a resident can stay in supportive housing.”

“It is a predicament shared by tens of thousands across northern Japan. In stricken communities like this one, tsunami refugees have gathered in hundreds of schools, hospitals and public gyms that have been converted into makeshift shelters. In Ofunato, with a population of 41,000, there are 61 such shelters housing 8,437 people, according to city officials.

The residents of these shelters often live in desperate and primitive conditions with little more than a roof over their heads. They have endured days of living in the dark and cold, an ordeal made even worse Wednesday as a winter storm brought heavy snow and below-freezing temperatures to many devastated areas.”

In the months that follow, there will certainly be a need for portable shelters in Japan. As the water flows back into the oceans and rivers, homes will be hard to come by, seeing as thousands will have to be rebuilt. Also, with the uncertainty concerning nuclear reactors and radiation, many people will have to make do with portable buildings and portable shelters where they have ended up.

Note for portable building owners – As the snow continues to melt over the next few weeks, make sure that you clear as much errant ice and snow away from the tops of any canopies or portable garages that you may have. Large pools of water can be quite destructive and also dangerous for people around any portable building.

On a lighter note, canopies are also quite useful for protecting people from the sometimes harmful rays of the sun. For instance, The Argus reports that one school in England is looking into installing canopies on the schoolyard to provide shade for students during recess:

“A school wants to protect pupils from harmful UV rays by putting up shades in its playground. Staff at West Hove Junior School in Portland Road, Hove, say the “sail shades” will protect youngsters from the sun as they learn and play outside. In planning papers which have been submitted to Brighton and Hove City Council it said: “The canopies provide cover from high UV exposure, which is critical for younger children. “At the same time however, it allows the children safe access to the open air and outdoor play areas.” Skin experts have praised the scheme and said that more schools could follow the move.”

The overall plan will cost somewhere between seven and eight thousand pounds to fully enact, but the school has few ideas about how to raise the money. A combination of a bake sale and a casual day should do the trick so that the schoolchildren can play outside safely covered from the UV rays of the sun.