What's next, the car?

10/18/09 Frame of portable garage, sold on craigslist for $50

Think you had a big day? Well, today I downsized a GARAGE! Ooh-Rah!

When we moved into our house, one of our biggest concerns was that it didn't have a garage. We quickly bought a Cover-It portable shelter for Joanna's car and additional storage. It looked like this.

For three years, it stood in our driveway, getting progressively uglier. Actually, it looked exactly the same as the day we erected it, I just became increasingly aware of what an eyesore it was to have this green monstrosity dominating the front of our house.

Mother nature -- ever more aesthetically conscious than I -- finally took matters into her own hands, ripping the top open under a foot of snow one winter. I meticulously deconstructed the frame, labeling and storing every piece, right down to the bolts. The torn cover I cut into smaller tarps, which I've employed for a variety of tasks. One of them currently covers my wood pile, and our pool filter is wrapped in another one.

I stored the frame tubing and all the hardware under our deck.

After two years of thinking, "I should do something about that garage frame," I finally threw up a notice on craigslist about it. I guessed that $40 might be about the right price to ask. Boy, was I wrong.

Within twenty-four hours, I had almost a dozen people willing to drive over and pick it up immediately. In the land of snow, any kind of shelter is in demand. I contemplated trying to start a bidding war, but my better nature prevailed and I offered it to the first guy who contacted me.

Ray had a heck of a time actually getting over here, between misplaced directions and truck troubles, and it ended up taking a week for him to get the garage. He generously offered me $10 more than I had asked for being patient with him. I gladly accepted.

Seems like I could have sold it for a lot more, but it's not about the money. It's the pride of the Oversized Downsize that keeps me going.