Garage construction: enclosed vs louvered walls

I live on the Gulf Coast and have for a long time. I've always had enclosed garages too.

I'm currently looking at a property that has a massive garage, about 1600sqft, but the garage is not fully enclosed. It is an end unit of a town house, so the outer wall and front are normal enclosed construction. However, the rear and diving wall (between the adjacent unit) cannot be fully enclosed per building codes. The best we can do is louvered slat "walls".

My concern is mainly exposure to the elements. Would this type of garage construction protect bikes and tools well enough? The climate is kind of harsh, hot and humid, but I have never had an issue with enclosed garages - even my current one that has vents in the garage doors (front and rear), and I regularly have them open to let air flow through while I wrench so it is anything but hermetically sealed.

Anyone have experience with this type of setup?

 

How close to potential storm surges?

 

How close to the salt air?

 

Storm surge - the area got through a strong cat2 and 60” of rain just fine. Any storm strong enough to surge into the garage is going to wreck the house anyway from wind.

It is about 4mi inland on a lake that connects to the bay. The same area I’ve lived in for many years. I actually lived right next door to this neighborhood for nearly a decade.

 

I suspect the code is to reduce the risk of storm surge knocking the foundation out from under the occupised floors. A lot of the code requirements are based on reducing risk for insurers.

 

I wouldn’t keep my bike or tools outside anywhere within a 100 miles of the east coast coastline.

 

I live a mile from the ocean in southeastern NC, and right on the ICW. It is humid all the time. My garage is under the first floor of our house, which is 14' off the ground. There are louvered walls because we live in a "high velocity" flood zone. I run a dehumidifier in the garage all the time and I have had no issues with rust or corrosion. I'm kinda surprised it works as well as it does: produces about 4 -5 gallons of water a day.

 

Is your dehumidifier a typical u it, like the 70 pint unit I got at Home Depot, or do you use a larger commercial u it?

your situation is exactly what I’m talking about, so it is good to hear it can be done. My current garage is a little under 700sqft, which is nice, but 1600 would be amazing

 

Yep, Toshiba 50 pints. Area is about 1500 sqft. I empty it two to three times a day. You can hook up a hose but I don't have a suitable drain near by. This is my second one; I get 3-4 years of constant use before it gets noisy.

 

Can you "seal" the gaps with like foam board or something so it will push out if windy or storm surge but keep the outside environmental conditions outside?

 

My louvers do this; closed until the water hits them and shoves them open. Allegedly.

 

I think the ones the builder was describing are just fixed wood slats :/. They’re supposed to get a quote to me, so the details should be there.

 

Ive lived less than a mile from the Atlantic for 25+ years... never had corrosion issues in a garage (unconditioned space)
The flood vents are supposed to allow the water to not heave a foundation & load path of framing.

 

My buddy lived waterfront with the exact situation you’re in. He had the builder construct an enclosed, climate-controlled “clean room” amongst his pilings. The entry door was wide enough to get bikes and tool chests inside. The surrounding area was finished out with exterior area rugs, nice patio furniture, TV, music, grille area, etc. He had retractable shades across the open sides, so he could block the area from the sun, yet, still allow a breeze through. Every offshore storm caused anxiety, as storm surge pushed water inland. No way I could live like that.

I once lived 1blk from an ICW, with only a row of highrise beach condos blocking my view of the gulf. I had a real issue with corrosion, even with a fully-enclosed garage. The neighborhood OG’s all had separate garage HVAC systems, keeping their collector cars from rusting away.

 

Builder sent me a pic of what the louvered walls would like like. Made from treated wood and breeze passes right through it, no motion or adjustments.

I am pretty skeptical about this setup.

 

Check with the locals on what they use.

 

Louvered walls are common, all over the southeastern coastal areas.