Monetizing a garage on a rental property

[Mark Costa]

Hello everyone,

Has anybody come up with creative ways to monetize a large storage space? I am looking at a property and the living space itself is great for the price. However, there is a large structure in the backyard that, while not dilapidated, will be in need of maintenance. Renting it out as storage at $50-75/mos wouldn't cover the costs of deferred maintenance because the roof is large and will be expensive to repair. 

Here is what I considered with optimistic projections

• Winter boat/car storage (110/mo x 6 mo per year)
• Tenant storage (120/mo x 12 mo per year)
• Tool and van storage for a small business owner 
• Leasing rooftop for solar - does anyone know if companies in the Syracuse, NY area lease rooftops?

Looking forward to hearing some creative ideas from the BP community.

TYIA.