Carport Review

Since your car represents a significant financial investment in your life, it makes sense to protect it with a carport if you can’t house it on a regular basis in a garage. In order that the carport design you select meets your needs and expectations, it’s a wise idea to do some initial planning prior to undertaking a carport installation.

Are you a skilled-enough do-it-yourselfer that you can design and plan your carport yourself using packaged plans available at your local home improvement store? Pre-fabricated carport kits are also available, but you still have to know your height and space limitations, the type of desired roof and the kind of construction materials you want. Is it within your budget to hire an outside contractor to design and construct the carport either based on your ideas and input or using a pre-fabricated structure?

Included in your plans must be the exact and best location for the carport. Do you want a carport design that uses one existing wall in its design or do you want a wall-less freestanding carport that primarily provides the protection of an overhead roof for your car? Will the carport be positioned beside your house or behind it? Make sure there is enough room to support a carport structure in the location you are thinking of placing it and ask yourself if you will miss having the open space that currently exists there. Will the carport cast shade on a previously sunny area like a lawn, pool or garden that you don’t want sheltered?

How do you intend to use the carport? Primarily to shade and protect your car from the sun and weather elements? As a some-time playground for children and pets? Do you intend to store things in the carport?

Investigate the building permit requirements for your community. Some cities consider the addition of a carport to a property as a building addition that requires specific permits. Permits usually require fees and a set amount of waiting time for approval. So check with your city’s Department of Building & Safety before signing an contracts or purchasing any carport kits or you may find that an unwelcome visit from a city inspector puts a major crimp in your plans and your budget.

Considering how your new carport will match your existing home design and construction is an essential part of the planning process. Will a carport designed from aluminum, wood or steel work best? Building a carport with materials or a design that don’t match your home can make your new addition stick out like a sore thumb and actually decrease your property’s value rather than enhance it.

Since your car represents a significant financial investment in your life, it makes sense to protect it with a carport kit if you can’t house it on a regular basis in a garage. In order that the carport design you select meets your needs and expectations, it’s a wise idea to do some initial planning prior to undertaking a carport installation.

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