Adding a carport to your property can provide useful shelter and protection for your vehicles while also improving the aesthetics and value of your home. Compared to a fully enclosed garage, carports offer versatility and style at a more affordable price point. Properly designed and constructed using quality materials, it can stand the test of time and elements while complementing your home’s architecture.
Why Choose a Carport?
There are several key reasons why installing a carport may be preferable over a garage or leaving vehicles exposed in the driveway:
Protection for Your Vehicles
One of the primary functions of a carport is to protect cars, trucks, boats, ATVs, and other vehicles from sun, rain, snow, falling tree debris, and other elements. Providing a roof overhead helps vehicles stay cooler in summer and prevents snow and ice buildup in winter. This protects the vehicle’s paint, interior, and engine components while making loading gear, luggage, and passengers easier in any weather.
Versatility
Many homeowners opt for carports rather than garages due to their versatility and flexibility. Carports can typically be built over existing concrete or asphalt driveways without excavating for a floor or permanent foundation. The open-air design provides natural lighting and ventilation. Vehicles are easily accessible from multiple sides instead of just one garage door entrance. Carports also lend themselves better to customization with various roof types, materials, and aesthetically pleasing design elements.
Increased Property Value
The addition of a carport can boost your property’s value by adding useful covered parking space and visual curb appeal. According to real estate experts, carports offer one of the highest returns on investment for home improvements. Unlike a garage conversion, the open carport area remains flexible for future uses and adaptable to new owners’ needs.
Finding a Reputable Carport Dealer
Choosing the right carport dealer is crucial to ensuring you get a high-quality product and professional service. Here are some key factors to consider when selecting a reputable carport dealer:
Product Quality
A reputable carport company uses high-grade steel or lumber that is resistant to corrosion, fungi, and pests. They construct frames, beams, and roofing engineered to withstand local weather and meet building codes. Verify their materials and designs will hold up under snow loads, high winds, and temperature extremes in your area. Ask about warranties backing both the materials and structural integrity for assurance.
Customization Options
Each property has unique spatial requirements best served by adaptable carport sizing and layouts. An established dealer offers completely customized measurements for length, width, and overhangs. They have extensive design options, including roof styles (gable, hip, lean-to), orientation, and architectural positioning. Choose a carport company equipped to tailor the structure to blend aesthetics with functionality based on your vehicles, lot dimensions, driveway position, drainage, existing buildings, entry access points, and usage needs.
Installation Services
Unless you have building experience, carport installation often exceeds a simple DIY project. Reputable dealers have in-house professional teams to handle not just assembly but also:
- Site preparation – clearing debris, leveling, grading
- Securing necessary permits
- Concrete or crushed rock base reinforced to bear vehicle weight
- Properly anchoring frames into the ground or attaching them to the home
- Adjusting cross-beams & roofing materials to account for slope
- Clean up & disposal of construction waste
This expertise ensures structural stability, meeting inspection codes for safety assurance over decades of use rather than just a season or two.
Customer Reviews
The best indication of quality products, workmanship, and service tends to come from those who’ve already done business with the company. Check for testimonials as well as objective customer ratings on Google, Facebook, and industry review sites. Look for longstanding dealers with a track record of delivering durable carports properly customized and installed that customers would be happy to show off and recommend. Avoid pop-up contractors lacking much evidence of past projects. Ensure the company is responsive to customer concerns should any arise during or after construction.
Following these criteria helps single out a reputable carport dealer truly invested in upholding their reputation through transparent communication, customizable solutions, construction excellence, and products engineered to endure. A dealer meeting these standards is best positioned to provide you with a quality carport matched to your residential landscape for years of service, protecting your valued vehicles.
Choosing the Right Carport Design
When planning your carport installation or addition, your design choices will affect its functionality, durability, and how well it complements your home’s existing characteristics.
Attached vs. Freestanding
Carports essentially come in two basic structural types – attached and freestanding:
- Attached Carports: These are attached to one side of the home, often over a driveway near a side or back entrance. The connection to the home provides structural reinforcement against winds. The roofs of attached carports can match or mimic the existing roofline for seamless integration.
- Freestanding Carports are stand-alone structures built separately from the home. They are typically in the backyard or corner of a lot with a concrete pad or gravel base underneath. Freestanding carports allow flexible placement to avoid blocking views or creating arrangements that conflict with the home floor plan.
Roof Styles
A few common carport roof design styles each have their own aesthetic and functional advantages:
- Flat Roof: This is the most affordable and simplest roof shape option. Flat or slightly sloped roofs withstand heavy snow loads but may require extra sealing and drainage components to prevent water pooling.
- Gable Roof: Triangular roof sections sloping downwards in two directions from a central peak or ridge. Gable roofs mimic many home architectures and shed snow and rain easily.
- Skillion Roof: A single, sloped roof plane angling downwards from the high side mounted against the house to the outer beam support. Skillion roofs have clean, modern lines that complement contemporary homes.
Materials
Carports stand up better against weathering and wear and tear when constructed from quality building materials:
- Metal Carports: Low-maintenance and durably withstand rust, mold, and pests. Prefabricated steel carport kits often have shorter lead times compared to wood but lower weight tolerance for heavy snow loads.
- Wooden Carports have a natural aesthetic and an easily customizable design. However, they require diligent sealing and repainting to endure wet climates. Pressure-treated lumber is resistant to insects, fungi, and decay.
Conclusion
Installing a properly designed carport provides vehicle shelter and improves property aesthetics if coordinated well with your home’s existing features. Check local permit regulations and consider long-term parking needs, roof types, and durable construction based on climate and use patterns. With strategic planning guided by experienced contractors, carports can prove to be versatile, valuable upgrades for residential settings.