Adding a carport to your home is a great way to protect your car from the weather, increase your outdoor living areas, and add value to your home. They can also make your home more attractive. So what are the available carport options and how do you work out which carport is right for you?
First, let’s look at the sorts of carports available:
- Incorporated into your roofline – These carports are generally built when the house is built and the roofline of the house covers the carport area. Obviously, this is more suited to home owners who are having a new house built, rather than adding one on at a later date due to the cost of adjusting your roofline. The roof covering is generally tile to match the rest of the house roof.
- Stand-alone carports – These carports can be added onto existing homes, and are free-standing from the main home structure. Because of this, they can offer greater flexibility as to their position, style and whether they can double up as an extra outdoor living area. The carport roof covering is generally colorbond, which can come in a variety of colors, and you can also choose to incorporate laserlight if the carport will also be used as an entertainment area, to allow the natural light to shine in.
What about the materials that the carports are made from?
There are generally two options:
- Timber – Timber carports are attractive and you should be able to find a variety of carport roofing styles available, as the timber allows greater flexibility in the design. What about rotting I hear you say? These days, outdoor timber components can be “treated” to resist rotting and borers, so the timber will last as long as the steel components.
- Steel – Steel carport come in a variety of sizes, but can look much plainer, as they work with straight lines only. Steel carports can cost you less however, but you won’t add as much value to your home, and the outdoor living experience can be diminished.
Who will build your carport?
Are you good with a hammer and know your way around tools? Or will you need some assistance? There are now carport kits available that can help you keep costs down by building it yourself. If you’re not good with tools, purchasing a carport kit can still work for you, as you will then only need to pay the builder for putting it up. Builders can sometimes ‘pad’ their quotes for organising the materials, so if this is something you’ve organised yourself, you can realise the savings.
Choosing the right carport design for your home:
- Look at the design of your house – Is it Edwardian? Modern? Or somewhere in between? When choosing the design, try and match the carport to your existing house style, as it will look more attractive and look like it’s meant to be there.
- Also look at your garden area – Do you have any garden furnishings, such as garden arbours, outdoor seating arrangements or park benches? What are these made from? If you primarily have timber garden furnishings, then timber carports may suit your home better. If steel, then consider a steel design.
- Look at your garden edging – If you have timber retaining walls, edging or other timber decorations on your house, than a timber carport will match the rest of your outdoor design, whereas a steel design may appear out of place.
- What is the right price for you? – Everyone is cost conscious these days, and you need to weigh up your reason for building a carport. Is it just to protect your car, or are you looking at using the carport area for outdoor entertainment as well? Preferably consider the latter, as this will add significant value to your house, whilst also improving your living enjoyment.
Adding a carport can be a reasonably considerable investment, so you want to get as much bang for your buck as possible. Also keep in mind that other cost savings may be available, such as a reduction in your insurance, as the car will now be kept under cover, and will ensure the finish on your car lasts longer.
Whichever option you choose, make sure that you purchase from a reputable company that can provide you with comprehensive information before the purchase and offer support after the purchase.
Keywords: carport, carports, carport kits, carport designs, prefabricated carports, building a carport, timber carports
