Car Port

Are you sick and tired of getting out of your car in the wet?  Sick of bringing in drenched kids when you pick them up from school?  Sick of you car being damaged by snow and hail? Sick of the bottom of shopping bags dropping out as you scramble into the house to avoid the weather?  Want a solution to these problems but don't have enough money for a garage?  Then it's time you thought about building a car port!

Construction

Your first choice is to choose what you will construct your new car port with? Steel, timber brick, cement block, steel sheet, terracotta tiles, cement tiles, malthoid sheets ... the list goes on and on.  Whatever you choose make sure it is strong, good to look at and easy to maintain.  If you are not sure what to look for then check out car ports in your local area.  Chances are that you will find construction materials that are sympathetic to your own house construction, as well as architecture in the area, and suitable for the prevailing weather conditions your new car port is likely to face.

Anchor It Securely

It is most important that your new car port is anchored correctly to stop it blowing away in high winds.  If it leans up against your house then a good place to start is bolting it securely to the side wall.  If it is free standing then the posts need to be cemented into post holes or bolted to the concrete base.  Exactly how this needs to be done depends your local building authority, so I recommend you check it out thoroughly before you start.

Roofing Material Choices

Once you have your frame up it's time to decide on the roofing material.  Naturally a steel construction lends itself to some form of sheet steel roofing material.  If you go for brick or timber supports then steel sheeting is also acceptable, but you could also consider roofing tiles.  Tiles are much heavier than steel sheets, but they can blend beautifully into your home to make the car port addition look like it has always been there.  High wind areas are definitely more suited to sheet steel though unless you can secure each individual tile.

Can You build It Yourself

Once you decide on the construction materials you can get an architect to draw up your design.  Once you have done that its a choice of DIY or builder.  I recommend a builder but there are lots of good car port kits available these days if you want to save design and construction costs for you new car port.