Learn More About Carports

 

Aside from your home, chances are the second biggest personal investment you have made outside looking to the future and retirement is your car or cars. Vehicles are far from cheap, so when you have spent thousands of dollars on a car – new or used – you want to do whatever it takes to protect it. Unfortunately, bad things happen to vehicles – parts break, sensors stop working, power to car is lost, etc. If you do not have a garage, or if you have one, but it is incapable of storing all your precious motor vehicles, have you ever considered carports?

Carports are a perfect solution to protecting your vehicle from unwanted damage that could have been avoided had there been shelter over and around your motor vehicles. One of the primary benefits of a carport is that they are generally cheaper to install requiring less building material and time spent during the construction phase.

Carports also can be designed to store one or two automobiles. Some, such as those who operate a ranch or farm, may build a port to shelter their heavy equipment, including but not limited to: front-end loaders, bulldozers, excavators, dump trucks, skid steers, backhoe loaders, fuel trucks and flatbed trucks. These oversized pieces of heavy machinery are ideal for carports because they often require high ceilings.

However, thanks to a wood or metal port, the equipment will be protected from whatever Mother Nature has in-store. Depending on what part of the country you reside in, your precious cargo may be at risk to heavy rain, hail, snow or other elements of weather that might threaten the longevity of your automobiles or heavy equipment. It is especially true of something so simple yet destructive as rust.

Unlike garages that are likely built without your consultation and before you move-in, carports are extraordinarily customizable. While it may cost way more than you expect to expand your single car garage to a double, building a whole new outside port can cost a fraction while being completely flexible to your specific desires and needs.

It is also important to remember that your standard wood carport is no longer the norm. While there is nothing wrong with wood – and it usually looks visibly pleasing – wood does shrink or swell and eventually the color will fade due to UV exposure. It amounts to necessary re-staining or repainting every five to ten years. However, with a metal carport, the steel is much more likely to endure the outdoor elements for quite some time without suffering aesthetically as well.