{"id":15799,"date":"2017-12-08T01:39:30","date_gmt":"2017-12-08T06:39:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ozcobp.com\/?p=15799"},"modified":"2021-10-21T17:56:22","modified_gmt":"2021-10-21T17:56:22","slug":"best-carport-design-ideas-beautiful-functional","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ozcobp.com\/dev\/best-carport-design-ideas-beautiful-functional\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Carport Design Ideas Are Beautiful and Functional"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]When I was growing up, the house next to my grandparents was a rental, and it was forever being changed and altered as tenants moved in, changed things to their liking, then moved on. It appears that the landlord was very permissive, because one tenant converted the garage into a den, only for the next to be at a loss as to where he should park his 1967 C2 Corvette Stingray. <\/span><\/p>\n

His solution was to build a sort of lean-to next to the house. It was a ramshackle affair made of pressure-treated lumber and roofed with semi-transparent corrugated green plastic that never sealed no matter how much caulk was applied. Even at seven years old I thought it was ugly, and unfit to house such a classy vehicle. When that tenant moved out, the next renter tore \u201cthe shed\u201d down because it leaked, meaning that it was a pretty lousy place to work on your car and a pretty lousy place to put patio furniture. If your vehicle is pretty enough to protect–or if it just gets you where you need to go–then it\u2019s worth considering the best carport design ideas that will actually protect it.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Why a Prefabricated Kit Is Not the Best Option<\/h4>\n

First and foremost, a carport should protect your vehicle from the elements. The rain can smudge up a freshly-washed shine, and the sun can turn your gleaming automotive glory into a mottled mess as the clear coat is scorched off by powerful UV rays. While not a garage, a carport should also provide at least some protection against damage caused by objects caught in the wind. <\/span><\/p>\n

There are many carport kits available on the market. These are usually prefabricated, with steel tubing bent to form both the post and roof truss in a single piece. Sheet metal is screwed onto this frame to provide the roof. The big advantage of these types of carport is that they\u2019re cheap. <\/span><\/p>\n

However, one of the reasons that they are so cheap is that there isn\u2019t very much to them. They\u2019re very lightweight, and generally they\u2019re only held down to the slab by a few bolts. When built on an unpaved surface, they\u2019re usually held down with stakes. This is a common point of failure, and these types of carports have been known to <\/span>come loose from their moorings and blow away<\/span><\/a>, sometimes intact. Anchoring the structure to the ground more firmly usually just means that the sheet metal roof flies off instead. Finally, a prefabricated carport\u2019s most visible weakness is that it simply doesn\u2019t look very good. Prefabricated steel structures look much more at home at the airport or an industrial park than they do in a neighborhood. Fortunately, there are much better options available.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Basics of a Well-Designed Carport<\/h4>\n

A better option involves adapting an existing plan for a pergola or a pavilion into a dedicated carport. There are a variety of these types of plans in different sizes, and one is sure to fit your needs. A well-designed plan will take advantage of existing specialized hardware to prevent scenarios like the ones outlined above. Here are some pieces of hardware that will make your carport more sturdy:<\/span><\/p>\n