Anyone with a good vehicle does not want it to sit out in the rain or to be damaged by hail. In July 2010 a violent storm ripped through the middle section of Montana, near Bozeman. Hailstones the size of golf balls and even softballs were hurled from the sky down onto the unsuspecting public. On the north side of town fancy homes in upper class neighborhoods had all the windows on an entire side of the house broken. Windshields and hoods of cars did not look much better. The city of Bozeman had over 100 cars that had to be appraised by insurance adjusters as a result of the hailstone damage. Carport kits are a good way to prevent hail from hitting a vehicle and damaging it.
Carports can be made of wood, poly, or metal. Carport kits are available for both the poly and metal types. Kits can also be found in the free standing or single slopt carport kit design. If choosing a poly carport the owner should be sure that the poly is of a high grade and thickness. The ripstop weave is fairly common. Low cost or inexpensive kits might have substandard material. Even warm climates can have hail, so the car owner should not assume that just because he lives in Florida that his new truck won’t get hurt by a hail storm.
Metal carport kits are usually totally pre cut and ready for assembly. If shopping around for one, it is important to pay attention to how strong of gauge the metal sides and roof are. Lighter gauge metal can also be damaged by hailstones and heavy snow loads.
Though the sides and roof of a metal carport are very important, it is a mute point if the superstructure is substandard. One carport on Amazon advertised a 14 gauge structural tubing. Fourteen gauge wire is pretty tough so I would assume that 14 gadge tubing would also be stout.
Free standing carport kits can be purchased and then assembled by the owner or a general contractor can be hired. Even though they are referred to as ‘kits’ very rarely are carports moved. Many carports are bolted down to cement slabs and become a permanent part of a piece of property. When someone sells their home and moves out most of the time a carport would be left with the home. This gives a little added benefit to the new owners. Building materials can get damaged when they are disassembled and moved. Also many times appriasers include the value of the carport with the overall assessment of the home. Therefore removing it without discussing it with all concerned parties could pose a problem.
Tags: carport kit, carport kits, free standing carport kits, metal carport, single slope carport kit
A hailstorm can leave a car damaged. Some hailstones can be as large as softballs, breaking windows, car wind shields, and even leaving their lasting impression on the fenders, hoods, and roofs of vehicles. Windshields are not too hard or expensive to replace, with the help of insurance, but fully restoring the body of a car be a different matter. Some dents can be so substantial that an auto body shop will choose to replace a piece instead of repair the existing part. So building carports from free standing carport plans helps shield a car from the elements.
Carport Plans
There are a few different ways to get carport designs. One is to look online. Doing a keyword search on Google or Yahoo for “carport design” will reveal some free plans and also some that can be purchased. Browsing through various plans will give options in length, height, and width. Some wider designs are meant for two or more cars.
Another avenue is to purchase a book on garages and carports. In the book, “Smart Guide: Garages & Carports” a complete look is given for building a carport. Not only are carport designs and plans discussed, but also insights are given from the start of the project to the end. Chapters include an overview in the first chapter. Then in progression it lists needed tools and material, laying out foundations, framing, installing roofing, and finishing the project. There are also two chapters devoted to garage plans and projects.
Carports Designs and Plans
Carports can be built as free standing. They also can be built as an integral part of the home. Typically integral carports designs continue the style and colors of the existing home across to the carport. Siding, roofing, trim work, and paint are all chosen to coordinate. This prevents the carport addition from looking like an after thought. Blending a home and carport together gives a much better appearance than one that is simply ‘stuck on’ as an after thought.
Most carport kits come with a steel superstructure and then either metal or poly sides and roof. But when someone follows carport plans then the shelter usually is wood framed. Also, either asphalt shingles or metal roofing is used, based on the homeowner’s preference and also what matches the other existing buildings and the home itself. Some carports are left with open sides. Other times a home owner may want to put siding on the west or north side of the shelter, since that is the side which receives the brunt of the weather. The more sides that are added the more protected the vehicle inside will be.
Carport Foundations
High winds can be a concern so some carports are built with an opening at the top of the wall, at the base of the roof line. This allows air to pass freely through. No matter which style of carport is chosen, it is very important to treat the shelter just like another high quality addition to a home. One way to do this is to be sure to either dig footers and anchor the superstructure to it, or pour a cement slab and sink anchor bolts into the cement to attach the carport to.
Cement work is very inexpensive, typically a few dollars per square foot, so going to the expense of a cement pad or monoslab is a good idea. A backhoe is also needed to level the site, install French drains around it, and evenly spread a thin layer of gravel before the pad is poured. To help with drainage many contractors will rake the gravel out an additional six to twelve inches away from the footprint of the metal carport. The presence of the gravel also reduces the amount of dirt that will splash back up onto the sides during a storm. The gravel also prevents the bottom of the wood or metal siding from extra exposure to moisture. Topsoil traps water, similar to a sponge. So any siding that is left directly exposed to it will likewise be exposed to ground water.
Free Standing Carports To Completion
Free standing carport plans are many and locating one that matches your project scope shouldn’t be too time consuming. Whether you plan to built it yourself or hire a contractor the small investment in books like, “Smart Guide: Garages & Carports” can be invaluable.
Carport Options
Tags: carport, carport designs, carport designs and plans, carport foundations, carport options, carport plans, carports plans, free standing carport plans
A single slope carport is just that, one slope. A single slope carport can be attached to the home or free standing. A pavilion with one slope, is very similar to a carport. It is designed with anywhere from none to three sides. The superstructure is typically made from metal with a metal roofing on top.
Recently we visited a campground that had several free standing single slope carports. Every camper spot offered a covered picnic table. With close inspection, a carport was the real origins of the shelters.
First the sight was leveled. Then about four inches of gravel was spread evenly over the surface. Next a four inch thick pad cement was poured. Anchored in the cement were lag bolts sticking upwards. This is what the carport pillars would be screwed down to.
Next the single slope carport kit was unboxed and then sorted. The uprights were selected from the precut metal framework. Then the main uprights were erected and screwed to the lag bolts.
Then the roof was metal beams were installed. For added class, a layer of 1×6 pine tongue and groove was laid down on top of the steel roof beams. Then the metal roofing was screwed down.
When working with metal siding and roofing special screws are used. These are self tapping metal screws with rubber rings installed on them. The self tapping aspect allows the screw to dig into the metal and then screw itself in. The rubber ring is also needed to protect the metal. Whenever metal is screwed against metal the two surfaces would scrape against each other, removing the paint. The rings prevent this. Also the rubber provides a water proof seal around the screw heads.
For added wind protection, some of the single slope carports also had one or two sides installed on them. The west and north side of structures receive the harshest weather and the least amount of sunshine. So these are the logical sides to install the metal siding. Wood siding can also be used.
One consideration with single slope carports is snow load. If a region is prone to snow, then a flat roofed carport should not be used. Instead enough slope should be built into the carport to allow snow to slide easily off. For homes a roof pitch of at least 3/12 is needed.
Single slope carports can be of wonderful use for not only private residence but also for camp grounds and other commercial facilities which host guests.
Tags: carports, carports one roof line, single slope carport, single slope carport erection, single slope carports
