Have you bust the limits of your garage? Need more space to store things or perhaps want to shift the vehicles out of the garage so you can reuse the space for say a gym or workshop? Then rather than leave your cars out on the drive at the mercy of the elements, why not build a carport?
Now the first reaction many people have to that suggestion is that carports can look, well, tacky and cheap. And it’s true, especially of carport kits made of metal of PVC or those ones that have material stretched over a metal frame. They look like what they are – cheap, temporary structures that don’t go with the rest of the property.
But it doesn’t have to be like that. By investing just a little bit more thought (and, yes, money) you can have a custom designed wood framed carport that really complements your property and makes your drive look much smarter. In fact rather than being detrimental to the appearance of your home a wooden carport can actually increase its market value. That’s not just because wood structures look nice, but because it obviously frees up valuable interior space (the garage) while still affording protected parking for vehicles.
So how much more expensive are wood carports? Surprisingly not much more so than most metal ones. But the big difference is that wood is aesthetically pleasing and easy to work and customize. You can also design and finish a wood structure so that it blends in with the rest of the house, matching existing features such as wooden garage door panels etc.
So what options are available to you if you want to build a wood carport? The most affordable is clearly to install a kit; these permit a certain amount of customization in terms of the type of wood, styles and sizes and you are always able to paint or stain wood if need be to obtain a good match.
But if you want something that truly looks as though is was designed along with the main building and has that certain quality that gets people asking about it then you really need to enlist a professional home and garden improvements outfit to build it for you. Sure, it will cost more but as you know, you get what you pay for and when it comes to your own home you also get to spend a long time living with your decisions.
Related posts:
