Metal Carports that Fit your Style and Budget

Although shelters for cars have been around for over 100 years, it is the legendary Frank Lloyd Wright who is credited with first applying the term “carport” to his “Usonian” series of homes, starting in 1936.

The creation of the term Usonian is generally credited to American writer James Duff Law during the turn of the last century. Because North America is made up of more than just the United States, Law posited that matters pertaining specifically to the US ought to be referred to as “Usonian” (US-onian).

According to Wikipedia, Usonian was used by Wright to refer to his vision for the landscape of the United States, including the planning of cities and the architecture of buildings.

Wright’s Usonian houses had an architectural style quintessentially middle-American. These homes were small and designed to fit on affordable, oddly-shaped lots. They were built with local materials, flat roofs, and cantilevered overhangs. Usonian homes were the precursors to the ranch-style tract homes that sprang up throughout the West in the 1950s.

These Usonian homes incorporated an innovative design idea: the carport.

Like Wright’s Every Man designs, the carport is a distinctively middle-American, middle-class, suburban feature.

For those who either do not want or cannot afford a full garage, a carport offers a sensible option.

Since the first idea of a carport a century ago, remarkable advances have been made in engineering and technology. What once required a significant investment and took weeks to build can now be purchased quite cheaply and assembled in a matter of hours.

Next to a home, vehicles are our most costly possessions. Most American families have at least one car, more often two, as well as other means of transportation or sport such as motorcycles, boats, and ATVs.

Carports help protect these investments from the damaging effects of weather, debris, and the sun.

The single most important thing in preserving a vehicle’s exterior and interior is keeping it out of direct sunlight. The sun’s damaging UV rays fade and crack paint, and over time break down the interior trim, upholstery, and dashboard, causing them to bleach, fracture, and crumble. The damage begins before its effects can be seen, and once it occurs it cannot be repaired.

The best option for shielding a vehicle from damage is some kind of shelter, and carport kits offer this in a simple, affordable package.

Kits are more affordable than conventional carports or garages, and some can be assembled in as little as a few hours. Carport kits come with everything needed to assemble a new structure, and they provide a convenient option for temporary or permanent storage.

In areas of particularly inclement weather, carport kits need to be metal rather than fabric or canvas. Metal offers superior performance with low cost, high quality, durability, convenience, and design.

A metal carport is more expensive than fabric, but far more affordable than a conventional garage. There are a wide variety of manufacturers and styles of metal carports, and although carports made with extra durable construction and steel are more expensive, they do tend to pay off in the long run.

More affordable carports may not be as sturdy, but can provide a good option for immediate shelter needs.

Over time, the initial cost of a carport can be offset by its value.  Considering the costs of paint and upholstery replacement, and repairs to windshield or body damage caused by falling debris, a $1200 carport can more than compensate for thousands of dollars in repairs. Some insurance companies even offer premium discounts for vehicles stored under cover.

No matter the budget, there is a carport kit that fits it. For example, metal carport kits from one top online dealer start at $820 for a single car model and top out at $9840 for one with enough capacity to store multiple vehicles.

Price depends largely on manufacturing methods and the type of metal used.

Aluminum is more affordable than steel, and though it is not as sturdy, it can offer basic protection from the sun, snow and rain.

Aluminum is light and easy to manufacture, so companies can offer aluminum carport kits at lower prices than steel kits. This means it’s also possible to set up a carport in as little as a few hours.

However, if tougher conditions require a stronger shelter, steel is the right choice.

Steel is heavier and more expensive than aluminum, but also much stronger and more durable. Steel is resistant to the elements, including high winds, heavy snows, and even moderate fire exposure. Even the occasional knock from a bumper or door won’t affect steel.

Carports also make life more trouble-free. In the summer, a carport shelters vehicles from bird droppings and uncomfortably high temperatures, and in the winter carports prevent long treks through mountains of snow and the trouble of scraping thick layers of ice off the windshield.

Carport kits are convenient solutions for quick storage needs. Building a garage can mean waiting a long time for the finished product. With a kit, things are ready to go quickly. Metal carport kits require simple tools like a screwdriver and hammer for assembly, and a person can set up a shelter on almost any level surface.

Versa-Tube is one of the most well-known names in carports, and has some of the easiest assembly in the industry with its rectangular swaged tubing—significantly stronger and easier to assemble than conventional round tubing.

Carports also offer convenience in location. If the carport ever needs to be moved, it can be done with relative ease. Even carports that are attached with permanent-style anchors can be moved. Follow installation and moving directions that came with the kit, or find instructions on the Web.

Carports can even be made more permanent, with siding kits to provide partial or complete enclosure.

Metal carports come in a wide variety of designs to match existing architecture. They can be custom ordered and built for specific needs, from single vehicle storage to workshop space.

Since its earliest days, the carport has been a simple and effective way to shelter vehicles from the worst of nature. Metal carports represent the most affordable, convenient, and low maintenance designs in storage technology. There are plans, prices, and patterns to fit every shelter need, no matter what your American, or Usonian, style may be.

The Web is a great source for finding the perfect carport, but when shopping online, be sure to double check prices. A model that displays for $1900 suddenly becomes $2300 when at checkout they have tacked on shipping charges.

Look for sites that offer free shipping, no sales tax, and a good return policy, in addition to the warranties offered by the manufacturers.