Prefab Carport
If you are thinking about buying a prefab carport, you should check whether or not there are building codes in your city or country. You should also check – Do you need a building permit? Before spending any money, you must get answers to those questions.
Prefab carports are built for people who are interested in move ability. They can be moved from one place to another with no problems. Usually, Prefab carports are screwed together or bolted. All you have to to do is unscrew the bolts and you can move it to another spot. The roof and the sides are removed easily as detach pieces and the whole carport is ready to go. Prefab carports are largely being used by renters since they can take the carport with them without any problems when they leave.
There are numerous benefits to using prefab carports. Carports are much less costly than purchasing the supplies and building a garage by you. Building up a carport, particularly with a prefab carport kit, is much faster than building a garage all by you considering that all the garage parts have been already in the factory. There’s no speculation concerned when you buy a prefab carport. The tools in factories nowadays are so advanced the pieced fit together without any miss.
Clearly, the prefab carport will not include the ground base so you’ll have to take care of it yourself. But before you start, make sure you have the carport plans so you know what size to make the foundation. If you already have a foundation and just need the prefab carport, check to see if there are any offered prefab carport designs that match the size of your portion. Bearing in mind the huge number of carport designs and styles, there are good chances you’ll find a prefab carport kit that meets what you needs.
You might be able to build your carport in one day all by yourself. Or you possibly will need the help of some of your friends. It will depends on how large of your carport. Consider the option of wasting weeks, or even months building a garage from scratch and add in the annoyance of not having one pieces fit another precisely as you’d like and you’ll start to understand how prefab carport can save lots of time, money, and frustration.
American Carport
For customers living in the United States who require protection from the elements for their automobiles, RV’s or just about anything else consider an American carport. Made all from steel produced in the US they offer customers a wide range of styles to suit individual requirements. These range from the standard A frame, agricultural, open carport type, partial enclosed type, triple wide type amongst many others. Of these styles, American carports can be broken down further into different sizes and shapes ensuring a large selection for their customers, and also offering custom built models. You can additionally choose to have open or closed end gables and their installation team will even mount onto an existing structure, with an additional choice of thirteen standard colours.
There is a twenty year limited warranty against rust on the framing and roofing material under normal user care and maintenance. Depending on where you reside in the US, you can make enquiries either online or at any of their five service centres scattered around the country. Standard items included in each carport are temporary pin anchors but for an additional fee you can purchase concrete or mobile home anchors. There are no kits available for the DIY enthusiast and the company will install and comply with all local authority restrictions. Amongst the satisfied customers is a purchaser of two of their carports (24ʹx41ʹx12ʹ) and he has claimed that they have resisted strong gusts of wind at 80 mph and steady winds of 50 mph. His location in a valley has testified to the carport’s durability. Another has claimed that the installation team installed two carports in one day at their Pocahontas ranch and are very satisfied with the products.
It usually takes between two and four weeks after receiving the order from the dealer to take delivery of the American carport and it usually installs and assembles in one day. However, depending on what additional items or non standard options were ordered, it could take up to two days. If required, additional items can be added to the carport at a later stage but they will only do this for their own products and not any other manufacturer. Apparently there is a service charge added for this and to add a walk-in, overhead or roll-up doors, the original American carport has to be at least six feet high. Little things to watch out for is that the company installs with three foot temporary pin anchors as a standard feature for ground, clay and asphalt installation but they also state that they are not responsible for these anchors. They recommend using double helix mobile home anchors or concrete anchors for concrete installation at an additional cost to the buyer. Although the company is represented online there are no prices reflected and they prefer the customer to contact one of their professional dealers located around the country where prices vary from state to state. All orders are COD but they also accept personal checks and all the major credit cards.
Carport Awnings
When looking at houses, one of the important parts of it is the roof. Good roof is essential for protecting the people living in the house and their belongings from the elements and other risks and hazards such as intruders. As such all homeowners ensure that they have the right roof.
In the same way, people who own a carport would like to have the best awning that would give the most effective shelter for their cars.
In the past, there used to be only one kind of carport — made of wood. Wooden carports more elegant, that most people will say about it. But wooden carports have wooden awnings which are less practical lately.
Wood is vulnerable to fungus damage and would not hold up the damaging elements for a long period of time. In addition, wood awnings are quite pricey. For persons whose main worry is to supply protection for their cars without spending large amount of money, wooden carport awnings would be a poor choice.
I believe that every homeowner would want a carport canopy that would have strong durability. We certainly want carport awnings that can endure the elements for a long time. And when we think about durability, nothing would beat steel carport awnings.
Unlike old wooden carport canopies, steel carport awnings are nearly resistant to fungus and are not affected by it. Steel carport awnings would not rust and would last for more than 20 years. But durability is not the only virtue of steel carport awnings. Steel can prevent UV rays, the main reason of car paint fading. With steel carport awnings, you can be certain that your car would be safe from damaging UV rays, rain, and snow.
However, steel carport awnings can cost you a lot. But if you are looking for almost the same durability and best weather-protection attributes that steel carport awnings offer, there is a more reasonably priced option for you—aluminum carport awnings. Just like steel, aluminum can successfully protect your car from the snow, rain and the sun rays. Sure, it doesn’t have the same duration as the steel awning; but aluminum awnings can also provide long lasting protection for your car.
However aluminum carport awnings might still be too expensive for some homeowners. But there is no need to worry if you are on a low budget. You can still afford good protection for your car with alternative carport awning materials like polyethylene or vinyl awnings.
Polyethylene is a water-proof plastic material that can withstand high temperatures. Vinyl is quite similar to polyethylene. It comes at the same inexpensive price and it can withstand heavy rain or strong heat. The great thing with a vinyl carport awning is that it is fire resistant.
Versatube Carport
A VersaTube carport incorporates a patented Slip-Fit connection of steel tubes that are assembled to construct a high strength shelter frame and are manufactured at the company’s corporate headquarters in Tennessee and Arizona in the US. The frame assembly is pre-cut and machined to a workable size for easy handling and packaging to customers worldwide. The Versatube carport can be assembled with limited construction skills making it a popular choice amongst DIY enthusiasts and the manufacturer offers a twenty year limited guarantee on frame components and roof panels. Only licensed dealers can offer the Versatube carport and they have to be authorised by the manufacturer. They are available in all different sizes to cater for different applications such as RV’s, automobiles, ATV’s, yard equipment, and even as shelter for livestock.
The standard size appears to be up to 52ʹ wide, up to 16ʹ sidewall height and there are 4ʹ and 5ʹ incremental length extensions. These structures are available in a wide range of colours and are also considered stronger alternatives to aluminium carports. It is advisable when enquiring about your type of application to be as precise as possible as the Versatube representative can offer reinforced customisation to cater for local authority compliance. While Versatube have excelled in the commercial and industrial market with large engineering projects (covers for plant machinery), the same patented technology can be found with their domestic products. One customer who purchased a two car carport with truss bracing found the product top class in terms of value for money, design, quality and ease of use. Another customer who purchased the same carport stated it was a great product but found assembly quite a challenge.
It seems that the Versatube carport is a strong player amongst the many competitors that are vying to get your business. Manufactured from patented Slip-Fit steel tubes that fit together, they offer a long lasting structure that is guaranteed for twenty years. The dealers offer to include installation in the price of the carport but also offer a Premium DIY Kit for the enthusiast. If you decide that you have the expertise to carry out the installation yourself, some preparation work needs to be done, in particular the ground upon which the Versatube carport is to be built. The ground needs to be levelled flat with a decline of about four inches to make sure that water can run off the back gable and not the front. Also before attempting to purchase the kit you need to ensure whether you need planning consent. If you decide you will do the assembly yourself, plan on spending about eight hours on a standard sized carport (from 8ʹ to 30ʹ wide). If you are adding to the standard structure such as a sidewall or back or front then expect to take longer. If anchoring to concrete there are about seven standard anchor bolts that have to be installed using a hammer drill. If you are anchoring to a wooden deck, the company recommends lag bolts installed through the pre-drilled holes in the base and then screwed down securely.