The Challenges You May Run into When Considering Carport Installation

In certain parts of the country, you may find more carports than garages. Carports and garages share some similarities. They both protect your vehicle from the elements. However, while a garage has four walls and a roof, a carport usually only has one or two walls and an open side with no door. 

If you need a place where you can keep your car on your property, but you don’t have one yet, you may need to look around to see what entities sell and install carports. Often, you will find several companies willing to do it for you. If you like DIY projects, you might do it yourself as well, but you probably shouldn’t tackle that unless you’re confident you have the tools and knowhow for the job.

Finding a reliable carport installation company shouldn’t present much difficulty, unless you live somewhere rural where you may have fewer options. Assuming you find a company willing to do it with a solid industry reputation, they can check out the spot where you want the carport. 

You can talk about the price with them and then sign the contract. However, before you do all that, you should know about some potential issues you can run into when you have carport installation on your mind. 

Seasonality

First, you will need to think about what time of year you want to install your new carport. Maybe you move into a new house and you want to get moving on this project right away. You know that the longer you leave your car parked on the street or in your driveway, the more the elements can damage it. If you leave a vehicle out in the rain or snow for months on end, that will negatively impact the resale value.

However, if you decide that a carport makes the most sense, understand that most companies won’t schedule a job like that at certain times of the year. For instance, if you moved into a new home in a region that gets lots of snow, you must probably wait out the winter before getting a company there to do the installation. They won’t want to do the work in January or February with a couple of feet of snow on the ground.

Most companies that do carport installation will have a busy season. It might last from spring till fall. There’s no harm in scheduling the installation in the winter, though. Getting on the schedule means you can probably get the company out there in April when they start doing this kind of work again. 

The Price

The price of any kind of home improvement project matters, and that’s certainly true with carport installations. If you have the money for the whole project, then you can set up a contract where you pay a certain sum upfront and give the installation company the rest at the end when you see the finished product and you’re satisfied. 

However, if you don’t have enough money, you might need to wait till you can pay for it all at once. It’s true that some companies will let you set up a payment plan, but it’s usually best to avoid that and to cover the whole cost at one time.

You might get a bank or credit union to give you a home improvement loan. Some lending entities will give you money for this particular purpose at a fairly reasonable interest rate. There’s good news, though, and it’s that carports don’t usually cost as much as garages. The price probably won’t break the bank like getting a new roof or dealing with foundation damage. 

Getting the Proper Permits

You may also encounter an obstacle when you’re attempting to get the proper permits for the carport. Whether you live in a city, town, village, etc., you must figure out which entity to talk to before you start on this project. You will need to have someone come inspect the building site to make sure there’s no reason why you can’t put a carport there.

Usually, this process will not take long or cost very much money. A building permit might cost in the area of $25 or so. You need to make sure that you have the proper paperwork ready, though. 

If someone comes from the city and finds that you skipped this step, they might hit you with fines and other penalties. Besides, if you start construction on your new carport and nobody inspected the site, the builders could damage utilities you didn’t know about. 

Making Sure You Have Enough Room

When you figure out where you want your new carport, you and the company installing it must take some careful measurements as well. They will usually start by measuring your vehicle or vehicles. They need to know those dimensions so they can pick the right size carport to install. 

They will also measure the space you picked out. If there is enough room, then they can move forward with no issues. However, if the spot you picked won’t work for any reason, then it’s back to the drawing board.  

A Homeowner’s Association

Not everywhere must deal with a homeowner’s association, but some property owners might have one that oversees everything they do on their land. If you buy a house in a planned community that has an HOA, you may not be able to do so much as install a new birdbath in the yard without talking to them about it first. 

Opinions vary regarding homeowner’s associations. Some individuals don’t mind them, while others chafe at the restrictions they might impose. If you moved into a house in a neighborhood that seems pleasant and like a good place to raise a family, but there’s an HOA, you should probably take that into account. They might have some obscure reason for why they won’t allow you to install a carport.

Consider these factors before moving forward with this project.

Here are some other articles related to your search:

• How To Keep Your Home Exteriors Secure And Private
• Turning Your Carport Into A Garage In 6 Steps
• Step-By-Step Guide to Building a Carport