Adding a metal carport to your home can increase the value of your home while increasing the enjoyment you and your family have in your home. If you think carports are strictly for cars, then you could benefit from the myriad of uses a carport really has. Of course, the vast majority of carports are intended to protect vehicles from the elements. However, some creative souls are using garages in other creative ways.
A friend of mine loves to entertain. The parts of him are legendary. He always manages to match the right guests and food, and his parties, large and small, are always praised. He lives on the West Coast and regularly laments that he can’t trust the weather to cooperate with his party planning. Many who live in British Columbia, Washington State, or Oregon State experience this dilemma. In a flash of party planning brilliance, he added a double-wide carport to the side of his house!
My friend’s garage will never be used to protect his car from the elements. His garage has been transformed into an outdoor kitchen and bar area. In his situation, the garage made a lot of sense since his house already had a convenient side door leading into his kitchen. You now have an indoor kitchen and outdoor kitchen adjacent to each other. Let the party begin.
Carports can come in all sorts of different varieties. The most common type of carport is one that is attached to the side of your house or to the side of another structure. These types of carports generally have a simple pitched roof or a flat roof. The decision to have a flat roof gives you the ability to build a second story above the garage.
There are also detached carports or detached carports. These structures are typically built outside of the home and are typically used to store seasonal vehicles such as RVs or farm equipment. Some creative souls have built freestanding carports to use as picnic shelters. In this way, the carport is used as a gazebo.
Creative use of a carport can really expand the living space in your home. With a few tweaks and some special planning, the garage could be used for vehicle storage for a few months and living space for other months. Consider adding a metal carport to your home.