Aluminum Carports

If you've ever thought about installing a carport for storing your car or a boat or RV, then you might have looked at aluminum carports as an option. You can find a lot of information about aluminum as an excellent building material, but is it a good option for carports? Deciding on a particular style or metal can be a tough decision, so it's best to do your research before settling on your final choice.

Aluminum is a very popular material for all sorts of buildings and building accessories. Gutters and downspouts, flashing, window frames, fascia and soffits are all things that are perfectly suited to aluminum. The biggest benefit that this metal has is it's non-corrosive property. Building with a material that doesn't rot or rust makes maintenance almost non-existent, making anything built with aluminum a candidate for a very long life.

Building with aluminum has many benefits, and when it comes to building either temporary buildings or semi-permanent structures such as carports, the lightweight properties of aluminum make it an ideal choice. Because it is lightweight, it is very easy to build reasonably large structures with no equipment, so putting together a carport kit in a weekend is actually a reasonably simple DIY project for many homeowners. If you can setup sufficient post footings, then building the actual carport is straight-forward and requires few tools.

Aluminum is not the cheapest metal to build with, therefore you will find that most carport kits use aluminum for the roof, sides (if any), soffits and fasia, whereas steel will be used for the legs and beams. Aluminum has a high strength-to-weight ratio, meaning it is ideal to cover the large areas with thin pre-formed sheets, but since it is also expensive, the amount of aluminum required for the structural elements is not worth the cost difference compared to steel. The thinner cheaper aluminum is used as a cover, and will protect the other less weather resistant materials from deterioration.

As discussed before, aluminum is ideal in exposure to weather since it will not rust. However, it is not completely impervious to all types of weather. Depending on the gauge of aluminum, severe winds can damage aluminum buildings. Hail can also be an issue for aluminum, as it will cause dents and damage, potentially bending pieces out of shape and compromising their weather tightness. Snow is generally not an issue for aluminum carports as long as you pay attention to the snow load rating of the carport you are installing and make sure it is sufficient for the expected weather in your area.

So there are definite advantages for using aluminum as a carport cover, but what about the cons? The biggest detractor for me is probably the look. There are a lot more styles to choose from these days, so finding a color and design that fits with your house is a little easier. But even with a non-generic looking metal carport, it will inevitably still look like an old fashioned, lower budget, lightweight metal carport. Compared to a custom build wooden carport, where you can add trim to the gables, make the slope match the slope of your house roof, and blend in the materials and paint color, metal carports have a hard time measuring up. On the other hand, if you have a contemporary house, or a bungalow with aluminum windows already, it may be easier to blend in the look of an aluminum carport, and in fact perhaps the simplicity of a streamlined non-obtrusive building is what will suit your house the best.

So the bottom line is that the biggest advantage I found in installing a metal carport comes down to two things - is the ease of installation, and the relative cost compared to a custom built option. If you like how they look, then finding a style and color that will complement your house shouldn't be too hard. Don't forget to look at aluminum carport kits as well as a made to order aluminum carport which will be installed for you.