A lot of Australians have a car, about one-third to be precise. With this many cars on the road, you must take care and protect your vehicle from the elements.
While garages are one type of residential car park, they can be expensive and time-consuming to build. Carports also protect cars and trucks from rain and snow while only containing one or two walls instead of fully enclosed.
Here are some of their main reasons many of today’s homeowners are picking car-ports over garages:
Car Protection
A carport includes up to two walls, so your vehicles won’t be completely protected from the elements. However, the roof is essential for safeguarding your car from the rain.
CurrentResults reports it rains up to one-third of the year in some Australian regions. Some areas like the Australian Alps also receive snowfall during the winter, making a driveway less practical.
It might be surprising, but a carport can provide a new level of safety versus garages. While garages are fully enclosed, this also makes it more difficult to spot potential carnappers.
You can boost your car park’s security by adding sufficient lighting and a CCTV camera. These are items homeowners also generally add to garages, so you can still enjoy substantial savings with the car cover.
Affordability and Installation
Garages require much more building materials and skills than car-ports.
Hipages reports an average garage costs AUD1200 per square meter. That works out to about AUD18000 for a single brick garage.
Meanwhile, you can build carports for a small fraction of that cost. This frees up money for other expenses such as new appliances, school tuition, and car payments.
A related benefit is building carports also involves fewer logistics versus garages. This is due to issues like local building codes and a shorter time to make.
Some companies offer carport kits, so you can streamline installation costs by building the structure yourself. This can provide significant savings on the total cost of the car park.
More Portable
Some Carports don’t have this option, including those attached to homes or with solid foundations.
However, carport kits, in particular, are designed so they don’t attach to the ground. This allows you to transfer the car shelter and vehicle to other areas of the property.
In addition, you can also transfer the cover if you move house. This is a big plus over garages.
Better Ventilation
One of the main drawbacks of garages in terms of temperature and humidity is they’re fully enclosed.
This could become an issue in the summertime even if you install an air conditioner. Aussie Specialist reports the average summer temperatures in Australia can be as high as 35°C (95°F).
Since a carport has a maximum of two walls, they provide more ventilation.
Besides lower temperatures, this setup also reduces air pollution. This can provide a significant benefit to the car/truck owners and the vehicles themselves.
Multi-Purpose Functions
Besides parking cars, trucks, and SUVs, you can also use carports. ConsiderConsider for other functions, including
Patio
Grilling
Parties
Games
Storage
Even if you already own a garage, a house-attached or freestanding carport can provide more flexibility. For example, you can use your garage for parking and the semi-enclosed shelter for other activities or guest parking.
