Carports vs. Garages

Not everyone who orders a custom metal building knows exactly what they want, and so we often find ourselves consulting with buyers to help them understand what kind of structures would be beneficial for their circumstances. One of the most common inquiries is the benefits of carports relative to garages. This is a good question to ask, because both types of buildings are useful in their own ways.

In essence, carports and garages both serve the same purpose, which is to protect vehicles (mostly cars) from the elements. The biggest difference? Garages have four walls, and carports don’t. The former keeps your car in an enclosed, indoor space, while the latter keeps it open to the outdoor air, albeit under a protective roof.

When deciding between a carport and a garage, the important thing to remember is that one isn’t better than the other. Carports are easier to install, cheaper to order, and more versatile in their implementation.

The Benefits of Carports

Carports in their simplest form are little more than a standalone roof. And yet, most people haven’t given much thought into how useful that can actually be. While carports lack the advanced functionality that more complex structures have, they make up for it in versatility, ease-of-use, and cost-effectiveness. Here are some of the biggest advantages of carports:

They Can Protect Your Investments

Let’s start with the first and most obvious reason to own a carport — they protect your cars, or your boats, or your RV, or your trailer. With the right design, a carport can keep pretty much any vehicle safe from the elements! And this is pretty important, because vehicles don’t exactly come cheap. While vehicles are generally built to be able to endure the outdoors, there are plenty of reasons why a simple outdoor roof makes things a lot easier:

While your vehicles can stay outside for prolonged periods of time, or cozy inside a comfy garage, carports are an easy compromise between the two.

Carports Can Move Around

While garages and other buildings undoubtedly offer far more shelter and utility than carports do, they also have an unfortunate drawback: they’re kind of stuck in place once they’re built. Now, this isn’t always true, as certain buildings can be transported via trailers, but the vast majority of structures don’t really move from their original spot.

Not so with carports! One of the best things about having a carport is that it can move around according to your needs. Keep in mind we’re mainly talking about basic A-frame carports with no walls. Some carport designs are a little more permanent, like the ones that attach to the side of your home, but if you’re ordering the good old-fashioned A-frame design, you’ve got a lot of flexibility.

While you can easily mount your carport so that it doesn’t toss and turn from the wind, our designs allow this process to be reversed on a whim, allowing you to move it if need be. If you want to use your space for another purpose, or provide shade in a specific area of your property, you effectively have a miniature gazebo on-hand. Wouldn’t be so easy with a garage or barn!

Carports Are Multi-Purpose

While the main functionality of a carport is in the name, it’s important to remember that they can be used for a variety of other purposes. Here are some creative ways you could put your carport to good use when you’re not storing a vehicle under its roof: