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Garage versus carport: Which is right for your family?

Steel Carports

Garage versus carport: Which is right for your family?

by VersaTube on November 21, 2018

Garages and carports are both extremely popular in their own right, but they have largely different uses that may or may not be relevant to your family’s needs. Because we offer garage building kits and carport building kits, we want to make sure that our customers understand which is the right fit for their needs.

Vehicles, boats, ATVs, RVs, motorcycles and more are not small investments, therefore they require protection from harsh weather conditions or environments. A VersaTube garage or carport will protect any of these investments, but depending on your total needs and climate, one might do the job better than another. Consider all the pros and cons about garages and carports before you make your final decision.

Garage Pros & Cons

A garage is fantastic for a few reasons. First, it offers total protection from harsh conditions including snow, rain, wind, sun, hail and more. It’s particularly useful for keeping ice off of the windows during winter, and sun from damaging the paint during summer.

Garages are multipurpose! They can be used for DIY projects, storage, parking, fitness - some people even turn them into makeshift man caves (or she sheds). The fact that garages are fully enclosed and can be locked makes them secure places for more than parked vehicles. They often have enough additional space that you can add shelves, workbenches, tools and more.     

Finally, they are typically a better investment overall than carports, and offer more resale value to your property.

Of course, every rose has its thorn. Some issues associated with owning a garage are worth assessing. First, a standard garage is more expensive than a carport. The materials and labor cost to build a garage are more than that of a carport.

Second, garages take more time to be built because they’re more complex than carports. They often require some sort of electric wiring to be set up and must adhere to local city or building code because it’s an enclosed space. With code, comes a more strict set of building requirements than a carport. You will need to get the approval or your city or town, which means you may need to wait before starting on your garage. (To be fair, your local codes may require permitting for a carport as well.)

Carport Pros & Cons

Carports are the unsung heroes of affordable protection for vehicles. Though they don’t offer the same level of protection as garages, they’re great for anyone working with a tight budget. There are three primary pros to building a carport.

First, they’re relatively inexpensive, especially when compared with garages. Because they lack walls, windows and doors, they’re more affordable because they require less materials. They also have lower labor costs.

Second, you can get typically approval from your city or town to build them much more quickly than you can for an enclosed garage.

Third, carports are very simple and quick to build thanks to their lack of structural complexity. For some, carports can be built in as quickly as a couple of days.

We can’t discuss the benefits of carports without getting into the cons.

First, and sometimes the most essential fact for homeowners, is that they offer very limited protection. Unless you live in an area with year-round mild weather, a carport won’t give full protection. This is primarily because they lack four walls.

Second, they tend to be smaller than the average garage, offering little room for anything other than one or two vehicles. Typically, accessories and equipment will not fit in them, unless you custom design your own carport.

Third, they aren’t theft-proof or weather-proof. Unfortunately, you can’t lock up a carport, so it wouldn’t be safe to store anything other than vehicles, and any equipment left there will be exposed to the elements.

Fourth, and likely the least important of the bunch, is that carports are typically not considered to be as attractive as garages.

Still struggling to decide? You can always reach out to our experts who can offer up some extra guidance.

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