Connected to the issue of building your own shed are the other things you might want to think about building. These things are just as easy to build as a shed and are, really, larger versions of the regular sheds we already have in our backyards.
A really popular shed is build is a carport. These are obviously designed to house your car or other vehicle over night, or for particular types of weather. Knowing how to design a carport is really important to ensure your efforts are not wasted.
You will need to think about exactly what purpose your carport will serve. This may seem obvious (i.e. to park my car in!), but how many cars do you want to house there? are your cars of a particular length or height? could you feasibly buy a longer or taller car in the future?
You’ll also need to consider whether you want to include any extra storage. Carports are excellent places to store things like tools and gardening equipment (obviously, only if you have yet to discover the joys of how to build a shed in you backyard!). If you intend to use the carport to store things, you may want to consider how you will need to secure the carport (will you need walls? etc).
When you have decided that you need a particular size of carport, you’ll need to have a think about its design. Do you have an existing carport that you want the new carport to match? Does your house have a particular design that could be complimented by a similar design of the carport? Are you a fan of any specific designs (obviously, if you want, you could follow a different path and – making sure you observe all planning regulations – have a completely different sort of design). It’s up to you.
Once you’ve decided on the design, I would urge you to use pre-printed blueprints or designs to follow which should you how to build a carport as they highlight exactly what materials and tools you need, as well as what you need to do and when.
photo credit: cogdogblog
Protecting our vehicles from the elements has always been a concern of car owners. Fortunately, bricks and cement are not always necessary ingredients if you decide to build a carport to keep your car in.
If you want some initial pointers on how to build a carport, carry on reading…
Maybe a carport would have been a good idea!
Carport vs Garage. A carport is usually seen as being different from a garage, because it usually has one or more sides open – sometimes it is just a roof. However, this need not be so, if you would prefer to have walls. Including walls in your design would also be a good idea if you wanted to store other items in the carport.
Style. There are many different styles of carport to choose from. At my last house, I built a wooden version which was almost an extension of the house – it was a lean-to. However, at my present house, I built a carport which is a separate structure. Making this choice will depend on things like the style of your house, how far you want the carport from your front door and the local planning regulations. Although the structure of the carport is pretty uniform, you can inject a bit of personality with the style of roof and exterior finishes.
Door. If you decide that you want to include a door, you will need to ensure that the door is large enough for your current car. Also, check that larger vehicles can fit through the door to ensure your carport is still useful if you buy a larger car in the future.
Foundations. Due to the fact that a carport will usually have a car inside, the foundations will need to be strong enough to support the necessary weight (this also applies to the driveway leading up to the front of the structure). If you are building the carport on solid ground or rock, you may not need to lay foundations. However, if you propose to build it on soil or gravel, it would be a good idea to lay at least a shallow concrete slab. If you’d prefer to hire someone else to do this, make sure it’s done at least a week before you intend to build the wooden structure as the concrete will need time to set and cure.
