A wooden carport will keep your car under a nice shaded area and will protect it from rain, snow or excessive sun. Make sure you read the local building codes, as such a permanent construction requires a building permit. You must follow the recommendations, otherwise the inspector won't accept your construction.
In this article, we will cover many aspects regarding the construction of a free standing single car carport. From our experience, you need to select a location that is level and to remove the vegetation layer. Pouring a concrete slab is a great idea, especially if you give it a slight slope, so the water can drain easily.
Fitting the posts is important, so make sure you set them properly in concrete. Dig 3 feet holes, 12" in diameter and fit tube forms. Set the posts into place, using temporary braces and plumb them with a spirit level. Pour concrete and let it dry our for several days. Smooth the surface with a trowel, in order to get a professional result.
CLICK HERE to see a full tutorial about building a simple lean to carport.
After setting the posts, you need to install the 2x6 support beams. Clamp the beams to the top of the posts and drill pilot holes through the components. Insert carriage bolts to lock everything together, making sure there are no gaps between the components. Align the edges before inserting the carriage bolts, to get a professional result.
Continue the project by fitting the rafters to the structure. Use metal hardware to make sure the joints are rigid and durable. Fit the 3/4" tongue and groove plywood sheets and secure them to the rafters using galvanized nails. Cover the structure with tar paper and asphalt shingles, if you really want to get a professional result.
If you leave in a windy area, make sure you add braces to the structure, as described in the diagram. Make sure the corners are square and the posts are plumb, after fitting each component into place.
Here are some amazing videos that illustrate the construction of the wooden carports. The first video is about building an awesome flat roof carport for a single car.
The second video is about building a double carport, so you can protect your both cars from bad weather, while keeping the cost under control and making the most of the backyard space.
As you can easily notice in this article, building a wooden carport by yourself is easy and it will help you save a great amount of money. However, if you don't have enough expertise in the field, you should definitely leave it to the professionals.
