Popular Types Of Carports

The Top Carport Styles To Consider For Your Home

Adding a carport to your property is one of the best investments you can make. Carports provide much needed protection from the elements for your vehicles, RVs and more. They also add functional outdoor living space to enjoy. With so many choices available, it can be tricky to determine what style of carport is right for you. This guide will cover the most popular choices, making it easy to choose the perfect fit. Let’s begin!

What Is A Carport?

A carport is defined as a structure used to cover a parking area with a roof but no side walls. Unlike garages, carports have open sides to allow for easy vehicle access. Many connect to an existing building while others are freestanding.

Carports serve as an affordable alternative to costlier garages. And they allow for flexible parking while shielding cars, equipment and even outdoor space from sun, rain, wind and other elements. They require little maintenance too since their open-sided carport design limits dirt and debris buildup.

Key Carport Benefits

Installing a quality carport offers homeowners many advantages:

• Protection – Safeguards cars from weather damage, bird droppings, and more
• Convenience – Easy to access covered parking area
• Custom Design – Tailor style, size to needs and budget
• Added Space – For parking and/or outdoor entertaining
• Cost – More affordable than garage construction
• Maintenance – Low maintenance open structure
• Resale Value – Carports add value for future buyers

Most Popular Carport Types

1. Gable Roof Carport

This is hands-down the most popular option for homes. Why? Its iconic sloped, triangular shape roof design blends beautifully with many architectural styles. Gable roofs also efficiently shed water, snow and debris.

Its frameworks stand the test of time too. You can typically expect them to last over 15 years with proper maintenance.

2. Dutch Gable Carport

This put a stylish spin on traditional gable roofs. How so? They incorporate short wall sections at the gable ends for added elegance. Many also come with attractive crown molding details across the top.

If you want a carport with serious decorative flair, the Dutch gable design delivers visual appeal. Use it to extend outdoor living areas when entertaining guests too. The walls offer a feeling of enclosure (with the open-sided access still there).

3. Skillion Roof Carport

Prefer a modern, minimalist look? Skillion has a single sloped roofline perfect for contemporary home plans. The angled roof provides ample height on one end to easily accommodate larger vehicles.

Skillion carports maximize sun exposure too. And since they utilize just one panel, they’re fast and affordable to construct. You can also customize aspects like:

• Roof pitch/angle
• Height
• Length
• Placement

4. Flat Roof Carport

Flat roof carports have an entirely horizontal roof plane. While simple in design, they do have a certain stylish quality. This also makes carports easier to access, navigate and clean.

But the key benefit lies in their subtle rooftop pitch. This allows rain, leaves and other debris to easily wash off the structure. So if low maintenance matters most, flat roofing deserves serious consideration.

5. Freestanding Carport

In situations where attached carport isn’t possible, freestanding models come to the rescue. As standalone structures, they provide covered parking while allowing flexible placement anywhere on a property.

Laid-back homeowners on a budget love freestanding carports too. Why? You can have one installed quickly and fairly affordably versus other designs. Just bear in mind that protection from intense climate may be somewhat limited.

6. Hip Roof Carport

Last but certainly not least—the versatile hip roof carport. Sporting sloped sides all around, these functional four-sided shelters provide quality protection on every side. The inward slope pattern also makes hip roofs incredibly sturdy.

In high wind regions especially, the enhanced structural stability of hip roof carports makes them an excellent choice over standard gable styles. And unlike gables, no additional corner bracing is needed thanks to their pyramid shape.

If you demand robustness from your carport, put hip roof versions at the top of your list. Just expect slightly higher upfront cost thanks to increased materials/labor.

Finding The Best Carport Builder For You

As you can see, carports today go far beyond being just simple covered sheds. With such variety available, take time to consider what roof type works best for your property’s architecture, needs and budget. Carefully weigh pros and cons like weather protection abilities, visual appeal, durability and pricing during decision making.

And be sure to always have your carport installed properly by qualified contractors regardless of which style you select. This guarantees it will deliver lasting value while sheltering your cars in superb fashion for years on end.