How to Build a Steel Carport
Building a steel carport can be done easily and relatively inexpensively for what you get, if you take a few shortcuts. They are easy to put up, and all you'll need to know are a few basic techniques and some neighborhood help.
We will use a one car size in the description here, which is 12 foot wide by 20 feet long, just to use as a reference. Also, most people prefer their carports to be directly in front of their garage doors, but they can be laid out anywhere that is convenient.
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Things You'll Need
- Posthole digger Concrete mix 4 3-inch-diameter 14-gauge steel poles, 8 feet tall Pre-made steel carport roof cover available to size at many hardware stores or ordered Drill ½-inch bolts, nuts and lock washers Level 4 10-foot ladders
Instructions
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Measure out an 11½-by-19½-foot rectangle on the ground. The corners will be where your corner posts are set, so mark the corners clearly with a hole or other marker.
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2
Install your posts in the ground. Dig your holes to 24 inches deep. Mix up your concrete per directions on the package. Plant a steel pole inside of a hole. Fill hole halfway with concrete, then level it off on all four sides. Once level, fill the rest of the hole with concrete. You will do this for each post -- four in all. Then let them dry for three days.
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3
Lift the roof into place. Gather four friends and/or neighbors, because it is time to put the roof on. At each pole on the inside, there should be a ladder. Each person has a corner of the roof while slowly walking up the ladder. These roofs are specifically made to cover the tops of the planted steel posts, so you'll want to get the corners over each one. The actual roof is 20 by 12 feet, but the inside dimension is 19½ by 11½ feet, which is why the posts were planted in the ground to those dimensions.
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4
Anchor the roof with screws. Once the roof is in place, drill ½-inch holes in all four corners, put the bolts, nuts and lock washers on, and tighten with an adjustable wrench. Now you are ready to park your car under cover.
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Tips & Warnings
While this project can be done with just four people, it is better to have a person stabilizing each ladder as well as climbing it.
