How to Build an Exterior Carport
When people are looking to provide increased protection for vehicles such as cars, boats, off-road vehicles, or farm tractors, they'll often turn to carports. A carport is much easier and cheaper to build, and easier to maintain, than a garage. Carports can protect vehicles from rain, snow, and hail while reducing or blocking the sun's UV rays. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 10-foot pressure-treated boards
- Shovel
- Tape measure
- Concrete
- Level
- Vapor barrier
- Sand or gravel
- Rebar
- Wire mesh
- String
- Tacks
- Hacksaw
- Framing square
- 20-foot pressure-treated boards
- Clamps
- Drill
- M12 Galvanized bolts
- 75mm jolthead galvanized nails
- Galvanized angle brackets
- Roofing material (steel or PVC)
Instructions
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Planning and Design
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1
Contact your local government to see what permits and requirements you'll need for a carport.
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2
Design your carport using one of several methods. Do it by hand with a pencil, ruler, and graph paper; use a computer-aided design (CAD) program; buy plans online from a site like carport-plans.com; or hire an architect.
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3
Decide which parts of the construction you'll do yourself, and what you'll hire a contractor for. Local zoning laws may require you to hire certified professionals for tasks such as installing the cement foundation, or any electrical work.
Construction
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4
Mark where the 10-foot posts will go, and dig a hole 2 feet deep and 1 foot wide for each post. There will be three posts on each side, 10 feet apart. Doing one hole at a time, pour about 4 inches of concrete into a hole, and place a post in the hole. Use a level to ensure that the post is plumb (perfectly straight), and fill the rest of the hole with concrete. Check again that the post is plumb, and move on to the next hole. Give the concrete about four days to cure.
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5
Frame out the foundation after the posts have been set. Let's say you're building a 20-by-20 foot carport. Frame out a foundation of at least 21 by 21 feet. Lay down a vapor barrier inside the area you've framed out around the posts. The vapor barrier helps prevent moisture in the ground from damaging the foundation.
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Add a layer of sand or gravel on top of the vapor barrier, following local regulations regarding the depth and type of material used.
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Pour the concrete for the foundation, inserting rebar and wire mesh to strengthen the concrete (your local building codes will dictate how this should be done). Let the concrete cure for about four days.
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8
Tack a string into place in the top corner of the front post. Run the string to the rear post, and tack it 4 inches from the top corner. Mark where the string crosses the posts, and saw off the top of the posts along the lines (this will give the roof a slope for drainage purposes).
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Cut 45-degree angles on each end of the four 20-foot beams. Lift one of the beams so that the top is flush (even) with the top of the posts and the ends extend a foot past the outside posts, and clamp it into place. You'll need a few friends for this procedure.
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10
Drill through the beam and posts, and connect them with M12 galvanized bolts (two bolts at each place they meet).
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11
Nail the beams together in each corner using 75mm jolthead galvanized nails. Place galvanized angle brackets on the inside of the joint, attaching them with four M12 galvanized bolts.
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12
Build the rafters. Begin by measuring the space between the inside of the beams, and cut six beams to this size. On the outer beams, mark off where you'll install the rafters (about 3 feet apart from each other). Join them to the outer beams with galvanized metal joist hangers, and nail them into place with the galvanized nails.
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Measure the space between the rafters, and cut seven beams to fit in between them. Nail these boards (the nogs) in between the rafters down the middle of the frame using the same method as you did to attach the rafters.
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Attach your roofing material (steel or PVC sheets) to the rafters and beams that form the outer frame with galvanized nails.
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