by John Moore

I have been considering building a flat roof carport for the better part of a year, and I have done a fair amount of research to prepare for my big project. While researching the type of carport that I would build I came across many different options, including metal carport kits which seem to be pretty popular from what I can gather. However, the esthetics of the available kits just didn't suit me, so I am opting for a build from scratch project.

I have researched the necessary steps that I will have to take in order to get going with this project, and the very first thing I need to do is apply for my building permit. As I understand, since this will be a fairly basic type of structure, my plan that I submit with the permit application need not be a CAD drawing or anything fancy like that. Of course I will have to include accurate measurements, heights, and distances from existing structures etc, as well as electrical diagrams and such, but this is certainly something I can draw up myself after having consulted an engineer regarding spans and loads.

The only hiccup that I ran into when applying for my permit, and this was not so much a hiccup as an oversight on my part, was the fact that my property taxes are going to increase as a result of building my new carport. I shouldn't have expected any different, of course the carport will increase the value of my property, therefore my taxable value will increase. One minor comfort is the fact that my carport is not going to increase my taxes nearly so much as a fully enclosed garage would.

Next on my list of to-dos is to actually get a conceptual plan on paper. I have looked at quite a few different designs, and have decided that a wooden carport with a timber frame sort of look is what I will be going for. Using wood for any type of project lends a lot of flexibility to the design, and in this case there are a lot of details that I can add to give my carport a unique look which is important to me that I blend the style of my new carport in with the existing style of my house.

Finally I need to break my artistic rendering plan down into a building plan, and for this I will be consulting an engineering friend of mine. I have worked on a fair number of DIY projects myself, but I'm a builder not an engineer so I rely on someone else to make sure my plans will be up to code. Also, part of the reason that I'm building a flat roof carport is that I think I may want to use the roof of the carport as a second deck sometime in the future. This means that the loads and spans etc need to be calculated with that in mind, and it is just safer to have things properly engineered from the start.

I am very excited about getting this project started. I hope to actually get a shovel to the ground by the start of July. It will be strictly a weekend project for me. My hope is that my new flat roof carport will be finished by the middle of September with allowing myself a few fishing weekends.

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