by Along with times, a carport is evolving as it is no longer just a place for cars to lounge. Now, its existence can also add to the aesthetics of the house. In addition, a good carport design can support the beauty of your residential facade.
Generally, a carport is built on the front or side of the house. The construction needs to be steady because the carport is one of the first segments of a house that is seen by others, other than the facade – of course. The appearance must also be in harmony with the facade model and be made as proportional as possible.
However, many people do not understand how to build the right carport. The selection of carport floor and roof material that is not suitable can lead to the easily damaged carport. In fact, a carport requires a strong floor construction and material to withstand heavy vehicle loads. So, where to start?
Floor Material
The carport will be the foundation of your vehicle. So, the carport must be built on a sturdy floor that can accommodate the weight of the vehicle parked on it. There are three general requirements for a flooring material that is suitable for carport, materials that are not slippery – or has slip resistance, strong bearing capacity to withstand heavy loads and resistance to various weather conditions. The material utilized on the carport floor should not be slippery but need to still be easy to clean.
For example, you can use exposed concrete floors, coral brushes, or paving blocks. In the case that you use ceramics, try to choose ceramics that have a flat surface, but unpolished because ceramics that have uneven surfaces such as rock tiles will easily store dirt and are quite difficult to clean.
There are actually two simple factors that influence the strength of the floor, the weight of the vehicle, and soil conditions. It’s kinda hard to believe but the weight of the vehicle is relatively light and can be borne by lightweight concrete footprints.
The lightweight concrete can be made from a mixture of cement, sand, and coral in a ratio of 1: 3: 5. All of the materials are then added with water and poured into the floor area of the carport, before being coated with ceramics or other floor coatings of your choice.
Roof Material
Carport roofing materials can generally be divided into two categories, open – transparent included – or closed. If you want a carport doused in sunlight, put forth an open roof. Meanwhile, if the carport you are building cannot be penetrated by sunlight through the roof, use a closed roof.
For transparent roofing materials, you can choose several basic materials, such as polycarbonate, vinyl, fiberglass, glass, and shade sail. As usual, checking the compatibility of each material is important and you are lucky because we already have all the information below.
Polycarbonate
This particular material is a component that is resistant to weather, able to resist ultraviolet (UV) and heat. The color is also quite diverse, making it easy for you to mix and match with the shape of the house. The advantage of welding polycarbonate material is that it can be shaped. Plus, the price of polycarbonate is rather economical as it will always depend on size, thickness, and brand.
Vinyl
Vinyl kinda looks like synthetic fibers. The installation is relatively easy plus it is light on the weight. The colors that are being offered on the market are also quite diverse where you can get clear transparent, clear translucent, blue sky, and light green. This material can reduce heat, but its quality is actually below polycarbonate. As for the price, this option is also in a reasonable range. Different motifs and brands will let you at different prices too.
Fiberglass
Although lots and lots of people choose fiberglass as the roof material for their carport design, its ability to reduce heat is actually not as good as polycarbonate or even vinyl. However, between the three, the most economical choice will always be fiberglass. Another downside of fiberglass is the choice of models where you can only get two options, curved or flat.
Glass
Choosing glass as the goods to build a carport roof is a bit complicated. At first, you need to choose the type and the thickness of the glass. There are diverse types of glass where some are able to resist UV radiation – since it has been coated with a film layer – and some are not. Choosing the former will makes the room underneath cooler but it also comes with a hefty price depending on the construction and the thickness level.
Shade Sail
One thing for sure is that the shape of a shade sail is very unique since, at first glance, it looks more like a tarpaulin that is stretched and mounted with a tensile structure so that it requires a resting place. The ability to resist heat is optimal but is unable to handle rain as well as other materials. The size can also be adjusted easily to the dimensions of the carport. The shade sail is also available in at least 6 color options, dark blue, light blue, orange, dark green, light green, and beige.
Moving on to the closed roofing material. For this option, you can choose basic materials such as tile and lightweight steel roof. The pricing range of closed roofing material is quite pricey compared to other options but the harmony of having a closed roof carport design is undeniable since the construction can closely follow with the design of the overall tone of your house.
After all, choosing the roof material for your carport design will always be back to the budget that you allocated and how much impact you want to put on the carport. But remember to use the roofing material as needed as a wrong choice of design can ruin the conformity of your home.
An overall good design starts from the front of the building. Collaboration in harmony with the surrounding environment is the main objective of building a comfy house. Thus, a proper carport design must be included in the overall design since the planning process and become an inseparable part that makes your home look elegant from the first impression.
