If you live in certain parts of the country, you may see mostly garages. Elsewhere, you may notice mostly carports. They serve similar functions, though they’re not identical.
Carports have a roof and usually either one or two walls. Garages have four walls and a roof. You may get a carport because they don’t usually cost as much. Maybe you don’t feel like you have the $20K required for a garage at the moment.
You might think about getting a carport that has a garage door, though. Adding a garage door increases carport functionality in many instances, though you may notice some drawbacks as well.
In this article, we’ll talk about whether you should put a garage door on your existing carport or the one you plan to install soon. It’s a question that might preoccupy you till you think about the benefits and potential negatives.
How Can You Add a Garage Door to a Carport?
Before we get into pros and cons, we should talk about what you will need to add a garage door to a carport. First, you must find a company that can do it for you. If you’re having a company install a carport, whether a prefabricated one or a custom job, they can probably install a garage door at the same time they erect the rest of the structure.
They will probably do so by adding framing walls to the carport. Then, they will add the necessary insulation and the electrical system. That can get a little costly, but having a garage door on the carport that opens and closes when you press the button becomes crucial. You don’t want to have to pull down the garage door yourself.
If you have an existing carport already, and you want a company that can add a garage door to the structure, that might take a little more skill and planning. While you might see some universality in the dimensions of the carport, if you have a more unusual one or a custom job, a standard garage door might not necessarily fit it perfectly.
Finally, you need to think about obtaining any permits that the place where you live requires. If you live in a city, town, village, etc., you will probably need to speak to someone who issues such permits. You can usually get one for anywhere from $20-$50 in most instances.
If you live out in the middle of nowhere, though, you likely won’t need a permit. You can talk to the company or individual who’s going to install the garage door. Presumably, they will know all about what the governing body in your area requires.
Some Pros of Getting a Garage Door for Your Carport
Now, let’s get into some of the reasons why getting a garage door for your carport might appeal. For one thing, if you get one, you can feel sure you’ve protected the car and anything else you’re storing in the carport.
Maybe you have a luxury vehicle like a Rolls Royce or Jaguar. You might prize it highly. If so, installing that garage door gives you an extra layer of protection. If you live in an area with crime stats going up, you may feel like you need that.
If you install a garage door on your carport, you will also have protection from the elements. If it’s raining or snowing hard, you can get out of the car and walk directly into the house if you have a breezeway connecting the two structures.
You can also feel secure in the knowledge that no hailstones will strike the vehicle during the more violent storms of the season. No birds might decide to target it when they’re flying overhead.
Also, you will add value to the property in this way. If you ever decide to move, you can point to the added garage door and mention it when you list the house. Interested buyers might give you some higher offers.
Some Potential Cons of Getting a Garage Door
If you get a garage door for your carport, it will cost you some money. Maybe you’re not in a position where you feel like you can afford it right now. It will likely cost you multiple thousands of dollars to buy a garage door and to have a company install it, especially if it’s a custom job.
If you’re flush with cash at the moment, then you may have no issue with that. If you’re between jobs, though, and you can barely afford rent or a mortgage payment, then you might want to wait until you have more money you can put toward this sort of home improvement project.
Maybe you’ll also have a hard time getting the permit you need. It’s not too likely, but it’s possible. If you have a homeowner’s association where you live, perhaps you must get past them as well.
Such entities might infuriate you with their rules. Hopefully, you won’t have an issue with it, but if you do, that’s another headache with which you must contend.
You might also find a company that doesn’t do a good job of installing the new garage door. Perhaps the entity you chose doesn’t satisfy you, and you must hire someone else to fix the issues you’re having with your new garage door.
Should You Get a Garage Door for Your Carport or Not?
In essence, getting a garage door for your carport turns it into a garage, assuming you now have a completely enclosed space with a roof on it. If you feel like there’s too much exposure when you look at your vehicle in your existing carport at the moment, you probably feel like the positives of installation outweigh any potential negatives.
Usually, if you want to do it badly enough, you can install a garage door. If you have monetary concerns, you can wait till you get a windfall like a tax refund.