However, many carport designs tend to be very utilitarian in their appearance and many homeowners therefore are looking for alternatives to these basic types of designs. By far one of the most common and sought after types of carports are wood carports. The reason is very simple: wooden carports are often highly attractive and will enhance rather than detract from the visual appeal of your property as a whole.

One of the major benefits to going with this particular material for your carport is that it tends to be much more flexible in terms of modifications and customization/ It’s also easier to assemble than the heavier and more industrial carport designs utilizing steel or aluminum for those considering DIY carport construction.

You can usually find a variety of styles of storage units both in a retail setting, at a carport resale or retailer, or you online at the many different Internet-based carport sales websites. Online sites typically offer much better deals than a brick-and-mortar store. Choosing a carport style comes down to the usual factors such as cost vs budget, but also form and function. The latter are necessarily exclusive either; it is quite possible to have a highly functional carport without sacrificing appearance.

When it comes down to deciding what type of wood you should use for your carport, it’s generally sound advice to go with a softer type of wood. This is because these types of woods tend to be much easier to shape and fashion into the form or design that you are aiming to achieve. This is particularly helpful for those of you who may be installing these yourselves. The type of wood that is generally recommended if you’re going to go the softer wood is treated pine timber, or alternatively, what is commonly known as Oregon wood. Either of these is ideal for this particular type of structure.

Although no longer the outright best seller of former years, wooden garage doors have long been among the most popular types of garage door available. Even these days, with modern materials technology, many if not most people think wood garage doors are better for a number of reasons; style, quality and durability to name a few. But it has to be said, there are some areas where wood garage doors don’t stack up so well against the competition any more.

So let’s introduce a little history to set the scene. Prior to the early 1980’s the de-facto standard material for just about all domestic garage doors was wood. The design and manufacture was essentially derived from earlier coach or carriage house (and even barn) doors and given the simplicity and aesthetic appeal of the product there seemed little reason to change.

Even though more modern materials such as steel, aluminum and vinyl were being used to make garage door panels even back then, mostly they were regarded as niche products aimed at commercial rather than residential applications. A significant reason for the lack of interest from the domestic market was simply aesthetics – the new doors just didn’t look anywhere near as stylish and people quite understandably were concerned about the obvious correlation between garage doors and property value.

When a single item can easily account for over one fifth of the immediate visual aspect of a house it’s important to make sure it looks smart and wooden garage door panels certainly achieve that, especially if they are stained or painted to match the wood trim on the rest of the house (doors, window frames, soffits, fascias etc). In fact, it was interesting to note that as metal and vinyl door panels started to gain a foothold they were often made with a fake wood grain effect – imitation being the sincerest form of flattery.

Aside from having a visually appealing natural texture and the flexibility to take an almost limitless number of colors and finishes, wood door panels possess certain other key characteristics worthy of consideration.

The first and (for many people these days) most immediate characteristic where wooden doors are concerned is their cost. Comparing basic entry level wood and steel doors of equivalent size and quality, the price differential for the wooden version averages out at some twenty percent higher. When you start to move up the scale and account for thicker gauge steel and integral insulation then things can move around, but even so you tend to find that on a like for like basis, the equivalent wooden garage door will invariably cost more than its metal counterpart.

Second is the issue of longevity – how long the door will last – which again is not as straightforward as you might expect. Wood, being a natural material, is subject to a process of degeneration over time. It can both rot and warp out of shape, either of which will render the door panel unviable. The extent to which it will do so of course depends on three main factors: how well constructed it was in the first place, the environment it has to cope with, and how well it is maintained,

Steel doors don’t warp or rot as such, but they are easily dented or buckled and they can rust; and none of these conditions is easily treated or masked with a coat of paint (as is typically the case with wood). Vinyl door panels can shatter if hit hard and will eventually degrade and become brittle due to exposure to sunlight (specifically ultra violet).

Which type of garage door “lasts longer” is therefore not an easy question to answer. It depends on a variety of factors that include the material used, the build quality and environmental and operational conditions. It also depends on what is meant by “lasts”. A badly rusted and dented steel door may in fact operate perfectly well but still get replaced long before a wooden door might, simply because most folk cannot stand to look at an ugly garage door (even if it is still functionally ok). The useful lifespan of a wooden garage door is also to a large extent determined by how well its owner looks after it, rather than any fixed duration.

The third feature regarding wooden door panels is weight. There is no question that wood panels are significantly thicker and heavier than either metal of vinyl (it’s also the main reason why these alternative materials first started to appear in commercial applications that required very large garage doors). This is not necessarily either a good or bad thing, it’s simply a fact, but there’s no doubt that the chunkier appearance of wooden door panels looks nicer and exudes an air of quality.

Also, the concept of “secure garage doors” is something of an oxymoron when looking at most standard metal doors, but wooden doors are intrinsically more robust. Wood is also a naturally effective insulator and outperforms all man-made materials used for garage door panels, though once again it’s not quite so simple, since it is quite simple to fit garage door insulation to any metal door (either pre-installed or using a DIY kit) and immediately turn the tables. And the reason you can’t so easily do the same with a wooden panel? It’s already too thick and heavy to take another layer of insulating foam.

So that’s a short and hopefully informative introduction to the subject of wooden garage doors and their enduring popularity. If you’re actively looking to make a purchase then why not check out this guide to buying a garage door for more tips and ideas.

Of course, there’s also always the option of consigning your garage to a more useful purpose in life (how about using your garage as a gun safe or a games room, or a gym or anything really other than a place to park a car)? Then simply sort the car out with a carport (and in keeping with my own prejudices I’m specifically suggesting that you consider one of the many excellent wood carport kits currently available because, well frankly wood carports look great and other types look for the most part outright plain and utilitarian and that’s not what I want stood next to my house).

• These structures provide extra overhead storage space to house a car or other vehicle if you don’t have a garage or if your garage is not large enough to house all of your belongings plus your vehicle(s).
• They don’t cost nearly as much as a garage to build or install.
• There are many different styles to choose from and you can go with a very basic or even a portable model costing less than a hundred dollars or you can custom build a structure that almost rivals a garage but with a few less bells and whistles.

The picture below shows imaginative use of bamboo (from Bambutec) to construct a lightweight and attractive frame over which has been attached clear corrugated plastic. It gives an idea of what you can achieve with a carport if you think outside the traditional boxes a bit.

Obviously there is no security as such with an open carport, but then again it depends on what exactly you’re trying to protect. Modern cars are so well protected with their own built-in anti-theft devices that these days car thieves often have to first break in to your house to steal the keys before they can then steal the car! A carport is designed to shelter a car from the elements and frankly it is at little more risk of being stolen from an open carport than an apparently locked garage (for more on this subject read this article on secure garage doors).

Other advantages of moving your car from the garage to a carport include (perhaps surprisingly) better protection against rust in the bodywork; a carport protects against the elements i.e. sun, rain and frost to a degree but it also provides better airflow around the car. It is well known that parking a car in a garage will ensure that any moisture on the car will sit there and over time slowly corrode the metal.

And of course, parking your vehicles under a carport means you can make use of extra garage storage, free up auxilliary space to work or play in or whatever you want really. No need to make space for the car or be careful not to scratch it moving the lawnmower for instance. This additional flexibility is also likely to be reflected in the overall value of your property too.

If you are looking for a more permanent structure, then a wooden carport may be a good option for you. These blend in nicely with the existing structures of most homes, whether they are attached to the home or even if they stand alone. Also, because they are constructed from wood they can be finished to coordinate with the home’s exterior by staining or painting the wood to match. Because wood is inherently versatile and easy to work with, you can build a wooden structure in just about any size or shape you need and can add a flat roof or an angled roof, depending on your preference.

If you want something that is less expensive to erect and/or more portable because you want to be able to set it up and take it down whenever you need to (or possibly you want to be able to take it with you on the road when you travel) then you might want to consider a model made from a nylon or canvas cover instead. These covers are draped across a framework made usually from PVC or a lightweight metal such as aluminum. These portable structures will still provide ample protection but will obviously result in a rather different look and feel compared to permanent wood carports.

As a benefit, wood is a much better aesthetic fit for most contemporary houses. Wood selections come in enough varieties to find a finish that is a good match for the building material already existing on the home. Wooden carports are also far more eye-catching than steel (or at least, more eye-catching for the right reasons) which means it can actually add value to your property rather than have a detrimental affect.

But perhaps what gets so many people interested is the ability to purchase a beautiful wood carport in kit form.These provide the homeowner with an opportunity for a relatively simple do-it-yourself project. Consisting largely of wood materials, it is something average homeowners can construct by themselves. Anyone who has for example prevoously built a wooden deck or similar garden structure will have little difficulty getting to grips with a wooden carport kit.

If however there are no instructions for your kit and/or you are buying all raw materials, it is possible to download a variety of building plans from the Internet. If you have any carpentry experience, it is possible to surf the Internet for images of carport designs you like then draw up the plan yourself.

Wood carports themselves vary from the common open carport that consists of basically just the upright timbers with a frame and roof on top, through to fully enclosed carports that in many respects are very little different to a regular wooden garage. Don’t forget though that any substantial wooden structure such as a carport will require at the very least secure footings for the main uprights, and you may want to consider laying foundations and/or a concrete slab on which to actually park, depending on your own specific circumstances and needs.

Options to consider when looking to buy a wood carport kit include cost obviously, but that itself is typically just a function of other aspects. Clearly the overall size of the carport in terms of how many and what size of vehicles it can shelter is a major factor. But equally important is whether or not the carport is partially or fully enclosed. Some people opt to erect a wall on just one side to act as a visual screen or to offer protection against a prevailing wind. But it is possible to go completely to town, with walls on all sides, main doors and even make use of the roof space with dormer windows and so on.

Whether or not to enclose your carport depends on what levels of security you’re hoping to gain (though at the end of the day, it’s still a wooden building, so very high security is not really achievable) and also on what uses you have in mind. Some folk use an enclosed carport in much the same way as a regular garage and store tools and use it as a working space, others find an open carport can double as a useful shelter for an inflatable pool or hot tub in the summer. Then there is the issue of whether to construct a standalone carport or attach it to the house or garage, usually in a lean-to configuration.

If you choose to install a wooden shelter in preference to a steel one or a even a traditional garage, it can be quite difficult to find a wood carport kit online. There are not many, but there are a few online retailers. Some of them offer pre-cut wood that you will only need to fit together and nail or screw. Carport kits are very affordable and can considerably decrease in price if you have the building skills to construct the shelter yourself. One of the advantages of using a kit, rather than a bespoke custom design carport, is that very often you can buy a copy of the plans in a form suitable to submit for planning permission (if required in your location).

Another good reason to opt for a wooden structure is that it is the best material for later upgrades or changes that you make to your house. You can add walls to them or add new shelves or storage bins. With so much versatility as an affordable option to a wooden garage, it is no wonder that wood materials are making such an impression at national home shows.