I want to build a carport

[MustardTiger]

Because our garage is the laundry room/gym, we do not park in the garage.  The driveway of our house also is in a place where it gets full sun almost all day which makes it unbearably hot for the cars.  Other concerns are wear and tear on paint/vinyl as well as just the convenience of not getting into a blistering car during Texas summer.  The problem is those prefab metal style carports just look cheap imo, so I want to build something nicer.  I have an idea of building a structure with 4x4 wooden posts, extending it onto the roof, and using shingles to match the house.  I am capable working with wood but have never attempted anything that might have structural implications like this. 

How can I figure out how heavy of a load I can attach to the roof?  Is this project even feasible?

[Papa bear]

Check with local code enforcement.  They most likely will help you out and have charts on loads and minimum requirements.

It can be DIY but you might need a friend or 2 for a hand.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[FIRE me]

Be careful to get plenty of slope on the carport roof. I bought a repo house with a rotting add-on carport, built as you describe. There was not enough slope to the carport roof, and as a result it leaked and rotted the carport rafters and carport roof deck.

Some of the rafters had been sistered twice. And it made a leak in the house, under where the carport roof attached to the house roof (which was in the living room).

My judgment was that the carport was unsalvageable due to bad design, so I demolished it the same week I took possession of the house.

[ShoulderThingThatGoesUp]

I had one whose back wall was a retaining wall. Deer walked on it and one nearly fell through. I took it down.

[zolotiyeruki]

There's a lot that can go wrong when tying in. Personally, I'd build it freestanding, with its own roof.  No worries about pulling up and tying into existing rooflines, no issues if the ground shifts a bit (they'll have separate foundations), and if you (or a future owner) decide you want something different, it can be removed separately.

[bacchi]

Yeah, make it freestanding. Look up beam/joist loads, get a nail gun, and you're good to go. ;) Digging the pier holes might be the hardest part. On second thought, getting the permit might be the hardest part.

[Jack]

The problem is those prefab metal style carports just look cheap imo, so I want to build something nicer. 

I saw this nice one in a Costco ad the other day:

[MustardTiger]

Ok, that one is better than the metal ones I see around.  Another concern I have is it needs to be wide enough for two vehicles.  How do I know how wide a structure I could build without support posts in the middle?

[Arktinkerer]

See if there is somewhere that will build the roof trusses for you.  Here it's about $3/ft.  Hard to but material for that price.  For that you get engineered trusses to span the distance you specify and some people who know what they are doing.