The main benefits of metal carport kits are that you can create a shelter for your motor-home, car or boat quickly and inexpensively. If you have any type of vehicle that requires shelter to keep it from weathering over the winter months, then a metal carport is the best way to go in this situation.
In most cases, prefabricated garages are not large enough to store a large sized boat or motor-home. The downside to metal carport kits is that although they are very easy to install, they usually do not have side walls, so some rain or snow may sneak in from the sides. To fix this problem you can simply use a cover to place over the vehicle you are storing.
In terms of size, metal carport kits come in a number of different styles in North America. In most cases they are segregated by the roof style. No matter which style you choose, the majority of metal carport kits use four posts for support.
The most common roof design for metal carports is a classic flat roof. These are probably the types of carport kits you’ve seen before-because they are the cheapest and most common. With that being said, if you live in a climate that gets generous amounts of snow during the winter, a flat top carport kit may not be the best choice, since the snow will have nowhere to go!
In snowy climates, a gabled roof carport kit is the best option, since it will allow snow and rain to run off much more easily which will substantially increase the lifespan of the carport. Unfortunately these types of carport kits are more expensive, and also are more difficult to install compared to flat roof designs.
A third optional style of metal carport kits is called a mansard style roof, which is essentially a flat roof that is sloped to one side. The benefit of this type of design is that it will allow rain and snow to run off of it, but are less expensive and easier to install.