Country Cars

Recently a hailstorm clattered its way across our area. Various areas were hit worse that others. In a geographic area about 20 miles across the stones were anywhere from a centimeter in diameter up to the size of a softball. When a storm front moves through quickly and the air changes from hot to cold, the moisture can become frozen in the clouds, producing hail. In this particular storm our neighbor was at work and his big black custom truck was parked along the street instead of inside his free standing carport.

A metal carport, complete with metal sides and a metal roof, was at home. Other vehicles he has parked next to his home were untouched by the storm. But his special truck was parked right where the worst part of the storm hit. After raging for several minutes, the hail tapered off and moved east with the storm front. Dismayed vehicle owners watched as the huge stones bounced off of the side walks and the trucks. The windshields of many looked like someone had hit them repeatedly with baseball bats. The hoods, roofs, and trucks or beds of the trucks and cars also sustained substantial damage.

So our sad neighbor drove is special truck home and made an appointment with his insurance company for a damage estimate.?He?decided to invest in larger carport designs which would accommodate two vehicles. To add some permanence to it he decided to make it fully enclosed on three sides. His current metal carport only has one solid side plus the roof.

His first step was to shop online for various carportsdesigns and plans. Because he owns many of his own tools, he decided to purchase a plan and then construct it himself. After getting the plan that suited his needs, then he had a local excavator come level the site and install a cement pad. With string and rebar stakes the neighbor and his excavator laid out the foot print of the carport. Then the backhoe graded the site. A load of gravel was delivered and a thin layer of gravel was put on the foundation area. More gravel was extended beyond the edge of the carport area to provide extra drainage away from the carport.

Once the site prep work was finished a cement contractor came and poured a six inch thick pad of concrete. Anchor bolts were placed into the cement to attach the carport superstructure to once the framing began. A trip to the local lumber store secured all of the lumber, nails, and metal siding he needed for his project. Following the carport plan he cut the lumber and nailed and screwed it into place. Due to the cold weather here, he also included some electric outlets. This would allow him to plug the block heater of his truck in when the temperature sinks to -10F and below.

Gray asphalt shingles, to match the house were chosen for the roofing. Then medium blue metal siding was screwed into place. With the help of his son, within a few weeks a nice new carport was located on the south side of his driveway.?It was definitely worth his investment in free standing carport plans, coupled with job site preparation found in a carport design and plan book made the project look great.