Aluminium Carports, Made to Measure
Keep the frost off the windscreen and the rain off the shopping run, without losing the light a garage takes away.
A carport is the least disruptive way to cover a vehicle. There are no foundations to dig for a garage, no planning drawings for a building, and the driveway stays open and light. We survey the drive, set out the post positions around door swing and turning room, and specify a roof that sheds water to a sensible place rather than across the space you have just cleared.
Glass or solid roofing
Toughened glass keeps the drive bright and suits a carport that sits close to a window or a side door. Solid aluminium or opal polycarbonate panels cut glare and are quieter under heavy rain. We talk both through at survey rather than defaulting to one.
Setting out on a real driveway
Post positions are the part that goes wrong when a carport is ordered from a brochure. Car doors need room to open, a driveway on a slope needs its fall reading properly, and drainage has to leave at the low end and go somewhere legitimate.
Fixed to the house or free standing
Where the elevation is sound, a wall mounted carport uses the house for half its support and looks tidier. Where the wall is rendered, tile hung or too far from the parking space, a free standing frame on its own posts is the better structure.
Lighting and everyday use
Integrated LED along a beam makes a dark winter drive usable, and cabling is easiest to run while the frame is going up. Any electrical work is carried out and certified by a qualified electrician.
Linking to the door
A carport is far more useful when the walk to the door is covered too. A narrow run of roof between the parking space and the entrance keeps shopping and school bags dry, with its own drainage rather than dumping water at the threshold.
Guides before you buy
Costs, comparisons, planning and maintenance advice written from what we see on survey.
Where the Water Goes: Veranda Drainage Explained
Read guide →Carports and Driveway Covers
Read guide →Do You Need Planning Permission for a Carport?
Read guide →Glass or Polycarbonate Roof: What Changes Day to Day
Read guide →Frequently asked questions
- How much headroom does a carport need?
- We set the beam height around the tallest vehicle you expect to park, allowing for roof bars, boxes and an open tailgate. Van owners and anyone with a roof mounted cycle carrier should say so at survey, because that decision fixes the post lengths.
- Will a carport work on a sloping driveway?
- Yes. Posts are set to the fall so the roof stays level and the water leaves at the low side. Where the slope runs towards the house we plan the discharge point carefully so the drive does not push water at the door threshold.
- Glass or solid roof for a carport?
- Glass keeps the drive and the front of the house light, which matters where a carport sits against a window. A solid or polycarbonate roof cuts more heat and glare and hides leaf debris better. Both shed rain equally well.
- Can a carport take an EV charge point?
- We can run conduit and leave draw cord in a post at build stage so an electrician can terminate a charge point neatly later. It is far cheaper to allow for it now than to surface mount cable afterwards.
- Does a carport need footings?
- Almost always. Existing slab is rarely deep enough at the post positions, so we break out and form pads. That is part of the quote rather than an extra, and it is the reason a carport survey looks at the ground as much as the space.
- Is a carport cheaper than a garage?
- Considerably, because there is no foundation ring, no walls and no roof covering. It also keeps the frontage open, which many customers prefer, and it avoids the building regulations work a garage conversion or new build brings.
Ready to Transform Your Outdoor Space?
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