Carports are becoming more popular as homeowners look to enhance their property’s parking credentials while providing a safe, rain-proof area to store their cars and vehicles.
As opposed to a garage, carports are open structures with roofs to protect vehicles from the elements. They help provide safe off-street parking, which is a great value-booster for any home.
While carports aren’t as secure as garages, you can install roller doors and enclose the sides, essentially turning them into a garage, but built from lighter, less-permanent materials.
Perhaps the most attractive thing about a carport is the price – they cost but a fraction of the cost of a new garage.
This article will review the costs involved in building a carport in the UK, factors that affect the cost and other common questions surrounding carports.
Average Carport Cost
By collecting quotes from 8 primary sources and 8 secondary sources, we found these costs for basic carports, with installation costs included.
These prices are for lean-to roofs with no extras.
| Material | Single Carport | Double Carport |
|---|---|---|
| Steel/Aluminium | £1,500 - £3,000 | £2,500 - £5,500 |
| Glass-Reinforced Plastic | £1,750 - £3,000 | £2,750 - £5,500 |
| Timber | £2,500 - £5,000 | £4,000 - £8,000 |
A standard packaged or branded lean-to carport built using standard steel, aluminium or plastic is likely to cost around £1,500 at the very lowest for a simple single-car design.
Expect to pay £2,500 to £5,000 for a relatively straightforward double carport. Timber is more expensive, especially when combined with a tiled or felted roof.
Lean-to is cheapest, especially when the carport is attached to the side of the house.
Extra Carport Costs
The type of roof can add additional cost to the project. These are detailed as below.
Roof Type Extra Costs
| Roof Type | Single Carport | Double Carport |
|---|---|---|
| Lean-to | + £0 | + £0 |
| Pitched Roof | + £250 - £1,000 | + £500 - £1,250 |
| Felted Roof | + £300 - £800 | + £400 - £1,250 |
| Curved Roof | + £500 - £1,000 | + £750 - £1,500 |
| Tiled Roof | + £800 - £2,000 | + £1,500 - £4,000 |
Other Extra Costs
| Extra | Single Carport | Double Carport |
|---|---|---|
| Interior Lighting | + £50 - £150 | + £75 - £200 |
| Security Lights | + £50 - £100 | + £75 - £200 |
| Alarms | + £50 - £150 | + £75 - £250 |
| CCTV | + £250 - £500+ | + £400 - £1,000+ |
Benefits of Building a Carport
Carports are a relatively cheap way of enhancing your property’s off-road parking. Driveways already add considerable value to a home.
Chancellors found that 84% of buyers believe that off-street parking is a critical factor when buying a house, and adding a parking space to a home can increase its value by 5%.
While adding a carport doesn’t necessarily add a parking spot to your home, unless you also build a driveway, it will upgrade what you already have and provide an extra outhouse.
Carports are useful for storing all manner of gear, equipment, tools, and can be built to be safe using alarms, lights and CCTV.
Some of the benefits of building a carport include:
- Carports are cheap and easy to build. They cost around 1/4 to 1/6th of the price of a garage.
- Like a garage, carports protect your vehicle. If you want to protect a convertible car, or a more expensive or classic car, then carports are a great shout if you don’t want to build a garage.
- Carports are quick to build. Garages can take months to complete, whereas carports can be erected in a couple of days (or even one day in some cases).
- Once built, carports are sure to add value to a home and increase its curb appeal. Given their relatively low cost, they rank as an excellent investment for any home.
- Carports won’t affect the structure of your house. This makes them easier to build with regards to both Planning Permission and Building Regulations. The Planning Portal confirms here that Building Regulations are rarely needed for a carport. Carports fall under the planning rules for outbuildings, which are more flexible and generous than garages.
- Carports vary from impressive, timber-framed designs, which are perfect for higher-end installations, to simple but robust steel and plastic.
- Unlike garages, carports can be taken down and removed easily and are not a permanent structure.
- Converting a carport into a more enclosed, garage-like space is relatively simple.
Types of Carports
There are three main types of carports:
- Carports attached to the current property, sloping to one side with supports, to provide a cover or extended porch (usually built at the side of a house where a garage might go).
- Freestanding carports, which aren’t attached to the property in any way.
- Supportless or floating carports, which don’t have any legs at all. Instead, they’re attached to the side of the house and float over the driveway.
Attaching a carport to your home provides an extended covered area between your vehicle and your property. These are great if you have a driveway that ends close to your home, and you simply want to cover it with a carport to keep your car dry.
Freestanding carports can be built elsewhere on your property, e.g. if your driveway doesn’t end adjacent to your home.
Double or Single Carports
The average parking space in the UK is just under 4.8 x 2.4m. A single carport is typically 6.0 x 2.5m or so, but slightly wider options are available for 4x4s, vans, SUVs, etc.
Double carports are usually at least 6.0 x 5.0m. Double carports either allow you to park cars side-by-side (the same as a typical double garage), or bumper to bumper.
In other words, bumper-to-bumper carports run lengthways rather than widthways – they are called tandem garages.
Factors Affect The Cost of a Carport
1: Size
Size is the biggest cost factor. A single carport might cost as little as £1,500, and a double carport is likely to cost at least £2,500 for even the simplest design.
Bespoke or timber options are likely to rise through the £5,000 mark.
2: Material
There are four main building materials for carports; timber, glass-reinforced plastic and metal (aluminium and steel).
- Steel/Aluminium: Tough, hardwearing and easy to install/takedown. Usually comes with a strong plastic polycarb roof or similar.
- Glass-Reinforced Plastic: Can be used for both the supports and the roof. Popular for floating carports. Similar price to metal.
- Timber: The most attractive option. Can feature a proper pitched roof, which can be tiled or covered in roofing panels or felt. More expensive and harder to maintain.
3: Foundation/Base
If you’re building a carport on a driveway, then you won’t need to worry about a foundation.
However, if you don’t have a driveway or otherwise need to install a base (e.g. you want to use a part of your garden that isn’t currently paved or concrete), then you’ll need a concrete base.
Concrete bases will likely cost in excess of £1,000, most like £2,000 to £3,000 or so. If you’re building a concrete base over a garden, then Planning Permission may very rarely apply.
4: Security Features
It’s wise to consider carport security. Alarms, cameras and security lights can be installed to boost security. These have become cheaper in recent years – you can probably get a good basic setup for around the £400 mark.
Carport Installation Process
Carports are usually simple and easy to install as they don’t require building works or deep foundations. Many carports are provided by brand manufacturers and essentially come in kit form.
- The area is cleared and prepared. If required, a concrete base is installed (which might take 2 to 5 days).
- The carport foundations are dug out, and supports are placed in the ground.
- The frame is erected and joined.
- The roof is installed.
That’s pretty much it! Basic steel or plastic carports will take just a day or two to install. Timber is the more specialist option and might take a week or so, especially if the roof needs to be tiled or felted.
Get Pricing on Installing a Carport Near You
We’ve done our best to give you a good idea of what you can expect to pay for a carport.
However, our guides are not a substitute for a fixed quote specifically for you.
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About the Author
Alex Johnson is a qualified quantity surveyor and writer with a passion for conducting original research and uncovering the true cost of jobs. His cost data has been referenced by EDF Energy and the Scottish Government.