Think, first, about the conditions in your area. Does winter bring frequent and high winds? Make sure, in this case, that the steel frame and polyethylene are strong enough to hold up; winds approaching 100 miles per hour can blow over a carport. But, if wind isn’t a concern, what about snow? Snow can pile up on the roof of a carport, and while these structures are often designed to meet building code strength specifications, a shelter that allows snow to roll off is even better.

Thirdly, how long do you plan to use the carport? Will the shelter be exclusively used for winter, or will it turn into a year-round structure? For the latter, opt for a carport that can hold up for many years, if not decades.

Taking these parameters into consideration, what carport is best for storing your vehicle?

• If winds are an issue, find a steel carport that can hold up to winds up to 100 miles per hour.
• If you are concerned about snow, opt for a rounded enclosed carport, as precipitation simply rolls off the surface and down to the ground.
• If you are considering using a carport year-round, go with a galvanized steel model. Such carports can last 15 or more years, with only the polyethylene cover needing to be changed. For your convenience, go with a valance shelter that can be enclosed for the winter.

The newspaper reported that the Oakland Township substation for the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office in Michigan requested carports for safety reasons, and since then, a proposal for such a structure to be added was approved. In terms of better performance, those at the substation find that a carport would improve response time, as the cars underneath would not heat up as much, while in winter, the less exposure the vehicles have to the cold would reduce idling time, and thus decrease gas expenses.

Sergeant Anthony Spencer from the substation told the press, “In the summer, what we’re finding is, those cars are just sitting there baking and it’s causing equipment problems. It’s overheating the equipment in the car.” He then added, “Every year it seems, the guys who are loading and inspecting their cars, they slip and fall on the ice, and they’re off work, which in turn brings up overtime issues and things like that.”

Both reasons are applicable to everyone who owns a car. A vehicle heating in summer is a common issue for many, and a car kept under a carport for several hours ends up having a cooler interior. In the winter, similarly, a carport reduces the amount of snow and ice buildup on and around a vehicle. While the shelter, save for enclosed carports, will not keep all snow and ice out, it lessens time a vehicle needs to be dug out. Ideally in winter, however, a carport should be enclosed to keep your vehicle as free from snow and ice as much as possible.

Their resulting product, a combination of GE’s EV chargers and combiner boxes for solar power systems and Inovateurs’ solar-powered carports, would allow commercial locations, businesses, and homeowners to charge EVs in their parking lots without drawing significant amounts of power from the electric grid.

Once the system is in place, the car and building or home work reciprocally on solar power, and the system would give back to the grid, rather than take from it. GE and Inovateus are developing both residential and commercial applications for their system.

GE announced its partnership with Inovateus last week, but this isn’t their first instance in developing EV technology. Rather, they started a partnership with Nissan a year ago and increased it recently to develop technology that links together an electric car, home, and residential renewable power sources with a smarter electric grid. Called the Smart Home concept, GE and Nissan’s technology would enable an electric vehicle and a home to power each other. As a two-year project, Smart Home would eventually prevent EVs from disabling the electric grid, reduce demands on the grid, and allow an EV to become part of a home’s or building’s energy equipment.

If you own, or plan to own, an EV, would you consider a system like GE and Inovateus’ for your home?

The Columbian provides some tips for car camping:
• Make sure you have a place for your tent; book in advance, if possible.
• Because campers aren’t limited to packs, bring all the supplies needed in a car.
• Bring a tarp along to place under the tent. Most pop-up tents are made out of water-resistant fabrics, but moisture may still seep in through the bottom – especially if it rains. To anticipate for wind, bring along spikes or rocks to secure the tarp.
• Most campsites have rules, such as quiet hours.
• Campsites, unlike camping in the woods, often provide flush toilets, showers, and water pumps.

What The Columbian piece fails to mention is a strategy in case of rain. Although you can simply pack up your gear and go home if heavy rain hits, toughing it out through a light storm is another option. If you decide to do this, bring along another tarp to cover the tent. Because the tarp needs to be attached by rope to trees, make sure your campsite is near trees, and also bring some rope along. As you set up the tarp, angle it toward the ground and try to cover both the tent and the fire pit with it.

A letter to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal in Texas illustrates one of these instances. The writer was behind a gravel truck and, although the truck’s bed was tarped, gravel still kept coming out of the bottom and damaged the writer’s vehicle.

What should either party do in this instance? Short of telling the writer, “Don’t drive behind a gravel truck,” truck drivers need to be aware of their load, including both the truck and the tarp.

For the tarp, make sure it is applied properly, fully over the bed or around the load. A too-loose or too-tight tarp can become damaged during transport. Hooks rubbing against the tarp also create holes in the material. The tarp, as well, needs to be in good condition. Do not attach a tarp that has holes in it; while vinyl, polyethylene, and mesh tarps are used to cover loads, the material needs to keep the gravel inside the truck and, in many cases, to protect it from weather.

At the same time, a truck that’s in poor condition, one that has enough room to let gravel, asphalt, trash, or rocks escape, should not be on the road. As you can see from this letter, a truck that does not fully contain its materials becomes a hazard to motorists.

Illegal converted garages have become an issue in Costa Mesa, Calif., according an article in The Orange County Register. As the result of a recent fire inside an illegally-converted garage, the city may make all garages illegal.

As the Register piece explains, garages can pose fire risks to apartment buildings, and if the space is converted into a living area, not enough exits are present. At the same time, carports cannot be turned into garages. At the same time, however, carports are not illegal in the city – assuming they are not converted into garages – while garages in apartment buildings may be.

Seen as a trend last summer, converted garages give a home an additional living area. A carport or portable shed, then, is added to protect any investments that ordinarily would have been kept in the brick-and-mortar structure. Converting your garage into a living area, however, is not as simple as moving the cars out and putting in furniture. Rather, the space needs to be compliant with local building codes. Before you decide to convert your garage into a living area, research your local building codes and obtain a permit.

As far as carports are concerned, a valance or enclosed structure is sufficient enough for sheltering one or more vehicles. Similarly, however, a permit may also be needed to install a carport or portable shelter. Before you begin looking at carports, look up any ordinances in your area and then search for code- and zoning-compliant shelters.

Permits in Hudson became required in 2009 for residents for portable structures; the town claims this resident should have obtained one at the time.

As far as putting a portable garage in front of a home is concerned, this resident needs a portable shelter closer to his residence because of health problems.

If you own a portable garage, what does this instance mean for you? On multiple occasions, we have mentioned that, before you purchase a portable shelter, check the ordinances in your area. If a carport or portable garage goes up in the wrong location, the town may start sending notices or fines.

Once you find out where on your property you can place a shelter and how large it can be, decide on the type of structure you can purchase. Combine these aspects with your needs and choose a shelter.

Nevertheless, this instance in Hudson goes a step further than checking zoning rules and ordinances before you buy. Rather, you always need to be up to date on your town’s rules for portable shelters. As we saw a few months ago, towns like Austin, Texas may suddenly change their zoning rules. In these instances, you will need to move or remove your carport or purchase a permit. To avoid these situations, regularly check your community’s ordinances regarding portable shelters.

Portable garages and similar shelters, such as carports, offer homeowners the convenience of protecting their vehicle from the snow. Rather than a few inches to a foot building up on top of the car, the carport keeps it out, and getting your vehicle out after a storm is easier.

Aside from protecting your daily vehicle, such shelters are helpful for storing seasonal vehicles, such as RVs and boats, during the winter months. Kept outside for months at a time, such vehicles experience damage – mold, mildew, or dry rot forming or cracks on the surface – from constant sun and moisture exposure. Enclosed portable garages keep these out and allow your vehicles to last longer.

Tarps, however, work on their own in protecting vehicles. Before a snow storm hits, cover your vehicle with a heavy-duty polyethylene tarp and secure it in place. While this is convenient for protecting and digging your car out after a storm, heavy-duty poly tarps also protect seasonal vehicles from moisture and UV exposure. Many manufacturers, in fact, make custom boat and RV tarps, designed with specific dimensions and sizes in mind.

Although tarps are often used for practical purposes outdoors, they can provide some fun. If you are considering creating a personal ice skating rink for your family, use a white tarp and freeze water over it. As soon as the water hardens into ice on the tarp, it can be used as a casual place to skate or slide.

As explained in the Gazette piece, Giangi has had contractors remove snow from his sloped driveway, but their work was mediocre; he has also been unable to get students to remove snow for him. Tempo structures, it appears, would benefit him and other independently-living seniors in the area who have difficulty removing snow.

Although Kirkland will not overturn its carport ban, in what ways are these structures beneficial to seniors and anyone else? The metal and polyethylene structure, when anchored into the ground, is strong enough to hold up to snow and high winds. When a large storm hits, such as the one the Northeast experienced recently, a carport conveniences the homeowner. He or she does not need to dig out the vehicle from several feet of snow. Instead, a path just needs to be created from the vehicle to the street.

If you consider appearance a downside of carports and similar portable storage buildings, various local ordinances specify that the shelters be placed in the rear or toward the side of a home or building only. This way, the homeowner is able to protect his or her vehicle or other investment, and the shelter is not visible from the front of the house. Should Kirkland consider such a compromise?

This issue isn’t exclusive to Australia, however, and homeowners in the United States may experience this problem with carports. Although these portable shelters are located often in the rears and backs of houses, the vehicle is still accessible to someone who walks up a side driveway and into your backyard.

Carports, however, have two different styles – valance and enclosed. Valance, with a canopy on top and open sides, is more common for metal carports, and this style has the vehicle more exposed to anyone passing through the area. Enclosed designs, on the other hand, aren’t entirely secure, either. The canopy portion can be lifted up, allowing the vehicle to be broken into.

A carport is designed to protect a vehicle against moisture and UV exposure, but even a fully-enclosed style doesn’t secure the vehicle against theft. Take the same precautions with your car as you would if you parked it on the street. In this case, remove all GPS units from the vehicle – these are one of the more commonly-stolen devices – and any electronics. But, although the items are removed from the vehicle, also make sure that the vehicle itself is locked when you park it under a carport.

Carports are an affordable alternative to creating a brick and mortar garage, but as in all instances in which a car is left outdoors, taking additional precautions will lessen the chances of a break-in or theft.