How Much Do Metal Carports Cost?

How Much Do Metal Carports REALLY Cost?

Skip straight to our metal carport prices

This article is intended to be an education on metal carports and how the price for them is determined.

Location

Where will the metal carport be installed? The installation city, state and county of delivery in the US determines the cost of a metal carport. For example, if you live in an area where there is high wind or snow, you would need a structure suited for this. Also to take into consideration: the requirements in your area for snow load ratings, seismic ratings and wind load ratings. Do you want your structure certified? What is metal carport certification and how do I know if I need it?

Size

The least expensive metal carport you can purchase is the single car carport. Most vehicles will fit fine in this standard structure and most metal carports do not need to be excessively tall. I am a tall woman and I can walk with ease around vehicles, get on top of the vehicle if necessary in the standard, single wide carport. The carport size starts at 12'x20' and goes up from there. We sell single carports, double carports and triple-wide carports. All metal carport sizes are shown in sample images on the Georgia Portable Buildings, Inc. website. An 18'x21' carport is a very popular metal carport size, however, the narrower the width, the lower the price. This goes for the length of the structure too. 

A consideration for size and pricing on metal carports is the sheet length of the metal; it comes in set sizes and this is how the price is determined. You can get the carport as long or short as you want, but speak to one of our knowledgable reps to understand the best bang for your buck with metal carports.

Steel Gauge

You can choose what gauge steel you want for your metal carport. Thicker, heavier guage steel is always recommended in areas where the carport will receive snowfall. Most metal carports are 14 gauge standard but 12 gauge is a heavier duty. The roof is 29 gauge steel on the metal carports sold at Georgia Portable Buildings, Inc. (serving 28 states). Here's how to learn more about metal carport and steel gauge.

Installation

You want to decide whether you want the carport installed by professionals or you may want a metal carport diy kit - do it yourself. If you buy from us and you want a diy kit, the metal carport is 10% off the price.

Options

You can choose to have the metal carport just a simple structure, with no extra panels. This is the cheapest option. However, you can choose to have panels added to your metal carport so that the sides come down and provide more protection from the hot sun and dry rot. Another thing carport side panels are good for is the wind, rain and hail. Whatever color you choose will not affect the price of the structure.

Factors: These are some of the (unusual) considerations that may add to the cost of your metal carport with Georgia Portable Buildings, Inc.:

1. If the carport is to be installed over an existing structure in place there is an additional charge of $200.
2. Trip charges will apply outside of normal service area and may apply toward outer edges of service area.
3. Installation on an un-level area from 4"-9", additional labor charge of $150.
4. Installation on a boat dock, additional labor charge of $200
5. Installation on an elevated retaining wall - fees assessed on a case-by-case basis (photos required)
6. If materials have to be carried over 50 feet to the installation site additional fees will apply, typically $50
7. Additional labor charge to construct the unit and slide it over once assembled, typically $200 and is not possible in every circumstance.

Here is a metal carport shopping tips video

More Information

How do I get additional metal carport information? The most important thing you can do is go to the "More Info" buttons next to the carport cover pricing tables. These FAQ pages are tailored to your area to meet your local wind and snow load requirements in most cases. These pages give factual, detailed, specific info regarding metal carport covers. These questions and answers pages you cannot do without. So, be sure to look for the "More Info" text links next to the prices.

While you are shopping and checking metal carport resources, it is important to measure the area where your structure will be installed. Also, try to know your product. Check into what you will be buying and ask around about what your friends, family and coworkers think before you buy. A good decision is an informed one.

A Little Bit About Georgia Portable Buildings, Inc.

We are a family-owned and run company that has been in business since March of 1990 so that's three decades of metal carport knowledge. There are not many companies that can say they have known about all aspects of metal carports for thirty years! We really do want to be that helping hand that doesn't cost to consult. We want to be able to provide you with the best product possible and let you know that you can contact us at any time with your questions or concerns. We're on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and you can read tons of unbiased reviews about our company. 

You can see in this post how many factors are involved in getting an exact price. I will say that the current price for a metal carport in 2020 starts at $1095. Anyone who sells metal carports online should be able to sell them starting at that price. This article is intended to be an education on metal carports and how the price for them is determined. I will tell you that you can buy a metal carport for sale online for the same amount as some very cruddy optional "car covers" online. If you want a structure that will last and does not require maintenance, check out metal carports.

Can You Trust Us?

Georgia Portable Buildings, Inc. is verified and registered with the Better Business Bureau and has site-wide SSL encrypted security. We encourage you to check out our extensive client list to see who our satisfied customers include; you may have heard of some of these companies! Check out every option you can to save yourself money and swing on over to our site to look at some of the best and most sturdy storage structures the internet has to offer. (Here is some information from the American Bar Association on trusting a business establishment.)

 

What Goes Into a Portable Guardhouse?

So You Want To Learn About Guard Houses?

You want to understand the layout of a portable security guardhouse. 

It makes sense to have a guard house designed and built by a company that has 30+ years in business, designing and building these unique structures. Guardhouses have to fit the specific needs of the business or residential customer, while maintaining safety and security in a sturdy structure that is well suited for the environment. 

Size:  Into what type of business environment will the guard house be placed?  Will you need one small guardhouse, one larger guardhouse or perhaps two smaller guard houses?  Even if only one small guard house is needed, the layout is still important, which is the next topic.

Layout:  As seen in the “Sample Layout” illustration, the way a guard building is laid out is vital.  You may already know exactly how you want your guard building designed and laid out.  You may have questions about design or you may change your mind and decide you do or do not want countertops, certain electrical or a restroom included, which is the next topic.

Restroom:  Is the guardhouse the correct size to include a restroom?  A restroom in a guardhouse has its own specs as well as plumbing needs to be met outside the structure’s walls at the commercial location.  Many factors come into play when considering the design of a guard booth and whether or not to include a restroom. Will the guardhouse be used as more of a ticket booth that requires specific HVAC (heating and air) requirements in order to keep the interior comfortable for its occupant(s)?  The next topic will consider HVAC and electrical.

Electrical:  What type of HVAC will be necessary in your guard house?  Will you need special electrical for security measures such as monitors, computers, drivers, servers, audio equipment and more?  These types of electrical items in a guardhouse must be kept at certain temperatures to maintain reliable performance this topic may be a consideration for you.  There is also the fact that a person or people will likely be occupying the guard house or guardbooth during its use and therefore a temperature-controlled environment and certain electrical setups will help add to the comfort level as well.

Where can you see more guardhouses?  See more guardhouses here. 

Where can you get in touch with us about guardhouses?  Get in touch with us about guardhouses here.

Guardhouse Definition – What CanYou Learn?

What Is A Guardhouse?

dictionary.com defines guardhouse as:

noun:

1. a building used for housing military personnel on guard duty.

2. a building used for the temporary detention of military prisoners.

Guardhouse

The definition of the word may not be the way that you and I would use the word today. When we use the word guardhouse, we would probably use it differently than it is defined online based on the history of the word. We probably think of a guardhouse as a protective security building for safety personnel or a building like a guardshack for a security guard.

A guardhouse, according to the definitions above, makes us think that this station would be a military one. There would be military guards and the guardhouse would be a place of temporary detention for prisoners. This place would likely be a hostile environment and it would probably not smell good, feel comfortable or have good language while a person was being housed here. Imagine if you were being held temporarily in a guardhouse back in these times, perhaps during the 1400’s-1800’s.  I personally relate to the contemporary example where security personnel is mentioned. When I think of a guardhouse, I think particularly of security personnel, although maybe not anxious security personnel.

Contemporary Examples

“Leon stopped at the guardhouse, which was crawling with prison guards and anxious security personnel.” John Grisham's First Short Story: Part Two John Grisham October 25, 2009

Historical Examples:

“I like to smoke a cigar, but a lady who smells like a guardhouse isn't at all agreeable.” San-Cravate; or, The Messengers; Little Streams Charles Paul de Kock 

“Thus, by forcing their way into the guardhouse, the friars, brought him into the city.” The Phillippine Islands, 1498-1898 Various

Interestingly, the British Dictionary definition for guardhouse also has a military background for the word and again we find it similarly defined:(military) a building serving as the headquarters or a post for military police and in which military prisoners are detained.

Either way, the word guardhouse has an interesting definition, giving a unique feel to the word. Guardhouse is used alongside words such as, “crawling with prison guards”; “military personnel” and “smells like”. These descriptive words help us to get a feel for the beginnings of a word and how it must have felt to have been housed by guards in a temporary, military establishment.

Today we do not necessarily think of a guardhouse the same way as the way the word was used around the time of its establishment within our language. Although guardhouses are used in military settings, they are rarely used the same way they would have been used by definition so long ago in the stories we read about. A guardhouse now has a place of security and safety for control personnel. Check-in staff can sit in comfortable surroundings with air conditioning and heat, year-round. Electrical wiring and telephone hookup allows for multiple ports providing charging stations for communication, internet access and even break rooms and restrooms so that the post can be maintained without departure. 

Gatehouse

When we search a different word than guardhouse, we see yet a different outcome. Although the word guardhouse brought up a definition that was more military in nature, the word gatehouse “has been used for various purposes, for a chapel, for a prison, for a brewery”. Notice that the word gatehouse is used to describe an area around a moat or mansion. This gives us more of the feeling of perhaps an ancient castle or a location for someone of wealth and great importance. The gatehouse definition sounds like a completely different job description than that of the guardhouse position.

Notice the British Dictionary definitions: (noun)

1. a building above or beside an entrance gate to a city, university, etc, often housing a porter or guard, or (formerly) used as a fortification

2. a small house at the entrance to the grounds of a country mansion

3. a structure that houses the controls operating lock gates or dam sluices

The definition brings to mind perhaps a more laid back type of lifestyle for the gatehouse personnel than the guardhouse personnel. Maybe sprawling hills and a manor, or an estate with winding hills, perhaps a castle with a moat. Any of these lovely locations could have had a gatehouse with a gatekeeper as a staff member. Whereas the guardhouse would have likely housed a staff with military personnel and the surroundings would not have been, should we say, ideal for those involved. A modern definition of a gatehouse might be a security staff member who is at the locked gate and checks in people who visit important government locations, high security positions with locked gates, universities, gated communities, tourist attractions, border crossings and any number of gated locations.

Conclusion – What Did You Learn?

Between a guardhouse and a gatehouse, what is the difference? Which word would you use to describe the structure used most often in the applications that you see in today’s society? What do you learn?

What I learned is that the way people define a word has something to do with the past and the present. We can and do use words in society somewhat based on the way they were used in the past. Words are most often used in a way that they fit into our everyday speech in today’s society. A word can be shaped to take on a somewhat new meaning and then language adapts to that definition rather than the opposite being true. People do not seem to want to adapt to the definition of a word; people would rather make a word fit into their definition. It is interesting to learn more about the definition and background of words such as guardhouse and gatehouse and their origins.

Cited Sources:

guardhouse. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved March 9, 2017 from Dictionary.com website http://www.dictionary.com/browse/guardhouse

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2017.guardhouse. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. http://www.dictionary.com/browse/guardhouse (accessed: March 9, 2017).

"guardhouse". Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers. 9 Mar. 2017.  

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/guardhouse>.

gatehouse. (n.d.). Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. Retrieved March 9, 2017 from Dictionary.com website http://www.dictionary.com/browse/gatehouse