Carport or Garage: Covering Cars, Boats and RVs in Western Washington

There's a point in most Northwest driveways where the question comes up. The car has been living outside for years, the moss on the windshield seal is getting worse, and somebody says it's time to put a roof over it. Then the next question arrives: carport or garage? The honest answer is that it depends on what you need the structure to do, and for a surprising number of properties, the carport wins.

What a carport does well

Action Installations LLC describes the problem plainly. Local weather is tough on a car, and a carport is designed to stand up to heavy rain, winter snow and summer sun. Keeping a vehicle covered helps prevent the rust, fading and wear that happen when it's left out in the open. In the Puget Sound area that's a constant, not an occasional risk. Between the damp, the tree sap, and the summer UV that finally arrives in July and August, a vehicle parked outside takes a beating from all directions.

A carport also keeps you from walking out in the rain. You load groceries, buckle kids in, and unload without a wet shoulder. Those are small wins, but they happen every single day from October to May.

Carport or garage: what's actually different

A garage is a building. It has walls, a door, usually a slab or foundation, and it takes real time and money to put up. A carport is a roof on a frame, open on the sides, built to cover the space without enclosing it. The company calls a carport a smart and affordable alternative to building a full garage, and that framing is fair. If your goal is weather protection for a vehicle, a carport gets you most of the way without the scope of new construction.

Where a garage wins is security, climate control and the ability to close the doors on whatever's inside. If you need to lock tools away or keep a project vehicle fully out of sight, a garage does that and a carport doesn't. Be honest with yourself about which of those you need. Many people discover they wanted protection from the weather and not a vault.

Boats and RVs need more headroom

Bigger vehicles change the math. The company's carport copy points out that RVs and trailers need more than a standard roof, and they build custom, high-clearance structures that keep larger vehicles safe from falling branches, constant moisture and sun damage, so they're ready for the road when you are.

If you're thinking about covering an RV, a trailer or a boat, measure before you call. Get the full height of the vehicle at its tallest point, including roof air conditioners, antennas and any mast or hardtop on a boat. Add the height of the trailer if it's carrying a boat. Note the width with mirrors or awnings extended, and think about how you'll back in. The cover has to clear the tallest thing, with room to spare, from the driveway all the way to the parking spot. Giving the installer that information at the start saves a lot of back and forth.

Orting and the surrounding foothills are full of tall firs, and a fallen branch in a windstorm is a real consideration for anything parked in the open. A solid roof doesn't make a vehicle invincible, but it changes what happens when something lands on it.

A covered workspace and extra storage

The company's carport page has a section that many homeowners don't think of first. A carport can do a lot more than cover a car. Many of their customers use them as covered workspaces for projects, extra storage areas, or even a secondary garage. It's an easy way to add more usable space and value to the property.

Picture it on a wet Saturday: a workbench along one side, a mower and a stack of bins along the back, and the car pulled out only when you need the room. You get to work on a bike, refinish a chair, or sort the garden tools without hauling everything into the house, and you're not standing in the drizzle while you do it. For a property that has no garage at all, that kind of space can change how the whole yard gets used.

Questions worth asking before you decide

• What exactly are you protecting, and what is its tallest point?
• Do you want to enclose and lock the space, or simply cover it?
• Will the structure also serve as a workspace or storage area?
• Where do the trees, power lines and neighboring property sit relative to the spot you have in mind?

The company says every structure comes with a lifetime guarantee, and that the goal is a carport that's the last one you'll need. That's their statement and worth discussing in detail when you get an estimate.

Action Installations LLC has been installing carports across the Puget Sound since 1992, including projects in the Kirkland area. If you're deciding between a carport and a garage in Orting or anywhere from Everett to Olympia, call (253) 886-3525 for a free estimate. They'll come to your property and look at the real site before anyone talks about options.