(28.8.2008) Many car owners choose a carport instead of a garage not only because of the price advantages.Good ventilation, constant protection from rain, snow and leaves as well as a light construction speak for a carport.An open carport can be greened and is therefore easier to integrate into the environment than a garage - which is sometimes expressed in development plans or local building regulations.According to Dacapo, the majority of carports in Germany are made of wood because it obviously offers the most design options.In order to enjoy your carport for life, the quality and type of wood is crucial.Spruce and larch wood, but also tropical wood, is suitable for carports, but it is more expensive.Oliver Enderlein, Managing Director of Dacapo Holzbau - manufacturer of individual exclusive carports - swears by local spruce and Douglas fir.Dacapo is the first carport manufacturer to use glued spruce wood "Made in Germany" with a certificate from natureplus."These woods hardly crack or shrink, slow and even drying ensures the high quality of the raw material. Pine and bongossi wood, on the other hand, tends to have a bluish tinge and cracks," explains Enderlein.Bluish, reddish-brown or even white discolouration in the wood can be an indication of pest infestation.Based on the annual rings, the builder can draw conclusions about the stability and quality of the wood.Annual rings lying close together indicate slow growth, the wood is more stable and stronger.In order to ensure the high quality of a wooden carport, the individual wooden connections at Dacapo are mortised according to the old carpentry art.To create a tenon joint, a tenon is first cut out of one of the pieces of wood to be joined and the corresponding hollow shape milled into the counterpart.The components can then be plugged into one another.This special connection technology has the advantage that screws, nails and metal connections that later rust can be dispensed with and the wood is not damaged.The tenoning ensures stability and stability even at high wind speeds and promises a significantly longer life expectancy for the construction.It is also important to provide the posts with appropriate support feet, otherwise water will penetrate the base.Carports made of stainless steel or aluminum require less maintenance than a wooden carport.The material remains permanently stable and is usually provided with a corrosion protection.The decision for or against wood is often a question of appearance and personal taste.In any case, the carport should adapt to the existing architecture of the property.So if cool metal and glass elements determine the facade, the carport should also follow this style.A carport made of wood has the advantage that it can easily be expanded to include a tool shed or decorative wall elements such as trellis.The roof of a carport protects the vehicle from overheating and damage to the paintwork in summer and eliminates the hassle of scraping ice in winter.Simple carports have a flat roof, more complex constructions have a pitched, hipped, round or pent roof.In addition to bricks, corrugated fiber cement panels or green roofs are also possible.A roof with plastic or glass is an open, airy alternative, but in contrast to classic tile roofing, the client has to calculate a higher cleaning effort.Installing a rain gutter for drainage makes sense.The optimal size of the carport depends on the type of use and the size of the vehicle.In general, the carport should be planned a little more generously, so that there is still enough space to get in and out even if you buy a new, larger vehicle.In principle, it is advisable to plan the basic structure at least one meter longer and wider than the vehicle.Enderlein recommends a minimum length of 5.50 meters.The wider the carport, the more parking space there is for bicycles, tools and garden equipment.With wooden carports, a tool shed can also be easily integrated into the carport.The lower edge of the roof should be at least 2.20 meters high.To accommodate a minibus or mobile home, 3.00 to 3.50 meters are required.If several vehicles are to be accommodated, the parking spaces can be set up next to each other or one after the other.As a rule, it is statically possible to do without the central pillar in a double carport, so that a large, comfortable parking area is created.Concrete pavers as well as grass pavers are suitable as a floor for the carport.The entry and exit areas are particularly important in order to get dry feet out of the vehicle.Carport expert Enderlein knows that this area should be free of grass.His tip: "Since the carport is open on several sides, it has proven useful to install wind and rain protection at least on the weather side. This protects the car and the entrance area from wind and rain and reduces the amount of snow drifting."A trellis is a cheap and attractive way to add a side panel to the carport later on.In most German states, a building permit is required to build a carport.However, since building law is state law, these provisions vary from state to state.However, the bureaucratic hurdles for building a carport are far lower than those for building a garage.Enderlein recommends potential carport owners to find out about the current building conditions directly from the local municipality before starting construction.If the carport is to be built on the property line, prior consultation with the neighbors is advisable.Computer-aided representations are suitable for getting a concrete impression of your carport.At carporte.de, every visitor can use the online calculator to put together their individual carport.You can choose the shape of the roof, size of the carport, type of wood, roof covering, roof pitch, privacy screen and paint.In addition, elements such as rain gutters, equipment room and roof terrace can also be selected.Other available extras are half-timbered arches, decorations or visible wooden nails."Within two minutes, the online calculator creates a concrete offer with a three-dimensional view of the desired carport and thus simplifies the planning phase," promises Enderlein.see also for more information:back ... overview news ... overview brochures ...