To add a new metal carport to your property, one of the most important things to decide is your foundation. Carports can be installed on concrete, dirt, gravel, and asphalt. A flat concrete surface is the recommended foundation type for all carports. Concrete strips or piers are a popular choice because of lower costs. Concrete instructions are available and if you purchase advanced plans and calculations, the engineer will include the recommended concrete requirements.
Concrete Recommendations: All of the concrete slab options are for units up to 30’ wide and they require a minumum 4” thick slab with a 12” x 12” (or per local code) perimeter footing.
Concrete Lab Options
Option 1: With this option, we recommend the customer to do it 3” more all the way around, to prevent the cracking of the concrete. The customer must be informed that the water will go under the base rail of the building and it will not be considered a repair issue. Since we don’t offer any permanent solution, to prevent that, we can recommend to add silicon as a temporary solution, which will be applied under the base rail (for an additional cost) with the understanding that this is not 100% waterproof and/or for them to have it available for the installer and there will be a labor fee charged. (The warranty will be in jeopardy since it will not be within our product line.)
Option 1: With this option, we recommend the customer to do it 3” more all the way around, to prevent the cracking of the concrete. The customer must be informed that the water will go under the base rail of the building and it will not be considered a repair issue. Since we don’t offer any permanent solution, to prevent that, we can recommend to add silicon as a temporary solution, which will be applied under the base rail (for an additional cost) with the understanding that this is not 100% waterproof and/or for them to have it available for the installer and there will be a labor fee charged. (The warranty will be in jeopardy since it will not be within our product line.)
Perimeter Footing
Customer can pour concrete footings, allowing you to have the unit attached to concrete without the costs of a full slab of concrete.
Units up to 22′ Wide – minimum of 12′ wide and 12′ deep
This has a wind rating of 110 mph.
Concrete Piers
These are located at the corners of the unit and every other posts.
Units 23’-30’ wide – minimum 15” wide by 12” deep
Units 23’ – 30’ wide – minimum 24” wide by 36” deep. (or per local code)
This is for a wind rating of 110 MPH
- Building codes vary from county to county and region to region. Higher elevation and snow areas will need additional bracing and trusses than a sea-level area.
- Advanced plans and calculations may be needed and are an additional cost. These plans are drawn up by a certified engineer who contacts your local building code office to check the requirements. The plans take an average of two weeks to be delivered to you. You will take the plans and calculations, the required permit form, and pay any fees to obtain your permit.
- 3′-4′ feet is a fairly common setback in most counties, but be sure to contact your local zoning law office and fill out any necessary forms before building your structure as this is not a uniform measurement.
- *Before taking measurements, choose the best spot for this carport. You want to avoid choosing an area that has poor drainage. Sometimes, this part of the job will be easy to figure out since there will only be a single location where a carport would make sense.
- An exact concrete slab is the recommended foundation type for all metal and steel carports, garages, wide-span, and sheds.
- Our metal/steel manufacturer has supplied us with concrete instructions to offer our customers. A concrete installer can follow these instructions to ensure the foundation is ready for installation.
- Concrete anchors are included in most builds but we do offer. You can upgrade to Titan HD bolts for increased wind resistance. *Some counties may or may not require these.
- Asphalt foundation is an option for carport installations. To anchor the carport, asphalt anchors will be used. Larger buildings may need to be installed on concrete. Smaller carports and covers are the best option if you are using asphalt as your foundation.
- Dirt and/or gravel foundation is the least secure but affordable option. Mobile-home augmented anchors are used to secure the metal carports to the earth. Dirt naturally erodes over time, so you must maintain it throughout the years to ensure the carport remains secure. For best results, we recommend using a concrete foundation for your metal carports.
