Neighbor changed my mind about those metal carports

Talked to an old guy down the street who's had the same metal carport for 12 years through two hurricanes and he said the trick is anchoring it into concrete footings instead of just stakes. He told me "the frame is fine, it's the install that fails" and honestly that hit different because I was ready to write them all off. Anyone else ever have a cheap setup hold up way longer than expected because of how you put it together?

3 comments

3 Comments

wren2305d ago

Learn a lesson from my dad about this same sort of thing. He always said the difference between something lasting and something falling apart is almost never the thing itself, it's the 20 minutes of work you skip because you're in a hurry. Seems like that applies to carports, deck furniture, even how you hang a picture on the wall. Put the extra effort into the foundation, and cheap stuff turns into good stuff fast.

baker.christopher5d ago

Build on that wisdom by asking the old timers at your local hardware store for their one best tip.

patricia325d ago

So @wren230's dad was onto something, but what I'm wondering is how you actually get that kind of install knowledge if you're not the old guy down the street? Like did that neighbor teach himself through trial and error or did he pick it up from someone who already knew the trick? I'd love to know the shortcut to learning the "right way" without having to learn it by watching my cheap carport fly away first.