Are you planning a covered home for your car that is quick to erect, stable and durable? Then you have the choice between a prefabricated garage or a carport. Carports are also available to buy ready-made. Both variants have advantages. Ralph Raggl from ZAPF GmbH, the traditional German manufacturer of prefabricated garages, explains what these are.
The prefabricated garage is an enclosed space in which the car is completely protected. Wind and weather cannot harm the car “The risk of theft, vandalism or marten damage is also much lower than if the car is parked under a carport or even outside,” says Ralph Raggl, Head of Sales at ZAPF GmbH. The roof and often closed side walls of a carport also provide protection from rain and snow. However, the car is still largely exposed to the outside temperatures, unauthorized persons can gain access very easily and martens also have an easy time of it.
The prefabricated garage not only offers protection from the cold in winter, eliminating the need to scrape the windshield, but also keeps the heat away from the car in summer. In addition, spare wheels, tools and garden equipment can also be stored in the garage if there is enough space. And modern prefabricated garages offer even more: “With an integrated electric charging station, they become a home charging station for your electric car or e-bike,” reveals Raggl. “Equipped with appropriate lighting and an air conditioning unit, such as the energy-saving SolarVenti®, the garage can also be used as a workshop or hobby room all year round.”
The carport is little more than a roofed shelter for the car. Although it keeps the car free of snow in winter and protects it from rain or hail, it does not offer many of the additional benefits that a prefabricated garage can.
If space on the property is limited, the choice often automatically falls on the carport. This is because carports can be delivered in individual parts and assembled on site. This makes them ideal for a relatively small installation area including narrow driveways. But even a prefabricated garage with a single parking space hardly takes up any more floor space than a single carport. “The prefabricated garage is delivered ready-made in one piece. We at ZAPF use special vehicles for this. These can transport the garage and set it down in the appropriate place,” explains the expert. The access road needs to be a certain width for this. If this is not available, in some cases the new garage can also be lifted into place using a crane. “If you are unsure whether your property is suitable for a prefabricated garage, you can of course have us check this in advance free of charge,” says Raggl.
Do you know where your car shelter should be located and are leaning towards one of the two options? Then the next step would be to contact the local building authority. This is because prefabricated garages and carports require a building notification and, in some cases, a building permit. The exact regulations vary from state to state and often even from municipality to municipality. The requirements for carports are generally somewhat less stringent than for prefabricated garages. “However, this doesn’t necessarily speak against the solid concrete version,” says the garage expert. “At ZAPF, we can also take care of the approval process on request. This means our customers don’t have to deal with any additional bureaucracy.”
In terms of price, the carport is usually far ahead of the prefabricated garage. But there are also very expensive models. In addition to the size of the carport, the quality of the wood and the quality of the flooring are key cost factors. The price of a prefabricated garage is determined in particular by its size and features. A small basic garage is also quite inexpensive. Customers have to dig a little deeper into their pockets for premium models with a large floor area and many equipment options. However, if you compare the prefabricated garage with a brick garage of a similar size and fittings, it still comes out considerably better in terms of cost. But the prefabricated garage doesn’t have to be a budget problem: “At ZAPF, for example, we offer an uncomplicated solution that allows customers to finance either the entire garage or part of the purchase price,” says Raggl.
Ultimately, the decision between a carport or prefabricated garage depends on the individual situation, the garage expert concludes: “If you have a very small budget and little space, the carport is a good option. If the focus is on protection and parking comfort or if additional storage space is required, then the prefabricated garage is of course the better choice.”
