We all know the sound. It’s 6: 30 AM, completely black outside, and you’re hearing scrape-scrape-scrape-plastic-on-glass over and over again throughout the neighborhood.
We have “The Greatest Snow on Earth” up and down the Wasatch Front and with that comes the great misfortune of shoveling, scraping, and braving that snow before your morning commute. While there are plenty of dreamers out there that want a gigantic, attached garage to park their cars in, the economics of construction and property lines make that challenging to say the least.
The unsung hero of Utah real estate is the unassuming carport. This isn’t just a simple roof to protect your car, this is a fortress against the winters we see here in the Salt Lake Valley. If you are looking for a solid investment in your property that will keep your vehicles safe, save you time, and improve your curb appeal, a carport is one of the best winter investments you can make this year.
Understanding the Elements: Salt Lake City Winters
Utah Carports
First of all, we have to appreciate and respect the environment we are in. We get a unique climate here in Salt Lake City. We don’t just have cold weather and “snow days”, we can get buried by snow and ice. Storms that produce 6 inches of snow for the Midwest produce 2 feet of heavy, wet lake effect snow here in a single day.
The Weight of the Snow
Snow up here isn’t always the feather light variety either. When storms move in on a warmer front, that snow is wet and heavy. If your car is parked out in the open, that weight rests on your vehicle’s hood, roof, and trunk. This is incredibly hard on your car’s seals and suspension, and over time can leave you with a hazy windshield from dried out wiper fluid and sealant. A carport designed to handle Utah’s snow load rating takes that weight off of your car so you don’t have to.
The Freeze-Thaw Cycle
Salt Lake City typically fluctuates around the freezing mark throughout the day. Snow melts in the mid-afternoon sun, but as temperatures drop at night that water refreezes into a solid sheet of ice on everything. This freeze-thaw cycle is incredibly hard on your car. It freezes your doors shut, traps moisture in the cracks of your wiper blades, and accelerates paint chip rust that develops when road salt and ice crystals combine.
Simply put, a carport stops precipitation from ever getting onto your vehicle in the first place.
How a Carport Protects Your Assets (and Your Sanity)
When you think of “investment” you likely think of money. However, time is money, and vehicle longevity is another currency we can save when we make smart moves with carports. Let’s break this down.
1. Saving Time: Enjoy Peaceful Mornings Again
Time is the first and most immediate return you see on a carport investment. Think about it for a minute. How many minutes every winter morning do you spend scraping snow, shivering while the defroster kicks in to punch a small slit of visibility in the windshield?
If you are spending 15 minutes a day on average and our winter averages 4 months, that is around 30 hours of life lost to snow scraping in your driveway. Granted, if you get in your car on time you will spend less time outside shivering, but 30 hours is still a decent chunk of your life to spend scraping your car. If your car is parked under a carport, your windshield doesn’t freeze shut in the first place. You get in, start your car, and leave. Gone are the hectic, bone-chilling mornings.
2. Extending Vehicle Lifespan
Cars are an expensive investment. With the current market for new and used cars being what it is, it makes more and more sense to preserve your vehicles’ value rather than lose it with neglect. Both UV rays in the summer and ice and snow in the winter degrade your car’s clear coat finish.
Also, when you scrape ice off of your windshield, you aren’t just scraping frozen water off, you are scratching that glass with small particles of dirt trapped in the ice. Over the course of just a few winters this can create a haze on your windshield which creates dangerous glare during your morning commute. No more scraping ice aggressively on your windshield when a carport is there to help.
3. Reducing De-Icing Chemicals
As mentioned above, a lot of ice and snow are held at bay through the use of salt and ice melt. However, most of those are corrosive chemicals that get on your tires, splash up onto your wheel wells, and do a number on your undercarriage. By keeping things drier and reducing the need for salt or chemicals near your car, you can further reduce rust and corrosion on your vehicle.
The Case for Carports Over Garages
Salt Lake City Carport Installation
Why choose a carport over a garage? The answer usually comes down to cost and complexity.
So, why not just build a garage? Money and hassle, mostly. An attached garage in Salt Lake City is no minor addition. You are talking about foundation work, framing, insulation, electrical, doors, and a range of other factors that lead to a major construction project. Tens of thousands of dollars and several months worth of permitting, waiting, and labor. What a carport does, is give you about 80% of that winter protection for a tiny fraction of the price.
- Cost: Carports are normally less expensive to build than garages because they need less materials and labor, making them an affordable choice for many homeowners.
- Speed of Installation: Once a site is prepared, a crew of 2-3 professional installers can place a metal carport in one day or two max.
- Ventilation: Unlike a garage, a carport is open. This is actually a benefit in winter. When you park a wet, salty car in a heated garage, the ice melts, and the salt water activates, rusting your car faster. In a cold, ventilated carport, the corrosive process slows down.
Choosing a Winter-Ready Carport Design for Salt Lake City
Not all carports are created equal. You can’t just order a cheap knockoff kit from a non-local online supplier and think it will last in a serious February storm in Sugar House or Sandy.
In fact, you need to make sure your carport is engineered for our climate specifically. Here are some tips:
Roof Style: Vertical vs. Horizontal
This is a critical distinction for winter climates.
- Horizontal Roofs: The panels’ ridges run parallel to the carport’s sides. These are the least expensive, but water and snow have a tendency to get caught on those ridges.
- Vertical Roofs: These panels have the ridges running from the peak down to the eaves. This allows for snow, slush, and water to slide right off of it. For Salt Lake City, vertical roof style is highly recommended. Not only does it allow for easier snow to fall off the top of the structure, it reduces snow weight loads as well.
Anchoring and Permits
We get wind here, too. Canyon winds can rip poorly secured structures right out of the ground. Your carport must be properly anchored to either concrete or the ground using mobile home anchors or concrete wedge anchors.
Also, be aware of local zoning. Salt Lake City has specific setback requirements (how far the structure must be from the property line). A professional installer will know these codes, but if you are doing it yourself, check with the city planning office first to avoid fines.
Installation: Why You Need to Act Before Winter Hits
One mistake homeowners often make is waiting too long to call a contractor. Come November, quality installers will likely be booked 2-3 months out already. The ground begins to freeze in Utah, which makes foundation work (pouring concrete slabs or setting pier) more challenging and costly.
Ideally, you want a carport installed in late summer or early autumn. This ensures:
- Better Pricing: You avoid the “rush” premiums.
- Proper Curing: If you need concrete work done, warm temperatures help this cure faster and properly before cold weather hits.
- Better Preparedness: You’ll be ready for that early October storm.
Bottom Line
A professionally built Salt Lake City Carport adds year-round vehicle protection while increasing curb appeal and property value in Utah’s harsh climate. Winter in Utah will always be here, and getting caught in a blizzard will happen each year, but going through the morning routine of scraping ice and shivering while waiting for your car to be usable doesn’t have to. A carport gives you a practical, sturdy solution to the many environmental challenges we face here in the Salt Lake Valley. It preserves your financial investment in your vehicles, keeps them and your property safer, and allows you to reclaim your mornings.
Don’t wait until 2 feet of snow is on the ground to wish you had it. Take a look at your driveway and think about the space you have and make the investment now. Get prepared now, contact Awnings Unlimited today! Call (801) 268-4441 for quality carport installation.