Do It Yourself Metal Carport Kit: Should I Hire A Contractor Instead?

You’ve decided to purchase a metal carport kit to protect your vehicles and other valuable items from the harsh elements and conditions that occur outdoors. Now comes the next decision: do you put the carport together yourself or hire a contractor?

At MetalCarport.com, we manufacture prefabricated and custom metal carport kits in all different sizes that come with a stamped set of plans for step by step assembly. However, not everyone may be up for the task of putting a metal carport together by themselves. We suggest watching this metal carport installation video so you have a better idea of what to expect.

In this article, we discuss the pros and cons of doing a metal carport assembly yourself or hiring a contractor to put it together for you.

Do It Yourself Metal Carport Kit: Pros And Cons

PROS	CONS
Save money	Labor required
Expedited assembly timeline	Tools required

PROS:
● Save money
● Expedited carport assembly timeline

Do It Yourself Metal Carport Kits Save Money

If you are looking for the most cost effective way of assembling your carport, you’ll want to do the installation yourself. Metal carport kits are fairly simple installations that can be completed in less than a day.

Assembly Your Carport Quickly

When you assemble your carport yourself, you can start the project as soon as you need to. A timeline using a contractor will not be as fast especially with the labor shortage that has made it more difficult to find a skilled contractor in a timely manner.

CONS:
● Labor required
● Tools required

Labor Required

The flip side of not having to pay someone means that you have to do the labor yourself. Metalcarport.com has assembly instructions and a video to help make this process easier.

Tools Required

A metal carport assembly requires a variety of tools in order for it to be successfully completed including:

● Drill (power or cordless)
● Screw or tek gun
● Hammer
● Tape measure
● Saw
● Snips
● Level
● Rivet gun
● Ladder
● Shovel
● Writing utensils (markers, pens, etc.)
● String and chalk line
● Silicone gun and silicone
● Safety glasses and gloves

If you do not have these items already, purchasing them will be an additional expense that you are trying to avoid by doing the work yourself.

Hiring A Contractor For Your Metal Carport Kit: Pros And Cons

PROS	CONS
No labor required	Bigger financial commitment
Installation experience	Research to find the right contractor

PROS:
● No labor required
● Installation experience

No Labor Required

Hiring any professional to do a service means it’s less for you to worry about doing yourself. You do not have to worry about having the tools or the time to get the assembly done.

Installation Experience

If you are not someone with a lot of prior DIY experience, putting a carport together can be a stressful process. Hiring a contractor can bring you peace of mind knowing that the assembly is being done correctly and won’t lead to problems in the future caused by incorrect installation.

CONS:
● Bigger financial commitment
● Research to find the right contractor

Bigger Financial Commitment

Hiring a professional to do a job for you obviously comes at a higher cost than just doing the job yourself. This is an extra expense on top of the cost for the metal carport kit itself. The cost of hiring a contractor will depend on factors such as skill level, size of the carport being put together and geographical location. A good guesstimate on the amount of time required is for two people to spend about 4 hours installing the footings and posts. An additional 4 hours with two people installing the remainder of the metal carport. This timeline is based on a two car carport. Larger DIY metal carport kits will require more time and labor.

Research To Find The Right Contractor

Though you’ll be saving time by not having to spend your own time putting the carport together, you will have to allocate some time to find a contractor that is the right fit for your project and budget. Resources like online reviews or referrals from friends and family can help make the contractor vetting process easier.

Considerations When Hiring A Contractor To Assemble A Metal Carport Kit

If you decide to hire a contractor for your metal carport, you want to make sure you hire the right person for the job. The person should be experienced, qualified and reliable. Quite often, a qualified handyman will be capable of installing a metal carport kit. We suggest that you show them a copy of the metal carport plans and an installation video so that they can determine if it’s in their wheelhouse.

Just like with a metal roof or any other type of installation, having a carport put together and installed incorrectly will lead to poor function or even the carport not lasting as long as it should.

Prior to hiring a contractor, we recommend:

● Checking contractor reviews or getting a recommendation from a trusted source.
● Reviewing photos of previous work.
● Asking for a detailed written estimate.

Ordering Your Metal Carport Kit

Whether you decide to use a contractor or put it together yourself, you can order your kit from Metalcarport.com in 5 different painted colors, as well as galvalume steel, and 10 different pre-engineered sizes with custom sizing available.

If you decide to put the carport kit together yourself, watch our video for a step by step guide on how to install a metal carport:

Ready to get started on assembling your very own steel carport kit? Request a quote for your carport kit today!