What a price actually covers
| Line item | Kit or for-sale | Supplied & installed |
|---|---|---|
| On-site measure | No - you supply the dimensions | Yes, free, before anything is cut |
| Footings | Not included | Bolt-down plates or cast concrete, chosen from the ground |
| Labour and erection | Yours | Included |
| Flashing where the roof meets a wall | Rarely included | Included |
| Fixings rated for the load | Generic | Specified to the structure |
| Delivery | Usually extra | Included |
| Responsibility if it lifts or leaks | Yours | The installer's |
This is why a kit and an installed quote for the same footprint are not comparable numbers. They are not the same purchase.
When a kit genuinely is the right call
Three cases. A small, low, single structure on flat sound paving where a mistake is cheap to undo. A temporary cover on a property you are about to leave. And a competent owner-builder with the tools, a helper and a day to spare, who understands that a carport roof is a wind aerofoil and has to be anchored for uplift rather than just weight.
The cases where it goes wrong are the mirror image: sloping ground, a span over about 6m, anything that has to tie into the house wall, and any stand exposed enough that wind gets under the roof. Those are the jobs where the footing and the bracing are the structure, and they are covered under carport installation.
Second-hand carports
A used carport is worth what the steel is worth minus what it costs to take down, transport and re-erect - which is most of the cost of a new one. The frame also arrives without its original fixings, usually with the post bases cut rather than unbolted, and a post that has been cut short cannot be re-set to depth. Check the base of every post before agreeing a price: rust at the paving line means the wall is already thin where the load is highest.
Comparing two installed quotes
Five things account for almost every difference: whether the steel is hot-dip galvanised or painted mild steel, the footing depth and method, the roof sheet gauge, whether flashing at the wall is included, and the clearance height. A quote stating all five can be compared to another stating all five. The checklist is on carport installers, sizes are on the carport sizes guide, and the bands for each structure are on the Pretoria carport price list. The full range of carports in Pretoria is quoted supplied and installed.
Kits, second-hand and installed
Is a carport kit cheaper than having one installed?
No, not once the whole job is counted. The sticker is lower, and it is not the same purchase. A kit excludes the measure, the footings, the labour, the flashing, load-rated fixings, delivery and any responsibility if the structure lifts or leaks. Add those back and the gap narrows sharply.
Can I put up a carport myself?
Yes for a small, low single on flat sound paving. A carport roof behaves like a wing in wind, so anything over about 6m of span, on sloping ground, or tied into the house wall is a job where the footings and bracing are the structure.
Are second-hand carports worth buying?
No, rarely. Dismantling, transport and re-erection consume most of the saving, the original fixings are usually gone, and posts cut off at the base cannot be re-set to depth. Check the post bases for rust at the paving line before agreeing anything.
What should a written quote state?
The steel specification, the footing depth and method, the roof sheet gauge, whether flashing at the wall is included, and the clearance height. Those five explain almost every difference between two quotes for the same footprint.