Every question, answered
Nine questions cover almost everything Pretoria owners ask before they commit to a structure. Each is answered in one line here and in full on its own page.
Does a carport add value to a house?
Yes. A carport recovers roughly 50 to 70 percent of its cost at resale and shortens the time a Pretoria house sits on the market, because covered parking is assumed on a family stand here rather than treated as an extra.
does a carport add value to a houseHow long do carports last?
A hot-dip galvanised steel frame lasts 20 to 30 years in Pretoria and the roof sheeting 15 to 25. Shade net is the short-lived part, at 5 to 10 years under Highveld UV.
how long carports lastIs a carport cheaper than a garage?
Yes, by a wide margin. A double carport runs R12,500 to R24,000 against roughly R120,000 to R250,000 for a built double garage, because a carport has no walls, no foundation trench, no door and no roof structure over a span.
is a carport cheaper than a garageCan I put a carport in my driveway?
Yes, usually — provided the driveway is wide enough for a post line and the structure clears the building line. In a complex or an estate the body corporate decides before the municipality does.
can I put a carport in my drivewayHow long does a carport take to build?
Ten to twenty-one working days from measure to finished structure, of which the fit itself is one day for a single or double and two days for a triple or four-bay. A council plan adds four to eight weeks.
how long a carport takes to buildCan you attach a carport to the house?
Yes. A lean-to carport carries one edge on the house wall and posts on the other, which saves two posts and a row of footings, but it needs sound brickwork and flashing where the roof meets the wall.
can you attach a carport to the houseWill a carport blow away?
No, not if it is anchored for uplift. A carport roof behaves like a wing in a Highveld thunderstorm, and what fails is almost always the fixing rather than the steel — four M12 anchors into a sound slab, or cast footings 400 mm deep.
will a carport blow awayDoes a carport prevent frost?
Yes, on the windscreen. Frost forms when a car radiates heat to a clear night sky, and any solid roof between the car and the sky stops it — which is why a Pretoria winter morning leaves a covered car clear and an uncovered one iced.
does a carport prevent frostHow to cover carport sides
Shade cloth, IBR infill panels, timber slats or a louvre screen, in rising order of cost. Closing a side changes the wind load on the frame, so the posts have to be sized for it rather than the screen simply added afterwards.
how to cover carport sides| What you are deciding | The number that settles it |
|---|---|
| Whether it pays back at resale | 50–70% of cost recovered |
| How long the structure lasts | Frame 20–30 years, sheeting 15–25, shade net 5–10 |
| Carport or a built garage | R12,500–R24,000 against R120,000–R250,000 |
| How long the job takes | 10–21 working days, plus 4–8 weeks if a plan is needed |
| What holds it down in a storm | 4 × M12 anchors, or footings 400 mm deep |
| Clearance for a canopied bakkie | 2.6 m under the beam, not the standard 2.1 m |
From question to quote
Size, price, then permission
Once the questions above are settled, what is left is a footprint and a band. The carport sizes and dimensions guide turns a vehicle count into a width and a clearance height, carport prices in Pretoria turns that footprint into a figure, and carport approval in Pretoria covers the permission side. The full range of carports in Pretoria starts from the main page.