A carport is to a garage like a camping lean-to is to cabin -- better than nothing for parking or sleeping, but not necessarily by a whole lot. But carports are just enough better for many that they continue to keep a small industry in business. Carports are popular in Arizona primarily for keeping the hot sun from beating on cars, and they are popular in Minnesota for keeping snow off. I've known people who've put up carports primarily to cover picnic and play areas in their yards.
Carports are worthless for storage, and they add no protection to your car from thieves. But once you understand the limitations of what you are getting, and have concluded that a new garage is not in the cards, you might find yourself quite happy with what a carport could do for you.
I discovered today that you can order VersaTube carports (garages, too) through Home Depot's Web site. There are two things that might jump out at you about this option. First, the price is nice. Home Depot currently has a sale price on a 12 ft. by 20 ft. steel carport of just $1,255.50, which includes shipping.
The second thing about these carports is that they aren't a particularly difficult DIY project. You can take a look at the installation manual here for part 1 and here for part 2 to decide if the work seems reasonable for you.
The one additional component that you will probably want to supply is a concrete slab, although there are other ways to tie the structure to the ground (as the photo confirms).
Photo © Alans Factory Outlet, flickr/Creative Commons
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