There’s many things to love about snow in Calgary. If you’re an outdoor enthusiast, there’s the promise of skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing as soon as the first storm hits, and even if that’s not your thing, the snow transforms the city and makes it look beautiful. However, as anyone who has spent at least one winter in the city knows, the snow comes with a price. Keeping your vehicle and driveway clear of snow and ice can become a second full time job depending on the severity of the winter storm season, which is when installing a winter carport becomes your next time saving investment.
What Is A Carport?
You’ll probably have seen a carport as you’ve driven around Calgary even if you didn’t know that’s what it was called. A carport is a simple post and beam structure that sits over the top of your vehicle/s. It always has a solid roof, and typically is open on the sides which keeps the weight down, and means that you can install the whole thing directly on top of your driveway in next to no time. You can choose from a free standing carport which can sit anywhere on your property to give full winter coverage to your vehicles, or a carport which attaches to your home so that you are also covered as you leave the house to get to your car.
How A Carport Helps With Winter Prep
The most obvious way that a carport helps with your winter preparation is that it shields your car from the worst of the winter storms. If you chose a freestanding carport, the solid roof will create a barrier so the snow and ice slides off around your car, saving you time and energy of scraping ice and shovelling around your tires. If you chose an attached carport, you’ll find that the shape of the carport and the proximity to your home helps keep your vehicle a little warmer making it easier to start up on those frigid mornings. You can add to the effectiveness of your carport with simple plastic sheeting hung between the posts which will provide further protection from the wind and allow you to use the carport for storage.
More Than Just Protection
Even if a carport just kept the snow and ice off your vehicle, it would be a sound investment for your property. However, a carport offers more than just protection for your car. The solid roof provides a measure of coverage for the surrounding driveway, meaning that there’s considerably less real estate to shovel or snow blow. You’ll also find that your carport becomes a useful place to store your outdoor snow clearing equipment, meaning that your shovel and ice breaker are always at hand, as well as providing quick access to a snow blower. With all these benefits, it’s time to invest in your winter prep with a carport so that you can enjoy the best that a Calgary winter has to offer.
