Do-it-Yourself Metal Carports in Oklahoma

Local Manufacturers

• Absolute Steel (absoluterv.com) is located in Texas but the company will ship kits to Oklahoma. Their buildings feature many options for Oklahoma home owners. The company has buildings that are warranted against fading and paint chipping for 20, 30 or 50 years. Canopy style buildings are the least expensive, with open sides and a protective roof. Buildings are also available which feature siding on one, two, or three sides and a variety of custom options.

Multi-state Suppliers

• Carport manufacturers such as Mueller, Inc. (muellerinc.com) ship metal buildings to states across the Southwest. Mueller makes standalone kits, or lean-to carports designed to be attached to the side of an existing building. The company's standard 25 year warranted kit comes entirely precut and ready to assemble with detailed instructions.

National Suppliers

• Metal car ports are relatively light when compared to wood garage, or pole barn kits, and many national companies ship carport kits across the nation. Internet enabled commerce allows companies which used to be limited regionally to become nationwide suppliers. Carports and More (hcarportsandmore.com) is located in California, and ships carports into Oklahoma, and across the country. GPB Inc.'s (gaport.com/) home office is in Georgia. The company ships kits across the south, including Oklahoma. Coast to Coast Metal Buildings (getcarports.com) has offices in four states, Texas, Arkansas, New Mexico and Oregon and Idaho, and ships fully warranted metal building kits to any location within Oklahoma. When dealing with a national company as opposed to a local company, make sure to understand guarantees and the procedures for any returns or service issues. Working with an out-of-town supplier can be more difficult when service or warranty issues arise.

Building Design Options

• Customers should examine the options when planning to purchase ready-to-assemble metal carports. In an area protected from wind and weather by topography or mature tree growth, a carport with only a roof may provide adequate coverage. However, for installations in the Oklahoma plains, customer may want to add siding to the carport to protect their vehicles from winds and driving rains. Customers also need to take into consideration the likelihood of severe weather. A tornado, high winds or hail storm can severely damage a metal building and these weather patterns are not strangers to the Oklahoma prairies.