Why Convert Your Carport To A Garage?
Garages have always been the best way to protect your vehicles from all types of weather conditions. A garage gives the best protection from all kinds of ultraviolet rays from the sun, storms, and other harsh elements. These can cause some serious sun damage to the paint, the dash interior and also turn your car into a sauna! When it rains in Phoenix, it pours.
With an enclosed garage, the rain won’t splash on your newly washed cars, and you are guaranteed that your cars will be free from scratches from branches, or even worse, hailstorms.
With a carport to garage conversion, you will provide the highest level of security for your cars and outdoor storage items.
Most Carports in Phoenix are not enclosed and they will not protect your vehicle from being broken into or stolen. If you own an expensive car, you’re likely less comfortable with leaving it in a carport rather than a garage.
Garages also offer easy access to tools and other forms of garage storage. Since garages are usually built for parking vehicles, they also have a space for keeping the tools needed to maintain or fix your car and other things around the house. They are organized inside the garage for easy access, and you can guarantee their safety, whenever you need them.
Carport to Garage Conversion Phoenix: What to Consider
Before we start building, some factors should be considered. The following is a list of things to plan when working with us.
Building Code & Regulations
At Garage Builders Phoenix, we take care of the application process to acquire your building permit in order to complete a carport to garage conversion.
Building a garage should be done in compliance with regulations. In addition, being aware of your HOA (Home Owners Association) covenants & regulations will ensure that you do not get any negative pushback from your neighbors.
Most HOA’s usually have regulations that state some basic guidelines on how garages in the neighborhood should be built.
Inspection & Structural Analysis
Since you will be doing a carport conversion in Phoenix, some existing structures of the carport will be part of the design & structure of the garage. Hence, it is crucial that an inspector is hired who can evaluate if your carport is in good condition and is structurally sound.
This entails evaluating the concrete slabs or foundation for proper construction, checking the roof for weight baring, improving drainage, and strengthening supports.
At Garage Builders Phoenix, we take care of this process and have established solid working relations with local inspectors so that we can ensure the quality of the service at a reasonable price for you.
Determine Required Use
You will want to share with us the other uses of the garage. Will it be used only for parking of vehicles or do you have other purposes in mind? Maybe you want to build a workshop, add a loft or need extra storage space. If you would like to add some custom garage cabinets, feel free to check out our other page here.
Understanding your intended use will help us plan for potential electrical upgrades. We will bring in a certified electrician to examine your existing electrical connections and make recommendations on whether or not these will be sufficient.
If you do not already have electrical plans, you will need to provide one in accordance with building regulations. If you do not have these at hand, we will sort that out for you.
Verify Current Suitability for Required Use
Next, we need to evaluate the size of your carport. Checking the space and height is required to ensure there is enough clearance for your car, truck or RV and that there is ample space to open doors.
The carport should be able to contain the number of cars you have. If not, that’s no problem, we can always add to the roofline and expand the garage provided the building permit allows this.
Select Garage Flooring Options
Lastly, you will want to consider what type of garage flooring you will want. If it is up to code, you may save here by simply using the existing flooring for your carport. Other options include tile, vinyl and poured concrete. If your concrete is looking a bit weathered and has stains, we can assist by performing concrete refinishing.
It is very popular to add garage floor coating in Phoenix. If you would like to learn more about this option, check out garage floor epoxy phoenix.
Steps to convert a carport to a garage:
Step 1: Obtain a Building Permit
When compared to a carport, council regulations and building codes are often stricter for a garage. We are experienced local garage building contractors and will always inform you of the restrictions, the permit application process and whether it is possible to perform a carport to garage conversion on your property.
When you hire us, we will take of the process for you don’t need to stress or worry about it. Before take any further steps, give us a call -> 602-691-6533
Step 2: Draw Up a Plan
The construction of a garage is more complex than building a carport, so we will need the services of an architect to design and an engineer to certify.
Accurate plans of the structure are required to ensure it can accommodate your car & other assets and conform to building regulations. These plans will need to be signed off by a structural engineer.
This is but one of the of the many aspects of the carport conversion process that we do regularly and have specialized knowledge in. When it comes to your design plans, you can trust us to take of it, and make your vision come true.
Step 3: Prepare the Foundation
The floor & foundation on which your carport is built needs to have the stability to bear the extra weight of a garage. For this reason we may need to lay concrete slabs or other types of foundation. If there are no existing drainage channels, they need to be constructed as well.
If you’d like help selecting what kind of flooring and finish you would like; you can take a look at our garage flooring options here.
Step 4: Build the Walls
At this point we will frame the walls, do any required electrical work, add insulation and install your interior panels/material. Many of our customers chose drywall, however we can explore other options together. Especially if durability is an important factor for you.
Step 5: Add Windows & Doors
We will help you through the window selection process. There are some custom windows which are rated for high UV protection, which will ensure your garage does not get too hot.
As for garage doors in Phoenix, there are many different sizes to fit your garage. We will always triple check that they are wide & tall enough for your vehicles.
We also provide garage door installation & repair in Phoenix, so you can expect the same level of quality craftsmanship. This also removes the risk of the door not fitting the frame correctly, as our framers will build to the exact measurements of your preferred garage door.
Step 6: Exterior Finish
Your carport to garage conversion is almost complete! We will walk you through the exterior material selection, showing you all the pros and cons of various materials, siding or cladding.
This process typically takes place at the beginning of the planning process so that we have time to order the materials for you and have them ready to be installed once the garage is erected.
Finally, we will apply the siding or cladding and other decorative finishes. Many of our customers like to have the exterior match your home.
Cost of Carport to Garage Conversion in Phoenix
What you can expect to pay for a basic carport conversion in Phoenix is usually between $15K – $30K. Of course, this number can vary depending on the scope of work, size and other pre-existing factors such as the roof needing reinforcement or refinishing or the concrete foundation is cracked and must be replaced. Of course, these are all things that we will consider when putting together an estimate for you. For a free general quote on your carport project, give us a call now at -> 602-691-6533
A carport to garage conversion phoenix can cost as little as half of what it cost to build a new garage from scratch which can cost around $35K – $120K. Currently in 2021, the costs of materials have climbed 200% within the last year. With the current state of the industry due to Covid-19, many lumber mills are either closed or running at 30% capacity. Furthermore, the import tariffs placed on Chinese Steel and Canadian Lumber have further increase the material costs. These are expected to decrease and stabilize once the economy has recovered from the pandemic, however the prices will remain unstable and volatile for the foreseeable future. For this reason, it is difficult to comment on general prices to build a garage in Arizona as these will change depending on the types of materials selected as well as the current regulatory and economic conditions.
For these reasons, expect to pay more than what market value was before 2020.
Once you decide to move forward to make the plans and get the building permit, the process could take up to 3 weeks. In some cases, it could take longer just to get the initial approvals for the permits. You can rest assured that our extensive experience and contacts with the municipality will put this process on the fast-track and will be in good hands. Once the permits are obtained, we proceed to order your material and get started with preparing the foundation. Materials will often take between 2 weeks and 1 month to arrive, and the building process is typically another month. All in all, your carport could be converted into a garage within 2 – 3 months. In rare cases, we have seen the project extend to 6 months.
