Fix 3 of 6
Close in the carport as a room
A carport is a roof, a slab and a lot of unused space. Closed in right, it becomes a bedroom, an office or a family room that looks as if it was always part of the house.
A carport slab is thinner and slopes toward the street, and nothing around it is insulated. So the job is more than four walls: we level or build up the floor, frame and insulate the walls, set a window or a door where the car pulled in, and match the stucco or block so the front doesn't look patched. Cooling is planned with the room, so it works in July. Some cities and HOAs require parking on the lot, and we check that before we draw.
What the job includes
Plans, the City of Phoenix permit and a check of HOA and parking rules
The floor leveled and finished
Framed, insulated walls
A window or door where the car entered
Wiring, lighting and cooling for the new room
Stucco, paint and trim matched to the house
What changes the cost
What moves the cost of a carport room
No figures here: the number comes after the walk-through. These four things decide it.
The slab
Its slope, its cracks and how thick it is decide how much leveling and what kind of floor can go on it.
How the room is cooled
Extending the house system is cheaper when it has capacity. When it doesn't, the room gets its own unit.
What the room is for
A bedroom needs an egress window and a closet's worth of wiring. An office or family room needs less.
Matching the front
Stucco, block and paint have to blend with what is there, and a color match takes sample patches.
How it goes
How a carport room goes
Typical weeks, for planning. Your written schedule sets yours.
- 01Set by the city
Step 1: Plans and permit
Drawings, a check of lot rules and the HOA, and the permit from the City of Phoenix.
- 02Two to three weeks
Step 2: Floor and walls
The slab is leveled, the walls are framed and the opening for the window or door is cut.
- 03About two weeks
Step 3: Rough work and insulation
Wiring and cooling go in, the city inspects, and the walls are insulated and closed.
- 04Two to three weeks
Step 4: Finish and stucco
Drywall, paint, floor, trim and the outside stucco, then the final walk.
Questions
Before you pick a fix
Do I lose my parking?
The carport goes, so the question is whether the lot still meets the city's or your HOA's rule for parking. We check both before we draw, and tell you before you pay for drawings if it doesn't.
Is the carport slab good enough?
Usually it can be used, after leveling. We look for cracks, settling and how it drains at the walk-through, and an engineer is called in if something looks wrong.
Will the new room be cool in summer?
It can be, with insulated walls, good glass and cooling sized for the room. A carport that faces west needs the most care, and we plan the glass and the shade for it.
Thinking about the carport?
Text a photo of the front of the house with the carport in it. We tell you what we would check first.