RV Carport

A tall open-sided steel cover for a recreational vehicle. An open steel shelter sized for a recreational vehicle, where height governs the design.

As a use pattern it behaves as vehicle shelter and parking, which is what separates it from a same-sized building serving another purpose: Extra length adds parking bays; extra width is what allows vehicles to sit side by side without pinching circulation.

• RV and motorhome shelter
• Boat and trailer shelter
• Tall equipment shelter

The use pattern decides which dimension is the constraint. For rv carport projects the interior height question is driven by the tallest vehicle parked inside, measured with roof racks, antennas or a raised tailgate, and the layout question by vehicle depth plus a door-swing allowance sets the minimum usable length, not the vehicle length alone.

This page is written for rv owners specifying covered parking.

The decisions that actually distinguish a rv carport from a generic enclosure of the same footprint are Height including roof-mounted equipment, Length including tow vehicle, Anchoring for an open structure. Those are the items to settle before comparing quotes.

For a rv carport the width figure is the one to argue about, because it fixes the clear span carrying the tallest vehicle parked inside, measured with roof racks, antennas or a raised tailgate; length is the forgiving dimension, growing in bay increments along the sidewall once Height including roof-mounted equipment is settled.

Configuration for a rv carport comes down to how the enclosed volume is divided and where it opens. The openings that usually get framed are overhead vehicle doors on the gable end, one walk door for daily access, sidewall windows where daylight matters.

• Vehicle depth plus a door-swing allowance sets the minimum usable length, not the vehicle length alone.
• Two vehicles parked side by side need a working gap between mirrors, which comes out of the width rather than the length.
• Anything stored along an end wall converts parking depth into storage depth, so it belongs in the layout from the start.

• Height including roof-mounted equipment — decided before comparing products
• Length including tow vehicle — decided before comparing products
• Anchoring for an open structure — decided before comparing products

• Standing Seam Roofing
• Roll-Up Doors
• Framed Openings
• Gutters & Downspouts
• Concrete Slab
• Ridge Vent
• Red Iron Framing
• Purlins

A rv carport raises its permitting questions around Height including roof-mounted equipment and vehicle shelter and parking: whether the work needs a permit, what it is set back from, and which occupancy classification applies are all decided by the authority having jurisdiction for the parcel under the code edition it has adopted and amended.

• Which code edition the jurisdiction has adopted, and its local amendments
• Whether the use classification changes with occupancy or conditioned space
• Site-specific setbacks, easements and zoning conditions
• Design wind and snow criteria assigned to the site

No price appears on this page. On rv carport projects the quantities that move an estimate are the enclosed footprint, the clear span carrying the tallest vehicle parked inside, measured with roof racks, antennas or a raised tailgate, the eave height vehicle shelter and parking implies, the openings in overhead vehicle doors on the gable end and one walk door for daily access, and the foundation work the parcel needs.

• Clear span, which sets the primary frame
• Eave height, which scales wall area without changing roof area
• Framed openings, each of which adds framing and trim
• Insulation and lining, where the use requires them
• Site and foundation conditions, which are parcel-specific

• Metal Garage
• Detached Metal Garage
• Boat Storage Building
• Metal Carport
• RV Garage
• 3 Car Metal Garage
• 2 Car Metal Garage

The nearest comparison in this platform's taxonomy is metal garage. Compare the two on Height including roof-mounted equipment first, because that is where the two use patterns diverge rather than in the label.

The comparison that matters is rarely the name but whether the alternative changes Height including roof-mounted equipment or Length including tow vehicle. Those are the items that carry cost and lead time on a rv carport.