When he renovated his home in the Brisbane suburb of Macgregor, Derrick Pinto was after a quality carport to protect his formerly garaged vehicles. Here, he shares the key lessons from his experience—that actually turned up his overall DIY-smarts.
Like many homeowners, Derrick noticed storage space was becoming an issue, especially after his vehicles were ousted from the home’s traditional 2-car lock-up. “It had been full for quite some time,” Derrick says. “When we renovated, we tiled the former garage space with the thought of using it as a games room down the track.”
While it’s a common reason to renovate, the desire to add more livable floor space might spell disaster for those possessions you displace in the process. In Derek’s case, it meant three formerly garaged vehicles were now exposed to the elements and were soon damaged by a severe hailstorm. Whether or not it was a sign from above, Derrick acted quickly, contacting Ipswich’s Mark Townsend Building who installed a patio on the property a year prior.
Other than a being a solid protective structure for his vehicles, the finished sleek and modern steel carport blends seamlessly into the façade of Derrick’s home with a flat Skillion roof. “I wanted something that would blend in, without taking away from the appearance of the house…I think we achieved that.” In his carport building journey, Derrick also picked several other wise insights:
QUALITY ALWAYS COUNTS
When it comes to a project’s deciding factor, Derrick says a product’s quality and the workmanship of your builder should outweigh everything else. “You can’t cut corners in terms of cost…I always seek quality products that withstand the test of time—I want my home to long outlive me!” he says. “By combining COLORBOND® and LYSAGHT LIVING®, the quality speaks for itself.”
DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF
If you’re concerned about a project becoming stressful, Derrick believes the answer is in your builder, and using their services to the full. “Mark [Townsend] took care of everything including council approvals...all you have to do is pay the bill,” he says. “Some people favour saving a few dollars by doing this sort of running around themselves…but having an installer who knows everything makes a world of difference.”
RENOVATE FOR THE FUTURE
While adding your personality to any project is part of the fun, it’s important to reconsider any polarising tastes for permanent structures. “I was considering having the posts and roof powder-coated to match our current roof, but we went with CLASSIC CREAM™ and JASPER® instead. We thought, if we want to change the colour of the house later, it won’t make sense to choose such a unique colour for the carport,” he says. “I see this is a clear way to protect my investment.”
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