How much does an aluminium carport cost? [2024]

When you're building a new carport, there are plenty of decisions to make. One of the most important is the material you'll use in your carport design.

One popular choice in Australia is aluminium. Read our article to work out what you need to think about, specifically planning your design, what sort of carport cost you can expect and what benefits an aluminium carport offers.

Why build an aluminium carport?

There are lots of options for carport materials available, but aluminium has many benefits. Advantages of an aluminium carport include:

• Rustproof
• Low maintenance
• Lightweight material
• Cheap and stylish
• Flexible design options
• Easy DIY solutions

One of the best reasons to get an aluminium carport is how durable it is. Aluminium doesn't rust, it doesn't warp, it doesn't rot and it's not susceptible to insects. On top of this, there's very little maintenance work other than occasional cleaning.

Aluminium carports also come in a wide range of colours and styles. While they come at a price premium over timber and steel versions, they are likely to last longer. Powder-coated aluminium structural components come in a wide range of designer colours.

As well as colour, you also have flexibility with the shape of your home. Lightweight aluminium gives you a number of design possibilities, some of which cannot be achieved with other materials.

While cheaper options are available, aluminium carports are arguably the cheapest stylish option available. If you're worried about cost, aluminium carports come in kit form. DIY construction is possible and professional installation is less expensive.

How much does an aluminium carport cost?

There are a number of factors that determine the cost of an aluminium carport, but a good rule of thumb is that the cheaper models start at around $900-$1200 while the top-of-the-range designs can cost as much as $4000.

Your price will be determined by things such as the complexity of design, roof style, labour costs and how much prep work needs to be done to build the carport.

The cheapest options are prefab kits and Cantaport designs, while carports that required ground levelling and concreting cost a lot more. Other factors such as creating solar carports may have high initial costs but give back over time.

Aluminium carport designs and styles

There are actually more styles of aluminium carports available than there are carports made from other materials. The reason is because in addition to straight lengths of aluminium and traditional post construction techniques, aluminium components can be curved and their lightweight makes it possible to construct a cantilever roof, eliminating the need to negotiate your car between four support posts.

Most aluminium carports are partially constructed in the factory and assembled on site. Many come in kit form and can be easily constructed using common household tools. Some of the more traditional roof styles available include:

• Flat or angled skillion
• Pitched gable
• Pitched hip (with sloping front)
• Dutch gable

A custom carport can even have a combination of roof styles for greater design flexibility. For example, a long skillion roof can be broken up by a pitched gable roof in the middle. An aluminium roof is usually made from Colorbond, Zincalume, polycarbonate or a similar lightweight material, but some manufacturers are combining translucent or coloured sailcloth roofs with powder-coated aluminium posts and other building components.