I sell carports in upstate NY, so this might be a little biased...The ribs are located that way so the curved corners add strength and stiffness to the finished building. Place the ribs vertical and you will lose strength. If you are worried about leakage between the sheets, ask if you can have butyl tape placed on the seams, or use some sort of caulking on the seam. You may endup removing the roof panels to do this after the installers leave..... All of the cheap carports use 29 gage steel roofing panels. If you have a source for 26 Ga you can really toughen up that building. Most have an upgrde to a heavier gage galvanized steel frame for roughly 200 dollars, and it will also get you an added foot of height. Might be worth it to ya. The basic carport is still a deal at teh price you quoted. You may want to add some cross bracing to stiffen it up if you get a taller structure or winds are a concern. So much is dependent on the installers, that you need to be there for the installation.It might be helpful if you have someone who speaks the installers language as many are Mexican laborers who will try to get away with cutting corners if they can. Most seem to have little grasp of the leveling process, except the crew leaders. I doubt they make very much for the install so don't be a total jerk to them either... DO NOT WRITE OUT THE CHECK UNTIL YOU ARE HAPPY WITH THE UNIT, you may never see these guys again if you take a promise to fix a dented panel or misalignment later. The number one thing you can do to insure you get a good job is to have a perfectly level place for the install. If your land is off level they attempt to adjust by sliding the legs up on the lower frame piece before screwing them in. This lessens the overlap, making it weaker, and also automatically gets stuff out of square. NOT GOOD! Get a laser level or builders level and mark out the corners of your building and make certain that both side walls are parallel, straight, square and LEVEL within 1/2 inch if you can. All the above said, a carport is the least expensive storage solution out there...A well built carport properly maintained will last a dencent amount of time for little more than a very temporary tent structure would cost. Don't waste your money on a tent style unit, they won't hold up more than a year or two. You can add your own sides and ends later for cheaper than the sales brochure prices,if you don't count your labor as a cost. If you have a Meullers steel building supplier, check out their prices on tin and doors, etc. We don't have places like that up in NY, so I usually recommend they buy what they need from the carport supplier and get the job done in one quick swoop. Good luck...I think you will be glad you got one!
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