Not every carport has to shelter a car. While they might do that traditionally, they’re also the perfect opportunity to build something bespoke to your needs. By working with us on a bespoke, oak-framed carport, you can design a structure that’s ideal for a quiet retreat, an entertaining haven, or a dedicated creative space.
Here are just some of the ways you might consider transforming a carport into a stunning, multi-functional space.
The Artisan’s Workshop
For those who love to build, repair, or restore, a carport can become the perfect outdoor workshop. With the protection of a solid oak frame and a roof overhead, you can work in almost all seasons, from early spring maintenance to autumn projects.
Tool storage, timber racks, and workbenches can all be integrated into the space. And with the same timber-grading precision and quality you’ll find in all our structures, you can be assured of a workspace that inspires as much as it supports. Alongside this, we’ll also be happy to craft your carport with extra rooms attached, with locking doors for extra security and protection for valuable tools and equipment.
The Gardener’s Retreat
Whether you’re nurturing a greenhouse, cultivating a vegetable garden, or simply tending to borders, a carport can serve as your potting shed and storage haven. Neatly store your tools, compost, watering cans and containers, with bespoke oak joinery that blends effortlessly with the landscape. The open design also allows plenty of natural light and protection from the worst of the weather for your smaller and more delicate plants.
Outdoor Living Spaces and Summer Lounges
A carport can easily and seamlessly become an extension of your home. Add seating, soft lighting, perhaps a firepit or garden stove for cooler nights, and you’ll have a year-round outdoor room with timeless appeal. Our open-sided, breathable structures allow you to feel part of the landscape while remaining sheltered from the elements.
No matter what time of year, you’ll have a shaded space for unwinding, socialising, or simply enjoying an afternoon with a book in hand and a cool or hot drink.
Alfresco Dining and Outdoor Kitchens
Why dine indoors when you can eat under the soft glow of evening light, framed by the character of oak beams? Whether it’s breakfast with birdsong, summer dinners for two, or barbecues with friends, a carport makes the perfect outdoor dining space. All you’ll need is a table and a set of chairs for as many people as you’re inviting.
With clever planning, a carport can even become a fully equipped outdoor kitchen. Your design can be drawn up with this idea in mind, so that in future it can house a grill, preparation area, and even an attached storage room for fridges, utensils, and glassware. Imagine hosting unforgettable dinners just steps from your back door, in a space made just as you’ve asked for it.
Garden Bars and Event Spaces
You might consider creating a private retreat in the form of an oak-framed garden bar, tucked beneath the canopy of your carport. With space for counters, bar stools, and ambient lighting, you can enjoy evenings outdoors with a glass in hand and good company around you.
Looking for something a little more lively? Your carport can also play host to garden parties, family celebrations, and even intimate events – all in a setting that feels private, elegant, and entirely your own. All you may need to do is add a sound system for your favourite music.
Jacuzzi Covers and Outdoor Spa Sanctuaries
Few things feel more indulgent than sinking into warm water after a long day, and an oak-framed structure adds beauty and privacy to the experience. Whether it’s a Jacuzzi, hot tub, or plunge pool, a carport makes the perfect spa shelter, offering cover and charm in equal measure.
Surround your space with trailing plants or lattice screens, and you’ll create a quiet, secluded sanctuary that blends in with your garden.
Yoga Decks and Open-Air Gym Spaces
Your carport can become a space to reconnect with your body, your breath, and your surroundings. For yoga lovers, it’s an ideal open-air studio: protected, peaceful, and grounded in natural materials. For fitness enthusiasts, it’s a convenient, motivational home gym, with room for mats, weights, or even a rowing machine.
Why Choose a Carport for These Purposes?
The Freedom of an Open Frame
Unlike an oak-framed garden room, which is fully enclosed, insulated, and often designed as an internal living extension, a carport retains the openness of the outdoors. This makes it ideally suited for uses that blend seamlessly with garden living: entertaining, dining, relaxing, or even working with tools in a space that breathes.
Where a garden room offers the comfort of an interior space, a carport offers the freedom of an exterior one. For many, that outdoor connection is exactly what’s needed.
More Shelter Than a Gazebo
Gazebos and pergolas are beautiful additions, but they’re often more decorative than practical. A carport, by contrast, can be built to offer generous overhead cover, structural stability, and the potential for extra customisation, like adding enclosed sides, an extra storage room, or even lighting and heating.
This makes carports far more suitable for year-round use, or for incorporating lifestyle features such as outdoor kitchens, spa shelters, and yoga studios.
A Practical, Elegant Middle Ground
In many ways, the oak-framed carport is the elegant middle ground between structure and space, offering more practicality than a gazebo and more openness than a garden room. And because every English Heritage Buildings carport is made bespoke, it can be tailored precisely to your needs.
A Bespoke Space Built to Last
Our team of designers and timber specialists will work with you to bring your vision to life, using time-honoured techniques and sustainable materials. Beyond this, our Q-Mark certified manufacturing process guarantees industry-leading standards. These, in turn, ensure that your carport is made to withstand the elements and years of use.
With light maintenance but not much more, your structure could last and be enjoyed for decades to come.
Reimagine a Carport With Our Assistance
Let your carport become the starting point for something beautiful and great for your whole family. Request a brochure to discover what else our customers have achieved with their builds, or get in touch to discuss your plans with a member of our experienced team.
