Metal carport for FT RVer -Need advice

[Deuceofspades]

I live in my class A full time and currently have a spot on a 5 acre ranch in Palmdale. There is no shade and it is very hot in the Mohave desert 5 months out of the year. I want to invest in a metal carport and wondering whether I should get the metal roof, or just buy the skeleton and use sun shade tarps. I worry, since I will be living in the RV, that the metal roof will actually radiate lots of heat since the sun will be beating on it all day... Have any of you lived in an RV parked under such structure in high heat (90 to 105F) and full sun, and if so, how did it work out for you? Any insight would be much appreciated.

[BigRabbitMan]

Jim@HiTek wrote:
Perhaps I should have said, "I wonder how it would do in a snow storm, if I built one in Oregon". 🙂

Jim, I have been following this thread and had the same question as I am in Cottage Grove!

When I first moved here, I was in a trailer park for awhile. My double wide had a metal, full length awning. In the summer I could not sit under it on the deck as there was too much radiated heat. I had to take my chair down and into the wood roofed carport. Based on that, I would strongly recommend doing the shade cloth version described above. I am originally from Bakersfield, so I know what kind of heat you are talking about. That's why I moved north and not southwest to where my sister lives.

[Jim]

Perhaps I should have said, "I wonder how it would do in a snow storm, if I built one in Oregon". 🙂

[timmac]

Jim@HiTek wrote:



This is a great design, Timmac, IMO. Think I'll build one of those myself. I'm thinking of settling down east of the Cascades in Oregon (high desert area). Pretty sure there would be some maintenance but probably not more then a little work, and maybe expense, a couple times per year.

I wonder how it does in a snow storm?

Very little maintenance and I would not use this where it snows..

[Kayteg1]

Jim@HiTek wrote:


I wonder how it does in a snow storm?

Not in Las Vegas :S

[Jim]

timmac wrote:

Deuceofspades wrote:
I live in my class A full time and currently have a spot on a 5 acre ranch in Palmdale. There is no shade and it is very hot in the Mohave desert 5 months out of the year. I want to invest in a metal carport and wondering whether I should get the metal roof, or just buy the skeleton and use sun shade tarps. I worry, since I will be living in the RV, that the metal roof will actually radiate lots of heat since the sun will be beating on it all day... Have any of you lived in an RV parked under such structure in high heat (90 to 105F) and full sun, and if so, how did it work out for you? Any insight would be much appreciated.

You are correct the heat in the desert will just make more heat under the metal carport and running the AC could cause them to overheat, here is my answer to a shade structure here in Las Vegas, I stay cool all summer and can use AC's and still have some day light thru the windows, no need to worry about high winds the wind blows right thru the fabric..

This is a great design, Timmac, IMO. Think I'll build one of those myself. I'm thinking of settling down east of the Cascades in Oregon (high desert area). Pretty sure there would be some maintenance but probably not more then a little work, and maybe expense, a couple times per year.

I wonder how it does in a snow storm?

[timmac]

My shade structure is not welded, its all bolted together from 10 ft length galvanize fence post from Lowes, they slip together and than I drilled and put bolts through to hold it all together, its doubled post on each leg for more strength, it has held up fine here with the high winds we also have here in Vegas, its been up now 18 months, the fabric is high quality sun screen for farm use, it has a 7 year warranty and if it gets a hole it wont run, I am using 80 percent sun block, you do not want more than that or it will catch to much wind and could be a problem, it stays cool in RV even with one AC running during the summer.

Your price above of around $3000 seems to low, the RV carports around here 18 x 38 ft with a height of 14 ft was around $7000 installed, I built mine for around $2500.

[Deuceofspades]

Yes using sunshades like you did was my thought because it will allow some of the Winds to blow through... I wanted to ask you about your home made frame did you weld the tubing together? My problem is, because I don't own the property and may have to relocate in a year or so, anything I build here must be built in such a way that would allow me to break it down and take it with me when I leave.

timmac wrote:

Deuceofspades wrote:
I live in my class A full time and currently have a spot on a 5 acre ranch in Palmdale. There is no shade and it is very hot in the Mohave desert 5 months out of the year. I want to invest in a metal carport and wondering whether I should get the metal roof, or just buy the skeleton and use sun shade tarps. I worry, since I will be living in the RV, that the metal roof will actually radiate lots of heat since the sun will be beating on it all day... Have any of you lived in an RV parked under such structure in high heat (90 to 105F) and full sun, and if so, how did it work out for you? Any insight would be much appreciated.

You are correct the heat in the desert will just make more heat under the metal carport and running the AC could cause them to overheat, here is my answer to a shade structure here in Las Vegas, I stay cool all summer and can use AC's and still have some day light thru the windows, no need to worry about high winds the wind blows right thru the fabric..

[Deuceofspades]

It was nice to find more feedback on this thread when I woke up this morning thank you everyone. I must confess however I am confused by the contradictory replies I am getting. Some of you are saying that the metal roof would be fine as long as I have two feet clearance and quite a few of you are saying that it would radiate too much heat and to not go for it so I still don't know what I should do haha

[Deuceofspades]

Welcome to My Life. Although I have never burned my hand on the handle because i was smart when I designed my RV spot and oriented to the RV so that the door is on the north side and that side doesn't get too much sun. But the biggest problem I have are my three dogs right now I am afraid to leave them alone and I have to take them everywhere I go because in case of power failure they wouldn't last 30 minutes in that RV. And even if I installed a WiFi monitoring system to notify me of high heat inside RV, I might be too far to make it back home in 20 minutes to save them. so in great parts the reason why I am willing to splurge that much money to get a good car port is for the safety of my furry friends. The added bonus of course being cooler temperatures for me, shade for my garden and protection for my RV paint Etc

timmac wrote:

Deuceofspades wrote:
I live in my class A full time and currently have a spot on a 5 acre ranch in Palmdale. There is no shade and it is very hot in the Mohave desert 5 months out of the year. I want to invest in a metal carport and wondering whether I should get the metal roof, or just buy the skeleton and use sun shade tarps. I worry, since I will be living in the RV, that the metal roof will actually radiate lots of heat since the sun will be beating on it all day... Have any of you lived in an RV parked under such structure in high heat (90 to 105F) and full sun, and if so, how did it work out for you? Any insight would be much appreciated.

You are correct the heat in the desert will just make more heat under the metal carport and running the AC could cause them to overheat, here is my answer to a shade structure here in Las Vegas, I stay cool all summer and can use AC's and still have some day light thru the windows, no need to worry about high winds the wind blows right thru the fabric..

[mc_cc]

I do not live in an RV under a metal roof, but I store mine in a Carolina Carport in sunny Florida. Yes, the metal roof does radiate heat. It may give you problems being able to keep the inside of the coach cool. If you don't mind replacing the shade tarp material every year, then give it a try. It's probably the cheaper of the two alternatives. If it does not work, you can always go with the metal roof at year two. I use the shade tarp to cover the opening of my shed and to keep the sun from pounding on the front of my rig. The sun deteriorates it each year.

[timmac]

Deuceofspades wrote:
I live in my class A full time and currently have a spot on a 5 acre ranch in Palmdale. There is no shade and it is very hot in the Mohave desert 5 months out of the year. I want to invest in a metal carport and wondering whether I should get the metal roof, or just buy the skeleton and use sun shade tarps. I worry, since I will be living in the RV, that the metal roof will actually radiate lots of heat since the sun will be beating on it all day... Have any of you lived in an RV parked under such structure in high heat (90 to 105F) and full sun, and if so, how did it work out for you? Any insight would be much appreciated.

You are correct the heat in the desert will just make more heat under the metal carport and running the AC could cause them to overheat, here is my answer to a shade structure here in Las Vegas, I stay cool all summer and can use AC's and still have some day light thru the windows, no need to worry about high winds the wind blows right thru the fabric..

[Kayteg1]

I had several tarp garages over the years and even the best tarp seldom will hold 3 seasons and I am in the area that has trees for shade.
Then I put metal roofing on the frames and it works perfectly.
The radiant heat with a foot or 2 space doesn't affect RV.
I think building the roof with slight slope would help natural venting.
Than adding fans and mist spray should make big difference.
One time we went to a camp that in the afternoon had 105F (in the shade) and no tree protection.
We stop the Bounder for 1 hr to figure out the best spot for camping and when coming back I got burn on my hand from door handle.
Started generator and after 2 hr of running the 2 ACs cooled interior to nice 96F.
We dove into the lake and did not enter RV till 9 PM.

[mccsix]

I would do white metal with solar powered fan(s) at the end to exhaust the trapped heat.

[Jim]

Haven't lived that way myself, but know two couples who have. Both had to give it up because the metal re-radiated the heat. Their ACs were running constantly for many many hours. Their buildings did not have foam insulation blown on the undersides but they were all white.

Have lived in Rosamond for months at a time visiting my brother and I know what you're facing as far as weather goes. The sun and wind are both brutal. My brothers staked to the ground metal building was blown into a neighbors driveway just a few weeks ago.

If money isn't a big consideration, buy a wooden carport design, adapt it to your purposes, and hire a contractor to build it for you.

Here's a design I'd build...