Tips for Protecting Your Motorhome Investment

Those who don’t own a motorhome, can’t really understand. A motorhome is more than just an RV. It’s a vehicle that allows you to enjoy a different kind of lifestyle – a lifestyle of freedom. Go wherever you want. Visit wherever the road will take you anywhere across this great land of ours, from sea to shining sea. Want to visit the beach, the mountains, the river, the desert, the city? You can! All the hotels are booked? No worries! Your room is already reserved, AND you’ve brought along all the comforts of home, too. When traveling by motorhome, all you need is a place to park with a hook-up, and you’re good to go!

But what about those times when you’re NOT traveling? Unless you’re either retired or independently wealthy, you probably don’t use your motorhome nearly as much as you might like – the typical American RV owner only spends about 4-5 weeks out on the road each year. So, what happens to your motorhome during those other 11 months? The answer really depends on how and where you store it during the “offseason.”

What’s the Best Way to Protect Your Motorhome?

To keep your motorhome in its best condition, you really should keep it under cover to protect it from the elements and to better preserve all its many components. Some motorhome owners just settle for a tarp or fabric cover. While this is better than no cover at all, it still leaves your RV exposed to weather extremes including wind, hail, and accumulating snow. Other RVers choose to pay for offsite storage, but that can get expensive over time, and it also requires you to have to drive all the way to the storage facility any time you need to check on your baby.

A better, more convenient and more cost-effective solution is to have a motorhome carport installed on your own property. A metal RV carport provides reliable protection from both sun and storms, and can be put up fairly quickly. On top of that, a steel RV cover is really the most durable and cost-effective option, too.

How to Choose the Right Motorhome Carport

But what do you need to keep in mind when choosing the right motorhome carport for you? Here’s a simple checklist of essential questions to ask yourself:

• How do you want to use your building?

It’s a given that you intend to keep your RV under your RV cover, but are there other items you’d like to shelter as well? Perhaps a car, truck, motorcycle, or some other vehicle? Got other items you really need to keep safe from sun and storms, too? The first thing you should decide when choosing a metal RV cover is what all you’d like to keep under cover.

• How much space do you have, and what building dimensions do you need?

By how much space do you have, what we mean is how large is your install site? From a design aspect, steel structures can be built to pretty much any length, width, and height dimensions you desire. The only real limits come down to the amount of level, cleared space you have available on your property. It’s also a good idea to get on a ladder and actually measure the height of your motorhome, so you’ll know how tall of an RV carport you’ll need; be sure and allow enough room for ample clearance.

• What’s the weather like in your area?

Depending on where you live, local regulations and building codes may require that your metal RV cover be certified to withstand certain wind speed and/or snow loads. In this case, you’ll need to make sure that you get a certified metal building. Not sure where to shop for a certified building? Carport Central can provide you with a steel structure that’s certified to meet or exceed any locally-required wind or snow load standards!

Even if certification isn’t required in your area, many homeowners like the peace of mind that comes with knowing that the certified metal structure they’re using to shelter their motorhome is built to last. Another thing to consider if you want a building that’s even more rugged and durable is upgrading from standard 14-gauge steel framing and 29-gauge steel paneling to the sturdier 12-gauge frame and 26-gauge panel options.

• What about a partially-enclosed or fully-enclosed carport?

A standard metal carport comes with basically just a roof and a frame, but it’s easy to add metal paneling to the sides to create a partially-enclosed carport. You can choose to enclose or partially enclose the side that faces prevailing winds for added protection, for example. If you prefer, you can even go so far as to fully enclose all sides, creating a much safer, more secure garage for your motorhome or RV. When it comes to choosing what to do with the sides of your steel carport, Carport Central gives you options!

• Got color preferences?

Want your motorhome carport to match the color of your motorhome itself? Or maybe you’d like it to match the color of your home or other surrounding buildings? Whatever your preferences, Carport Central gives you color options, too. We give you 18 different color choices to choose from for your roof, trim, and side paneling (if you choose to add any). If you’d like to visualize some of the color possibilities, take a spin around our metal building Color Planner. Better yet, you can design your own custom RV cover from start to finish with our easy-to-use 3D Design Tool.

Carport Central Provides the Best Structures for Protecting Your RV

It’s important that you store your RV properly during the down time, so it will be ready to go again when you are. It’s wise to make the right carport investment to provide the best protection for your precious motorhome investment. And when it comes to taking care of your RV investment, nobody does it better than the building specialists at Carport Central! We serve nearly the entire continental United States, we work with the very best manufacturers and installers, and we provide a personalized level of customer service that’s simply second to none!  Click or give us a call at (980) 321-9898 today, and let’s get started on helping you get the custom RV cover of your dreams!