Carports protect your vehicles from impairment caused by inclement weather, falling debris, and even the sun’s burning heat. However, you may not enjoy its benefits if the carports are not securely attached to the ground. Some garage and parking spaces use asphalt on their land. So, most of you might wonder how to anchor a carport to asphalt.
How do you Anchor a Carport to Asphalt?
- Drill a hole into the asphalt
- Pour grout or the bonding material into the drilled hole
- Place a specialized asphalt anchor in the hole before the bonding dries
- Allow the bonding agent or grout to cure to the anchor
- Attach the base or poles of the carport to the asphalt anchor
There are other considerations in anchoring a carport to the ground. You might want to determine the materials needed, understand the detailed step by step procedure, and consider the pros and cons of anchoring a carport to the asphalt using either specialized anchor screws or cement.
This article will discuss these details and more about anchoring your carport to the asphalt.
Anchoring Portable Carports to Asphalt
The new method of attaching carports to asphalt is by using specialized anchor screws without permanent or durable bonding agents such as cement. This is favorable, especially when the homeowner does not want the portable carport to be permanently fixed in a specific position.
Materials and Tools Needed for the New Method
The materials and tools needed are specialized asphalt anchor, pushrod, drill bit, sledgehammer, steel clamp, electric screwdriver, and the portable metal carport. The average price for a portable carport is $1500. The amount may depend on the brand, size, and durability of the carport.
As for anchor screws, a good and durable one may cost you around $50. In a standard portable carport, you might need at least four anchor screws attached on the ground to secure it. So together, you will probably need more or less $1700 for this procedure. However, that does not include the tools required to attach them to the asphalt.
A set of drill bits will cost you around $20. A good four-pound sledgehammer may cost more or less $30. A steel clamp is about $10 each, and you might need four of these. So, you will incur a total of $40 for steel clamps. A push rod costs around $20. A standard electric screwdriver will probably cost you $30. So, for the tools, you will spend more or less $140.
Implementing the New Method: The step by step process
Step 1: Drill on the ground with a drill bit to create a hole on the asphalt. Make sure the length of the hole is sufficient to cover the asphalt anchor on the ground.
Step 2: Scrub the hole with a firm bristle brush to remove all dirt, dust, debris, or any bond-inhibiting particle from the drilling procedure.
Step 3: Screw the push head on the anchor. Then, use a sledgehammer and install the anchor down to the hole by slowly pounding on the push head. When the anchor is placed in the hole, remove the push head.
Step 4: Using a sledgehammer, insert the pushrod on the anchor to release the anchoring on the hole. This will allow the anchor to hold on to the asphalt ground. Once the anchorage is released on the hole, remove the pushrod.
Step 5: The next step is optional. Hammer down a pipe clamp on a flat surface and shape it according to the pole or base of the carport. Insert the carport’s base or pole in the pipe clamp’s head. Then place the eye of the pipe clamp on top of the anchor right before screwing the ring. Pipe clamps provide additional stability on the carport in addition to its ropes by holding the base of the carport in place.
Step 6: Screw the ring on the anchor with the attached pipe clamp anchorage manually with your hands or use an electric screwdriver to achieve the desired stiffness.
Step 7: Secure the carport in place by attaching its ropes on the rings anchored on the ground. Tighten the ropes of the carport to ensure its stability. You can attach as many asphalt anchors into the ground to support your carport.
You can attach as many asphalt anchors into the ground to support your carport. The more anchors holding it, the more secure the carport is. Now, enjoy your secured portable carport!
The Permanent Anchor Approach
If you live in an area prone to floods, typhoons, and heavy winds, you should use a permanent and robust bonding agent such as concrete or another asphalt foundation over the base of your carport. Otherwise, it can easily rock or sway when heavy rains or strong winds come. Mere anchoring them on the asphalt may not prove to be sufficient.
Furthermore, no matter how dense the ground is around your house, if you live in an area near the beach, river, or any body of water, the ground beneath may be susceptible to soil degradation. When the field is vulnerable to soil erosion, the anchor may not hold firmly on the ground. Hence, heavy winds may rock the carport or even throw it off. In this case, you may need to secure the carport firmly to the ground.
Materials needed for this procedure
The materials and tools needed for this procedure are portable metal carport, cement, shovel, concrete drill bit, and a hammer drill. The carport costs around $1500. A bag of cement may cost you around $40.
Shovels are typically priced at around $20 each. A good concrete drill bit is priced at about $30. A standard hammer drill may cost you $60. So, you may incur a total of $1650 more or less for this procedure.
Permanent method: The step by step process
Step 1: Create a pattern around the area where the base or poles of your carport will stand.
Step 2: Insert the concrete drill bit on the hammer drill. Using these two, make holes in the pattern. You can make the holes as deep as you want, but make sure you do not compromise the carport’s height. It is preferable to have a deep foundation for the carport to hold on without making it too short for your car to fit in or for you to stand on.
Step 3: Prepare the cement mixture. Create a small crater in the center of the cement powder. The crater should be around half the length or diameter of the pile. Add the water on the small crater. One part of water for three parts of cement is the preferred mixture. Using your shovel, gradually mix the water with cement. You can add water or more cement to achieve the desired texture of the mixture.
Step 4: Pour the mixture on the holes created. It must cover about an inch or two of each hole. This will serve as the base of the cement mixture.
Step 5: Place the support or the poles of the carport on the holes with cement.
Step 6: Add cement over them to fully cover the sides of the holes. Pour the cement mixture throughout in an even thickness. Make sure that no one walks on the cement surface until it hardens.
After the cement fully dries, you can now enjoy your carport!
Considerations and Alternatives
Permanent vs. Specialized Asphalt Anchor
Since most carports are portable and often not designed to be incorporated permanently in infrastructure, the use of specialized asphalt anchors is preferable to using cement to hold the base of the carport. Generally, metal carports have a lifespan of about 10 to 20 years.
Although having it permanently fixed in one location is not disadvantageous, having the option to adjust or move the carport from one place to another is likewise strategic as long as it can be secured beneath, and the support on its base is strong.
The concrete-based support on the carport is preferred when the circumstances often present in your surroundings justify the need for it. An example of these is when your area is prone to flooding, typhoons, hurricanes, heavy rain, strong winds, other calamities, or human-made disasters.
But absent these, you might want to consider just anchoring them on the asphalt. You can add as many anchors as you want to ensure its stability on the ground.
Alternative: Mixing Both Methods
Attaching the carport on an asphalt ground can also be done by mixing both methods. This is a pleasant alternative if you think that merely anchoring them on the ground is not sufficient but you also do not want to pour cement over the base of your carport or secure it permanently in a fixed location.
The alternative method will give you the best of both worlds. However, we are using an anchor grout mixture in this procedure and not pure cement. Grout is generally a mixture of water, sand, and cement. So, they are not totally different.
Alternative: The step by step process
Step 1: Drill the ground with a drill bit to create a hole on the asphalt. Make sure the hole’s length is sufficient to cover the asphalt anchor on the ground, and the width must cover the anchor and the grout around it. The diameter of the hole is preferably no larger than one-fourth inch or 6 mm wider than the anchor’s width.
Step 2: Scrub the hole with a firm bristle brush to remove all dirt, dust, debris, or any bond-inhibiting particle from the drilling procedure.
Step 3: Prepare the grout mixture by pouring water on the powder. One part of the water is usually sufficient for one part of the grout. The mixture must have the same texture as honey.
Step 4: Pour the grout on the holes created. Then insert the anchor on the hole slowly with a twisting motion forcing it to the bottom until the asphalt grout flows to the top. Twist the anchor to guarantee intimate contact and establish the bond. Let the grout cure.
Step 5: Using a sledgehammer, insert the pushrod on the anchor to release the anchoring on the hole. This will open the anchor and allow better hold on the grout. Once the anchorage is released, remove the pushrod.
Step 6: The next step is optional. Hammer down a pipe clamp on a flat surface and shape it according to the pole or base of the carport. Insert the carport’s base or pole in the pipe clamp’s head. Then place the eye of the pipe clamp on top of the anchor right before screwing the ring. Pipe clamps provide additional stability on the carport in addition to its ropes by holding the base of the carport in place.
Step 7: Screw the ring on the anchor with the attached pipe clamp anchorage manually with your hands or use an electric screwdriver to achieve the desired stiffness.
Step 8: Secure the carport in place by attaching its ropes on the rings anchored on the ground. Tighten the ropes of the carport to ensure its stability. You can attach as many asphalt anchors into the ground to support your carport.
Now, enjoy your secured portable carport!
Conclusion
The need for portable carports stems from the increasing demand for personal vehicles and the growing desire to protect these automobiles. But portable carports to function well must be secured on the ground. If you have asphalt over your garage, carports can be easily attached by drilling on the land, placing the anchor screws on the holes, and then fastening the foundation or poles of the carport on the asphalt anchor.
It can also be attached using concrete. This is done by drilling holes on the ground, positioning the base of your carport on the holes, and then pouring the cement mixture over it. They may sound too alien for some, but they are not difficult to do if you understand the mechanics behind the procedures.
References:
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