What carport? This carport. The very one that almost kept us from even considering this house because we were so opposed to a carport. Funny how opinions change after living with something for a few years.
Sherry first mentioned our new perspective in this Listy McListerson post: “we originally wanted to convert this into a garage, but now we’re leaning towards adding a trellis arch so it’s all lush and pretty like a carport with a pergola instead of being closed in and dark like a garage (we’d lose some light from two windows into the laundry room and office if we closed it in).” That loss of natural light became a big deciding factor.
Because of fire code requirements we would have had to close off those windows, and losing the built-in desk and the laundry-room window—both valuable sources of daylight—felt like too high a price. The desk area you see in the photo would have been gone if we’d enclosed the carport as a garage.
We also realized we didn’t need garage storage as badly as we thought—our basement and attic have handled storage just fine—so the garage conversion plan slowly shifted into a different goal: making the carport look beautiful and intentional. Operation “Garage Conversion” officially became Operation “Carport Fancification.” Our strategy was simple: add architectural interest, soften the structure with a trellis or pergola, and let some greenery climb it.
Imagine transforming the plain carport into something with character and presence—less boxy, more inviting. We used mockups to picture it with a fitted trellis and climbing vines, trying to get a sense of scale and proportion before we started building.
If the quick Photoshop mockup didn’t fully convey the idea, inspiration photos did. While looking for references we discovered attached pergolas—sometimes called “garage arbors”—which made the concept feel entirely practical. The challenge then became figuring out how to build one that would attach to our existing carport and house.
Google led us to Workbench Magazine and a helpful 2008 article about building an attached pergola. The best part was that the article included detailed plans and diagrams, which made the whole project feel doable.
Those clear diagrams and a material list meant we could adapt the plan to our exact dimensions without reinventing the wheel. Their layout was nearly the size we needed, so we followed their cut list closely and prepared to get materials.
After printing the plans, we rented a truck from Lowe’s to bring the long boards home, loaded up all the lumber and hardware, and got started. The first on-site task was adding a support column on the house side of the carport to carry the pergola brace.
We’ve been busy rerouting a drainpipe, priming and painting many of the boards, crafting custom curved wooden braces, and cutting the slats that will form the pergola’s lattice. The work requires careful measuring and some tricky cuts, but having the detailed plans and diagrams has been a huge help. If everything goes according to plan, the main structure should be assembled by early next week and we’ll share a follow-up with more specifics and photos.
People often ask how we tackle larger DIY building projects. Our approach is to break big jobs into smaller, manageable tasks so nothing feels overwhelming. To make that concrete, here’s our pergola/carport to-do list and current status:
- Find reliable plans and print them — complete.
- Figure exact quantities of lumber, fasteners, and hardware and transport the materials home — complete (we rented a Lowe’s truck).
- Prime and paint lumber before assembly — in progress (much easier to finish pieces before they’re assembled).
- Install an extra column on the house side for the pergola brace to attach to — complete.
- Fabricate the curved wooden braces and bolt them securely — in progress.
- Cut and lay the boards and slats across the top, ensuring everything is level and fastened — upcoming.
- Plant or train climbing vines to soften the structure and add greenery — planned for after assembly.
Anyone else built an attached pergola or revamped a carport? We’d love to hear tips or lessons learned. And for the TV producers out there: who else thinks HGTV should consider a “Pimp My Carport” segment?
Psst — I also wrote a post for Boston.