Is it cheaper to build your own carport?

Is building your own carport really cost-effective?

1. Material costs can be saved, but the pitfalls outweigh the savings.

Buying materials is like buying groceries: → You can go to the steel market yourself to pick out square tubes and canopy panels, comparing prices from three suppliers to save 10-20%; → But amateurs are easily scammed: merchants sell rusty, refurbished pipes as new, and rust spots appear after six months.
Waste of scrap materials: → Professional teams cut materials to size with almost zero waste, while a novice might saw a beam incorrectly and have to buy a whole new one.

2. Is labor cost zero? Don't forget to account for your own labor.

Three days turn into three weeks: → A team of workers can erect the pillars in a day, but you'll only be able to work for half an hour after get off work, and you'll have to stop if it rains; → Asking two friends for help? The cost of cigarettes, alcohol, and food will equal half a person's labor cost.
Fatal shortcomings: → Professional tasks like welding/concrete pouring, if not done properly, will require rework → Doubling the material costs.

3. Tool expenses eat up 30% of the budget.

4. Hidden costs specifically target novices.

Approval fees: → Thinking you don't need a permit for self-construction? Reported and forcibly demolished → Rebuilding costs are three times more expensive than the permit fee;
Disaster resistance shortcomings: → Underestimating the load-bearing capacity and snow pressure → The canopy collapses and damages the car → Car repair is more expensive than building the carport.

5. When is it truly cost-effective?

 You happen to be a welder/carpenter → Tools are readily available, and you have excellent skills;
The carport is very small (only for motorcycles) → Requires minimal materials, and can be completed in half a day;
Using salvaged materials → Steel beams from a neighbor's dismantled shed, which can be sanded, painted, and reused.