Carports · Cantilever frames
A carport whose roof is carried from one line of posts, so nothing stands in front of the bay. For driveways where a post would block a door, a camera line, or the turn into the space.
01 What the cantilever has to solve
Removing the front posts does not remove the load — it moves it. Bending and uplift now arrive at one line of foundations, the free edge has to stay level across the full width, and the gutter has to run the length of the frame without dropping water where people walk. Those three things decide whether the carport still looks right after five years.
A cantilever column carries bending and uplift, not just compression. The foundation schedule states the pad size and the anchor pattern for each column, and it assumes the substrate is what the drawing says it is. If the slab is thinner than that, say so before production.
An undersized section sags at the open edge, and a sagging line is the first thing a buyer notices. The frame is sized for a stated deflection at the free edge — ask for the figure in the drawing package, not only the wind load.
No front posts means car doors open fully, mirrors clear the frame, and a reversing camera or a bay sensor keeps an unobstructed line. That is usually the reason a cantilever is chosen over a portal frame, and it is worth confirming against the actual vehicle.
The gutter runs along the columns, so downpipes sit beside the posts rather than at the open edge. That keeps the drip line out of the walkway and out of the driveway crossing, and it puts the discharge where a soakaway or kerb connection can reach it.
02 Configuration
A single cantilever covers one or two bays from one post line. Two frames set back to back share a central spine and cover a double row. For long car parks the same section is repeated, with expansion joints where the run changes direction.
03 Photographs
Reference installations across this range. Sizes, colours and membranes vary by project — send a photo of your site and we will say which of these is closest.
04 How it works
Every project follows the same four steps. Nothing is cut until the drawing is approved and the deposit is received.
Vehicle height, bay width, the side the posts can stand on, and photos of the surface. A sketch with dimensions is enough.
Post positions, roof form, gutter fall and the foundation load for each column, with the deflection stated.
Priced per bay against the drawing, with the finish, roof build-up, packing and delivery terms.
Frame cut, drilled and coated; roof cut to size; cartons labelled against the loading plan.
05 Questions
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Usually, with base plates anchored into a new pad or a thickened section of the existing surface. The drawing states the pad size and the anchor type each column needs; the concrete work is by your contractor.
It depends on the section, the roof build-up and the deflection you are willing to see at the open edge. Rather than quote a maximum, the drawing states the span and the deflection for your bay — ask for both in writing.
A cantilever is designed for a stated wind speed in the closed condition, and the foundation takes the uplift. The figure that applies to your site should come from your engineer or your local code; we design to it and show the calculation.
Yes — a side infill, a wind screen or a privacy panel can be detailed on the same frame. It changes the wind load on the structure, so it has to be decided before the drawing is approved, not bolted on afterwards.
No catalogue numbers, no online checkout. Tell us the site, the span and the destination, and the quotation is built against the layout you approve.
06 Related
