Tired of getting into a super hot vehicle every morning? Looking for ways to convert your carport into a comfortable, shady outdoor space? If you've answered "yes" to either of these questions, you may want to explore some strategies for lowering the temperatures in your carport. Try some of these ideas:

1. Paint the Roof of the Carport

If your carport is a dark colour, the metal roof will absorb the sun more readily. That in turn will heat up the underside of the roof and the inside of the carport. To minimise that effect, consider painting the roof a lighter colour. White, light blue and silvery metallic tones are all ones to consider, as they will encourage the light to bounce off.

2. Use Plants

Plants also help to cool spaces. Collectively, they can lower temperatures throughout an entire city, but even when used on their own in your carport, they can also have a cooling effect.

Big leafy ferns situated around the outside perimeter of the carport or leafy vines growing around the carport can help create natural shade. Even just watering the plants can help to cool the space as it raises the humidity in the area, and the excess moisture helps cool down the air in this situation.

3. Consider Shade Barriers

In addition to plants, consider putting up some solid barriers to create shade. If you are using the carport for your car, you may want to put up a wooden trellis, a cinderblock wall or a retractable screen designed for use with garages. All of those options will block some of the sun's hot rays from entering the carport.

If you use the carport as an outdoor living area, you may want to play with textiles instead. Outdoor curtains can easily be attached to the sides of a carport as can bamboo shades.

4. Put in Fans or Misters

You can't air condition a carport as it's open to the outside, but you can use fans and misters. If you have power in your carport, consider wiring a ceiling fan into it. Stand fans connected to extension cords also work, and if it's really hot, you may want a mister fan. This type of fan draws cool water up from the bucket, and it creates a nice mist of cool water around the fan.

For more ideas, contact a carport expert, like one from Apollo Patio Roofing. They can help with everything from buying a new carport to improving the one you have.