Your teen’s first car is an exciting experience, and this goes for the both of you. As a growing adolescent, your child’s first car is a taste of freedom, a small sample of impending adulthood. As a parent, it means quite a few more things. First and foremost, it means the end of carting at least one of your children back and forth to school, practices, and friends’ houses. It also, however, means that you’ve got quite a bit of responsibility in terms of picking out the car that’s best for your child and making sure it’s properly insured, to boot. This can be a complicated process, but we’re going to talk about a few ideas and strategies that can make everything a little easier, so you can find the right car and get along with your day.

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What type of car is best?

Used cars are really the best choice for your teenager’s first ride. There’s absolutely no reason to buy a brand new car for an inexperienced driver — if safety is your concern, then may your fears be assuaged; it’s perfectly possible to find a used car that’s in great shape and will protect its driver with the best of them. Essentially, buying a new car means losing money the moment you drive it off the lot — going used saves you a ton on the price of the car alone.

Think about your teen’s needs, and what he or she might be using the car for the most. Are sports part of the equation? Is there a band’s worth of equipment that’ll be carried from venue to venue? Perhaps your child is an avid surfer. Whatever the case may be, you want to make sure that your kid’s first car meets all their needs, and then some.

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What expenses should you consider?

It’s likely safe to assume that your teenager won’t be paying for his or her gas without any help from Mom and Dad. This being the case, gas mileage should be a factor in your decision. As the economy has gone down and the prices on gas and oil have gone up, mileage has become a more and more important factor to those looking to purchase a new car, so this information should be readily available. Depending on what kind of commuting your child will be doing, the miles per gallon your car can achieve might very well wind up being a huge factor in your decision.

Different cars also cost varying prices to insure. It’s smart to do a little research and figure out which types of cars incur which types of rates. You can visit Cheapcarinsurance.net or any number of other sites to find this kind of information. Whatever your choice, the first car you purchase for your teen will be one they remember for the rest of their life. Picking it out can be a bonding experience between the two of you, and now that you’ve got a few choice strategies in your back pocket, you’re all the more likely to walk away with a great deal on your teen’s very first car.

For more family ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Whether you just bought your teen his first car but you don’t have enough space to house it, you’ve decided to transform your garage into an additional room (man cave?), or your Great Aunt Edna shuffled off this mortal coil and left you a houseful of heirloom furniture that you’re storing until you can sell it, you may find yourself in need of some outdoor coverage for one or more cars. Since you probably don’t want to spend an arm and a leg having someone come in and build a carport for you (especially if the situation is only temporary), you might be looking for ways you can do it yourself for less. So here are just a few design tips to get you started.

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Confirm with code officials

First you should check with your local zoning board to find out if you can, in fact, build a structure on your property. In some cases you will have to obtain a permit and there could be laws pertaining to how close you can erect new structures to the property line (as well as other ordinances you’ll need to be aware of before you get started). Generally speaking, such laws will only pertain to permanent structures, so depending on what you intend to put up, permits and such may not be necessary. But it’s in your best interest to know about any rules, regulations, and limitations going in so that you don’t have to pay fines or make changes after the fact.

Measure out your area

Next you need to measure the space you plan to use to make sure you can erect a structure that is suitable for your needs. You must have enough clearance to get your car into the carport, and depending on how long you plan to use the structure (will you leave it for the next owner?) you might want to fashion it to fit larger vehicles as well. You’ll also want to make sure that you can still access your garage without any issues if you plan to stack park with your carport (as in, put it in front of one garage bay).

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What materials will you use?

Now it’s time to think about materials. There are many options here. You could use wood, metal, insulated concrete forms, or even heavy-duty PVC piping for the framework and the top could be something as simple as canvas to a more complex contraption made of roofing materials, aluminum sheeting, or even glass panels. You may also want to apply siding of some sort to protect your car during inclement weather. You’ll find a wide variety of materials and prices to suit your budget and your aesthetic. A word to the wise, though: if you plan to make a permanent addition to your home with the carport, make sure it matches your house in both design style and materials so that it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb.

Of course, you could just go to your local hardware store or a website like Get Carports.com to buy your carport and have someone else assemble it for you. But with careful planning and a little elbow grease you can easily erect a workable solution to your parking woes on your own. And whether it’s only temporary or you plan to sink supports into concrete moorings, you’ll end up with a structure that makes your home a little more functional.

For more outdoor home ideas on Stagetecture, click here.