Guides
DIY Patio and Carport Kits vs Bunnings
A shelf product and a cut-to-measure one are different things. Here is how to tell which you are looking at.
The short answer
The real difference is not brand, it is whether the kit is cut for your span or picked off a shelf in a standard size. A boxed kit is quicker to buy and cheaper to list. A cut-to-measure kit is sized to your place and comes with engineer-rated plans for your wind region.
- The real split
- Cut to size, or off a shelf
- Decided by
- Your actual span
- Ask for
- The pack list
- Council wants
- Engineer-rated plans
01
Standard sizes versus your actual span
A boxed kit exists in set sizes because that is what a warehouse can stock. If your driveway is 5.4m and the box is 6m, you cut steel off; if it is 6.2m, you have a problem.
A cut-to-measure kit starts from your measurement. That is the whole difference, and it is why the two are hard to compare on price alone.
- Measure the space before you compare anything — the number decides which route is even available to you
- Check the box size against your span, not against the photo on the front
- Ask what happens if your span falls between two standard sizes
| Your span fits a box size | Your span falls between two | |
|---|---|---|
| Boxed kit | Buy it and go | Cut steel down, or leave the space short |
| Cut-to-measure kit | Quoted to the same span | Quoted to the same span |
| What you cut on site | Nothing either way | Nothing — it arrives at length |
| The leftover | None | Offcuts you paid for and cannot use |
If a standard size genuinely fits your space, a boxed kit is a reasonable buy and we will tell you so.
02
What comes in the pack, and what does not
The thing that decides a DIY weekend is rarely the steel. It is whether you have the plans, the span tables, the brackets and the right fixings without a second trip.
This is worth checking line by line on any kit, ours included. A pack list is a short document and a supplier who will not send you one is telling you something.
| Cut-to-measure kit | Boxed shelf kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Sizing | Cut to your measurement | Fixed sizes, chosen from a range |
| Plans | Engineer-rated, for your span | Generic assembly instructions |
| Span tables | Included with the kit | Check whether they are supplied |
| Fixings | Every bolt and bracket in the pack | Check the pack list |
| Buying it | Quoted, then cut and delivered | Off the shelf today |
| If it does not fit | It is cut so that it does | You adapt the space or the kit |
03
Council paperwork is the part people forget
Most patios and carports in WA need approval, and what an application wants is drawings and engineering for the structure you are actually building.
Generic instructions are not that. If a kit does not come with engineer-rated plans and span tables, budget for getting them drawn, because your council will ask.
Ask for the plans BEFORE you buy, not after. It is the cheapest question in this whole process.
04
What we cannot tell you
We do not publish other retailers' prices, spans or specifications here. They change, they vary by store, and repeating them second-hand is how a comparison stops being useful.
Look at the actual product page for whatever you are considering and check it against the list above. That is a five-minute job and it beats anybody's comparison table, including this one.
Cut-to-measure versus boxed kit questions
Is a hardware-store kit cheaper?
Often on the sticker, because a standard size made in volume costs less to produce. Whether it is cheaper in the end depends on whether it fits your span, and on what you have to add — plans, engineering, extra fixings, or steel you cut off and throw away.
Can I get a boxed kit approved by council?
Sometimes, but you will usually need engineer-rated drawings and span tables for your wind region, and a generic instruction sheet is not that. Check what the pack includes before you buy rather than after the application comes back.
What if my span is between two standard sizes?
That is the situation cut-to-measure exists for. With a boxed kit you either lose the difference, cut steel down and change how it is engineered, or move the structure to suit the box.
Do you sell through Bunnings?
No. The kits here are cut to your measurements and delivered flat-packed direct, which is a different way of buying — quoted first, then made, rather than picked up the same day.
More kit guides
Next step
Get a kit price you can compare
Tell us the measurements and we come back with a fixed price for the kit and a list of what is in it. Then you have a real number to hold against anything else you are looking at.