Guides
DIY Patio and Carport Kits vs Stratco
Branded systems and cut-to-measure kits solve the same problem differently. Here is what to compare.
The short answer
Compare them on four things: whether the structure is cut to your span or assembled from a system range, what the quote actually includes, whether engineer-rated plans for your wind region come with it, and who does the building. Brand name is the least useful comparison available.
- Compare on
- What the quote includes
- Biggest variable
- Supply only, or installed
- Ask for
- The same basis, both ways
- Least useful
- The brand name
01
A system range and a cut-to-measure kit are different products
A branded system is designed around a range of components that fit together in set ways. That has real advantages: it is proven, it is consistent, and there is a dealer network behind it.
A cut-to-measure kit starts from your span instead. Neither is automatically better — they suit different jobs, and the honest answer depends on your space.
| A system range | A cut-to-measure kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts from | A catalogue of components | Your measurement |
| Sizing | Chosen from the range | Cut to the span |
| Strength | Proven, consistent, well documented | Engineered for your span |
| Support | A dealer network | Direct, with the plans in the pack |
| Suits | A standard space, a familiar layout | An awkward span or a tight boundary |
02
Ask what the quote includes
This is where quotes diverge most, and it is rarely about the steel. Two numbers that look far apart often include different things.
Tick as you go
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Get both quotes on the same basis — supply only, or supply and install — or you are comparing two different jobs.
03
Who is doing the building
A supply-and-install price buys you a finished structure and someone else's labour. A kit price buys you steel, plans and a weekend.
The saving on a kit is the labour, so the question is not really which is cheaper. It is whether you want to build it.
| A DIY kit | Supply and install | |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay for | Materials, plans and delivery | Materials plus labour |
| Who builds it | You, with a hand | Their installers |
| Timeline | When you are ready | When they are booked in |
| Workmanship cover | Yours — you built it | Theirs, per their terms |
| Suits | Confident DIY, flexible timing | No time, or a complex site |
04
What we cannot tell you
We do not publish another company's prices, spans or product specifications on this site. They change, they differ by region, and second-hand figures are how a comparison becomes wrong without anybody noticing.
Take the checklist above to whoever you are comparing and ask them directly. A supplier who answers those five questions clearly is usually the one worth dealing with.
Questions about comparing kit quotes
Is a branded system better quality?
Not automatically, and not automatically worse. Ask both suppliers the same questions — steel and coating, what the plans cover, what is in the pack, what the warranty is on — and compare the answers rather than the logos.
Can I install a branded system myself?
Some are sold for DIY and some are supply-and-install only, so ask before you get attached to one. If a system is install-only, you are comparing a finished structure against a kit, which is a different sum.
Why is your price hard to compare?
Because it is quoted from your measurements rather than listed against a standard size. That is the point of cut-to-measure, and it means the only fair comparison is a quote for your actual span against a quote for theirs.
What steel do you use?
The kits are supplied by The Patio Factory and made from Australian BlueScope steel in Colorbond finishes. That is their statement about their own product, and it is the kind of claim you can check with the brand rather than take our word for.
More kit guides
Next step
Get a cut-to-measure kit price
Send your span and we come back with a fixed price for the kit and a list of what is in it. Hold that against any other quote on the same basis.