Fain Skinner made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis this past weekend. Skinner, driving the #41 Carport Empire Chevy practiced very well and was firmly in the Top 25 in both practices on Saturday.

The Florida native qualified himself into the 34th position, a great conservative lap considering that he was locked into the starting grid for the race.

At the drop of the green flag, Skinner immediately moved up into the Top 30 and was running quick laps while battling traffic as the leaders with clean air, set sail on the pack.

As Ricky Stenhouse in the #6, passed Skinner to put him a lap down, Fain was forced to give room to the leaders who were setting a fierce pace as the race stayed green until lap 104.

“Its rough out there as a rookie to have to give room to the leaders, but you have to earn respect,” stated crew chief Carl Long. “Fain is doing an awesome job of picking on competitors when he can and yet giving room to others when he needs to. Doing a veteran job right now!”

When the checkered flag dropped, Fain Skinner finished 26th without a scratch on the car and the respect of others. “Fain did a great job tonight!”, stated teammate Timmy Hill. “This is the best of the best in racing and he raced smart and clean all night. More than I can so for others in their debut.”

Going green is no longer a tagline for the trendsetters, it’s an accepted and expected way of life and it can easily be incorporated into building and outfitting your new metal carport, metal garage or metal utility building.

Simply by choosing a metal structure, you’ve already made a great green choice. Metal construction requires no harmful chemicals such as resin, adhesive, wood treatments or pesticides commonly used in traditional wood frame construction. Metal is highly resistant to water, mold and mildew which can emit harmful toxin into the air you and your family breathe. Metal and steel building elements also are 100% recyclable at the end of a structure’s usable life. And Carport Empire’s metal carports, metal garages and metal utility buildings are built to last – particularly if they’re certified, meaning that they’re engineered to withstand heavy snow loads and high wind speeds.

Metal enclosed carports, enclosed garages and steel utility buildings are easy to insulate, which can help conserve energy, further control moisture and resist pest invasions. Reflective insulation is made with aluminum foil, which is completely nontoxic. Foam board and spray foam insulation contains no HCFCs, VOCs or Formaldehyde and does not settle or give off gasses over time, as do some other sealant products. It completely seals your structure, keeping outdoor pollutants and allergens out, which makes for a healthier hangout space – an important consideration if your enclosed carport, garage or utility building will be used for a children’s playroom, workshop, office or the like.

Lighting your open carport or the exterior of your enclosed garage or metal building can be achieved with solar light fixtures or compact fluorescent bulbs. Motion sensor lights help save energy and money because they’re only on when someone is in or near the structure. If your carport, garage or utility building has a window, use a blackout curtain to help keep out sunlight and heat. And if you’re structure houses your water heater, wrap the heater in an insulating blanket to help contain heat.

To learn more about metal carports, garages and buildings and their eco-friendly attributes, contact Carport Empire at 1-800-985-7678.

If you’re planning to add an open or enclosed metal carport to your property, be sure to do a little legwork before your Carport Empire professional installer arrives, especially when it comes to wiring. Although Carport Empire does not provide electrical wiring services, your new or existing structure can be wired for electricity and phone service. Your best bet is to talk with an electrical contractor or telephone service provider first, as your plans, as well as the locations of your existing underground utilities wiring (including not just electrical and phone, but gas lines too) may affect the placement and orientation of your new carport.

In planning your electrical wiring, a prime consideration is lighting. Wiring likely will come from the same wiring that powers and lights your home or existing attached garage, depending on how close your new detached carport is from your house. If your carport is small, one or two lighting fixtures may be adequate. A larger, double-bay or triple-bay metal carport, metal garage or metal building may require multiple fixtures to provide adequate lighting. And if you plan a corner workshop table, for instance, you’ll need to be sure that an electrical outlet for a plug-in lamp is nearby.

If your carport is enclosed, most any standard lighting fixture should work fine. Open carports, however are subject to moisture conditions, particularly in rainy, snowy or humid coastal climates. If your new carport will have an open or partially open configuration, you’ll need to install appropriate outdoor lighting fixtures that are resistant to moisture. Consider adding floodlights around the corners of your open carport, and pathway or driveway lighting in the ground leading up to your carport to help ward off vandals and thieves.

For open carports, solar-powered lighting costs more than electricity-powered lights initially, but will save you money on energy costs in the long run. A solar light with a motion sensor assures the light will come on only when someone is around, then automatically turn off after a period of non-movement. This avoids wasted energy and money when no one is around, plus helps to alert you if a unwanted prowler – whether a thief or a four-legged visitor such as a rascally raccoon looking for a free meal – has approached your carport.

If you own or are planning to add an enclosed carport, garage or metal building to your property, consider the benefits of adding insulation. If you plan to use your structure as a workshop, art studio, office, play or recreation room you’ll want to make sure it’s comfortable and energy efficient. Quality insulation is a great way to ensure comfort and efficiency – and it may even put a few dollars in your pocket.

In an effort to encourage energy-efficient and environmentally sensitive construction and retrofitting of new and existing structures, the Federal government, many states and municipalities, manufacturers and utility companies are offering a plethora of rebates and tax incentives. These incentives apply to both residential and commercial builders and owners who install or upgrade insulation and purchase energy-efficient appliances. A great source to find out what’s offered in your area is the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association’s Simply Insulate website.

Insulation of your enclosed metal garage, metal carport or metal storage building offers many benefits:

• Reduced heat flow and costs for heating during the winter and cooling during the summer;
• Reduced consumption of fossil fuels which means less pollutant gas emitted;
• Condensation control, which helps to avoid harmful mold buildup and corrosion of metals;
• Noise control.

Three main types of insulation are best for metal or steel garages, carports and buildings: Fiberglass, foam board and reflective insulation (more on each of these in our upcoming blogs). Made from extremely fine fibers of glass, as its name suggests, fiberglass slows down the flow of heat into your house during the summer or out of your house during the winter. Foam board is sprayed onto walls, roofs and foundations, and can be used in crevices and small areas where other types of installation won’t fit. Reflective insulation makes use of foil to resist heat transfer and act as a moisture-resistant barrier against air infiltration.

Our next few blogs will go deeper into each of these types of insulation. Take a look, then call Carport Empire at 1-800-985-7676 if you have any further questions about the type of insulation that’s best for your enclosed carport, garage or metal building.