By Rachel Deliz

You might have seen the carports from Japan in Hawaii. Since the late ’90s, they have been working hard to protect from wind and rain. The secret of their durability is their place of origin. The Japanese have been honing their skills in extruding, anodizing, coating and fabricating aluminum since the ’70s. Every part is meticulously tested and inspected for shape, surface, color and assembly.

Kunkel Works, a local distributor, has been inundated by offers for cheaper products, but vehemently refuses to sell inferior products.

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However, it is critical to be mindful that there are other companies who may be trying to sell cheap replicas of “Japanese style” carports. And eventually, clients who end up purchasing these products will see their units fail. For one customer, for example, a cantilever port was just bolted to the slab and blew over the first time a serious wind gust hit.

If you have purchased a cheap replica, Maggie Kunkel, the owner of Kunkel Works, recommended that customers should “make sure the unit is installed in concrete footings and not just bolted down.

“Another issue is the ‘open posts.’ A genuine Japanese carport has caps on top of the posts, so water cannot reach the steel bracket inside and create corrosion inside the posts. The cheap replica port will have no such caps, and soon, the steel brackets may eat their way through the aluminum posts. Cover up this opening however you can, don’t let the rain water get into the posts,” she said.

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Kunkel Works, the only distributor of Japanese products in the state of Hawaii, can verify if the product is from Japan. See the patio covers, carports, gates and fences in Hawaii at kunkelworks.com. For a free estimate, call 955-8211.

KUNKEL WORKS
CONTACT 955-8211
ADDRESS 106 Makaweli St.
WEB kunkelworks.com