Garage door sizes.

[Bleach]

Hi All,
I've never had a garage and need advise on door size. We are designing a house with a 2 car + shop space. The designer has put 9' doors on the 2 parking spaces and a 10' x 12' tall door on my shop space.
We have always owned a Forester and a Yukon. 9' sounds fine for the Subaru, but I'm not sure of the Yukon. 10' on the shop seems big, but I've had someone say backing a trailer through a 10' door is a PITA.
In a perfect world we would just upsize everything, but the budget is of some consideration.

Any input is appreciated.

Brian

[AC Bill]

I had a 9' door on my old garage, and for many years parked a full size older Suburban, and then later, a full size 3/4 ton pick up, without any issues. Both are bigger than the Yukon, so 9' should be fine for it.

Never tried backing a trailer in to any garage, but I imagine the difficulty in that, would depend on the driver's trailering skills. For many, even a 12' door might be a challenge.
If it can be done, financially, and structurally, I'd personally opt for the widest doors possible.

How deep the garage is plays a role as well. If the vehicle can move inwards several feet past the door, it makes it easier to take things in and out of the shop, without hitting the vehicles. Bicycles, lawnmower, lumber, or perhaps a ladder that is kept in the shop. You may not have to worry about that, depending on your situation for storage.

[Bleach]

More info:
2-car is 28 x 27, shop is 15 x 35.
Trailer would be a small river boat or atv trailer for spring and fall maintenance, the shop will mostly be for a FFR build.

[Jeff Kleiner]

I've designed houses, condos and apartments for 25 years. Today's standard for a single overhead door is 9' wide by 8' tall with a double being 16' wide. Years ago (when 8 foot ceilings were the norm rather than the 9 foot which is most common now) 8' wide and 7' tall was common. You'll still see an 8' single door occasionally (usually on low end properties) but it's a squeeze to fit a full size SUV through without folding the mirrors. Shop doors kind of depend on what you plan to bring in---I have 10' by 10' doors on mine and can back a full sized enclosed car trailer through. A 12 foot tall door is like you would use if you were going to bring in box trucks---and would require at least a 13 foot ceiling---not something you'll usually see on a single family residence. If you think that there is a chance that you will ever own a car trailer or camper now is the time to size the doors accordingly.

Good luck,
Jeff

[Dragonfire]

I have at 35x25 garage. It has a double wide door and a side entance door. Wide is better IMHO. I have a vaulted celing with the exposed rafters on an angle. If I could do it again i would have a flat celing 15 ft tall. I have a Youkon XL and I have to shut the garage door when I put it on the lift so I can raise it high enough to work under or else the Yuk would hit the open door. Still a tight fit and I cannot stand completely errect when under the care. I am 6 feet tall. No big deal but it can be a PITA. With a 15 ft celing that would not be the problem. If you are considering a lift at some point you may want to consider 15 ft celings also make sure you have a thick enouge reinforced concrete floor if you do a two post lift. Good luck.

[AC Bill]

More info:
2-car is 28 x 27, shop is 15 x 35.
Trailer would be a small river boat or atv trailer for spring and fall maintenance, the shop will mostly be for a FFR build.

Well you've got great depth in both the shops, so that is a big bonus. Could you not just install one 16' door in the two car shop, instead of two smaller doors? Only need one garage door opener, and one set of door tracks, which might help offset the cost of the larger door. Use the ATV to park the trailers in the shop. Mount a ball on the front of it, for easier maneuvering.

I have one larger door for the side of the shop that I built the roadster in. This made it very convenient from day one, when the roadster arrived. Friends helping bring the chassis into the shop, (from the crate), had plenty of room on either side of it to walk it into the shop. This single wider door, also allowed me to bring in engine hoists, and other items, without having a center post section to get in the way.

I often wish I had a tall door and high ceiling shop, for working on the boat, or motorhome. That would be so convenient in the off season, when it's cold and raining.
My shop is 24'x 42', and although a pretty good size, I really wish it was deeper the 24'. I had to place my workbench, grinder, compressor, and tool cabinets all along the side wall, rather than at the front of the vehicles, which would have been much more convenient.

[Papa]

My house has low 7' doors (one is 16' wide and the other is 9' wide). I'll tell you the builder should be flogged for cheaping out and not doing taller doors! When I built my shop, I went with 10' doors, one 16' and one 10' wide (side load). My shop is 30x40, but is split into two levels. The main (front) bay is 30' wide and 27' deep with 12' ceilings.
The back (side load) bay is 13' wide and 30' deep with 14' ceilings. I have header mount openers and ceiling hugger tracks in both bays. Big doors make a big difference. The 9' wide door on the house is tight for a full sized vehicle with regular mirrors. If you have the option, go as big as you can in my opinion.



Dave

[NAZ]

14' minimum ceiling height (15' is better & 16' better yet) and the full with of a 12' wide door and make the door at least 12' tall but taller if the ceiling is taller than 14'. Plan to add a four post lift to your shop, Works for most every vehicle even motorcycles and get a high lift one so you can use it as a stacker. You will soon forget the extra cost but if you don't build this into you plans now you may regret it for years to come.

[Bleach]

Doors to the 2 car are 8' tall and ceiling height in there is 10'-9".
Ceiling height in the shop area is spec'd at 14'. I do plan on a 4-post.

Maybe I should have just added a pic to begin with...garage_shop.jpg

[Bleach]

Based on the input here I think I'll ask for a 12 x 12 door on the shop and leave the parking area alone.

My thanks to everyone.

[Grizzly]

Doors to the 2 car are 8' tall and ceiling height in there is 10'-9".
Ceiling height in the shop area is spec'd at 14'. I do plan on a 4-post.

Maybe I should have just added a pic to begin with...garage_shop.jpg

Love the boat garage. My new house has a 8' wide door (94.5") and I can't fit the boat I want through it.

[Blu]

As I am the owner of a business selling garage doors, there is lots to ask before you make a decision. Not sure where you are located, climate makes a huge difference on the type of door selected. R-Value, windload, hurricane rating, steel, Fiberglass, glazing, raised panel, flush panel, carriage style, modern, contemporary... you get where I am going with this.

Let’s start with residential doors - the normal is 9 x 7 single or 16 x 7 double, however you can order almost any size. The residential market is very cost conscious (sensitive) especially if a builder is installing garage doors so they will put in the smallest and cheapest door.

If you are designing your home for you, then select the door that works best for your application. Most doors can be ordered to your specification (Size) pending the exterior look and design.

For example - My attached garage at home is 32’ x 32’ with (2) 10’ x 8’ doors commercial grade as I needed a R16 door for the climate. I have a 12’ ceiling to accommodate a car hoist, therefore I selected a 10’ wide garage door as I planned on backing in a trailer. Note: it is very tight to back in a 8’ 6” wide trailer unless you have a clear straight (non angle) approach.

So to answer your question, I would go with 10 x 8 ( as SUV market and trucks are getting taller) to allow for all kinds of vehicles to access your garage. It really depends what is important to you, size of door, design of door, look of door etc. If you go to a door manufactures website there is a million (yes a million) combinations of door designs. For example overhead door dot com Yes we are a dealer for them.

I have a boat, it sucks trying to back the obstructed mass into a 10’ wide door if it is not straight in, keeping in mind you cannot transport wider than 8’ 6” on the road so some feel a 10’ wide is enough. Suggestion 12’ wide if your home and the aesthetics work for your build. Allow at least 1’ clear above your boat for the opening height.

Most doors only require 12 - 16” headroom, keep that in mind when designing the rough opening height compared to your ceiling. In other words your boat garage has 14’ ceiling then a 12’ high door will maximize the space, and an 8’ high door would work well with a 10’ 9” ceiling.

Hope this helps. If you need additional help I can direct you to a dealer in your area who would help you with your design.

Good luck with your design and building your home ( and FFR car)