Torn between main door options on a 30x50 (two smaller vs one huge)

[brnctt]

I'm about to sign a contract on a 30x50 metal building. I'm pretty torn between what to do for the main entry on the front gable end. For just about the same price with my contractor, I can do either two 10w x 12h doors, or a single 18w x 12h door.

Hoping to hear from folks on thoughts from all your shop use experience. Here's what I'm thinking:

Single door pros:
-Easier to work on projects in the middle of the shop floor with plenty of space to the sides
-more usable wall space on the front wall (6ft sidewalls vs 4 ft sidewalls with the two doors)

Dual door pros:
-less tight maneuvering in and out when vehicles are parked side by side.
-Can leave one door closed for some privacy from the street (this shop faces the street)

Any thoughts? If the 10 wide doors wouldn't really present any clearance problems, then I'm probably leaning towards that option for the privacy option. I don't have a trailer today, and if we ever get one, I would park it outside, so ease of trailer back in isn't really a big use case for me.

 

[BillK]

Personally I would do the single big one. I hate small doors. I also like to be able to pull something into the center of the shop.

 

[larry_g]

I went with two 10' doors and have no regrets. See my build below.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[The Cobbler]

I believe it ends pretty much up being personal preference . there seems to be pros' & con's for each scenario .

 

[Badhabit]

Is it a farm shop or what is the main use of the shop? Do you live where it gets hot /cold? Two small doors would lose less heat/cold than one big one. Are there really big vehicles that would be coming into the shop? Then one big door would be better. Depends on the intended use of the shop.

H

 

[Sumboodie]

I have 2 10x13 in a 30x42 and it *****.
10ft is too narrow for anything larger than a single rear pickup.

My trucks have 8.5ft wide beds, and the mirrors are ~10ft wide.

Also only 13ft *****, but only have a 14ft ceiling.

I was going to replace it with an 18x13, but the near $20k price tag put that project on hold.

 

[Yankeefarmer]

I have two 10’ wide doors. No regrets, but like @Sumboodie says, 10’ can be tight with towing mirrors. Maybe a 12’ and a 10’? I do like having 4’ between the door frame and outside wall because it allows for storage or workspace along that wall when a vehicle is pulled in. And I‘d prefer not to have an 18’ wide door because we have winters, and that big an opening can chill things fast. Maybe that’s not a concern in your location.

 

[Sumboodie]

It's a non issue of a 10ft wide vs 18ft wide for cold unless you're constantly opening the door.

 

[micromind]

If you have electric openers, the smaller ones will last longer.

 

[Great white]

I went with 2 singles. A single wide would be more convenient at times and as mentioned, backing the truck in is "watch the mirrors" tight. it also ***** if you store vehicles "side by side" in the winter months. I have to "back and forth" the middle cars to get them in behind the wall post between the doors. A single wide would just be drive in, drive out.

But, it gets reasonably cold here in winter and the reasoning was two single doors would loose less heat in winter when driving in and out than one large single.

Not sure if it worked out that way, but the garage it what it is now....

 

[HoosierMark]

Wide one would be my vote. Lots easier to back something in.

 

[haveissues]

I went with an 18' on mine. Easy to pull stuff in and out and leaves 6ft of wall space on each side of the door for stuff.

 

[brnctt]

Thanks for all the feedback folks. Although I'm still a little torn I think we're going to go with the two 10x12 doors. I do not have a "large vehicle" use case, it'll be a non-vehicle workshop, except a project car or two, perhaps. I like the idea of leaving one door closed to retain some privacy from passers by since it faces the road.

 

[pblanton]

But, it gets reasonably cold here in winter

That's funny. It's interesting to me how you Canadians think it is "reasonably cold" in the winter. I have been to Ottawa in Feb/March and it's CUSSWORDINGLY COLD.

I live in the mountains of Colorado and own a Canada Goose coat that is much too hot to wear 99% of the time here, but I NEEDED it in Ottawa in the winter and was glad to have it. A hot cup of coffee is nice in Colorado, but its downright luxurious in Ottawa in February.

It is fascinating to me how people get used to the climate where they live and just consider its extremes to be ... "meh".

My plan is to relocate to the mountains of Eastern Tennessee sometime next year and I am looking forward to the much milder winters there. The summers will be hotter there than here in Colorado, but mostly because of the extra humidity. I suspect I'll think I am dying the first couple of summers there. My wife and I were there recently, around Johnson City in mid August, and it was very mild but I think that was an aberration.

Back to the subject at hand, I will be building a new 3500 square foot shop in Tennessee next year, and will go with a single big door on the gable end (side) and a smaller overhead door around the corner, on the back side. The "front" of the shop will only have windows and a set of double french doors. There will be a 1,500 square foot apartment / office above the shop on the end opposite the big door.

 

[Great white]

That's funny. It's interesting to me how you Canadians think it is "reasonably cold" in the winter. I have been to Ottawa in Feb/March and it's CUSSWORDINGLY COLD.

I live in the mountains of Colorado and own a Canada Goose coat that is much too hot to wear 99% of the time here, but I NEEDED it in Ottawa in the winter and was glad to have it. A hot cup of coffee is nice in Colorado, but its downright luxurious in Ottawa in February.

It is fascinating to me how people get used to the climate where they live and just consider its extremes to be ... "meh".

My plan is to relocate to the mountains of Eastern Tennessee sometime next year and I am looking forward to the much milder winters there. The summers will be hotter there than here in Colorado, but mostly because of the extra humidity. I suspect I'll think I am dying the first couple of summers there. My wife and I were there recently, around Johnson City in mid August, and it was very mild but I think that was an aberration.

Back to the subject at hand, I will be building a new 3500 square foot shop in Tennessee next year, and will go with a single big door on the gable end (side) and a smaller overhead door around the corner, on the back side. The "front" of the shop will only have windows and a set of double french doors. There will be a 1,500 square foot apartment / office above the shop on the end opposite the big door.

Meh, I'm bred to it. You deal with the climate in Canada or it deals with you. We're "cold warriors" up here.

For some reason, we get a fair amount of Jamaicans here. Likely seasonal farm workers, which we have a fair amount of here. It's a bit of a sight when a group of them walk down the street in June wearing torques! They're always complaining they're cold when it's 15/20 C out! LOL!

I'm sure I'm part polar bear. Shorts in 0c isn't a problem for me. A windbreaker in -10 is usually enough, although I do wear a winter coat.

I used to work on the flight line in Moose Jaw Sask. you'd see -35/-40 C for a month or more at a time. I'd be out in that for hours in nothing more than what we called a "skunk coat". Basically a light fall coat insulation wise.

But, stick me in the southern states in summer and I'm just miserable. I've been in Texas, Florida, etc in summer and was sure I was going to die. Anywhere hot and humid and I just lay on the ground and wait for death.

Arizona wasn't bad though, hot as heck, but didn't "feel" that bad. Probably because it was dry enough to make sweat evaporate.....

 

[Roothawg]

I have 38' of the 50' that opens on my shop. I have a 16x8, a 12x12 and a 10x8. The 10x8 is on my paint room, so cars only go in for a short time and live there for a while. I wouldn't put anything in less than 12' wide, just my opinion.

I am building a 40x100 right now and I am planning on 3 or 4 - 12x12 doors. Placement is my biggest issue.

 

[wmihl]

That's funny. It's interesting to me how you Canadians think it is "reasonably cold" in the winter. I have been to Ottawa in Feb/March and it's CUSSWORDINGLY COLD.

I live in the mountains of Colorado and own a Canada Goose coat that is much too hot to wear 99% of the time here, but I NEEDED it in Ottawa in the winter and was glad to have it. A hot cup of coffee is nice in Colorado, but its downright luxurious in Ottawa in February.

It is fascinating to me how people get used to the climate where they live and just consider its extremes to be ... "meh".

My plan is to relocate to the mountains of Eastern Tennessee sometime next year and I am looking forward to the much milder winters there. The summers will be hotter there than here in Colorado, but mostly because of the extra humidity. I suspect I'll think I am dying the first couple of summers there. My wife and I were there recently, around Johnson City in mid August, and it was very mild but I think that was an aberration.

Back to the subject at hand, I will be building a new 3500 square foot shop in Tennessee next year, and will go with a single big door on the gable end (side) and a smaller overhead door around the corner, on the back side. The "front" of the shop will only have windows and a set of double french doors. There will be a 1,500 square foot apartment / office above the shop on the end opposite the big door.

Referring to your coat comment, that is why they call them Canada Goose and not North American Goose coats. LOL Our first snowfall here in WI which will of course melt in a few days. I was out shoveling the 2 inches of snow in just a hooded sweatshirt with a temp of 36 F and partial sun. Unless it is below 25 F and I am sitting for a Green Bay Packers game, I have no need for a Canada Goose or similar North Face coat.

As for the garage door question. I do not have the property where I could put a large detached garage, but do have a three car garage with one big door for the double stall and the small door for the third stall. I like having the option to have one or the other door closed. My house faces South and sometimes I shut one door due to the sun or a windy day, not just as a privacy issue.

 

[Mikeske]

On my 48' X 28' shop I opted to have 2 doors and that was a big mistake as it is tight going into the building with a larger vehicle and I have hit the mirror on my Dodge Ram. When the building was built it had a single 8 X 10 door and I had the second door added. The building was pre existing on the property when I bought 25 years ago and it was unfinished and I worked over the years to finish it, it had a dirt floor and I had to fix the rain water running though it by putting in drainage.

I should have had a double car door put in when I had the cement done but hind sight always is best. The building works fine for what it is but a single double door would have been much better

 

[pblanton]

Our first snowfall here in WI which will of course melt in a few days. I was out shoveling the 2 inches of snow in just a hooded sweatshirt with a temp of 36 F and partial sun. Unless it is below 25 F and I am sitting for a Green Bay Packers game, I have no need for a Canada Goose or similar North Face coat.

As I said, I live in Colorado, but when I'm not in my shop, my "real job" is as a software security architect for Kohl's. My "office" is in Menominee Falls Wi. and when I was in the Navy I spent a lot of time in Lake Geneva. Summer and winter; so I know Wisconsin and love that area.

My wife and I considered Wisconsin when we decided to leave Colorado, but ultimately set our sights on Tennessee. Due in no small part to the fact that its a zero income tax state. Also I am a mountain man and don't think I'd be happy as a flat-lander.