One large door or two mediums? Feedback wanted.

[gsebast1]

Current issue:
I'm trying to decide if I should put (1) 18w x 10h door in the center or (2) 10 x 10 doors on my new garage/workshop?


After many years of planning and saving I'm finally getting ready to build.

Here are the basics:

Garage
33' wide x 54' deep (Approx. 1800 sf garage)
12 foot ceiling in garage

Upstairs
865 sf upper level with 9 ft ceiling. (Future office, storage, rec room...not 100% sure right now)

The drawing below is the first draft and is a 10ft ceiling in the garage and
8ft upstairs. This is being changed.

I'm also talking with the builder about putting at least a 10 ft wide door on the back so I can drive through it. I would like to make the stairs more efficient (spacewise) but don't really want to put them on the outside.

What I intend to do with the garage:
I have a couple of vintage cars and do a lot of welding/fabrication so I'm going to want a lift. The shape of the garage is somewhat dictated by the shape of our property.

Any ideas, suggestions, or feedback are welcome. I'm still in the planning stage.

 

[uscarry45]

Depends on what you are going to do in it. On first blush I would go with the two doors in case you are working on a vehicle that you don't want to move. it also gives natural separation to your workshop.

Obviously the advantage of the big door is being able to get wider things inside but it also lets more of the outside environment in when you open it (think heating cooling snow rain and my favorite wind)

 

[gsebast1]

I will be using a trailer to take things in and out of the building, that's why I am kinda leaning towards a big single door. I think that I could get two vehicles through an 18 foot wide door if needed.

The doors will be on the North and South ends so I'm hoping to catch our usual SE breeze through the open doors.

 

[Buckgnarly]

I was going to go with two doors, but got talked out of it in favor of one 10x18. Glad I did, a big opening makes getting stuff in and out easier and saved me the cost of two openers, double the tracks, etc

 

[gsebast1]

I was going to go with two doors, but got talked out of it in favor of one 10x18. Glad I did, a big opening makes getting stuff in and out easier and saved me the cost of two openers, double the tracks, etc

Thank you. This is exactly why I posted this.
If you did it again would you go wider than 18 if possible?

 

[Jinks]

No drawing below, so I'm going to assume the doors are on the 33 ft. side. Do a little of both, a 16' and a 10'. Never do less than 10'.

 

[gsebast1]

No drawing below, so I'm going to assume the doors are on the 33 ft. side. Do a little of both, a 16' and a 10'. Never do less than 10'.

You can't see the photos/drawings? Darn. I just switched from Photobucket to Imgur today and I guess I have the settings wrong...

 

[CJM8515]

imgur wont display on this forum.

 

[gsebast1]

Thanks. I think I've got it fixed now.

 

[Buckgnarly]

Thank you. This is exactly why I posted this.
If you did it again would you go wider than 18 if possible?

18 gives a lift and barely enough room to get a car next to it, if you have the room and money I'd even go wider.... especially if you want two cars comfortably

 

[Firebrick43]

I would do 2. Seen to many 16' plus door headers sagging after 10-15 years.

 

[Ditch]

wider is better

 

[kelpaso1]

Do they make 12 foot doors? Two of them would give the best of both worlds. I can't think of anything wider than 12 feet that would be in a garage unless you're building an air plane in there. Move the bathroom down by the stairs.

 

[thedannyc]

Just did a 30'x62' with a single 16' wide x14' tall centered in the 30' side and love it. I did not want a 1' to 4' wide pole in the center to maneuver around.

 

[Mikeske]

I have 2 doors on my steel pole building. It is the most annoying thing as even though it is easy to open one door and bring something in or or out but it is annoying as you have limited room for the bigger items. My Dodge Ram 2500 has about 10-12" to clear when I bring in or out. I have already clipped the front between the doors and had to repair-replace torn sheet metal. If I had to do it over I had a large double door.

The steel pole building was on the property when I first bought the place and the steel pole building had just the one door and a dirt floor. I had my contractor add the second door and cement the floor. What I should have had him do was put in a engineered header for the double door and take the center section out and frame it for a double for and call it good. I had more then a good chance to do it right then but I was trying to get off cheaper with two doors.

 

[gsebast1]

Do they make 12 foot doors? Two of them would give the best of both worlds. I can't think of anything wider than 12 feet that would be in a garage unless you're building an air plane in there. Move the bathroom down by the stairs.

This makes sense, too. I wish the bathroom could somehow go under the stairs.

 

[6768rogues]

I would put the bathroom in the back, possibly partially under the stairs. That would make it more convenient to the upstairs. Then I would put a window on each side of the garage door or with two doors I would put a window between them. I like to see what is going on outside and the windows in the doors look too high to be used to glance outside.

 

[^&right]

My last shop had one big door. Present shop has 2 smaller ones and I hate it. If I had money burning a hole in my pocket I'd go in with a chainsaw and cut the blasted separation out and redo it.

I hate 2 smaller doors.

 

[finn]

My contractor strongly recommended one very wide door for a building that may req hire access with a trailer.

Plus, he emphasized that one wide door is always less expensive (installed price). Than two doors.

We're planning on one 18' door for a storage addition.

 

[gnpenning]

I prefer the look of Multiple doors over a single door. For our climate multiple doors keep the warm air in. For your climate you would be keeping the cool air in.

A large single will be cheaper in door costs. The header will be more.

For singles you can go 12' or even 14' wide if you wish. For double 18',20',22', or more if you wish. With a wider door Windows can create a potential for sagging. Extra struts and a quality insulated steel backed door will help. Any brand they sale at the box stores I don't consider as quality doors.

Will you want to go with a high lift track? ? This will give you the added bonus of reducing sagging on a wider door.

 

[abachman]

Wider is my preference. Easier to get something in/out, especially when there is already something in on one side.

 

[bowhuntr311]

I agree with most everyone above. I like the look of the double matching doors.

Anything street legal will fit in a 10ft door. But an 18 and you'll be able to back a trailer in quick and easy. Even backing a vehicle in a 10ft door is not something that can be done mindlessly. I figured I would never need anything more than 10foot in my shop....The very first person that asked me to do a project for him wanted a 12foot wide hay wagon redone.... well **** shoulda went bigger.

 

[MikeF2316]

18 gives a lift and barely enough room to get a car next to it, if you have the room and money I'd even go wider.... especially if you want two cars comfortably

If you're considering 10 foot wide doors, how big a door could you get for the same money as the 2 10 footers? I would go to 20 feet if budget allows.

 

[gsebast1]

I'm now leaning heavily towards an 18 or 20 ft single door. 2 doors looks good but I really want to be able to back a trailer in fairly easily.

Also....Getting a breeze through the shop is important and it seems like a really wide single door should do that well.

 

[jives]

This makes sense, too. I wish the bathroom could somehow go under the stairs.

One more for this, at least with the bathroom under the stairs. We have two 10 x 10 doors in a carriage style, and though they look good it is a tight fit for our Ford E350. I don't expect anything bigger, so I'm happy with the doors, but if I had a trailer to park, or wider side mirrors, 10' would not be sufficient.

Two doors looks better than one, and does provide a nice separation both visually and in the interior space. Two 12' wide doors would be better.