I am getting ready to start my 25X 40 and i am not sure of a good general height to make my ceiling as I have not decided on a lift yet or if the cost incurred to make the ceiling higher will make the decision for me? Anyone have this same dillema? Does anyone regret going with an 8 foot ceiling? Thanks
Ceiling Height for lifts?
- Thread starter moparmatt
- Start date
12 feet is the rule of thumb, but you can get lifts that will go into a 10 foot ceiling(maybe lower) but you can't put the vehicle all the way up
My rule of thumb is 13 feet. Many lifts are very close to 12 feet, maybe a little over. The height on my Benwil is listed as 12 ft 2 inches or something like that. Guess what? They didn't count the bleed ******* on top of the cylinders. Its really 12 ft 2.5 inches. Why do I know this? What is this hair-splitting? I had to cove the ceiling to clear the lift so I was very careful with the tape measure.
If you want to comfortably place the lift where you want it and have room for things like light fixtures, garage doors, and fire sprinklers without turning it into an origami project, just bite the bullet and go with 13 feet. I did 13 feet in Garage Two Point Oh
If you want to comfortably place the lift where you want it and have room for things like light fixtures, garage doors, and fire sprinklers without turning it into an origami project, just bite the bullet and go with 13 feet. I did 13 feet in Garage Two Point Oh
nate379
Banned
Really depends what you are working on and how tall you are, but I would say 13-14ft min.
Taller stuff like trucks will need the room. My truck for example is right around 7ft tall. To lift it 7 ft high I'd need 14ft at least.
Now if all you ever work on are little cars, you can get away with a much lower ceiling.
My Dad's first shop he built in 1990 has an 8 foot ceiling and he hates it. No lift but you can't even stand in the bed of a pickup without smashing your head on stuff. The opener arm barely clears the camper shell on a truck they had as well. The new shop he built has 10ft ceilings with 9ft doors. No plans on putting a lift, but it's nice to have the extra room and really isn't that much more $$ to build.
My garage he has a 9ft ceiling (same as the house) with an 8ft door. It's nice that I can at least fit my Jeep or truck in the garage since they just barely fit under a 7ft.
Taller stuff like trucks will need the room. My truck for example is right around 7ft tall. To lift it 7 ft high I'd need 14ft at least.
Now if all you ever work on are little cars, you can get away with a much lower ceiling.
My Dad's first shop he built in 1990 has an 8 foot ceiling and he hates it. No lift but you can't even stand in the bed of a pickup without smashing your head on stuff. The opener arm barely clears the camper shell on a truck they had as well. The new shop he built has 10ft ceilings with 9ft doors. No plans on putting a lift, but it's nice to have the extra room and really isn't that much more $$ to build.
My garage he has a 9ft ceiling (same as the house) with an 8ft door. It's nice that I can at least fit my Jeep or truck in the garage since they just barely fit under a 7ft.
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pattenp
Well-known member
I have a two post lift and the columns are right at 12' tall. My ceiling is 12'6" and that gave me just enough clearence to make it under my light fixtures. If I had built the garage with the plan of getting a lift I would have made the ceiling height 13'. I lucked out that I had at least the 12'6" ceiling.
JDMopar
Well-known member
The ceiling in my garage is 10' 11". I have a Superlifts SR7H 4 post lift, and have a 74 Cuda on the top notch of the lift right now. It's way too high to work on anything at that height, but I don't have to duck hardly at all to get under the runways. I'm 6' tall. If I planned on ever putting something as tall as a 1/2 ton pickup truck on the lift, my ceiling would not be tall enough. Go 12 or 13 feet if you have the option.
Maybe for a drive on lift, but for a regular 2 post you lift from the frame so.. I think most lift manufacturers want 12 feet, maybe that was for in ground lifts? I see Rotary makes some above ground lifts for trucks that need 14 or 16 foot ceilings.
you going need six feet under the car and how high the car from roof to frame. I have 12 and had to put my lift outside. 13 close, 14 would be safe. now dont forget about lights hanging down or if you have ceiling fans.
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Notch1988
Well-known member
Exactly... my truck has 9" lift and 35" tires. I can lift to full height with 12' ceilings. As you can see in the pics, it just takes a while before the truck actually leaves the ground.
I have a 14' ceiling & have never got a vehicle close to hitting the ceiling. Even with both adapters at each corner (9" total) F-150's, minivans, & dually PU's are not a problem. Lifted trucks wouldn't be a problem either on a 2 post because the distance between the frame & the top of the vehicle stays the same, on a 4 post the increased total height could be an issue.
That's a good point, in my last house, I really wanted to have a lift in the garage but it had a ceiling just under 9 1/2 feet. I could have put an open top lift in with low posts, but then I wouldn't have been able to lift it very far before hitting the roof of my truck into the ceiling, and cars would not have been much better.
I ended up going with a nice floor jack and a good set of jack stands for my last house, and made a bigger garage a priority when buying my new house - now I am the proud owner of an awesome two post lift! And I'm glad I waited, the cramped ceiling with a lift just seems like buying a race horse and cramming it into a sub addition back yard - a waste!
sparky1562
Well-known member
Most of the replys are assuming a 2 post service lift. If you are considering a 4 post storage lift, 12 ft is fine for cars, but you need 14, at least in the middle using sissor trusses if you want to put a pick up or big SUV all the way up to park another car under it, or to get it high enought to stand under it to work on it. My walls are 12 ft, but i went back and put in Sissor trusses to get my truck all the way up.
bosskong
Well-known member
Most of my garage has an 8 foot ceiling and it *****. Not only is there no usable room for a lift, but even hanging things from hooks on the ceiling makes the garage feel more crowded. My current garage was already in the basement of my house when I moved in, so I can't do much about the ceiling height, but If I was building a new garage, I'd definitely listen to all the advice in this thread and install a much taller ceiling, even if it's going to cost a lot more.
My ceiling is 12'8" (13'2" to the rafters) which left about 8" between the Bend Pak two post lift and the ceiling. I was going to go with a 12' but then had to figure in for the lights. It was a good choice. My is garage is finally finished and now just need to run the power to the lift.
jumbo61
Well-known member
How much height do you fiqure to gain with the scissor trusses? What is the roof pitch?