Garage Door Size and UDC

[BGTLS]

Hi, I am finally, after 20 years of waiting, putting up a workshop/garage building on my property. The building is 24 x 36 with radiant heat in the floor. It will be used mostly for some hobby wood working and for working on my lawn equipment I also would like to store my covered trailer with lawn equipment in it in there over the winter months. I had the local lumber yard draw up the building and told them I wanted two 10 ft wide x 8 ft tall doors on the 24 foot gable end and a 10 foot high side wall on the building. They said no problem and to stop back the next day for some drawings and a materials estimate. The next day when I stopped in they said they had bad news and said the garage could not be built. They tried to draw it in their software but it would not allow the 10 ft doors to be placed 16 inches from the side wall. The lumber company called the local building inspector and he said that udc code requires at least 20 inches of space on the side of the door before the corner of the building for a 10 foot high wall and that the wall had to be built using portal frame construction. They said that at least 20 inches of space is also needed between the doors because the total opening is over 18 feet so that it would be impossible to build a 24 foot wide garage with two 10 ft wide doors. I could not believe it, nearly every unattached garage in my town has no more than 12 inches from the edge of the garage doors to the corner. I inquired about it not being a dwelling and only being a garage if it needs to even follow the udc and I was told that I should not have too but that no that one really knew for sure and local ordinances did not address it. Well that is no help so now to be sure I at least meet code I feel like I am stuck with either going with 2 nine foot wide doors and only having a spare 6 inches (3" per side ) when trying to get my trailer in for winter or putting in one large 18 foot wide door? I can't see how an 18 foot opening 20 in from the corner could be stronger and more resistant to racking than two 10 foot openings 16 inches from the corner with 16 inches in between them especially when the building is fully sheeted on the outside. I can't believe that codes have changed so much from 15 years ago. My current attached garage is 24 feet wide and has two nines and a 32" man door with 10 foot high side walls (that is only 10 inches between openings and a corner and it was no big deal back then. It also has not moved a bit and is as solid as a rock. Are these new codes a joke? A guy can't even build a garage anymore without having to hire a structural engineer. What are your guys opinions on 18 foot wide doors? or how to build a 24 foot garage with 2 10 foot doors? I wish I lived in the country and not the city!

 

[n20junkie]

Yes, and the code also requires shear walls if the door to building edge is less than 48". I had to deal with all of that **** as well. A basic building required stamped drawings. Luckily I found a guy to do it for $300.

Any door wider than 16' gets expensive, fast. Price doors and see where that puts you, and go from there.

 

[matt_i]

Just make it 25' or 26' wide whatever is needed to get your 20" upgrade over the original 16".

Simpson has a pre-engineered "strong wall" design which fits, directionally, with your needs but I'm not sure of the specifics.

 

[gnpenning]

Not that big of a jump $$ for a 18 door over a 16' door. You could even go with a 20' wide door. Or go with a wider building if your lot allows it.

Fwiw it's UBC not udc.

 

[GYPSY400]

I'd go wider on the building if you can.. upgrading to 26ft probably won't cost much more, and you will probably never regret it..
I have 24x36 with 2 10x10 doors on the eve side and I'm glad I didn't do smaller doors as anything narrower would make trailers a pain ( and I don't have any 'big' trailers)

Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

 

[RVDan]

Yes build a 26 foot wall instead

 

[BGTLS]

Thanks for the suggestions guys but 24 feet is it for space, I can not go wider. It sounds like they will let me go one 9 footer and one 10 footer. Not sure if it might look goofy but it is an option.

 

[rburke65]

There are usually reasons and experience that dictate the codes.