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Garage Door size

NCNinja

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Joined
Apr 12, 2016
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2
Hey guys, Im planning to build either a 24ft wideX 34 deep detached garage that would have a garage door at the gable end and man door at the side. My debate is this...if i went with my original 24ft wide design and a 16 ft garage door, will I be able to use it to park two vehicles side by side and still be able to enter/exit the vehicles(LightSUV)? Also it seems rather tight to be even getting the vehicles into 16 ft. Keep in mind my work bench area will be at the back of the garage. Do I go with two 9ft doors with 2 ft between and just under 2 feet on the outsides of the doors? Maybe just bump to 26ft and do two 9 or 10 ft doors? What seems to be the most practical in your experience? Thanks for your input
 
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MrBalll

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Mar 8, 2016
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318
Location
West Texas
I will have a similar setup soon. I will however have an 18ft door. Unless you will be parking your vehicles right up against the garage door it shouldn't be a problem to pull them in a bit and slightly turn so they aren't right up against each other. Plus if you back in it will be easier pulling in and out.
 

dave*99

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May 5, 2009
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4,259
Location
Coastal NJ
I have a 16' door with 2 cars parked in the garage. Small sedan and mid size SUV. I like the single door for easy access. Sometimes I pull a car in dead center. Open up all the doors for cleaning etc. As for parking maneuvers with 2 cars, the cars are splayed out away from each other at the front. I had the choice of (2) 8' doors or the single 16' when the house was built.
If I had it to do over, I would use (2) 10' doors. Especially if you ever want to consider a lift. I ended up adding a third bay with a 10 foot door to put in a lift. The 16' door was unworkable for a lift.
 

Marcm157

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Jan 12, 2014
Messages
525
Location
Newburgh, NY
I just finished a 28W x 34D and I have 2 separate doors. I went with a high lift door in the bay with my lift. Like Dave says above, 1 single door wouldn't have worked with my lift
 

NUTTSGT

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Sep 14, 2009
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Northern Central Ohio
Just for reference if you can see with my old truck parked in the picture. The house garage is 24x32 with 2 9x8 garage doors.



Looking at the front of the garage, right to left, 4 foot wall, 9' door, 32" spacing (two concrete block), 9' door and teh remaining 7-8 feet. Even with my current crew cab F250 and the wife's '07 Explorer, we can open either door and not worry about door dinging either vehicle.

Granted this garage is mainly "just" to park in but I wanted space between the vehicles for ease of use. Also, since you are in teh planning stages, if you can, go with 10' walls which will allow an 8' tall door.
 

upndown

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Dec 5, 2010
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3,107
Location
Desert Hills/Peeples Valley AZ.
All good replies. Personally I like two single doors. Just my preference. That way if you have a longer term project in there it's not seen every time you open the door. Like NUTTS home, it would have looked just as nice with an 18' door!
 

joel

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Joined
Dec 15, 2007
Messages
96
Location
Tug Hill area, NY
I had 9' wide doors spaced 2' apart in a 3 car garage. OK, but tough to back in a trailer.

Now I have one 16' wide garage door in large 2 car garage HATE IT! Then I added a 4 post lift. HATE THE DOOR EVEN MORE! Thankfully the garage is 30'x30' so the vehicles can be pulled in past the door and at angles.

Looking to build a large 4 car garage. Maybe at least one 20' wide door? (18' wide would be OK, but not great.)
 

YukonXL04

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Joined
Feb 2, 2015
Messages
261
Location
Arlington, TX
I'm planning my 24w 30d garage. Doing a 20 ft wide door on it. This will be for boat storage and work. Also has a awkward approach so I chose a big wide door. I wanted the door close to one side, but I don't like the door not centered in the garage for aesthetics. I think it looks odd having a single door closer to one side than the other. But I wanted to be able to back my boat as close to one side as possible without having to move it by hand. Hoping to get it going this summer.

2 10ft wide would be good, but I don't see fitting that on a 24ft wide building.
 
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NCNinja

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Apr 12, 2016
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Thanks for the replies and pictures! Looks like im going to settle on a 26ft wide building with two 9x8 doors. My driveway approach goes straight up into the garage so I wont have any angles or funky turns to battle. The 10ft doors would w be nice but i dont know if they are necessary. I still have a couple days to make my final decision but I will be doing a footing/stem wall so the decision has to be made when i break ground!
 

Streetbu

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Jan 7, 2014
Messages
3,082
Location
Central NY
That is the same exact size and setup I have. If you put anything on the side walls, you will not be able to comfortably park two cars in the garage. You really need at least 2' wider, preferably more. If you don't put anything on the side walls, yes you can do it.
 

dave*99

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May 5, 2009
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4,259
Location
Coastal NJ
Thanks for the replies and pictures! Looks like im going to settle on a 26ft wide building with two 9x8 doors. My driveway approach goes straight up into the garage so I wont have any angles or funky turns to battle. The 10ft doors would w be nice but i dont know if they are necessary. I still have a couple days to make my final decision but I will be doing a footing/stem wall so the decision has to be made when i break ground!

Hey, for what it's worth, when I added a third bay with a cathedral ceiling for a lift, I initially had the foundation and stem wall set up for a 9' wide door. I took a good look at the layout and grabbed the demo saw. I opened the opening up for a 10' door. My thoughts are as follows on single doors:
8' wide is nearly useless these days. Many cars barely fit through.
9' is manageable.
10' is the minimum I would consider in new construction.
 

Falcon67

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Jun 11, 2009
Messages
18,371
Location
Merkel, TX
I have a 16' door and with careful maneuvering I can park one race car (mid size 4 door) on a 9' wide trailer and still get an F350 through that hole. I back the cars in.
 

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Jack D

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Nov 3, 2015
Messages
68
Location
Southwest Connecticut
I did a renovation to my home and needed to update the two 8' x 7' garage doors. When I put my F150 in I had to fold the mirrors to get it in. Since I was buying new doors I made one 8.5' x 7 and the other 9' x 7' and that was a compromise. The separation between the house holds the house up and the rest of the wall space is where I park a M/C on the side of my pickup. If I could have I would have made one door 10' wide. That way I could move the snow blower in and out without hassle.. If you are careful with the doors you chose it will not be obvious. I chose an embossed door and had them made with the embossing the same on each door.

I am building a small detached now and I have a ton of zoning restrictions but I will have two garage doors, one on the gable end and another on the side. The garage has acces to a side street and my driveway. The side door is oversized and actually overlaps the space allocated for the other vehicle but I will have in and out access in a very tight garage.

I suggest that you put doors in wider and taller than you need today.

Jack
 

Dragfluid

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Joined
Sep 15, 2013
Messages
17,512
Location
Pillager, MN
FWIW, in my recent build, I went with 10' wide doors. The reasoning was, at work I go in and out of a 10' door all day with no problem.

I wish to hell that I could do it over now! Every time I run the skid loader or the trailer in and out, I wish that I would have gone with a 12' door!! Things are just "too close" for comfort!

If I ever win the lottery, I'll have them re-done. :p
 

662drsdn

Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2015
Messages
7
In your case I would recommend a single large door, 16 or 18 ft
My old garage had 2 9ft doors and i hated it, it was a pain if you ever want to back a trailer in, or loading or unloading vehicles or anything.
my new garage is 34 wide with a 16ft door and a 9 foot door, we park a midsize car and suv on the 16 ft door and its a good width, and the side with the 9 foot door is for projects haha
but if i was to only have one door on the front i would for sure go with one wide single door.
 

jekquist

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Apr 6, 2016
Messages
65
Location
Pinckney, MI
I did one 16 x 10 tall. On my 24x32 shop. Wish I would have done two doors. I can get two vehicles in and out but it's tricky. Especially since one rigs is locked front and rear on 42's. I'm struggling with where to put the two post lift.
 
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