Garage Size and Doors

[RenegadeBuilder]

For the attached garage, thinking 24' x 26' Would that be decent size for 1 full size (F150, K1500, or Ram 1500 for example) truck, and one Mid-size SUV?

There will be some storage at the front such as 2' of shelving...but nothing in excess. (Basement will have plenty of storage)

And then, when it comes to the doors...1 oversized, or 2 smaller ones? Is it personal preference? I'd have to have space between two to get out of the vehicles.

Money *is* unfortunately an object in this design, so I really need to get the cheapest price without making the garage too tight.

In the future, I do plan on having a detached, but that is many moons from now.

 

[jurickk]

If you're parking two vehicles, my vote would be two doors. Mostly because it gives a guide for where to park so you don't encroach on the other spot.

 

[Jlbc212]

24' wide will limit you to 9ft. wide doors. A 9ft. wide door is tight for an F150 or any other full size pickup. You'll have to pull the mirrors in. With 26' wide you could bump up to 10ft. wide door. Doors should also ideally be at least 7ft 6in tall.

 

[Jeffksf]

I went with an 18' wide door on my 26' wide garage and it's the best thing I did. Makes for getting lawnmower, snowblower, bicycles, etc out of the garage while both vehicles are still in there so much easier. My feeling on 2 doors is why have something on both sides of each car that someone (wife) is able to clip the mirror on? It also makes for easier washing/ or working on vehicles to be able to pull them into the middle of the garage much easier. That center post however wide it will be, say 12", is just 12" less on 1 side or the other of the garage that you won't be able to use.

 

[upndown]

I've always been a fan of larger doors. Less framing and trim etc. one door one motor. Also if for some reason you need to pull in at an angle, even just to unload something, that option is gone with two singles.

 

[RenegadeBuilder]

Pull mirrors in...tight fit....

26' wide? Well shucks. There goes any idea of saving money....

24' with an 18' door would be too tight for two vehicles, yes? I know it's only 2 more feet to add on, but the other idea would be a single stall 16' garage and I park outside...

 

[nolimits76]

I have a 2014 Ram 4x4 Sport quad cab. My truck is loaded, so it has power mirrors that I pull in when parking. As you know, the truck is long and wide.

I have a 3 car garage that I wish was bigger. The 2 car bay portion is where we park. The wife has a 2013 Charger, which is also a wide vehicle. The inside dimensions of the 2 car bay measures 19'5" wide x 20'1" long. There is a 16' wide door on that portion of the garage, which leaves about 20" space between the door and inside wall.

I park on the right and keep the right side of my truck as close to that 20" mark as possible w/o scraping anything. I park so there is just a few inches of clearance between the back bumper of the truck and the garage door, and that leaves about 6" or so of clearance between the front of the truck and front of the garage wall. I park on the right side because access doors to the house are on my left and my truck barely fits -- but it does fit.

The wife stays somewhat close to the left side by leaves more room so she can get out of her vehicle. We can get in her car on both sides, but have to be careful so we don't bang the truck. Getting in the truck on my side isn't bad but I am always careful. It's definitely not a situation where you kick that door open w/o thinking.

Assuming you are talking INSIDE dimensions, I would love a 24'x26' garage. The width would be really nice but still wouldn't allow much stuff to be put on the side. Since I'm pretty much using the full 20' length now, I'd have 6' at the front. Add a 30-36" wide bench and that only leaves 3' or so of walking room between a parked truck and the bench. Not really enough to work on a serious project, but wouldn't be horrible either.

If I were custom building a home, this would be the minimum I'd consider for a 2 bay unit. IMO, you need another 2' in width, so 26'x26' INSIDE dimensions. That shouldn't break the bank and allow single doors if you want that.

Edited to add: I attached a copy of my garage layout & dims to give you a visual with the text above. Maybe it will help.

 

[RenegadeBuilder]

Nice choice of wheels.

I think I will plan on one large door with outside dimensions being 24 wide. No storage or workshop in the attached garage. Other option is to do no attached garage, and build a bigger detached one later. However, it would be 20 to 30 feet from the house.

 

[James E]

One door, not two. Sometimes when I'm working on something I like to park the car in the middle of the empty garage to give me room on both sides for open doors and tools and stuff. Can't do that with two doors without alot of trouble.

Also, as someone mentioned, it's a heckuvalot easier to get stuff out of the garage (bikes, mowers, tools, etc.) with the cars parked in there with one door.