How wide?

[dr_gallup]

Hello, first time poster here. Be gentle, I'm sure I'll have a lot of questions.

I want to build a detached 2 car garage beside my house. I've got the length pretty well decided at 32' but haven't made up my mind about the width. Is 24' wide enough? I'll be parking a RAM 1500 4x4 truck in one bay. While most of the time there will be a smallish car in the other bay, I want to plan for parking a 20' Scout Dorado 205 dual console outboard boat there sometimes. That's the reason for the 32' depth, so there is room to walk around the boat. Is 24' wide enough to be able to walk around open doors?

I also want 9' high doors as the boat has a high windshield, is a 10' ceiling high enough for 9' doors?

I also want to have some usable storage space above the garage as the house has very little attic and what it has is only 4' high at the highest point. The house has a very low 4' in 12' pitch which is a PITA because I have to get up there all the time to blow it off in the spring and fall. The garage will definitely have a steeper pitch but I don't want it to look strange beside the house. I've thought about using a gambrel roof as those give a pretty good usable space but it may not look good next to the house.

The final question is about access to the storage space above. I don't really like pull down attic stairs. They usually have a marginal weight rating, are very narrow and I'm not sure if they are available to work with a 10' ceiling.

I know everyone will say just make it bigger but I also have to clear the lot (many trees) and grade and put in the drive so it all adds up fast.

 

[bobemmerich]

By your description, I think you'd probably be better off going 32x32, or 32x40 if you can. If you go a little bigger, you can add a small staircase and it won't take up too much valuable real estate...

 

[truckman5000]

24 isnt going to cut it, It go 30ft.
My last garage was 24, and wile a great size. My truck was never in there.

 

[rsanter]

Wider is better

Bob

 

[78scotts]

32x8o haha j/k. I have a 28x30 garage with a staircase going downstairs instead of up. The staircase is in front of the suburban. It gets a little tight there. And in the second stall I have my crew cab duramax or my 19 foot boat. In front of that I have a full size fridge and gun safe. Along side wall I have my house toolbox and a full size chest freezer. I have to watch my doors all the time when I open them which *****. I also have some cabinets in there and kids toys. It is a pita to get around in my garage. Squeeze in front of this, step over that, man i can't wait til my shop is done. Anyways, just because you have a small car now doesn't mean you won't go with something bigger later. Or for some reason want the boat or tuck in the other stall. If you are short on storage in the house more stuff will end up in the garage. In all reality I would go 32x32 at minimum if i were you.

 

[matt_i]

I would say 28' but then you are easy to get to 30' or 32' wide.

I dont think you will regret the extra when finished.

You have to check the door header sizes to get the difference between garage door height and the ceiling height. I'd plan for 18" that way you can use either 2 or 3 - 18" LVLs if its a double-wide 18' door.

The extra ceiling height is nice, you will want to build shelves up there to store all kinds of "boat stuff" to keep the boat itself from becoming a utility trailer. Things for winterizing, spare parts, covers, fishing gear, watersports gear, etc, etc. Also, not sure what kind of setup your boat trailer has, a removable or folding tongue sure saves length, but if not, you need to plan for the extension. I'd want some room in back to work on outboards or stern drives as well.

 

[venturesomerite]

I'd rather have a wider shallower garage than a deeper narrower one. I currently have a deep one, and badly wish it was the other way.

If budget is a concern, and you have the room, take some depth and add to the width. If no need, I would go 32x32 or 32x40 if possible. You'll never have a problem finding **** to fill the extra space!

24" is plenty to walk over an open a door, unless you are a very portly gentleman....

Overhead doors can open into 1' of space with out a problem, the track just needs to be set up right. Be sure to figure out how much space and what style opener you will be using, if you are. I would suggest a jack shaft type one because of the boat will be near the open door, and you need the extra wiggle room.

For stairs, perhaps a spiral staircase would help, but is it worth it with 4' ceilings? I think not. Personally, I'd just drop down stair to it. I know you said you don't want them, but why delicate the room to a staircase for something that you can't even walk in?


With the roof style, some pictures of the house will really help.

 

[Kevin54]

At a very minimum 24', but I would go at least 30.

As far as depth, no less than 28'. At 28' you can get a full sized longbed truck in the garage and still have room to walk around it. Not much, but still some room. At 24', you are wall to door with a fullsize.

And for door size, I would go no less than 10' wide x 8' tall. A standard 9x7 door gets real tight at times, and depending on the vehicle, may not fit in the garage. I had to notch the header on my garage just to get my mill inside. It lacked by 2" of fitting.

Ceiling height.....go more than 8' if you can afford it. I went 10' and was able to put a full size lift in and get my truck all of the way up on it to where I can walk under it. I have cathedral trusses with a 4/12 pitch. The link to my pics are in my signature.

Almost forgot.......WELCOME TO GARAGE JOURNAL!!!!

 

[ct03911]

I'd suggest going wider. I'm building a 26x28. I thought it would be enough.
Now, owning a 3/4 ton it is not deep enough.
Yours would be but my point is even going another two feet wider will make you very happy.
Cabinets and stuff are 2'.
You simply can't go too big.
If you can stretch you will not regret it, be it width, or in your case, length.
I'd kill for 2' more either way.

 

[Kevin54]

My current garage is 28' deep x 36' wide. The addition I built is 28' wide x 36' deep or just the opposite of my main garage. Which do I like best of the two?.........the addition at 36' deep. I can park three cars in it and still have room for a workbench. I could get three cars in my 28' deep section but due to the configuration and a couple of machines, it's tight because my doors are offset. In the 36' deep, I can park a car sideways in the front, then two cars side by side and still have some room.

 

[astroracer]

I like to have 6' (at the LEAST 4') on either side of a garage door. This gives room for a bench, wall storage or just simply walking around the vehicle while working on it.
I would suggest 2 10' wide doors with 4' in between and 6' on either side. That adds up to 30'. Going 32' isn't going to hurt anything if you can get the trees cleared. That would give you room on one side for a stairway to the loft. Put the stairwell towards the back so opening car doors isn't hampered by it. There is a lot of storage under the stairwell also.
Go with gambrell or loft trusses. Don't worry about the "barn" matching the house. It won't anyway unless you match the height so just do what you have to do.
Mark

 

[csp]

Open the doors on the pickup and measure how much width you need for that vehicle alone.

One mistake people make when building is guessing how much room they need instead of actually measuring the things they have at their disposal to know how much room something needs that's going inside the building.

I've learned that lesson the hard way.

 

[dr_gallup]

I like to have 6' (at the LEAST 4') on either side of a garage door. This gives room for a bench, wall storage or just simply walking around the vehicle while working on it.
I would suggest 2 10' wide doors with 4' in between and 6' on either side. That adds up to 30'. Going 32' isn't going to hurt anything if you can get the trees cleared. That would give you room on one side for a stairway to the loft. Put the stairwell towards the back so opening car doors isn't hampered by it. There is a lot of storage under the stairwell also.
Go with gambrell or loft trusses. Don't worry about the "barn" matching the house. It won't anyway unless you match the height so just do what you have to do.
Mark

Thanks for the input guys! I know it can never be too big but it can cost too much.

The math above does not add up, two 10' doors with 4' in between and 6' on either side is 36'! That's a lot more than the 24' I've been thinking about. Guess I need to measure the width of the truck with the doors open on both sides.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

As a guy with a 20' wide two car garage I'd say 24' is not wide enough. We get the cars in by backing one in, or parking it at an angle so the driver can get out. Passengers get in or out when the car is outside the garage.

If you ever plan on having a coupe (2 door) they require extra width.
10' wide doors are nice. For a large boat you may want 12' wide. Depending on the height of the tow vehicle and the slope of the driveway 9' tall may not be enough. My 17' runabout I had to unhitch and lower the tongue to get the windshield under an 8' door (and that was with a van and the hitch was low to the ground.

 

[BruceMc]

Open the doors on the pickup and measure how much width you need for that vehicle alone.

One mistake people make when building is guessing how much room they need instead of actually measuring the things they have at their disposal to know how much room something needs that's going inside the building.

I've learned that lesson the hard way.

Exactly right. Measure the length and width of the vehicles you want in there with doors both open and closed, get the dimensions of anything else you'll want in there (shelves, benches, etc.), then buy some graph paper and plot it out.

 

[James-W]

I realize you need to build the size garage that you can afford, but here is something you may want to consider. If you build a garage that is a too small for your needs, at some point in time you will want to add on to the garage in order to make it the size that you want/need. The cost of adding on to the garage at a later date will be MUCH higher than it would be if you were to do it now.

 

[JimVonBaden]

I have a 20X20. It is deep enough for a small SUV and my car. I can jam in my large motorcycle, but there is zero room left.

Your depth sounds good. I would consider 32' wide as the ideal, everything is multiples of 8 makes for a simple and efficient building design. Cutting back 2' is not going to save you any money. If you have the room, bigger is better. BUT, keep ALL of the costs in mind. Not just the building structure, but insulation, finishing, heating, lighting, etc. All of those add to the cost.

 

[dr_gallup]

I've got the room, there is 78' from the house to the property line, the setback requirement is only 10' but planning on doing ~25'. I'm not planning on any heat and the only insulation will be one of those reflective layers under the roofing to cut down on the solar load.

I've already had one quote on the garage at 24' wide & it's above what I had planned, looks like I need to contact some more contractors. I don't want to do the GC myself, not something I've had experience in.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention the need to get a motorcycle or two inside. Right now I keep it parked in front of the fireplace in my rec room. However, I plan on keeping the lawnmower and most of the yard tools under a shed roof in back of the garage.

 

[Vt_k9]

I am in the process of building a garage now. The plan was 32 X 46 and if I had to cut costs then 28 X 40. The doorway on those designs was on the 32 or 28 side and I was planing on 30' deep. Due to ledge issues I have moved the garage and tried to keep it 32' in one direction, but go to 48' the other. This would have given me a garage space of 32 x 32. Due to another ledge issue I am back to 46' feet in one direction and 34' in the other. So I am building a 34' X 46' garage and shop. The shop I would like to have 16' in depth. There for I am at 34' X 30' for the actual garage area. The vehicle doors are on the 30' side and it will be 34' deep. I am considering narrowing my shop by 2 feet, I am going to wait for the floor to get poured first. I am planning on 2 bays, each serviced with a 10' X 10' door and a lift in one bay. The other bay will have a utility room in the front of it, still giving me about 26' of depth. I placed the doors about 3' apart. My wife drives a mid sized suv. I have a 3/4 ton truck and full sized suv. I do have future plans for a 1 ton dually and a 12k or 15k 2 post lift in the full bay. I am feeling confident I can work with the 30' width space, but the extra would be a little more comfortable. The whole building is bigger than my house and this is something my wife has pointed out.

Mike

 

[astroracer]

Thanks for the input guys! I know it can never be too big but it can cost too much.

The math above does not add up, two 10' doors with 4' in between and 6' on either side is 36'! That's a lot more than the 24' I've been thinking about. Guess I need to measure the width of the truck with the doors open on both sides.

Sorry about that. Good catch.
What you really need to think about is what the end use of the barn will be. If you are just parking in it, a little bit narrow will probably be fine. If you want to be able to work in it also, with vehicles parked inside, you need to allow room for that.
Mark

 

[Ray916MN]

I'd rather have a wider shallower garage than a deeper narrower one....

This ^^^^

Width is what you use whenever you pull into or out of a garage. Depth is what you might use when you work on stuff in a garage.

Minimum depth for a full size crew cab short bed truck is 24'. This depth leaves enough room to walk around one end of a truck if you have nothing else in the stall. If you plan on having a full size crew cab long bed, add 2'.

Width is optimized by considering precedence of requirements. The first and most important requirement is to have enough width to get into and out of the driver's side of the vehicle. Of secondary is important is getting into and out of the passenger side of the vehicle, since you can always pull the vehicle out of or stop the vehicle before you enter the garage to get this access. Over lapping the access to the driver's side of the vehicles with the man door access of the vehicle also minimizes width requirements.

Width is also useful in minimizing the tendency for things to get buried in a garage. One of the worst thing for vehicles is to start them and run them for short periods of time. If every time you want to get a motorcycle or lawnmower out of a garage you have to start a vehicle and pull it out of the garage it is not good. This is particularly true if after you put your motorcycle or lawn mower back in the garage, you start the vehicle again to pull it back into the garage. Go wider and add another garage door, and you make your square footage much more accessible to pull stuff in and out.

Width will also allow you to put in 18' wide double garage doors or 10' wide single garage doors, which will make it much easier to back things in like a boat trailer, to own a dualie pickup or to sneak a motorcycle past a vehicle parked in a garage.

 

[dr_gallup]

Thanks for the additional input. Like I said in the beginning, the 32' depth is pretty much fixed by the boat trailer even though it won't be in there that much. I measured the car and truck with both doors open and that comes to 160" and 150" respectively. Now I'll never need to open all 4 at the same time but need some walk around room so yeah, 24' seems too narrow. Everyone seems to pretty much in agreement that keeping things on multiples of 4' is a good idea so I'm going to bump it up to 28' wide.

I definitely want two 10' wide x 9' high doors. So I have 8' of wall to divide up between the sides and middle. I'm thinking of 2' on either side of the doors and 4' between them, does that sound right?

 

[csp]

I have 3' between doors and it's plenty of room between vehicles. I actually have my trash cans, 2' x 4' small welding table, and horizontal bandsaw in that 3' space between the vehicles. Having 4' should work well.

 

[BruceMc]

I definitely want two 10' wide x 9' high doors. So I have 8' of wall to divide up between the sides and middle. I'm thinking of 2' on either side of the doors and 4' between them, does that sound right?

Same size (28'x32') but I went 2' between the doors. I didn't want to lose any more clearance by the walls than I had to.

 

[NUTTSGT]

The house garage is 32" between the doors, 2 blocks in the foundation. The doors are 9x8 and there is plenty of room to open either doors (wife's Explorer and my F250 CC) on one vehicle all the way and not come close to hitting the other vehicle.

 

[StevenMorgan]

I just built my two car garage with a side shop. 32 wide and 26 deep, but that was as big as I could go for my building lot.

As others have said, with a four door crew cab truck, you need the 26' min depth... But you've got that covered. The width I planned for 4' on either sidewall before a garage door... This allows for the collective **** to accumulate but not prevent the vehicles from fitting. Door quantities, widths, don't matter... The space between doors can be small, it doesn't matter as much.

After I had the garage built, I'm still completely satisfied with my dimensions, given my limitations, but I will stress that you DO NOT want to go lower than 4' on the sides... Mine is already feeling cramped... But totally capable of walking around the big vehicles and stuff. That's what I needed.

 

[dr_gallup]

Same size (28'x32') but I went 2' between the doors. I didn't want to lose any more clearance by the walls than I had to.

Nice pics. What size doors are those? Ceiling height?

 

[CraigStu]

I think you will be fine w/ 28 wide. We used to have a 24 wide. We would pull one car in on the right side and angle it to the right. We would back the other car in on the left side and angle it to the left. That way the driver could get in/out of either car easily. There was a bit of room left over on the outside of each car but nor enough to fully open the door.

 

[darkk]

Whatever size you build it, it won't be enough. We built a 30x30..town wouldn't allow us any more. Outgrew the space by the time we moved everything into it. And we already have a 22x24 garage we use for storage!