minimum ft to turn into a 8 ft garage door

[mikec35]

I am building a garage in a tight area behind my house. I will have a 14 ft and an 8 ft garage door. The question I have is how many ft outside my 8 ft door is the minimum I need so I can turn into the garage? My car is 16 ft long. Thanks for your help.

 

[welder4956]

I would say the turn radius should be at least the length of the car, unless the specs for the car show a larger turn radiuus. Then it would be the larger of the two.

 

[MikeGyver]

Set up some empty buckets in a parking lot and find out how much room you need.

 

[mngundog]

If it is a newer car the manufacturer's website should list it.

 

[RivennHewn]

What a car will do, and what is comfortable to do everyday are two different things.

Go with the cone method, and see what is comfortable to you.

It would **** to have a driveway that you end up hating.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

It would **** to have a driveway that you end up hating.

To me, and 8 ft door would **** big time. To me, if it isn't at least 10 ft wide, it isn't wide enough.

Charles

 

[Falcon67]

I just went over this with a design that had 9' doors facing a property line. I came up with at least 20' to get a good turn radius with a 16' car to hit a 9' door. An 8' door is tight, you'll need to be lined up with you hit the door opening. Maybe 24'?

I ended up turning my building layout 90 degrees on paper because there was no way to get a trailer lined up to a door with 24' of front clearance.

 

[mikec35]

Thanks for the replies. They way it stands now, I will pull up the driveway and I have a 21' right angle turn into the door. I thought about cutting 2 feet off the front of my garage ( really don't want to) and also the guy prepping the property said he could give me an additional 2 ft. I have been thinking of a 10 ft door but it will take away wall space on that side of the garage. My garage will be 32 long and 28 ft deep. 12 ft ceilings. I started with 16 ft and 8 ft garage doors plus a front entry door. It did not leave me enough wall storage space. Went to a 14 and 8. Maybe I can fit a 9' instead of an 8? Too many variables!
Thanks.. Mike...

 

[bczygan]

What is the entire layout situation? Is there a reason the driveway turn area can't be used as garage space, thus making a straight in shot?

It is always better to have bigger space to turn and wider (And taller) openings to go through.

 

[Frank The Plumber]

I back into an 8 foot door every day with a van, straight shot with a bollard on each side. It's a big fat pain in the *** but I needed the 8 foot height as well. I would go wider to 10 at least to avoid being driven nuts. Also, if you have snow or ice, you may really be screwed because the vehicle drifts and slides. I would not want to be turning and aiming on ice or snow into my 8 foot wide.

 

[ErickForest]

I think you would need a minimum of 24 feet from the garage to make the turn. I drew it with some turning software we have at work. I tried to attach the image so hopefully it shows up. The car shown is a little longer than 16'. Hopefully this helps you out.

 

[eat111]

My architect agrees with some of the others......it's 24'

 

[ddawg16]

I would suggest looking at the building code of your area....

I'm doing a 2-story addition right now....my downstairs portion has a funny shape because I have to allow for a backup area from my detached garage...

 

[Old Moparz]

There was a very similar problem for me when I planned & built my garage. The right half of it was tucked partially behind my house & I couldn't move the building because of an existing septic system & the rear property line. The garage was to be 3 cars wide at 36 feet, & since I had plenty of width & disliked the non-symmetrical look of 2 differently sized doors, I chose to have two 16 foot wide doors. The wider door is great for the angled approach.

My suggestion is to not lock your mindset on having to have a narrow door to be able to have wall storage there. (Unless you plan to use the entire wall from front to rear?) My workbench, the service entrance, tool chest & some shelving is along the side wall. As you can see in the drawing below, the service door & workbench protrude beyond the depth of the wall at the right of the garage door.

 

[Cardboard Man]

Forget wall space. Door width for easier access is more important.

 

[CrashTestDummy]

Is this for a daily-driver, or an occasional-use car? If occasional-use, why not employ wheel dollies? If not, maybe a bigger door and look at some other storage solutions.

Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas

 

[mikec35]

Thanks for all the replies! I doubt I'll park a daily driver, it'll be in the carport. My 67 Shelby clone will be the only car in there. I plan to have a lift in the last bay on the left (8ft door, which I have now changed to 10ft). I plan on having a 14 ft door on the right side and to the right of the 14ft door will be the entry door. Will have floor drains, bathroom, small bar and game area, and tools and shelving lining the rear and left side walls. I now have 23 ft in front of the now 10ft door. I think it will work. Each day I think of something else...