Minimum size for 2 car useable?

[samduhspam]

Hello,

I am in the process of designing a new house and planning to have a useable size 2 car garage. I need to fit a 4 post lift and another car on the floor to fit a total of 3 cars and some storage. Car size ranges from Porsche 911 to vintage SUV (Toyota Land Cruiser).

My restrictions are a very small lot that doesn't allow a very big foot print, every inch I add to the garage takes away from living space - trying to find that balance.

What dimensions can I get away with - 22' x 22'?

 

[firebirdparts]

pretty much. My house was built with a 22 by 22 and it's longer than you need to park a car. It's a struggle for me to imagine a lift in there, but I think it would work. You can see that the garage door has no place to go on the lift side. The garage door will have to straight up or horizontally on the lift side.

 

[gunguy]

pretty much. My house was built with a 22 by 22 and it's longer than you need to park a car. It's a struggle for me to imagine a lift in there, but I think it would work. You can see that the garage door has no place to go on the lift side. The garage door will have to straight up or horizontally on the lift side.

A roll up door might give you the clearance you'll need.

Jim

 

[Rc_Guy]

Hello,

I am in the process of designing a new house and planning to have a useable size 2 car garage. I need to fit a 4 post lift and another car on the floor to fit a total of 3 cars and some storage. Car size ranges from Porsche 911 to vintage SUV (Toyota Land Cruiser).

My restrictions are a very small lot that doesn't allow a very big foot print, every inch I add to the garage takes away from living space - trying to find that balance.

What dimensions can I get away with - 22' x 22'?

Just my opinion, but I think a 22‘ x 22‘ garage is way too small.

 

[BillK]

My attached two car is 22x22 and I cannot imagine having a lift in it. It is a squeeze with my 99 Tahoe and my Wife's Riviera in there. The 16ft door is offset to the right on mine so I have room for a work bench on the left side. My Wife parks on the left side so she can get the 5ft long door of her Buick open

My detached garage is 24 x 24 and to be honest with you I am not sure that would be big enough with a lift. I usually only have my Chevelle in there but there were times I had two cars in it and it wasn't much better than the 22x22 attached.

Find an empty parking lot and mark off 22 x 22 with some chalk and see what it looks like with two cars parked in the area.

Depending on how your new place is set up I would either go deeper or wider to at least 30 x 24

 

[bczygan]

Go up AND down with the house and make the garage bigger.

Bill

 

[tomroblee]

The subdivision next to mine is an "over 55 patio home (doubles)" community. I've driven through it several times when a lot of the garage doors were open. I noticed several two car garages that had a four post lift which was used as storage for a third vehicle. I'm sure that none of the garages was larger than 22' x 22'.

All of the homes in this community are built on slabs, and most have 9' ceilings inside, so I doubt that the ceiling heights in the garages could exceed 10'

 

[Kburk09]

Our house is being built with a 24x24. That was the smallest our architect would possibly build for a functional 2 car. 12 foot ceiling and I have thrown the idea around for a storage lift. Will do high lift door rails either way.

 

[maxpower_hd]

Mine is 24x28. I have stairs on once side which effectively makes it 24x25 with an added jog behind the stairs. I used to just fit two cars in it when it was new. But now I have a bench on one side and a bunch of tools so it really is only a one car and one motorcycle garage now. lift would fit but the height might be an issue. Mine is about 10 feet high and I don't think I could fit two cars on top of each other with the lift.

 

[Kevin54]

28' wide gives you a comfortable area to walk around vehicles and open the car doors.

 

[pogrelis97]

I would figure in an extra 4 foot of width if you want a lift and plan on using it.

 

[6PKRTSE]

Mine is a 2-1/2 car garage with about 5 cars worth of stuff stored inside between downstairs & upstairs in the rafters. I have a 10'-4" ceiling And a 4 post hoist is my next big purchase so I can start stacking them.

 

[pogrelis97]

Mine is a 2-1/2 car garage with about 5 cars worth of stuff stored inside between downstairs & upstairs in the rafters. I have a 10'-4" ceiling And a 4 post hoist is my next big purchase so I can start stacking them.

Your organization skills are only surpassed by your sticker collection.

 

[GrayFlattop]

22' wide with a lift? You will probably regret that for years. Maybe you can reduce the depth (front to back) a bit if you have a square footage maximum, but that depends on your layout as well as the vehicles you own. 26 wide would be good, 28' wide would be better.

But straight-up, answering the question with a lift in mind I'd answer 28 x 32. 12' ceiling height and high mount garage door tracks that are flush with the ceiling.

With a lift, you need more depth and width just to deal with the uprights when parking the second car. Or simply use two 9' wide doors - 10' if you can fit them

 

[MattN03]

A buddy had a 28' x 28' built and it was a nice size. He could park is Chevy 2500 crew cab/short bed and a Honda Pilot in there with plenty of room to open doors and still have working room for tool boxes and benches.

 

[theoldwizard1]

My daughter's house has a 20x20. What a joke ! Good for bicycles and lawnmowers, nothing else. 24x24 would be minimum, but you would still be banging doors getting in and out.

28x28 or even 28x30 would be much more "comfortable".

 

[slowTA]

My detached was 24 wide x 28 deep with a 4 post angled towards the 16' door. While I feel you could get by with 2 feet less in width, no one would want to.

 

[cvairwerks]

One of my trucks wouldn't fit in a 24' deep garage and be able to close the door. Mine's 23x24 and it's really a one car garage if there's anything else even in it.

 

[samduhspam]

The reality is I can't get it any bigger. So I'm just going to call this an extra large 1 car garage. =(

 

[Geteos]

I could only get approved for 18x24' in my area so I feel your pain! My cars are pretty small (2 Miatas and a GTI) so I'm hoping that I'll be able to at least fit 2 in for winter storage. Might have to get those wheel dollies to push them to the corners.

 

[lweeks]

I could only get approved for 18x24' in my area so I feel your pain! My cars are pretty small (2 Miatas and a GTI) so I'm hoping that I'll be able to at least fit 2 in for winter storage. Might have to get those wheel dollies to push them to the corners.

Here in Chicago, our two car garage is 18' 10" (226") square. It was built in 1927, likely had a Model T or Model A in it, on a dirt floor. Most neighbors with original houses of that vintage have a one car garage, so ours is notably luxurious.

There are two doors, barn style on tracks, that roll around the sides, with a brick pillar in the middle. With narrow shelving along one wall, were able to back a G35 coupe and a Murano SUV in carefully, but no longer put two cars in. With six more feet (in width hopefully), it would be downright spacious.

Here in the city I've seen very narrow commercial garages with lifts in them, the columns set basically against the walls.

 

[bczygan]

The reality is I can't get it any bigger. So I'm just going to call this an extra large 1 car garage. =(

I won't believe that until I see all the details.

Bill

 

[Ak Jim]

I could only get approved for 18x24' in my area so I feel your pain! My cars are pretty small (2 Miatas and a GTI) so I'm hoping that I'll be able to at least fit 2 in for winter storage. Might have to get those wheel dollies to push them to the corners.

What is the reason "they" gave you to limit your garage size?

 

[ludakris04]

as an owner of a 20x20 I would say 24x24 is about the minimum for a usable 2 car garage with the possibility of a lift.

with recycling/trash cans, I have only had 2 cars squished in my garage a few times (snow storm), and that was a Grand Cherokee and a GTI.

 

[firebirdparts]

Like I said, my house was built with one, and we park in it all the time. In fact mine is really 22' outside by 21'8 outside. It's longer than a car, so I cut 2' off the nose 25 years ago to store stuff. My wife cut 2' off the side, which I don't recommend, but it's her side.

In my opinion, putting a lift in it and 3 cars would be awesome compared to not doing it. My opinion. I park in one every day. We have bad weather here, so in California, it's probably not as much of a kick to get in a warm dry car.

Also, you really must have two garage doors. I guess you see that. When you park 2 cars, you have to open a door on them to get out.

We pile the recyclables in there, but the lawn mower would not really fit.

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

We live in an area with a lot of homes built in the 50s and 60s... many single story ranch style. Typical 2 car garage is 20x22' (width x depth) and growing up it was never a problem keeping two passenger cars inside... not much else, except for a wall to wall bench across from the garage door (single 16'). You needed care when opening car doors (never fully).

So to park two cars, yes... work on them, depends on what. Realistically, you needed to pull a car out. So now considering building a detached garage with lift space.

 

[lakeroadster]

I need to fit a 4 post lift and another car on the floor to fit a total of 3 cars and some storage. Car size ranges from Porsche 911 to vintage SUV (Toyota Land Cruiser).

What dimensions can I get away with - 22' x 22'?

The reality is I can't get it any bigger. So I'm just going to call this an extra large 1 car garage. =(

Based on the cars you listed, as long as you live within your means ("means" in this case meaning space) the 22' x 22' will work. But that means in the future don't buy a Suburban or '72 Impala 4 door.

Our daily drivers are a '02 Tacoma and an '07 Wrangler 2 door. Our modest attached 2 car garage seems HUGE with those vehicles in it.

Design the garage with (2) overhead doors so you can have space between the vehicles. Use of a free span truss arrangement, or a ridge beam, will allow the lift to place the vehicle up between the trusses. The free span or ridge beam design allows for a lot of vertical space, without having a real tall building and they allow the overhead door to follow the roof contour when in the up position.

Can you build / place an outside storage shed in the backyard? A lot of the misc. stuff that occupies space in the attached garage can be placed out there in the storage shed. We have a 10' x 10' shed... it's a great space. If you can build / buy the shed with a gambrel roof, that gives you loft storage space too.

 

[GrayFlattop]

Like I said, my house was built with one, and we park in it all the time. In fact mine is really 22' outside by 21'8 outside. It's longer than a car, so I cut 2' off the nose 25 years ago to store stuff. My wife cut 2' off the side, which I don't recommend, but it's her side.

In my opinion, putting a lift in it and 3 cars would be awesome compared to not doing it. My opinion. I park in one every day. We have bad weather here, so in California, it's probably not as much of a kick to get in a warm dry car.

Also, you really must have two garage doors. I guess you see that. When you park 2 cars, you have to open a door on them to get out.

We pile the recyclables in there, but the lawn mower would not really fit.

Reminds me of my parent's garage when I was growing up. 20 x 20 outside and there was just enough room to work on one of my '67 Camaros at a time. When I did engine swaps, the a$$ end of the car was left hanging out the garage door. There was room for a small 20 gallon compressor and small tool box (lawnmower was outside under the back porch). With the Camaro and my mom's '64 Delta 88 in there it was impossible to work on either unless you were a skinny 16 year old. If my dad wanted to put his '72 Ford LTD in there, I had to park and retrieve the cars because I only weighed 135#. The LTD was tricky as there was less than 6" total clearance front to back. Thank God those big cars had bench seats so you could park close on one side and exit the other!

 

[rburke65]

22’x22’ seems tome extremely small. Are you limite$ to a total foot print for a given lot? Guessing 28’x30’.

 

[samduhspam]

22’x22’ seems tome extremely small. Are you limite$ to a total foot print for a given lot? Guessing 28’x30’.

Limited on foot print based on lot size and lot coverage. We can go bigger if we add a 2nd story but we are avoiding that due to additional cost and time.

 

[DieselNut88]

30x30 min.

 

[GrayFlattop]

Limited on foot print based on lot size and lot coverage. We can go bigger if we add a 2nd story but we are avoiding that due to additional cost and time.

Can you add a second story and leave it unfinished?

While I realize it will cost more, it will be the lowest cost per square foot possible.

 

[Jack Olsen]

No one ever regretted having extra space. But I get by with ~21x20.

Just get ahead of the problems, and decide you'll only have one car in it at a time.

 

[Coloradical]

No one ever regretted having extra space. But I get by with ~21x20.

Just get ahead of the problems, and decide you'll only have one car in it at a time.

I’m new here at GJ but I recognize everything going on in this picture from Petrolicious! [emoji869]

 

[ItsNemo]

22x22 would be a dream. I have an 18x20 + 12x6 (so nearly a 18x26, the extra depth at the back is where my bench and such is). 2 feet of the width is taken up by stairs to the house and shelving, leaving me effectively 16x20 parking area. I have an in floor scissor lift in there (centered) that's great to work on and I can still squeeze in two small SUV's (Rav4 size). Honestly you'll make it work with whatever space you've got.

 

[lowside67]

I have a 19Wx20D attached garage with stairs from my house projecting two feet into the garage, so effectively around 17Wx20D. I park two cars inside but only with my weekend car tucked close against the wall - it would not be viable both cars to be our daily drivers.

If I had 20x20 clear inside without stairs, I could comfortably park and drive two cars. We have smaller cars and it would not be luxurious, but doable. With a lift - I think you will want extra width - I'd prefer to have a 24x20 rather than a 22x22 purely for parking with a lift.

-Mark

 

[TA462]

I have a 20x20 attached to the house. In the summer months its great to work in but I only keep one car in there. My wifes Jeep gets stored in the winter months in the garage so that's when it becomes useless. If I had a 24x24 I think I would be happy. Then again I'd probably fill that and want something bigger, lol.

 

[Innovate1]

Not going to have a lift but about to pull the trigger on a house with attached garage for car storage and a detached garage (shop) for other things. Attached garage is planned for 21.5' deep by 23.5' wide (inside dimensions). Vehicles are a 2015 Tacoma (18' long) and a 2019 Santa Fe (16' long). Wife wants a sink and short counter in the far end which will reduce the length by 2'. Seems a bit tight, especially if we want to do anything in there, even just loading/unloading cars. Since the detached garage is 50' away I think there will be temptation to do and put stuff in there. I have depth perception issues so like to have a little extra room and it just makes it easier to get around for things. I hate working in cramped quarters.

The sink would only reduce the length on one side so could park the shorter vehicle there. Other option is to place it on the side as the house runs along the side and back and could place it near front where it doesn't interfere with doors. Thoughts?

Current garage never gets used for vehicles so don't have any recent experience with it. Parking outside leaves plenty of room so I suspect we will still do that some.

 

[CombatNinja]

This thread is classic Garage Journal. This guy starts a thread about what the minimum size garage can somewhat reasonably fit two cars because he is limited with lot size and every square foot of garage is going to eat a square foot of home space. You guys are now telling him 30' x 30'. That is practically a 3-car. Listen to the man's needs and stop telling him about how you can barely park your F250 in your 25' deep garage with the tow hitch on the back and how you need 600 square feet of garage to do engine swaps.

OP, in my opinion you need a minimum of 20' wide. Realize that this will probably force you to park one car nose in and one car **** in in order to give enough room for the doors to open if you have anything at all on your side walls. I think your minimum depth is about 22' in order to be able to walk around the cars at all. This will not fit a full-size pickup or giant SUV. As for your proposed lift, I would do a 4-poster that can park two cars under and two cars above to avoid the posts being in the middle of your garage and causing you issues with the door openings of the lower cars and generally just being in the way. Something like this:

 

[lweeks]

OP, in my opinion you need a minimum of 20' wide. Realize that this will probably force you to park one car nose in and one car **** in in order to give enough room for the doors to open if you have anything at all on your side walls. I think your minimum depth is about 22' in order to be able to walk around the cars at all.

As I wrote, ours is 18'10" square, inside dimensions, with two individual doors. That works, presuming you are very careful and store nothing along the side walls except toward the rear of the garage. As written above, you need to park with the driver doors facing the garage center. We now have 24" deep storage along the rear wall. That with a car parked leaves just enough room to get around them at the garage front.

Our garage has no side entry door, just the garage doors. If you plan to have a side entry door, you'll need to have enough width for passage to that.

I've browsed GJ for years, but I recently joined as I'm doing some research on a similar topic -- we're going to tear out and re-pour our garage slab, heat it, and I'd like a lift in our small garage. I recommend you do what I have done, make a scale drawing (see attached) and play different scenarios.

Using that, I've basically given up on a two post lift -- I'd have to remove the center brick wall/column and convert to a single garage door for it to work. Our garage is a tudor brick garage, hip roof, not going to butcher it. So, looks like an in-ground Bendpak scissor lift will be the way to go. Given the low rafter height, not really giving too much up with that anyway.