Minimum width for a 1-car stall with lift?

[achillesb]

Hi Everyone, building a custom home and was able to convince the wife to dedicate a 1-car bay to everyday parking but also a mini-shop with a lift for service. Very excited to get a lift.

Our garage is in the back of the house, attached, and separated into 2 bays: one 2-car bay 24'x24', and a 1-car bay 24' deep by (TBD) wide. I'd like to keep it as narrow as possible to not protrude too much into the backyard. What's the minimum width if I want to be able to park a car in it every day, but also have a lift, tools, workbench, shelving, etc. plus still have space for kids bikes/toys etc.? Is 14' wide enough?

Thank you!

PS - great forum, I searched and learned that I will need 12-13' ceilings and a high lift door with a side mount opener. But couldn't find too many posts about how small a garage should be. Seeking to optimize available space.

 

[pattenp]

You need to look at the spec sheets for some different lifts to see the required width just for the lift.

 

[Diesel Dan]

This was a 14' wide bay I believe.

 

[mike93lx]

The outside width of the lift plus at least 2 ft on each side if you want to walk by. You could put it up against a wall, but it would make it tougher to actually use it

 

[ItsNemo]

I'm quite happy with 16' and an in floor scissor lift...if I had a two post, I'd want a couple more feet on each side though.

 

[achillesb]

You need to look at the spec sheets for some different lifts to see the required width just for the lift.

I haven’t picked the exact lift yet, but leaning towards 2 post that will be between 10-12’ wide. Would that dictate 14’-16’ minimum width?

 

[firebirdparts]

If you make the garage 2' wider than the lift, you won't really be able to walk past the lift. If you can only walk past the lift on one side, that is better than neither side. You can instead walk between the lift and the car, but that is also a squeeze.

Lift size is more important than garage size in this case. I think you ought to figure that out first and pick the lift. Figure out how wide it is exactly.

 

[achillesb]

I'm quite happy with 16' and an in floor scissor lift...if I had a two post, I'd want a couple more feet on each side though.

Thanks for this. I feel like 14 might be tight. I know if I go 18’ then I’m going to want put a big door, and if we do that then might as well go wide enough for a 16’-18’ foot door, and then might as well make it another 24’x24’ bay... which at least will be symmetric with the other bay, but then we’ll have a 4 car garage which seems excessive for our neighborhood, most of the new construction has 3-car garages. I’m sure I’ll use the space just don’t want to overdo it.

 

[ItsNemo]

Thanks for this. I feel like 14 might be tight. I know if I go 18’ then I’m going to want put a big door, and if we do that then might as well go wide enough for a 16’-18’ foot door, and then might as well make it another 24’x24’ bay... which at least will be symmetric with the other bay, but then we’ll have a 4 car garage which seems excessive for our neighborhood, most of the new construction has 3-car garages. I’m sure I’ll use the space just don’t want to overdo it.

I'd want a minimum 12' door but really a 16' door is where it's at. What size door(s) are going to be on the 24x24 bay?

The most comfortable garage size for working on vehicles is when you can pull in, open all the doors with the garage door closed, and still move around the vehicle easily. Nothing is more frustrating than doors always in the way when you're in and out of the cab (say bleeding brakes).

 

[johnnyradiant]

Thanks for this. I feel like 14 might be tight. I know if I go 18’ then I’m going to want put a big door, and if we do that then might as well go wide enough for a 16’-18’ foot door, and then might as well make it another 24’x24’ bay... which at least will be symmetric with the other bay, but then we’ll have a 4 car garage which seems excessive for our neighborhood, most of the new construction has 3-car garages. I’m sure I’ll use the space just don’t want to overdo it.

It ***** to be trying to keep up with the Jones. Don't settle for that way of life. Live life on the edge. Be a trend setter. Screw the 3 car garage and go with a 4. Put the whole neighborhood in its place.

 

[JamesW84]

For what it's worth, I've also had this decision to make and have thought about it for a couple years. For my job, I'm in and out of many shops and I've stepped off bays many times. I've decided I'm gonna make mine 16' wide (with a lift in the future plans). Keep in mind, that's bay floor size, not to the exterior wall.

What's an extra 8x24 out of your backyard? Everyone could use more garage space...bikes, crafts, holiday decorations, whatever. You'll have a high bay. Put some pallet racking in there and still have enough room for your lift, tools, a workbench, and room to work.

 

[CraigStu]

Having worked in shops where there were a few narrow bays, I can tell you a bay that is only 4 ft wider than the lift is a huge pain. Obviously it is doable but no fun at all. The boss thought he was brilliant when he stuck a lift in that one narrow bay as it would be an 'extra' lift. We all hated it and tried our darndest to avoid it. I would want it 6 ft wider than the lift. So that gets you to about 17-18 ft. Go with that and install a 16ft door. That is probably the most common door size so should lead to the best price.

 

[achillesb]

I'd want a minimum 12' door but really a 16' door is where it's at. What size door(s) are going to be on the 24x24 bay?

The 24x24 bay will have an 18’ door, it will be used as our everyday 2 car garage. I wouldn’t mind having the other bay with a smaller door but not sure how it would look if it would be bigger than a normal 1-car door and not quite a 2-car door. The house will be L-shaped with the bottom of the L facing the street (the house) and the top of the L (the garage) in the backyard. It will be a side entry garage. The two bays are broken up by a pool bathroom in the middle.

 

[achillesb]

If I do make the 2nd bay 24’x24’ with an 18’ door and an 11’ wide lift, will I still be able to get another car next to the lift in that bay?

 

[ScottsGT]

Keep in mind you will want storage area for tool chests, things you roll under the car while up on the lift like oil drain pans, transmission jacks, etc.
Also keep in mind, the bigger the garage, the less grass/lawn to maintain.

 

[Walter_TA]

I have a 30 X 40 with the 3 bays being 13 feet wide and 29 feet deep. My truck will take up a good part of the 30 feet deep when it is on the lift. My lift is set in the middle of the of the bay, 14 feet from each end. 24 feet deep is short!!!! so you will need more wide for tool boxes and walk around room. My lift is in the left side bay and on the wall on the left side. When I work, I make sure there is nothing in the middle bay, and use that space. Remember most lifts are 12 foot high and 12 foot wide. If you get smaller you will not be as happy. If you want to have a lift try to make 28 feet deep on the inside. If you will never work on a truck it will not be as bad. You will need a high lift garage door if you ever want to work with the door open.

 

[achillesb]

24 feet deep is short!!!! so you will need more wide for tool boxes and walk around room.

Thanks, this helps. 24’ deep seems enormous coming from my current 20, but it’s not massive so having the extra width will be helpful.

It might come down to how the doors look.

 

[ItsNemo]

If I do make the 2nd bay 24’x24’ with an 18’ door and an 11’ wide lift, will I still be able to get another car next to the lift in that bay?

No, the lift posts are in the way. That's why I went in floor scissor lift...my garage is 18' wide total (16' clear floor space as I have things on one side wall) and I can still squeeze two vehicles into the bay.

As such, maybe do 20x24' with an 18' door so that both doors are the same size. Visually that would look better and without taking up an extra 4' of yard space.

 

[Gullwing]

14 feet wide, 22 feet deep, 16 feet height, 9-foot wide door, lift posts are 9 feet wide

It would have been nice to go to 15 or 16 feet wide, however, I thought that once I get close to 18-feet in width, then it makes sense to just build a 2-car wide garage and I didn't need that. The height was more important to me, I wanted the garage door to go fully vertical as it wouldn't block any recessed ceiling lights or recessed speakers, so that is why the garage is much higher than wide, the lift and garage door are offset to allow one side of the garage to contain items (toolbox, snowblower...). If the 9-foot wide lift was centered, it would only allow about 30-inches on either side of the lift posts, which would prevent storage options.

 

[sz0k30]

When people ask these kinds of questions I keep telling them 1/4" graph paper is your friend. Paste a couple or more sheets together if you have to. Use a scale that gives you a good representation of the size of things (1/4" or 1/2" or even 1" = 1 foot). Most lift manufacturers show required dimensions of their lifts. Remember One of the posts has the motor & pump mounted on the outside of it. If you have a bench or toolboxes or whatever, cut them out to the appropriate size and move them around on the graph paper. It is pretty simple and can actually be fun.

 

[ace10]

I dont think 24' depth and a two post lift is a good idea.

Without a lift, that depth doesn't allow for much room in front and behind a truck or larger sedan. The lift will necessitate fore/aft adjustment of the vehicle's position based on weight distribution.

 

[sreeb]

I haven’t picked the exact lift yet, but leaning towards 2 post that will be between 10-12’ wide. Would that dictate 14’-16’ minimum width?

I think a 10' wide lift is going to **** as a parking spot unless the bay is deep enough that you can park with the door entirely ahead of or behind the posts.

 

[LXCam]

My Bay Area is 18ft wide and theres barely enough room to work with stuff on the sides. I'd also suggest going at least 28ft deep if you ever plan on doing engine pulls. You want enough room to navigate the engine hoist.

 

[ItsNemo]

I have all of 26 feet of depth, 2' of which is taken up by bench space...with that depth I've never once had the feeling like it was too short. Mind you I don't work on pickups, but cars and SUVs. Even pulling an engine I had plenty of room.

 

[achillesb]

I dont think 24' depth and a two post lift is a good idea.

Without a lift, that depth doesn't allow for much room in front and behind a truck or larger sedan. The lift will necessitate fore/aft adjustment of the vehicle's position based on weight distribution.

Is there another kind that doesn’t require in-ground tubing that will work better?

I’m pretty much stuck with 24’ depth due to the rest of the floorplan and lot width.

 

[achillesb]

I have all of 26 feet of depth, 2' of which is taken up by bench space...with that depth I've never once had the feeling like it was too short. Mind you I don't work on pickups, but cars and SUVs. Even pulling an engine I had plenty of room.

Thanks. I guess the verdict might be that 24’ depth is enough, but tight for trucks? The largest vehicle we own is a Toyota Sienna. A pickup is not a necessity, at least for me right now.

 

[achillesb]

Thanks everyone for your replies. Now I'm leaning towards making the second bay 24'x24' to match the first bay, because I'm not sure if I want to use the lift as a parking space. sreeb I think you're on to something here:

I think a 10' wide lift is going to **** as a parking spot unless the bay is deep enough that you can park with the door entirely ahead of or behind the posts.

Does anyone use their lift as an everyday parking space?

What do you guys think about going 24'x24' on both bays, with two 9' doors on each. That will leave 2' on either side of each door (2'-9'-2'-9'-2'). So one side of the lift will be very close to the wall, but the other side should leave plenty of space for another car. This seems to allow for better use than the single 18' door, what do you think?

 

[Ro_Ja Boy]

I have exterior dimensions of 14x22 so interior of 13' wide. See build in my signature.

Parking isn't a problem from a garage width standpoint (or depth). I would have added another foot or two of depth if I wasn't limited in size to make cabinets at the back fit even easier, but I'm going to be fine and I have the lift far enough in that the whole ramp is still inside the garage and not touching the driveway.

The only thing I'll probably change at some point (and this won't relate to you) is I may have made the cutout in the middle of my driveway where I have plants longer than I should have as older cars like the Camaro are harder to turn in without a couple point turns.

 

[achillesb]

I drew up my 24' width with 2 9' doors idea (2'-9'-2'-9'-2') in adobe, just multiply by 10 for feet. I think it might work. I think the 18' door would be tight. What do you think?

View media item 87216

 

[mike93lx]

If i had the option, i would ditch my separate doors for a single in a heartbeat, no question.

 

[rburke65]

I think you are foolish for not going to the 24’ width. Trust us....NOT EXCESSIVE! You’ll love us in the morning!

 

[achillesb]

I think you are foolish for not going to the 24’ width. Trust us....NOT EXCESSIVE! You’ll love us in the morning!

I think I’m actually sold on 24’. Just trying to decide on the door layout.

 

[JamesW84]

I think you are foolish for not going to the 24’ width. Trust us....NOT EXCESSIVE! You’ll love us in the morning!

I think he's planning 24' wide - per posts and the picture.

The benefit of one larger door is you can get larger things in much easier. Try backing a trailer in a 9' bay where you have 2-3 inches on each side...not fun.

I'd look at one larger door or two 10' doors and 8' high too if you can.

 

[ItsNemo]

For sure go with the wider single doors, second going with 8' tall as well...they're much easier to get things in and out. In addition it should be less costly than 4 doors with their associated hardware and openers.

 

[achillesb]

For sure go with the wider single doors, second going with 8' tall as well...they're much easier to get things in and out. In addition it should be less costly than 4 doors with their associated hardware and openers.

ItsNemo, can you please tell me more about your scissor lift? I disregarded initially due to hearing horror stories of in-ground system leaks however I’m losing the 2 post lift battle right now with the wife. A scissor lift might work, if you can still easily get to rear differentials and Engine/trans area in front. Can you?

 

[ItsNemo]

I've got a mid-rise Bendpak MDS-6KF...wouldn't buy from Bendpak again but you get the idea. There's a few full rise versions of these from other companies (the one from Rotary looks badass). So awesome to work, plenty of access to entire drivetrain and because it's flush mount it's 100% out of the way when you're not using it.

Can see the corner of it in the floor here:

 

[Slabo]

Use a layout tool. I found a free tool on the Ulti-MATE cabinets site. Used it to layout the garage interior. I ended up using NewAge cabinets but the tool was helpful.

 

[achillesb]

I've got a mid-rise Bendpak MDS-6KF...wouldn't buy from Bendpak again but you get the idea. There's a few full rise versions of these from other companies (the one from Rotary looks badass). So awesome to work, plenty of access to entire drivetrain and because it's flush mount it's 100% out of the way when you're not using it.

ItsNemo, thank you for posting this! I actually saw your post while visiting a Greg Smith Equipment (Atlas Lifts), they showed me something similar and this looks like a viable alternate to installing a monster 2-post lift. My only concern is servicing/replacing it if it's embedded in the concrete - seems rather permanent, whereas a 2-post can be removed/replaced perhaps more easily. The floor units that can be moved around seem very attractive for versatility however I'm not sure if that beats having a completely open underside. Something to think about.

About the space design, an interesting fact: Your scissor bendpack model requires a 28' fore-aft dimension per the manual, whereas a bendpack 2-post requires only 24'. I wonder why?

 

[ItsNemo]

ItsNemo, thank you for posting this! I actually saw your post while visiting a Greg Smith Equipment (Atlas Lifts), they showed me something similar and this looks like a viable alternate to installing a monster 2-post lift. My only concern is servicing/replacing it if it's embedded in the concrete - seems rather permanent, whereas a 2-post can be removed/replaced perhaps more easily. The floor units that can be moved around seem very attractive for versatility however I'm not sure if that beats having a completely open underside. Something to think about.

About the space design, an interesting fact: Your scissor bendpack model requires a 28' fore-aft dimension per the manual, whereas a bendpack 2-post requires only 24'. I wonder why?

I sure don't have 28'...I'm really in a 20' area with that 6' extra out the front where my bench is. Hasn't ever been a problem for the vehicles I work on.

I realized that if I ever need to replace this lift with a different one, it's all the concrete work all over again. I'm okay with this because living with it day to day is MUCH easier.

 

[BMW Rider]

My 12' x 20' addition to my garage is where I have my BendPak HD9 lift. Inside I have 11.5' x 19'. There isn't space to get past the columns on the outsides, but the lift is wide enough to allow passing by between the lift and my wife's car. There is sufficient room at either end to work on my Mustang which is smaller than most modern cars.

Its tight but it works, but would not want to have any less room for it. I wanted bigger, but had to press the development board in an appeal to allow me to build this size.