Two 10ft doors or one 16ft

[boostaholic1]

Hey guy and gals,
First time poster here, long time lurker.

Gonna be starting my detached garage (28x32) build soon and need some opinions.
This shed will mostly be for working on cars in (fabrication type stuff). In the right side, I would like to have a curtain to close off the rest of the shop to paint in. For this reason, I am leaning towards 2-10ft doors. This way I can open this section for ventilation while painting. It is possible a lift maybe installed in the future. This is another reason I like the separate door idea. If there is something on the lift, I could open the other door to get in. I am limited to my ceiling height due to city restrictions.

I do like the idea of having one big door for the ease of getting larger projects in the shop.

Any suggestions or past experience on which is better. Maybe some of you regret not doing one or the other.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[SALIV8]

I love my big doors. 10' isnt all that wide but will fit all vehicles comfortably.

When I decided on my shop layout I used graph paper and went through so many different scenarios. Good luck.

 

[yeldogt]

One big door is fine if the shop is big enough to maneuver a vehicle -- your shop is not big enough.

One of my building is over 50' long -- the door is only 8x8 (I only have cars) .. I can pull them in and then maneuver as the building is 32+ feet wide. You don't have the space to get around the lift pole.

 

[Moosefire]

One thing to keep in mind is the extra space needed for the 2 doors, a 16 footer only needs 16 feet where as 2 10 footers plus a separation between then is more around 22 feet. That's a 6 foot difference which could greatly impact the interior space layout

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[Shootinok]

I went with a 16 x 8 door and I’m really glad I did.
The 8’ height made it more expensive (most garage doors are 7’) but I wanted to ensure my truck with a rack on it was clear.
My shop is 24x30 with an 8’ lean-to making it 32x30. The door is centered on the 24’ section. The double width door definitely makes it easy to access.


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[yeldogt]

I went with a 16 x 8 door and I’m really glad I did.
The 8’ height made it more expensive (most garage doors are 7’) but I wanted to ensure my truck with a rack on it was clear.
My shop is 24x30 with an 8’ lean-to making it 32x30. The door is centered on the 24’ section. The double width door definitely makes it easy to access.


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I went with an 18 foot door with my suburban garage - it's only 24' wide so it gives me the space to seperate the cars ... 16' is tight with two cars. I still have enough space on the one side to walk.

It sounds like the OP wants a lift --- even 18' does not really allow for two cars and a lift

 

[Lonnies Performance]

Depends on a few things.

10' doors are nice to drive through, so this isn't a bad option.

Is this in the 28' or 32' side?

The single 16' leaves more dead space at the corners, but if you add a lift, it is over 10' wide & you are using up a lot of the 16' door width.

I think if you put in a lift (they are typically big obstacles), you are likely stuck with pulling in straight to it anyway, so 2 doors will not hurt you.

As stated above, a single door is great if you make it the same width as the 2 you are replacing... eg. 2 x 10' plus the gap between = 22-24' door. But those huge doors get expensive.

You also lose a lot of cooling or heat, (depending on where you live & if you are climate controlled) when you open a big door. You are stuck with opening the whole thing. The difference between opening my 9x8 or 12x12 is huge... it gets cold in there real quick.

Also if you want an opener, they get more expensive for large doors.

 

[pbon]

2 ten foot wide doors. With a 16, cars tend to end up towards the center. For paint on one side a 10 is better. For a lift on one side a 10 is better.

 

[GRivera]

I have an 18x8 on the short (gable) side of my 30x40. Have you considered going wider than 16?

 

[boostaholic1]

Thanks for all the comments. Really helps to hear from experience.
The doors will be on the 32' side. Shed will be 28' deep.

I have never really considered going wider than 16', only because that is standard. This would be an option though depending on price point of course.

Keep the experience coming.
Thanks

 

[mrobins297aaa]

I have an 18x8 on the short (gable) side of my 30x40. Have you considered going wider than 16?

this is what I have, 18' x 8' so much easier to get thinks in and out.

 

[MikeinNorthWales]

If you are going to hang something to separate one space for painting, with a single large door you will not be able to gain access to the other side through the door while you are painting because it will open the paint side as well.

You mention local code height restrictions that you do not want to cross- are you allowed by code to paint in your neighborhood?

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[BruceMc]

I have a 28x32 with 2-10' doors, but with the doors on the 28' wall. I have a 4-post lift in one bay and it's really tight on the walls on both bays. Interior room is approximately:

|| 2.5' | 10' | 2' | 10' | 2.5' ||

My biggest regret is not going 32' wide (instead of 28'), which would almost double the working room along each wall. I would say you'll probably be fine if you're putting your doors on the 32' wall, but would suggest a single wide door for anything narrower. My neighbor has a 16' door on a 24' wall and I think his access is so much better than mine, even though I have both a wider shop and more total door width.

 

[86turbodsl]

I went with a 16' wide door on one end and now that i'm getting lifts, it makes it hard to drive around them. I have to put the lift further into the building to get another car beside it. One door per lift location works a lot better.

 

[boostaholic1]

Another option I guess, would be to put a 16' and a 8 or 10' on front with 2' between doors and corners. Only disadvantage with this is the wall space I would lose for equipment.....
Decisions, decisions!!

 

[ed_v]

It will cost you more, but go with two 10ft doors.

I have a 16ft x 9ft door on my shop and did at my previous shop as well. We don't park cars in there. If you put a lift in, there will be no way to get two cars in. I'm going to posting a thread on this soon.

Ed

 

[DC73]

I'd prefer the two 10 ft doors. I think they look better and are plenty big enough for just about anything. If you go with one door, consider the 18' as others have suggested.

As already mentioned, another thing to consider is height. Many of the 16 ft doors come in 7' heights but I don't think that's near tall enough. You need 8' as a minimum.

I absolutely hate the 16x7 ft door in my house garage but there's no practical way to make it any larger or to replace with two doors. I had double doors at my last house and much prefer them.

Good luck,

DC

 

[NUTTSGT]

I prefer two doors myself. In my garage, the waste oil barrel sits between the doors.

 

[Hubscrub66]

Two doors for me.

 

[jkeyser14]

Two doors is better for a few reasons. You have a few feet between the doors which keep lift posts from interfering with the second bay. Secondly, with a single door people tend to be bad at parking with enough space to fit the second car. Third, if you plan to heat or cool the garage, having a single large door lets all of your conditioned air out very quickly once it is opened.

 

[coljar]

For my purposes, I went with both since I do have a hoist. I also went with 8ft. high doors which I'm glad I did. I didn't need any higher doors on this garage because I have taller door on my old garage next to it.

 

[HoosierMark]

If your putting it on the 32 foot wide side, go with a 10 and a 16 foot wide door with 2 foot on each side and 2 foot in the middle. You can use the 10 foot wide door for seldom used things or maybe not even open it hardly at all. But this gives you so much more access and options for the garage. It also will help with resale if you ever sell. The next owner may want a wood shop and one side or the other will make it easy to move wood in and out or store one of his toys. A single door would also allow you to split the area off if you ever want a clean area for storage of a collector car or motorcycle. All this being said, I assure you that when you decide, you will find that it will work no matter what layout you chose. Not always but you will adapt.

 

[bluegoose972]

My shop is being constructed. After talking with a neighbor, he regrets getting a single door as if he is working on a project or installs a lift, his access is dramatically cut off. My shop is 30'x35' and I'm having two 10'x10' doors installed with a 3'x7' door between. This way I can use the normal door for normal entry, can have my 1966 Mustang (project) in one bay, and can use the other bay for parking my Jeep Rubicon during storms or if I want to pull the hard top off. Front half will mainly be for cars and the back half will be storage and work shop area.

 

[Mr onetwo]

I have a single 16 x 8 and besides the overall width (24' vs 28') it is my biggest regret.I should have gone with 2 -10' x 8' doors. Energy loss in the winter is tremendous.

 

[boostaholic1]

If your putting it on the 32 foot wide side, go with a 10 and a 16 foot wide door with 2 foot on each side and 2 foot in the middle. You can use the 10 foot wide door for seldom used things or maybe not even open it hardly at all. But this gives you so much more access and options for the garage. It also will help with resale if you ever sell. The next owner may want a wood shop and one side or the other will make it easy to move wood in and out or store one of his toys. A single door would also allow you to split the area off if you ever want a clean area for storage of a collector car or motorcycle. All this being said, I assure you that when you decide, you will find that it will work no matter what layout you chose. Not always but you will adapt.

I have considered this. The only downside to it, is losing the extra wall space for shelves, equipment, etc.
I need to get some graph paper and lay everything out and see how much room I really don't have!!

 

[Showkey]

Three 9” doors in 32’-34’ side is another common setup.

 

[rburke65]

I LOVE my two 12’x8’ insulated doors! That’s my suggestion.

 

[gnpenning]

You can go with 10, 12,14,16,18,20,22 wide doors or a combination of.

 

[Jazz1]

The post between the 2 10’ doors would be a PIA in a working garage. 10’
Doors are for parking garage IMO

 

[firebirdparts]

Two doors for me. You need a lift, and the rest of the layout is too obvious to repost here.

 

[Falcon67]

Single door. Two doors eat up a lot of wall space and really get in the way of moving things in and out. Depending on your use case. My original design had two doors, went with one 16' and no regrets.

 

[BruceMc]

The post between the 2 10’ doors would be a PIA in a working garage.

It is.

As far as losing heat - when you open a door long enough to move a vehicle in or out, it really won't matter much if it's 10' or 16'. You'll lose most or all of the warm air either way in a small shop. It would make a difference in a large warehouse-sized space where the hole in the wall is minor compared to the overall volume, but not in a small space where the door is a relatively large section of the wall..

 

[bradpac]

Does anyone make a door system with a removable center track? Like a hardtop in a car. That would be a slick setup, one door when you need it or both.

 

[penright]

I would vote for two doors, but you do need to keep in mind enough space on both sides that you can open doors and work on the side of cars.
My size and placement were dictated by lot and drive access. My plan was 10' storage, 10' work bay, 10' project car. I should have gone 6' storage, 12' work bay, 12' project car. I had to go two doors since there were going to be times the project car would not be moved. I thought 24' would have been enough, but by the time you put workbench and tool box, 24 is tight.

Also, you might look at the in-ground lift https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=473500&postcount=1

 

[mike93lx]

Have you considered the differences in construction? The single door could require a much more significant header.

 

[ddurrett896]

I'm building now and ended up with (1) 18'.

I like the ability to pull one vehicle in the middle for working with the doors open.

 

[Jazz1]

I'm building now and ended up with (1) 18'.

I like the ability to pull one vehicle in the middle for working with the doors open.

How long before you say “ dang I wish I had a obstacle in the middle of my garage entry

 

[boostaholic1]

How long before you say “ dang I wish I had a obstacle in the middle of my garage entry

I am not positive (the reason I am here asking opinions), I'm gonna guess if I get a lift and need to pull a second car in to the right of the lift, I'm going to want that extra room.
Another reason I am leaning towards two doors is to be able to put my sandblasting cabinet in the section between the two garage doors. Have some big equipment I need to think about wall space. The more wall space for me the better.
I guess technically, 2-10' doors take more wall space than 1-16-18' door.
Decisions decisions

 

[Falcon67]

My shop is being constructed. After talking with a neighbor, he regrets getting a single door as if he is working on a project or installs a lift, his access is dramatically cut off.

Depends - I don't have any issues with projects or moving in and out.

 

[gnpenning]

Does anyone make a door system with a removable center track? Like a hardtop in a car. That would be a slick setup, one door when you need it or both.

Midland does. Very common in the AG community.