two small doors or one big door?

[last12know]

am buying a small house that was basically built to be a garage while the main house was being built...owners found they couldn't build the house they wanted so they ended up building another garage behind the one they did build and left the orginal garage/house as a rental.

it has no garage doors and i'm just gonna put some in and take out the few interior walls it has and have a nice garage with water/elect./gas and sewer. rite now it has a phone, cable service, stove, fridge, shower, sink, toilet and natural gas furnace (no air conditioning). it was built on a slab (orginally for a garage) and just needs a drive poured or gravel for now until i get some more money.

it is small 22' by 24'....the 22 is to the alley... so what would you reccomend and why? one big door 16' wide to get stuff in and just be careful not to bump stuff or two smaller 8' wide doors or one 12' wide and a mandoor?

well you get the idea.... am afraid if i have two then one is gonna have a semi permanent project that never gets moved. if i have one door than it can't be blocked or garage is worthless....am trying to keep it from ending up as storage like my house garage.

thanks

 

[Kevin54]

I'd go witha 16' or maybe a 10' wide. Doors come in varying widths. But do not put in an 8' door. An 8' door is not wide enough. I have 9' doors on mine and had literally 2" on each side of a trailer I was trying to back in.

 

[SnyperBob]

I would say to go with the 16 foot door. If possible, put a man door (service door) on the side of the garage.

 

[last12know]

well i'm leaning toward one bigger door. the house garage has two eight foot wide doors but i've not had a problem....they're on each end of a 2 1/2 car garage in an l shape... with a third in the middle of that to separate the two halves ....why? beats me but that is how the former owners had it set up.

that and a mandoor on the side.... there currently is a door in the front which you have to go thru a porch to get into the garage main.

so i'm leaning towards both suggestions.... anyone else?

thanks kevin54 and snyperbob

 

[82_454_shorty]

Go with 1 big door. I have 2 nine footers and there's barely enough room to drive my truck inside.

 

[700jfm]

Go with 1 big door. I have 2 nine footers and there's barely enough room to drive my truck inside.

What size truck do you have? my new garage will have three 9' doors on the front.

 

[Old Moparz]

I'll vote on going with one large door for the clearance you get. If you ever have the need to enter or exit the garage on a slight angle, it will make a big difference.

 

[JohnK007]

Another vote for the 16 footer with a man door. If I am envisioning this right, the access will be to the alley? If so the wider door leaves more room for mistakes when backing something like a trailer into the garage like Old Moparz suggests. Put the mandoor in the rear of the garage so you can access it from the house side. Especially important if you ever fence off the alleyway from your yard.

 

[thammel]

Another option, is to go with two 10' wide doors. This is what I'm planning but my new garage will be wider, allowing for wider doors.

Tom

 

[82_454_shorty]

What size truck do you have? my new garage will have three 9' doors on the front.

Full size Chevy. With the mirrors it you have to be careful.

 

[82_454_shorty]

What size truck do you have? my new garage will have three 9' doors on the front.

Full size Chevy. With the mirrors out you have to be careful.

Plus, anything larger (like my car hauler) won't fit.

 

[700jfm]

Ok I have a F150 you had me But it might not be to long when we all will be driving smart cars. You can get two side by side though a 9' foot door.

 

[700jfm]

If you plan to park two cars/trucks in the garage then 16'ft but you may have to get a manufactured beam for that span. That's what I was told to use on my new garage it's going to have one in the back. If you put a 12'ft you can make your own header for that span. and have a side door, The garage I have now 23'X23' has the 16'ft and no side door I have always wanted one. Do you have any pics? it would help.

 

[last12know]

no pics rite now....will have to get some...there is a man door in the front away from the alley. looks like a 16' door is the common consensus. the only other thing i was wondering about is it has a kitchen etc...i'm going to remove all the piping and just have the bathroom boxed in with a sink. i may remove the shower. i'm looking at a way to heat it in the winter with minimal expenditure and keep the pipes from freezing when not in use. any ideas to accomplish this without using the furnace? maybe electric heat? and then when using garage using the furnace?

 

[Beachbum]

Go with a single 18' door and a man door on the side. All that space is also great for ventilation. Make sure whatever size you go with, the door is insulated and wind rated. Also you may want to look into a side drive door opener.

 

[mpeche923]

I have a few pics I will post. I just got finished doing a total exterior renovation on my home including a brand new 22x24 garage. I have a 16' x 8' door it's a single door and for my purposes it's definately better to have one big opening. I have more then these so if you need to see anything else or the entire build just let me know... Oh and it also has a door on the side which is VERY convenient when i just need to get something quick out of the garage..... As I type this the driveway is getting new asphalt to meet up with the floor of the garage....

Enjoy

 

[700jfm]

Very nice that's the kind of doors I'v been looking at.

 

[mpeche923]

700jfm,

That door is from CLOPAY. HD sells them but not sure if it would be different if it came from a building supply. I ordered it from my local building supply and it came in pretty quick... 2 weeks. I have the additional metal side straps but not sure if i want to put them on... I like it with just the handles. a 1/2 hp liftmaster does the job nicely of taking the door up and down.

visit www.clopay.com to create your own door before you buy it's what i did

 

[700jfm]

700jfm,

That door is from CLOPAY. HD sells them but not sure if it would be different if it came from a building supply. I ordered it from my local building supply and it came in pretty quick... 2 weeks. I have the additional metal side straps but not sure if i want to put them on... I like it with just the handles. a 1/2 hp liftmaster does the job nicely of taking the door up and down.

visit www.clopay.com to create your own door before you buy it's what i did

Thanks I'll take a look

 

[flesburg]

I only have one comment. Is your wife going to park her daily driver in the garage?

If so, you want two doors, a his and hers, or she will take her half out of the middle, and you will have to move her car to get yours in, or beat her home every night.

I like two doors with about 5 or 6 feet between them, with the man door in that space between the two doors. Keeps her on her side.

Been there and done that.

Now, if it is going to be your garage and the wife has an attached garage for her use, then by all means go with a big door. 16' or even 18' wide. The wider the better, especially when you are working out there in nice weather and want the door open.

Just my 2 cents worth....