Wide door vs. two small doors

[Gus68]

Hey guys! Planning new garage and was wondering the pros and cons of having one 16 or 18 foot garage door or two small say 9 foot doors. I am leaning towards one large door.

 

[Steevo]

Two doors are an advantage ONLY when the doors are wide enough for your vehicles AND there is room to have 4 feet or more of space between them, AND there is room for more than 2 feet on each outer side. Otherwise, one larger door is better.

 

[BevoZ06]

One wide door is much more versatile if you ever want to pull in at an angle, etc. You might have to buy a garage door opener with a slightly heavier motor, but you're buying only one.

Also, if anyone in your household might have a tendency to cut it too close when entering or exiting, there is no center divider wall to avoid. I have a utility trailer and it is much easier to back it up and into the wide door to load or unload items into the garage.

 

[Zeke]

One door is cheaper and one less opener is half.

 

[marcusicp]

One door is nice when you want to pull into the center of the garage and have plenty of room to work around it with the doors open.

 

[BillK]

Gus,

I agree with the others on the single door and personally I would definitely say 18 ft IF you are going to be always parking two vehicles in it. The garage on my house has a single 16ft door and it is really a close squeeze for my Tahoe and my Wife's Buick. I have to barely miss the door frame with the Tahoe mirror to have enough room to comfortably open the door next to the Buick. An 18 ft door would make it great.

However, my 24x24 detached garage has a 16 ft door and that is fine. I only have one car in there and the extra ft of wall space on each side of the door is nice. Also, depending on how wide your garage is, you may want to consider offsetting the door some to one side so you have a lot of room along one side for a workbench etc.

All depends on what you are planning on using the garage for.

 

[ambenz]

Yup, one big door! ...and good advice on the offset!
I have both...the 8' wide door is usually used for storage and isn't very easy to park while backing in.
I park my convertable in that bay during the winter.

 

[JimVonBaden]

I think two doors look better, but one is far more practical for a garage that will get much use!

Jim

 

[pauls340]

Some garage fronts look better with two doors, I like the two door look but more importantly, I did it for privacy reasons. When i'm working in the garage I keep the door behind the "toy" closed. Also, don't go with the narrower doors.

 

[oldgoat]

Personnally I like two doors, but I wouldn't have the 9' doors. I have a single and it gets a little close sometimes with some cars, especially if you get a little crooked. The 2 car garage I just put a 12ft door on it offset some, because I knew that one part would have my woodworking tools in it so there wasn't going to be any 2nd car going in there anyway. I does make it nice though when you want to pull a full size truck in there and have room to walk around it easily.

 

[ket-tek]

They both have pros and cons. It can depend on how you plan to use the garage, what you have to put in it, and ascetics from the exterior look of your house..

If your heating/cooling the garage, then single doors let out less conditioned air when needing to pull a car in/out. And if you were dividing the garage into work bay and park bay then two singles can mentally/visually help to maintain one clear bay for parking.

But when the weather is perfect on a weekend it is nice to have the whole side of the building open with a big door wide open with the sun shine coming in.

Some people feel multiple single doors are better for visual security as your not flashing the entire contents of the garage everytime you need to do something in there.

 

[Super Sport]

I prefer two separate doors, but some of the above posts point out good advantages of a single wide door.

One disadvantage I noticed with single doors was that my dual jetski trailer would not quite fit through the doorway.

 

[trbomax]

Ive had shops both ways. Anything less than 10 is worthless.You cant back a boat or car hauler into it because its just too close.Then there is the issue of haveing to fold the mirror(s) on your truck to get thru it.

I thought I had it `figured out and was doing it right this time around,but no,I went with a 16w x 14h. Shoulda been 20w x 14h.

 

[paullie]

one big door is my vote, i went with 2 smaller doors and really really wish i had went with one big door

 

[abstamaria]

How I wish I had installed a wide door instead of two small doors!

 

[jkeyser14]

One large door makes it much easier to get stuff in and out. If you are heating or cooling the garage the one large door also hurts your hvac more when moving stuff in or out. I think it's a wash in the end.

 

[djjsr]

Since you're still in the planning stages, how about making it big enough for 2 wide doors?

 

[Gus68]

I prefer two separate doors, but some of the above posts point out good advantages of a single wide door.

One disadvantage I noticed with single doors was that my dual jetski trailer would not quite fit through the doorway.

So why DO you prefer two seperate doors? Oh, and I'm not saying two 9ft. doors, just two single doors compared to one wide one. I'm thinking that the little one or two foot strip seperating the two single doors would be a PITA, but I see it all the time so I was wondering if guys like them better for some reason? If it's just for looks, then i don't care. I'm a function over form kinda guy!!! If it looks like **** but works better than anything else, I want it!!!!!

 

[Slow_Lane]

I have 2-9 foot and 1-18, I much prefer the smaller doors that are used for the daily drivers. They are both basement garages 52X32ish devided by a concrete wall. I keep the side with 18 ft door for my 67 mustang, projects, tools and keep that side heated. With the wider door I felt like my wife did not have a good sense for where to park the car. With the smaller doors she has a good sense of where to park and does not take up two spots. Neither door however has solved the I can back out of it but can't back into it debate.

 

[coburja]

I'm a fan of single big doors. We have a 18' door on our house garage and we've gotten several envious comments from people with double doors and even 16' single doors. The one comment I would make, is that if you plan to put in a 18' door...buy one of good quality (good bracing and metal backed). I know someone who cheaped out on a 18' door and it was a sagging piece of junk. I've seen some cheapo 16' doors hold up pretty well but that extra two feet kind of puts an exponetially heavy load on the door when it's raised.

 

[Farres]

One, big double door beats two singles hands down. From what I can tell in these parts, the only fans of two single doors are the architects. They must think they look more refined and classier, but they sure are not practical.

 

[RobSmith]

You can get a pair of single roller doors that share a centre track. So you can open each door individually or remove the track for one big door.

 

[rwhite692]

One door. 16 wide, 9 foot high opening if at all possible. I have yet to hear anyone say "I sure wish I had gone with two small doors instead of one large door".....yet I have heard the converse to that, many times....

 

[Fubeca]

For me - it depends on what the garage is used for. If it is an attached garage used only for parking - I like 2 single doors (wide enough 10'). For a shop, I like one 14' or 16' door.

The typical 16' double door on a 2 car garage is not wide enough for anything but two very small cars. It really makes getting into the garage a pain.

An 18' is better - but like was posted above, it has to be a very high quality door to stay straight.

Also, if you live in high-wind country, two single doors can be much stronger and less likely to be blown in.

 

[Falcon67]

One door is cheaper and one less opener is half.

Well, that depends on the size. Two basic Clopay 9' doors were about the same price as my base model 16' door. Openers - sure, if you need them.

I went with a 16' single strictly to because of wall space. If my building was 48 or 50 long on that side, I'd have put in two 10s with 18~24" of space. I have trailers that are 9' wide, so two 9' doors would have looked good, chewed up valuable wall space and still not let me back in a full trailer. So I went 16'. I can kick a car out, put in a trailer and close the door.

 

[wxm]

My neighbor had opt'ed with the one-door option and in addition he also selected option of removing the supporting pole in middle of the garage. Now he could park the car side way across the two parking spots which gives him a lot room when he needs to do a major overhaul (he just pulled the engine out)... A very nice feature to have if you are going to work on the cars yourself.

 

[Highbeam]

No single door may be under 10 feet wide. For crying out loud, a normal pickup bumper is 6 feet and add mirrors to each side and you need every bit of a 9' opening if everything goes well.

I put up two 12' wide doors this last month on the 30' wide gable end of my pole barn. Each door allows me to park anything legally driven on the roads. A trypical RV trailer is now 8.5 feet wide plus an awning on one side means that a 10' door is required if you are a perfect backer upper.

I could have used a 20 foot door but it would have been more expensive than the two 12' wide doors.

Bottom line is only go single if you can make them BIG singles.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Ive had shops both ways. Anything less than 10 is worthless.You cant back a boat or car hauler into it because its just too close.Then there is the issue of haveing to fold the mirror(s) on your truck to get thru it.

I agree. 10 ft width and as high as you can get it, thats my minimum. These 8 and 9 ft (wide) doors just don't cut it for me.

Charles

 

[dirttracker18]

You might have to buy a garage door opener with a slightly heavier motor, but you're buying only one.

Don't be fooled by openers with bigger motors as they are not needed!

If the door is balanced correctly you can open it by hand right? So why would you need a bigger opener?

I am opening my 12' X 12' commercial door with a 20 year old craftsman 1/2 hp with no problems at all.

The door installer put me on to this. He stated just what I said above. The door just needs to be balanced right.

You may now return to your 1 vs 2 debate.

FWIW I have only one at 12 feet and can easily pull in two cars but I am 30 wide so angling in is not an issue.

 

[rburke65]

I am still in the planing stage, but I am going with 2- 12'x8 doors. I will have 6' between the doors.

 

[00pewter]

We're in the planning stage of building a house and had designed the house to incorporate two 10x10 doors on the side of the house... Will also be using two 10x10's on the 30x40 shop.

 

[rwhite692]

We're in the planning stage of building a house and had designed the house to incorporate two 10x10 doors on the side of the house... Will also be using two 10x10's on the 30x40 shop.

I can't imagine building a big 30x40 shop like that (congrats, that is awesome!), and limiting your door width to only 10 feet...!

 

[Cobra6]

Two doors are an advantage ONLY when the doors are wide enough for your vehicles AND there is room to have 4 feet or more of space between them, AND there is room for more than 2 feet on each outer side. Otherwise, one larger door is better.

I think Steevo has a good point -

I have 4 feet between my doors, and 4 or more feet on either side - I use to have one big door on my other garage and hated it.

If you are putting a lift in, you probably don't want one single door, you want a 9 or 10 foot wide door in that bay, and a door on the other bay.

If you have a car on the lift (unless you have roll-up doors), you can't open a big single door to access the other side. Also a motor opener for a large single roll-up door is mega $$$$ (like $1500 or so...)

I can keep a lot more warm or cold air in the garage with one door open, and also keep a lot more debris out. I can raise one door and vent my exhaust easier.

BTW - Have you ever seen any professional shops with one big door? Nope - one for each bay - Wonder why?

 

[dirttracker18]

Once again, a 1/2 HP standard opener will open a large door just fine. Don't get sucked into an expensive opener that you don't need.

 

[BevoZ06]

Once again, a 1/2 HP standard opener will open a large door just fine. Don't get sucked into an expensive opener that you don't need.

dirttracker,

I am in the early stages of a garage renovation. When I get to the point (probably months from now) that I am finally ready to insulate the ceiling and garage door, do you think my exising garage door opener can handle the additional weight of the insulation? Should I have an Overhead Door technician adjust it in some way to accommodate the extra weight? Thanks.

 

[Rich1028]

I could not deside...so I did it both ways.



my double doors are 10 feet wide..and I love it better than the one 16 ft. single door.

 

[Rich H.]

I like the look of two or more doors. I like the utility value of one big one.

Another goofy point....not that I would do this, but...two 8' wide doors has more seal area with an insulation value of R-zero, that can potentially leak and let the cold in, than one 16' wide door of the same height. Two doors have four vertical seals. One door has only two. Hey I said it was a goofy point...

other than that, everything steevo said

 

[1320stang]

My buddy put in a 18x8 garage door, as opposed to the typical 16x7 door. This is on an attached garage. The entryway is proportioned correctly with a larger front door. Funny thing is, he lives at the end of the street that goes into his neighborhood (one long straight shot) so when you pull into his neighborhood, you see his house at the end of the street.

His house is only 2000 sq/ft, but it makes the houses on either side look miniscule. Plus, as you drive up the street, you think you're closer to his house than you actually are, once you get there, you wonder if Shaq lives there.

His house looks normal from the front, but his garage is two cars wide and two cars deep. On the outside rear spot, he has a normal 16x7 on the side of the garage. The inside rear spot has a 12' ceiling. He has a Rotary 9000# Assymetrical lift on that side as it has a thickened slab. I have garage envy.

 

[jjpp]

I'd go with a 18' if your parking 2 vehicles in there. If you go with 2 doors and can do it I would use 12' wide doors. My house has a 16' door and it is a pain to get both vehicles in, one has to go in at an angle. The 30x40 I used a 16x10 on the front and a 12x8 in the back lined up with where the hoist will go one day.

 

[JYank]

The best I've ever seen was a wide, long garage with 18 ft. doors front and back. My friends could park a large Ford pickup and a Toyota Camry with plenty of room to get in and out. They could drive both vehicles in one end and out the other. Really sweet!