How High of a Garage door?

[rosco]

You want a minimum door size of 12'x12', w/14' ceilings. A deuce w/mirrors is 9' with the mirrors floded in. It is 11.5' high, with one of those slide in type boxes that are made for them. Thats with 9.00x20's. I always say when bulding a shop: figure the absolute largest size, and add about 60% to it. Just to make sure - then when you are absolutely sure that is large enough, double the size!.

 

[Goose2448]

Why so close on ceiling height? What about like a 20-30' ceiling? That way you have lots of room to work. Maybe even put some runners up top, so you can work from above or view "All of It." My burban dose not even fit in my garage when its empty. I can pull it in touch the wall and still hang out the back, and cant even fit my hand between the roof rack and garage door. Plan enough room you could do doughnuts in it with the deuce and tipple the size. Then add some more. Plan drains, electric, Work bays (like a pit), air connections. Have a architect that does Car Dealers help design it. And go for a good spec on the concrete floor, like real thick. A normal drive way is 4", and is good for 4K I believe. I would think about 10" thick would be just about right. Reinforced of-course. And spec it for the mid 40s. 50 is the "highest" which is what a ice rink or movie studio is. Then Block walls, with a nice copper roof. At least thats what I would do. I would also go Hanger doors. The Fold out kind. Like a 50' x 20 ' or something. I would leave about 10' above the door for stuff. But thats what I would do, if I could afford it. A shop like that might cost $500K. Then add the stuff to go in it. But thats me

 

[Coal Cracker]

I was wondering about this myself, I'm putting up a 40x48x14 and was goin with one 12x12 door for the deuce and two 12x10's in the gable end.
I measured my deuce at 9' to the top of the cargo cover with 9x20's.

 

[1 Patriot-of-many]

I would say you are wrong Sir.

Do not go any narrower than 12 feet.

I had a fantastic 24x72 foot shop and could not get a deuce in it because I built it before the OD bug got me.

Mine shop was 14 feet high on the sides and my door was 12 feet high....OK for dueces or 5 tons but you could not back a van trailer into one that low.

I have to loosen and swing the mirrors in and remove the bows and top because of a light fixture. I get in without about 6" on each side. Height from the concrete floor to the ceiling is about 9' 6" Same here, had I even had an idea, I would have went 12' ceiling and much wider door and made the doors in the front taller. I can only get in at the back door.

To the original poster go big for ease of entering and exiting.

 

[SteveKuhn]

"...My door is only 6'6"! Kind of a tight fit though...."

I wanna see the YouTube of you driving it in. No fair winching.

Steve

 

[Ghostrider73]

Our doors are 12 high. it's fun when your the guy taking the M913 out. With a 2 inch tall light bar on it, and the door as high up as it goes, you might have 2 inches of clearance.

Matt

 

[seabeeut]

look at your budget and build the MAX that you can
easier and less expensive to build it the first time then to add on later.

 

[Stalwart]

look at your budget and build the MAX that you can
easier and less expensive to build it the first time then to add on later.

Ain't that the truth! You could double my space and it would still be crowded. I built mine with PLENTY of room to spare and the "OD disease" took all my available space and then some. The 3600 sq.ft above my garage was supposed to be for a new master bedroom, home theater and office. It now holds 30,000 lbs. of spare parts: Rolls Royce Stalwart & Ferret engines and new tires for the HEMTT, Ferret; Scorpion tracks and tons of other stuff. The disease is BAD!

 

[Jim Timber]

I remember when they poured the slab for my shop. 24x35 looked so huge then...

Got the walls up, and thought: man, this is so big!

7 years later - I can't walk all the way around my fab bench without moving it.

When the new shop is built, it'll be made for big stuff to fit inside.

 

[RodUSMC1962]

I built a lean to on the side of my barn 20ft wide 12ft high 60 ft long for my deuce and 105. Have roof left over to cover 10 ft garage door going into barn to load firewood in and still be covered. Works good for me, but I don`t have to do any cold weather repairs there.

 

[Jim Timber]

I figure I'll have cold and heated work space in the new shop too. Having lean-to's adds insulation value to the core of the building as well.

Storage and shop space will be allocated differently when I move to the new place. I'm currently playing by suburban rules and made the choice to stay here instead of moving when I built the shop. That turned out to be a mistake, as now I'm itching to get the heck out of the metro.

 

[Rusty nuts]

I just finished up having a 40x48x16 built. Had to go 16' eaves cause the Moho was 12'6". Went with 2 12x12 and one 12x14.

 

[1 Patriot-of-many]

I just finished up having a 40x48x16 built. Had to go 16' eaves cause the Moho was 12'6". Went with 2 12x12 and one 12x14.

View attachment 477667

Not long enough. Trust me.

 

[Rusty nuts]

Not long enough. Trust me.

Sure it is when that is only what the city would let me build. They have this stupid ordinance that the shop square footage cant be bigger than the house square footage.....obviously the ordinance was written by a woman...

 

[paradeduty]

Hey Rusty - Isn't that the truth!!

Went through that foolishness at the previous place we tried to make home. This time I asked the township supervisor the "rules" before we bought the property.

We put up all three barns up before even the house was done and before they could "modify" the rules.

We ended up with the Truck/Tractor barn at 50' x 88' x 14' tall, the Model Train Barn at 50' x 88' x 18' tall, and the Shop/Business Barn at 40' x 72' x 18' tall.

Haven't had a lot of time to put into the Train Barn yet, but it will be there when I do.

As far as Doors - the Truck/Tractor Barn has a 24' x 14' split slider (cheapest and simplest at the time - may be a roll up later - sliders are a pain in the snow and with the frost heave). The Shop barn has (1) 14' x 14' roll up truck door and (1) 7' x 9' and (1) 7' x 18' car doors under the loft which is over half the barn. The lower doors are good for getting work equipment (tools) in and out and an occasional classic car, the 14 sees the vast majority of the action.

 

[m16ty]

Sure it is when that is only what the city would let me build. They have this stupid ordinance that the shop square footage cant be bigger than the house square footage.....obviously the ordinance was written by a woman...

My shop is quite a bit bigger than my house. When I bought my property building the shop was first on the agenda before the house. I wasn't married back then though.

Honestly, if I were single and could either have a house or a shop but couldn't have both, I'd take the shop and throw a cot in it.

 

[quickfarms]

Sure it is when that is only what the city would let me build. They have this stupid ordinance that the shop square footage cant be bigger than the house square footage.....obviously the ordinance was written by a woman...

I have a similar ordinance to deal with but if states that EACH building can not be larger than the house.

 

[Robo McDuff]

... .... We ended up with the Truck/Tractor barn at 50' x 88' x 14' tall, the Model Train Barn at 50' x 88' x 18' tall, and the Shop/Business Barn at 40' x 72' x 18' tall. Haven't had a lot of time to put into the Train Barn yet, but it will be there when I do.

As sure as heck would like to see what you put in your model train barn it being even higher as your truck barn.

Everybody now always has these electric doors? Nobody using those folded doors like in the pic anymore? They are high enough and cheap (at least here) and no problems with the open door taking away part of your head space. True, you have to get out of your truck to open them, but that is good exercise.



These are the doors for my sons blacksmith workshop, about 41' x 92' ground space. Height at the sides is 16', in the middle 26'. We planned that my truck would be in there as well, but by the time it got to the Czech Republic, the workshop was full with old blacksmith equipment (3 power hammers, two presses, few laths etc,etc) and steel crates full of old steel and iron pieces (chains, old farming utensils, pieces of iron crosses, old tools, etc, etc,). I would have to work a month there before we would have room for the M51A2.

 

[11Echo]

Here are a couple doors on the back building. The larger one is 13Hx14W in a 14' wall. Door rolls up extremely well. Oshkosh mixer had no problem backing inside.

 

[bikeman]

Rusty, similar laws were in MN. I was actually sitting in a town council meeting that a guy was applying for a permit for a large garage/shop on his property. the City would only authorize an enclosed space the size of his current dwelling. He said that he was planning on expanding the house as well, they said when he did, he could come back for a larger garage/shop permit. They did/do allow the laying of the cement to his final specifications though.

I would say build big. I am lucky I did not put 37" tires on my truck as last time I was home (I have 35" right now) I fit into the garage with an inch or two to spare (standard residential). Build tall, build wide, and wire the dickens out of the thing to start with.

One thing we did in our house in MN when we were building it was run a natural gas line out to the porch. We have the BBQ hooked straight into the house supply line. (with an extra cutoff at the porch). Also wired standard outlets into the roof overhangs so we could plug in the Christmas lights and not have extension cords running all over. Wired into a switch at the front of the house. Think about adding speakers, lighting, special power if needed (220v vs. 110), TV/internet(wifi), air compressor setup (like our new shops with air lines) or even fluid storage.