Garage door

[Lainey]

I'm biting the bulllet and finalizing my garage plans. The door I was currently planning on is 18'wide x 9' high, also considering a 10' high, but +$$. I am going with a 21.5' deep x 26' wide building (room for a workbench! ) I figure the 18' width will allow me to get the truck in easier once the trailer is wintered in the garage (more commonly, people are using 16'w door on a 2 car garage)

The bigfoot is 8' high and I would like to install a MaxxFan or similar vent fan unit, the MaxxFan is 5" high. Now in theory, 8'-5" should be okay to clear a 9' door, but it could be close. The ground seems level from the alley to where the garage will be built.

Does anyone have any other items I should be considering before deciding on the final height of the door? I'm not worried about resale value, so I don't need a really large height for someone to put a bulgemobile in in the future.

I suppose another way to go would be two single overhead doors - one 8'w x 7' or 8'h for truck and one 10'w x 9/10' high for trailer, but I thought it might be easier to back the trailer in with the wider door??

Thoughts?? Thanks for putting up with another one of my looong posts

[Doug Mager]

cosmetics might not be an issue with your project, but the tall/wide door would be better all round IMHO!!!
I designed n built our place with a double attached garage, with 2 doors.
I never dreamed back then that I'd be owning a Trillium that mandades a taller than norm opening!!

....whats that you say about HINDSIGHT!!

[Roy in TO]

Thoughts??

The size of the door opening and actual clearance can and often does differ. Something you should consider when determining the type of door and associated hardware.

[DAVID K]

Go with the 10ft door.You will thank me later.I just completed my toy barn.Its higher wider and deeper than I first planned. But if I ever move up to a longer or higher toys I have room to spare.

[BobB]

I agree with David! Go with one 10 foot door and wide enough for an 8.5 foot rig. The garage will last a lot longer than you will own your present trailer. A popular size here is 24 by 24 feet, sometimes with additional room for a workshop. My son in law has one even bigger than that!

[Pete Dumbleton]

Bigger is better -- You might want to put an a/c on top, or a kayak rack or a storage pod, etc. It may cost a few $ more today, but nothing like adding some inches in the future.

You might even decide later to buy a Sprinter van with a diesel engine to tow your egg. Keep your options open. Won't hurt later when you sell the house, either, to have an over-tall garage!

Also, some of your electric door opening hardware may have to stick further down than planned, and you haven't mentioned whether the driveway/apron are level entry or if there's a slope involved that would add inches to something entering.

[Lainey]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts.

Pete - I am hoping that the apron will be level with the alleyway, but there's no guarantee of this, it could end up with a slope on it, yet another reason to go to the 10' high door. The door opener usually take 12", but sit above the door height and should be out of the way, although I'll probably need a different model to handle the monster sized door!

The added height will make it a bit easier if I am working on anything on the top of the trailer too. I'll be too broke to take it out of this garage by the time it's done though!