Garage Question...1 big or 2 small doors?

[ItsNotABlazer]

I am in the process of drawing up the plans for a house and wondered what you guys considered to be best..... a single large garage door (maybe a 16-18') or two smaller (9' I guess). Its going to be an extra large two car garage with some storage and laundry room on one end. Right now I am thinking about a 24x30 or so. Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

Brad

[LUV2XCLR8]

If it will be at least 24' wide I would go with 2 10' doors, mine is 20' wide
with 1 18' door, big mistake, oh well, and make sure you go 8' high, mine
is and I will never regret it, my dads is 7' high and his explorer gets close
to the roof rack on his door openings, and that is a small vehicle by the
standards of todays vehicles, remember you can never build it 2 big

[byrd]

My garage is 24x30 and it has one door and like.except the winter time. It is unatached if that matters. I don't have the laundry or anything like what your going to do in there, but I know that mine is too small now for a working garage that can still hold my wifes car and misc storage. it also has a 10' door which is very cool if I ever build a big 4x4. Just food for thought. Randy

[Stocker]

If it's a garage (for parking), go with two 10" doors - makes it easier for each vehicle to be properly slotted into its own space, instead of one "inadvertently" being parked halfway into the other space.

If it's also a shop, and you want to park in the center to have more working room on all sides, one large door might work better for you...

[BOSS]

i have a 26 by 30 and 2 10by7 doors,i would try to get the 8ft doors if you can

[Brainchild]

Two doors is the only way to go IMO.My garage is 30x30 with 2 9' doors,and a walk in between them so you don't have to raise the overheads to get outside.

[64fleetside]

Had my 30x30 for 5 yrs now, glad I went w/two doors, much better IMO. Brian

[shifty]

My garage is around 30' wide and I've got two 10' or 12' doors (I'd hafta measure it). I would much rather have two doors than one.

[70short/step]

Like Stocker said above..."If it's also a shop, and you want to park in the center to have more working room on all sides".... Depends on what you are using it for. Wouldnt it suck to want equal amount of space to work on your project on each side and dont have one big door to drive into the center of your garage!

[shortymac83]

I"m a fan of one big honkin' garage door, then an entry door as well.

[ed455]

I've had both. I like the one big door better because my garage is used as my shop and I like having my project right in the middle if I want. Add a work bench to an existing garage and that side can get really tight.

[screwballl]

for a garage that size at least 2 doors with the shortest at 8ft... if you work on trucks then one 8' and one 10' would probably work better.

[fastwillie 696969]

i got a 30 x 100 and i got a roll up door with acess door next to it like a car garage

[farmaller]

I got a 16 footer on my garage and wish I went with two 9 or 10 footers instead, 1 foot don't sound like much but with a full sized truck it makes a difference.

[75-K5]

Yeah one big door makes for a huge PITA. Ours is always coming off track or otherwise screwing up. We're considering switching to 2 doors, although personally I like having the large open area available.

[N2TRUX]

I guess I have the best of both. I have a 32 x 44 garage with a double and asingle door on front, and a single door on back. This allows plenty of air flow and easy access to my back yard....

[phantom dually]

I have a 30x40 and a 16'x10' door. Wish I would have put 2 16' doors on the 40' side and turned the building with 40' facing the house

[Gordo]

24+30 with 2 doors, 8ft high and an access door in front and back, that's my opinion. Mine is 24+30 with 2 doors, 7ft high and an access door in back and I wish I gave it more thought 12 years ago. Ya might want to think about 12 ft ceilings also, don't forget electrical power, plenty of outlets plus 220 and lighting and heating and drainage and maybe upstairs storage and, and, and the list goes on.

[chickenwing]

Originally Posted by phantom dually

I have a 30x40 and a 16'x10' door. Wish I would have put 2 16' doors on the 40' side and turned the building with 40' facing the house

Why? Easier to get 2 vehicles in and out?

[sleepyboy]

I like 2 doors. Easier on your electric openers and your spouse would appreciate it if the power ever went out. Less debris blowing into garage also

[ItsNotABlazer]

Wow lots of replies already. I am definitely leaning towards using 2 probably 10x8 doors. This will just be the garage as I am also planning on building a seperate shop at the same time. Am also thinking of adding a carport on the end of the garage to boot. Never enough covered parking space right?

Brad

[phantom dually]

Originally Posted by chickenwing

Why? Easier to get 2 vehicles in and out?

Yes!! The way my door is all the way over to the side makes it hard to get 2 fullsize vehicles in. Not to mention being so close to the wall when you back in.

[71SWBChevy]

If you go one door you are going to have to buy a much better door than if you have two smaller doors. Our shop is a 30 by 40 and has one big door 14 ft wide 19 ft tall. It was EXPENSIVE and we have NO problems with it. It has been up for 14 years and NEVER had a problem with it. The door on our garage on the other hand is 16 ft wide and 9 ft tall. We have had it for 10 years and have replaced 2 springs, 4 hinges, 1 panel, and have had one dog severely injured by a flying spring and the side taken out of 1 car. It was a Cloplay sp? door from Lowes. Lowes refuses to sell these doors now because they're junk. If you get one door it should cost as much if not more than 2 doors if it is a good door.