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Garage Door Installation: How Much Space Do I Need?

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When choosing a garage door, it’s not often that you get a say in what size it is. Often you’re stuck with the one that’s already installed if you’re taking on a home that had previous owners.

Occasionally you will be able to decide the final dimensions of your garage door if you’re building your own home. But even if you’re just replacing an old door, you’ll still need accurate measurements.

The installation of the garage door is best left to the professionals. But knowing how to measure the space in advance can help give you some idea of pricing. And will make the whole process a lot smoother.

Standard Garage Door Sizes

Knowing standard garage door sizes can help when it comes to measuring up. Of course, the width and height can vary depending on where you live, but a standard single car garage door is 8ft wide by 7ft tall or 9ft wide by 7ft tall. And you can expect a double car garage door to be 16ft wide by 7ft tall.

However, the ever-expanding world of custom homes means that more options are available when it comes to designing your perfect garage. Custom can expect a standard garage door size of 9 by 8 for a single and 16 by 8 for a double.

The world can be your oyster if you want to have a specialized garage built to fit all of your needs.

Measuring Up

Figuring out how much space you need for your garage door installation starts with measuring up. While measuring up, you’ll be able to determine if a single or double garage door is best for your space. And you can tell if you meet the clearance requirements for a garage door that’s safe and operational.

Inside Opening

The inside opening is essentially the opening that the finished garage door will fit in. You’ll need measurements of the width and height inside this opening.

To fit standard doors, you’ll want the internal measurements of the opening to be spot on the door sizes. If the space you have to work with is a little over or under, get a professional installer in.

Side Clearance

Your side clearance is the space on either side of the rough opening to the garage wall or the nearest obstruction. Anything less than 4” is below what’s required for garage doors and will make the installation challenging.

Most standard vertical track systems will require 3.75” on each side. But some systems will need up to 5.5”. Along with other measurements, how much sideroom you have will determine what system you can install.

A quality installation team will check and then double-check their measurements. This ensures that the materials ordered are perfect for the job.

Headroom

This measurement is critical. It consists of the space from the garage door header to the ceiling. Standard systems will need at least 12” for proper installation. But some extension spring doors can be fitted with only 11” to play with.

If you’re opting for an electric door opener, then you’ll need at least 3” of additional space. And carriage house style doors will need even more room.

Getting this measurement correct is essential. It’ll dictate what garage doors you can and can’t have. If you have plenty of room, then you’re in luck. And can make the most of any door style you want.

Backroom

The backroom measurement extends from the wall of the opening to the back of the garage ceiling. It’ll hold the entire door when it’s open, along with any hardware needed to open the door like the electric operator.

As a general rule, you’ll need more room here than the actual height of the door opening. Having the height of the door plus 18” is standard. But some systems will need more space.

Considerations

Keep in mind that these measurements will essentially decide which door style is best for you and your garage. Therefore, your measurements should be double and triple checked by the professional garage door team before ordering and installation.

Employing the experts from the start means you’ll end up with a garage door that isn’t just perfect for you and your needs. But you’ll also have a professional on hand. So that your installation goes smoothly and you’re left with a garage door that lasts into the future.