It's time to start building your new garage, and you know you need something a bit larger than usual since you have a big vehicle. There's a good chance you have at least a little familiarity when it comes to the standard garage door sizes, but you will find that things can become a little more difficult when you are choosing a door that will work with something like a large SUV or RV.
Most of the time, the usual 9' x 7' garage doors just won't do the trick. Fortunately, you have come to the right place. We can create custom garage doors for you, and we can make them in whatever size will work for your needs. Check out the four easy steps below to determine the right garage door for you.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons.
First, what to consider if you have SUVs or large trucks
Tip 1 - These vehicles tend to be on the larger side, so what's the best option for a garage door?
According to information from JD Power SUVs will generally range from 5'5" to 6'4" high. This should be the case with your vehicle, as well, unless you have on that has been modified in some way.
The average pickup truck will range from 6' to 6'5" in most cases. This means that a pickup or SUV should generally work with a 7' high garage door. Of course, if you prefer to have a little more room, you could opt for a garage door that is 7.5' or 8' high. When it comes to the width, you will find that most vehicles should have no problem with an 9' wide garage door.
Once you have a good idea of the size you will need for your garage door, you can then start to think more about the model you will choose. It can be fun to look at the different selections and imagine how they will look when they are added to your garage. Consider checking out all of the styles and colors available through our image gallery. The images should give you some inspiration for your space.
Do you have an attached or detached garage?
Those who have attached garages will want to opt for a garage door that has good insulation. This will help to ensure the heat stays inside when it's cold out and that the cool air stays inside during those scorching summers. Ultimately, this will help you reduce the cost of your energy bill.
With our garage doors, you can get different types of insulation. It will depend on the R-value needed for your garage. Insulation isn't something you will see, of course, so you don't have to worry about it changing the look of your garage door. You can find some fantastic options for garage doors that have high insulation in the R-16 category. Some options include Vog and North Hatley LP.
In this image, you can see the Standard+ Vog garage door. Here, it's in Charcoal color with a left-side Harmony window layout. The garage doors measure 9' x 7' and will be a great choice for pickups and SUVs.
Have you thought about the idea of putting in a second garage door or opting for a double garage door? If so, what should the width of a double garage door be?
The width you choose will be a matter of your comfort level when it comes to parking two vehicles in a relatively small space. If you don't have any problem parking two cars in a garage door that's 12' wide, then that's all you will need. Others might prefer more space and want to park their vehicles in a 16' wide garage door.
The most requested option for double garage doors is a 16' wide by 8' high garage door. However, you will want to keep in mind that we can provide you with custom options here. This means that you don't have to stick to the same, known sizes. You can find an option that works for you and that will fit perfectly with your garage dimensions.
Here is a double garage door called the Standard+ North Hatley LP design. It measures16' x 8' and is seen here in Moka Brown with 4 vertical lite Orion windows. The width tends to be ample enough that two cards can be parked next to one another without too many issues.
Tip 2 - What sort of lift should you choose for the garage door?
The type of lift used most often is simply a standard lift. They can be installed if you have a space of 12 inches or more above the garage door. For those who might be considering adding an opener to the ceiling, you will want to have at least an extra two inches.
What if you don't have enough space for the standard lift? If that's the case, you have another option. You could choose to add a low front headroom lift. These can work nicely when you have less than 10 inches above the garage door.
What if you have a cathedral ceiling in the garage? In that case, you would use an inclined track and would follow the roof slope.
Tip 3 - What should you know about the hardware for the garage door?
Even though a garage door for an SUV or pickup will be larger than most doors, it will still typically be under 8'1". This means that standard residential hardware right option. We can provide two different types of hardware that could work for your garage—Dura+ and bolted hardware.
Take a closer look at each:
You will find that some of the garage door models come with bolted hardware while others are going to come with the Dura+ hardware. You can always request to replace one with the other by talking with your garage door expert. The professionals can help you to learn more about various hardware systems.
Tip 4 - What garage door opener will work well for my SUV or pickup truck?
You will be happy to note that this tends to be a relatively easy step since these vehicles will generally fit into a 7' or 8' garage door. What does this mean for your garage door opener? It means you can choose any residential electric garage door opener.
Of course, the openers will each have their own special features. Understanding those features will help you make your choice.
- You could opt for the LiftMaster 87504-267 opener, for example. It is a nice and quiet opener that uses a belt drive. This opener features an HD camera, as well as a two-way microphone. You can access those features right from your phone, so you can see what's happening in the garage, and have a conversation with anyone there.
- Another option to consider will be the LiftMaster 8500W opener. This garage door opener is mounted to the wall, and it works well for those who may want to have some free space on the ceiling. It is also a good solution for those who use high lift elevation hardware. This opener is powerful enough to lift doors up to 14' high thanks to the 24V DC motor.
- Next is the LiftMaster 87802 garage door opener. This option uses a chain drive system. Of course, this means that it is not as quiet as a belt. They can work well for detached garages since noise likely won't be a problem. This features a battery backup, which is helpful if the power goes out.
One of the best features of the modern garage door openers discussed is that you can control them from your phone using the myQ app. This allows you to check in on your garage no matter where you might be.
Here is the LiftMaster 87504-267 model. You will love how quiet this option is going to be, as well as the battery backup, camera, and other features.
Second, what's the right garage door for a large RV?
Tip 1 – Choosing the right garage door size for RVs
First, you have to think about the height when building a new RV garage. Keep in mind that you will want to have some added headroom, so there is plenty of room. If it is too tight of a fit, it will be nerve-wracking to pull in and out of the garage each time.
Here is the G-5000, 16' x 18' garage door in Ice White. You might find that opting for commercial garage doors like this works better in some cases.
Here's something else to keep in mind. You should consider having a bit more height and width than your current RV needs. Otherwise, what happens if you decide to get a larger RV in a few years?
This RV is a Class A, which means it's the largest category of RV. Although it's big, it also has the most features and conveniences. Image from Camper Report’s website.
The type of RV you own will play a major role when it comes to getting the right garage door.
The Camper Report website shows that RVs can be classified into 4 categories:
- Class A – The largest option, but it also happens to provide the most comfort and features.
- Class B – At the opposite end of the scale are the Class B RVs. They are on the small side and could fit in a smaller garage.
- Class B+ – This is an in-between class that is somewhere in the middle of Class B and C. Typically, they are a little larger than Class B vehicles, but not quite as large as Class C.
- Class C – These will be similar to Class A, but they aren't as large. These motorhomes are usually built on a modified pickup chassis.
Here is a picture of a Class C RV found on Pixabay.
Of course, the different classes will all have different dimensions, and you will need to consider all of those when building a garage and picking out the overhead garage door.
On the Jeffsettter Travel website, you will find the different heights for the classes:
- Class A – Between 12 and 14 feet on average
- Class B and B+ – Between 7 and 10 feet on average
- Class C – Between 10 and 12 feet on average
Image of a Class B RV from Unsplash.
One of the most important things you will need to remember to do is make sure you add in the entire height of your RV. This includes any AC unit or other items installed on the roof. This will ensure you have a true idea of the amount of height you will need from the garage door. Again, it's a good idea to have more height even if you don't need it right now, just in case you want to put on a roof rack or something else later.
When it comes to the width, you will generally need to have a garage door that is at least 10' wide if you have a Class A RV. The best option tends to be a 12-foot-wide garage door. With Class B, B+, and C, opting for an 8' or 9' wide garage door should work well.
These garage doors are 9' high, which means they can work nicely with a Class B or B+ RV. The garage doors are Standard+ Shaker-Flat XL, 10' x 9', Chocolate Walnut, and the windows have Stockton Inserts.
If you already have the RV, it should be easy to get the dimensions. Our team can create garage door sizes that will work for your needs down to the inch. Just keep in mind that we recommend getting a somewhat larger garage door just in case you need the added space.
This garage door found on Houzz is large enough to hold a Class A RV. If you like the way it looks, consider the Shaker-Flat CC garage door.
Tip 2 - What lifts should be used with this type of garage door?
Garages for RVs will usually be bigger than a garage for cars, which means the standard garage door lifts are not likely to work. We do have lift options, though.
A full vertical lift track or high lift track will work better, as it provides a lot of overhead room.
For those who have a sloped roof, we provide an inclined track. This track will follow the slope and it can help to provide some added space over the RV. It's a good option for cathedral ceilings!
In cases where there isn't enough room between the ceiling and the top of the door, a low front headroom lift can work nicely.
Tip 3 - What hardware should you choose for a large garage door?
When you work with us, you can be sure that you are getting the right hardware for the RV garage door. The residential hardware is replaced with commercial hardware in cases where the garage door is higher than 8'.
Below are common commercial hardware options you can install.
Which one of these would work best for you?
Tip 4 - Remember the garage door opener!
Once you find the best garage door for the RV, and you know how to get it installed, you have to start thinking about the garage door opener. Opening one of these massive garage doors by hand is almost impossible, which is why you need an industrial-strength LiftMaster garage door opener.
This is particularly true if you have a Class A RV, where we recommend a wall-mounted opener.
Let's look at some benefits of an industrial door opener such as the LiftMaster H.
- Frees up ceiling space
- Wall-mounted openers are easy to access
- Nice and quiet
- It works with the myQ app
LiftMaster H works with the myQ app, so you can control your garage door from anywhere.
LiftMaster keeps the garage safe, so you can have peace of mind.
You never have to worry about whether you closed the garage door or not because you can simply check the app and close it remotely. As long as you have access to the Internet, you will have access to your garage door.
Check on the garage door with the myQ app. It's easy.
If you leave your garage door open by mistake, the app will even remind you with a notification, so you can close it.
When you get a reminder that the garage door is open, simply close it using the app.
Is It Time to Get a New Garage Door?
We can provide you with the perfect garage door no matter the size you need. All of the doors we make are custom. If you know the measurements of the garage door opening, we can get started making the ideal garage door.
Are you having some trouble figuring out how to measure? Here's how you can do it. You can also opt to contact us. One of our professionals can head to your home and help you.
How do you feel about this garage door? It is an Eastman E-11, 16' x 8', Black door and overlays, 4 vertical lite Panoramic windows.
When you work with us, you can even design your own door.
You can go through our Design Centre garage door app. This is a free and interactive app that will help you figure out which garage door look works best for you. Choose from scores of designs and 10 colors. You can also choose the windows, configurations, and decorative hardware.
You can even see the results before you get your free quote by email. Upload an image of your home or garage into the app to see how the new garage door will look.
Call 781-826-2212 to talk with an expert from Mortland Door Systems.
We can help you along each step from measurement to design and installation by our garage door installers.
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