Are you building a new garage intended to hold your larger than normal size vehicle? If you're pretty much familiar with standard garage door sizes, it can be a little more complicated when it comes to choosing a garage door for a such larger vehicle, such as an SUV, pickup or even an RV.
A 9'-wide by 7'-high garage door might not handle one of these big boys very well. Good news! We custom make garage doors in any size you need. Find out in 4 simple steps what the ideal garage door for your needs is.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons.
First, let's talk about SUVs or large pickup trucks and garage doors
1- SUVs and trucks are large vehicles. What size garage door do I need to store my SUV or pickup in the garage?
The most common SUVs range in size from 5'5" feet to 6'4" feet high, according to JD Power. Unless you have a modified car, most of them also fit into these same measurements.
Most pickups average 6' to 6'5" in height. Your pickup or SUV will fit in a 7-foot-high garage door. If you want to feel more comfortable, you can expand to a 7 ½- or 8-foot garage door. As for the width, most cars will easily fit into an 8-foot-wide garage door.
Now that you know the size of your future garage door, you can move on to the fun part: choosing your garage door model! We encourage you to view our different designs and colors and browse through our image gallery for inspiration from past customer projects.
Is your garage attached to the house or detached? If it is an attached garage, you should choose an insulated garage door to keep the heat in during colder weather and the cool in during hot summer days, in both cases reducing your energy bill.
We offer different types of insulation, depending on the R-value you need for your garage. Your chosen insulation level will not affect the final look of the garage door. There are extraordinary garage door models in the high insulation R-16 category, like the modern Vog or the rustic North Hatley LP.
Shown above are the Standard+ Vog garage door design, in Charcoal, window layout: Left‑side Harmony. These 9' x 7' garage doors are the perfect size for an SUV or a pickup.
Are you going to add a second garage door or choose a double garage door?
How wide should this double garage door be?
It all depends on how comfortable you are parking 2 cars in a small space. Some people will be very comfortable parking 2 small cars through a 12'-wide garage door, while others will have difficulty parking 2 cars in a 16'-wide garage door. The 16'-wide by 8'-high garage doors are the most requested for double garage doors. But since garage doors are custom made to fit your specific needs, you don't have to adjust to the most well-known sizes. Request what best suits your garage dimensions and your needs.
This garage door is a Standard+ North Hatley LP design, 16' x 8', Moka Brown, 4 vertical lite Orion windows. The width of this garage door allows two cars to be parked side by side without too much difficulty.
2- What type of lift is the best for this garage door?
The most common type of lift is undoubtedly the standard lift, which is installed in a space of 12 inches or more above your garage door. If you want to install an opener on the ceiling, allow an extra 2 inches.
In some cases, you may not have the 12 inches required for a standard lift. In these cases, you can install a low front headroom lift when the space above the garage door is less than 10 inches.
Does your garage have a cathedral ceiling? It is possible to follow the slope of the roof by installing an inclined track.
3- What type of hardware is required for this type of garage door?
Since a garage door for an SUV or pickup is generally under 8'1" feet high, residential hardware is the way to go. We offer 2 types of residential hardware: Dura+ and bolted hardware.
Here are their main characteristics:
Some garage door models come with Dura+ hardware while others come with bolted hardware. It is possible to replace one with the other by asking to your garage door expert. Talk to your local garage door dealer to learn more about the different hardware systems.
4- What type of garage door opener should I install for my SUV or pickup truck?
This step is fairly easy. Since most SUVs and pickups fit into a 7' or 8' garage door, you can choose any electric garage door opener from the residential line.
Each opener has its own unique features, which can help you make a choice.
- The LiftMaster 87504-267 opener is the perfect residential garage door opener to keep an eye on your home! This very quiet opener works with a belt-drive system. It has an HD camera and a 2-way microphone that you can access from your cell phone. This way, you can always see what's going on in your garage in real-time!
- The LiftMaster 8500W opener is a wall-mounted garage door opener. Perfect if you want to free up ceiling space or if you have high lift elevation hardware. Another advantage: it can open garage doors up to 14 feet high with its powerful 24V DC motor.
- The LiftMaster 87802 garage door opener operates on a chain drive system so it's a bit less quiet and doesn't have an integrated camera. However, it's great for a detached garage though where noise is less of an issue or if you don't need to keep an eye on your RV while you're away. It comes with a battery backup, handy in case of a power outage.
Even better news – all of those models can be controlled from your phone with the myQ app! You can monitor your garage door from wherever you are!
The LiftMaster 87504-267 model is one of the quietest in the whole line. It is equipped with an integrated camera, a battery backup and many more features!
Second, let's see what kind of garage door you need for your majestic RV
1- What size garage door do I need for my RV?
If you are building a new garage for your RV, you can start with the height of your RV. It's important to add headroom over the height. Too tight, and you'll be tearing your hair out every time you want to pull into the garage.
This garage door is a G-5000, 16' x 18', Ice White. Commercial designs can suit your needs if you require a wider garage door for your motorhome.
And what if you upgrade to a bigger RV in a few years? It's better to plan for a slightly larger garage door rather than having to start over.
This is a Class A RV, the largest RVs, but also the one that brings the most conveniences. Image from Camper Report’s website.
What kind of RV do you own? This plays a big role in choosing the size of the garage door.
According to the Camper Report website, RVs can be classified into 4 categories:
- Class A – The biggest and most comfortable option. They are the classic bus-like motorhomes seen on the road.
- Class B – Usually the smallest RVs. They might even fit in the same garage as your car.
- Class B+ – Those are a mix between the class B and C. They are usually a little bigger than the class B'vehicles.
- Class C – Similar to class A, but smaller. They are a motorhome built on top of a modified pickup chassis.
Image of a Class C RV from Pixabay.
Each of those classes has different dimensions that must be considered when building your garage and choosing your overhead door.
The Jeffsetter Travel website shows the different heights according to RV categories:
- Class A – Average height between 12 and 14 feet
- Class B and B+ – Average height between 7 and 10 feet
- Class C – Average height between 10 and 12 feet
Image of a Class B RV from Unsplash.
Make sure that the height of your RV includes any A/C unit installed on the roof. Now that you know the approximate garage door height you'll need for your RV, you'll need to allow for some extra height. Do you want to keep some space available over the RV in case you install a roof rack?
For the width, you need a garage door at least 10 feet wide for a Class A vehicle. We recommend a 12-foot-wide garage door for more comfort. For Class B, B+ and C vehicles, an 8- or 9-foot-wide garage door will be fine.
With their height of 9 feet, these garage doors are perfect for an RV class B or B+. These garage doors are Standard+ Shaker-Flat XL, 10' x 9', Chocolate Walnut, windows with Stockton Inserts.
If you already own the RV in question, even better! You can calculate the dimensions required for your garage door with the vehicle you own. We can make garage door sizes to fit your needs to the inch. However, we recommend that you choose a slightly larger garage door in case you invest in a larger model down the line.
This garage door found on Houzz would easily fit a Class A RV. Love this garage door look? Then check out the Shaker-Flat CC garage door.
2- What type of lifts are suitable for this type of garage door?
As RV garages are customarily larger than car garages, the roof has a configuration that doesn't allow for a standard garage door lift. Fortunately, we offer other lift options.
In these RV garages, you may find yourself in a situation where the wall continues well above the garage door. In this case, we recommend afull vertical lift track or a high lift track. This allows you to have plenty of room above your RV.
If the roof is sloped, we offer an inclined track that follows the slope of the roof. This frees up some space above the RV. This is the perfect lift if you have a cathedral ceiling!
If there is not enough room between the top of the door opening and the ceiling, we can install a low front headroom lift in a space less than 10 inches above the garage door.
3- What type of hardware is required to support such a massive garage door?
You don't have to worry about the robustness of the hardware for your RV garage door. As soon as the garage door exceeds 8 feet in height, the residential hardware is replaced by commercial hardware, to ensure the solidity and proper functioning of the garage door.
Depending on the use of your garage door, there are 3 types of commercial hardware you can install.
Depending on how you use the garage door and its weight, we suggest the type of commercial hardware required.
4- Don't forget about the garage door opener!
You now have found the perfect garage door for your RV and the details of the installation, but there's one more thing to consider: you also need a garage door opener. That's because opening a 14'-high garage door by hand can next to impossible! What you want is an industrial-strength LiftMaster garage door opener.
Especially if you have a Class A RV, we recommend a wall-mounted opener.
Here are the advantages of an industrial door opener like the LiftMaster H.
- Frees up ceiling space (you won't have to add in extra space for your garage door opener)
- Easy to access. Wall-mounted, your opener is at a more accessible height than above the RV if reprogramming is ever needed.
- Quiet and reduces the amount of vibration
- Compatible with myQ!
The great thing about the LiftMaster H is that it is compatible with the myQ app. This means you can control your garage door from anywhere!
LiftMaster protects your garage so you can enjoy your vacation with peace of mind.
You left home for a family camping weekend about an hour ago. The kids had forgotten to pack their bags, so you were stressed about being late. In the rush to leave, you forgot to check if the garage door was closed. Now, as you are sitting in the RV, you worry about the garage door.
It doesn't have to weigh on your mind all weekend! You can simply turn on your phone and check the status of your garage door with the myQ app.
Check your garage door status with the myQ app. It allows you to monitor your garage door from anywhere!
And if you completely forgot about your garage door and left it open, don't worry! The myQ app will remind you. If the garage door has been open for a long time, it sends you a notification.
The garage door opener will remind you that your garage door has been left open for a long time. All you have to do is close the garage door from the app afterwards!
Ready to shop for your new garage door?
No matter what your project is, whether it's for a small shed or a garage for your RV, we have the right garage door for you.
We can make garage doors for the width and height you need. All of our garage doors are custom made. All you need to know to get started are the measurements of your garage door opening.
Finding it hard to measure the garage door opening? Here's how you can do it. Or you can contact your local Garaga Expert. One of their skilled technicians will stop by your house to take the measurements for you and help you plan your garage door project.
Is this garage door the perfect style for your home? This is an Eastman E-11, 16' x 8', Black door and overlays, 4 vertical lite Panoramic windows.
Do you want to know something even more fabulous? You can design your future garage door!
We're putting our favorite garage door design app at your disposal: the Design Centre! With this free interactive app, you can decide on the look of your future garage door with just a few clicks.
Choose from more than 35 designs and 10 colors. Then you can choose the garage door configuration, window type, and decorative hardware. YOU are the designer! Put your creativity to the test.
You can access this app from your phone! This means that you could create your garage door for your RV while traveling in your RV!
Want to see your result before receiving a free quote by email? You can upload a picture of your house or your garage into the Design Centre to see if the garage door you designed really suits it.
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