Garage Door Height

[Guest Alfred in VA]

I'm adding a new garage door to my shop to permit me to move my Brass Cars in for service,  With the top up the height of my highest BC, a 1913 Buick, is 84 in. How does this compare with other cars? I want to plan for other BC's as well, either mine or friends. What is the highest car I need to plan for? 

Thanks, Alfred in VA

[capngrog]

Not knowing the particulars of your garage, I'd have to give you the general, but universal advice on garages as a whole: "Build your garage as large as you can, because there is no such thing as a garage that's too big". This same advice holds for garage doors, in my opinion. Within the realms of structural practicality and architectural aesthetics, make your garage door as large as you can. As to height, this holds especially true, since over the years you may take a liking to an old box truck or fire engine ... or something. There also may be an occasion when you'd want to back your 84 inch high car into the garage while it is on a trailer.

To get advice of a more expert nature than mine, go to the AACA Forums and scroll down to the "Garages, Trailers and Towing" forum.

Just my opinion,

Grog

[Larry W]

As I recall, when I had a house built back in 1985 with an attached garage, the standard height for a garage door was 84 inches, with an optional height of 90 inches. Anything taller than that was considered a commercial door with a hefty price tag, and possibly violated the residential building code.

[Paul Dobbin]

Alfred,

 

Door height is partially determined by your wall & ceiling height.  If the doors are in a load bearing walls, the headers above doors are a subtraction for the ceiling height along with the top plate.  

I have 10 foot walls with scissor trusses giving me a 15 foot ceiling in the center (For the lift).  In the 10' side walls two 8' (96") high by 10' (120") wide doors.  In the end wall, I put an 11' high X 10' wide door to accommodate our RV and or a car on or in a trailer.

The 84" door would be a nightmare with your brass cars.  Our old garage had that and the lip from the 18'

wide door hung down and requires that I partially dropped the top of our 1915 T Touring to get in and out.

Recommendation:  96" high and 120" wide even if it makes your side walls taller.  You'll need that air space anyway if you want to lift the cars once you get them in.

 

P. S.  If you build your building with the doors in the gable end, you can put a taller door than you can put in the side walls, if you use scissor truss system.  (Might be to solution for a residential building code)

Edited August 1, 2015 by Paul Dobbin (see edit history)

[padgett]

Similar but made the mistake of putting a standard single door at the front of the back garage (have a double door in the back. RV was no problem but the TM is 95" wide so need another 4". Until then it resides under tarps on the pad in the grotto.

[capngrog]

RV was no problem but the TM is 99" wide so need another 6". Until then it resides under tarps on the pad in the grotto.

What's a "TM"?

Cheers,

Grog

[John_S_in_Penna]

 

 

The 84" door would be a nightmare with your brass cars.  

 

Good advice, Paul.  These days, garage doors of 7 ft. and 8 ft. height

are both readily available, and an 8-foot-high door is not costly.

Definitely plan for at least 8 feet.  And a readily available width of

9 feet will be much more comfortable than the more common 8 ft. width.

 

Since your building is a shop, you might want to consider a commercial

door, perhaps 10' x 10'.  Do you think you might ever park a motor home

in there?  If so, get dimensions to verify.

 

I understand that the Oldsmobile Limited of the 'Teens, one of the

largest brass cars, is 8-1/2 feet tall. 

Edited August 1, 2015 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[John_S_in_Penna]

What's a "TM"?

 

He must mean threshing machine!

 

The Case car was made the the J. I. Case T. M. Company!

[padgett]

TrailManor (folding camping trailer in my .sig) Click on it for more than you ever wanted to know.