Sometimes there is too much choice! Imagine you’re going over the plans for your new home with the developers but two of them keep butting heads. One is insisting two single garage doors will look best, and the other thinks you should choose a double garage door. Of course, the choice is yours, so what do you choose?
We’ve written this article to help you decide which type of garage door you should opt for.
Size does matter
If you’re planning on parking two vehicles in your garage it will need to be at least 18 ft. by 22 ft., attached or detached, it makes no difference.
For two single (8 ft. by 7 ft.) doors, your garage needs to be 22 ft. wide minimum. For a double garage door, it must be at least 24 ft. wide. You’ll need a wider garage if you’re planning on installing an access door at the front, and, of course, you need to leave adequate room for storage.
You also need to think about the size of your vehicles, if you’re planning on parking a pickup truck and a small RV in your garage, you’ll need a larger garage than if you’re planning on parking a compact car and a snowmobile, for example. Of course, you also need to leave adequate room for opening vehicle doors.
So, we’ve established that size does matter, but so does your budget.
Let’s think about practical aspects:
Cold and humidity
Installing two single garage doors will reduce the amount of cold air and humidity that enters your garage, reducing your heating bill in the winter and the costs of running your air conditioning in the summer.
Technical problems
If something goes wrong with your double garage door, for example a torsion spring breaks, you could be left with no cars. Whereas if you’ve opted for two single doors and there is a malfunction with one of them, you’ll at least be able to access one of your vehicles.
Three vehicles
Two single doors are not the brightest idea if you’re planning on parking three smaller cars in your garage. To avoid awkward manoeuvres, you should opt for a double garage door (16‑18 ft.).
Triple garages
Triple garages (one single 9 ft. door and one double 16 ft. door) are more common in America where the cost of land is cheaper. Most people who have triple garages use the smaller door for getting smaller vehicles into the garage, such a motorcycles and ATVs. If you’re considering a triple garage, your garage must be no smaller than 900 ft.2.
And now appearance:
Everyone has different tastes…
Installing two single garage doors will reduce the amount of cold air and humidity that enters your garage, reducing your heating bill in the winter and the costs of running your air conditioning in the summer.
Got your heart set on carriage-style doors?
Triple garages (one single 9 ft. door and one double 16 ft. door) are more common in America where the cost of land is cheaper. Most people who have triple garages use the smaller door for getting smaller vehicles into the garage, such a motorcycles and ATVs. If you’re considering a triple garage, your garage must be no smaller than 900 ft.2.
Is there a cost difference between the two?
The cost of materials for two single doors and one double door is very similar. However, there are additional costs involved if you opt for two single doors: you would need a second electric garage door opener and to build a narrow wall between the two doors.
We think it’s important to point out that you don’t need a more powerful door opener for a double door. As long as the door is well balanced, the spring system will open the door. The motor doesn’t actually do anything you couldn’t do manually, except of course it lifts heavier loads easier. But watch out, it can just as easily bring that weight down again quickly, so always make sure your feet are out of the way!
If you’ve got a better idea now…
Give us a call at 866-436-6777, we’d love to talk to you about our entire range and the door openers that are available so that you can make the best choice for your home. You could also pop into our showroom or request an online quotation.
If you need a visual aid, upload a picture of your home to our Design Centre to see what your new garage door will look like, or visit our image gallery for inspiration!
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