Garage Door Distances

[PitbullMidwest]

I'm getting ready to build a simple garage, straight forward construction. My question is: how much room should be allowed between the sidewall and the overhead door frame so that when the car is parked there is adequate room to get in and out of the car?

The garage will be a 2-car, 28' wide with a 16' door offset to the left side

 

[LBrown59]

*The garage will be a 2-car, 28' wide with a 16' door off set to the left side

*I would much prefer a 10 foot door centered in each 14 foot bay.

 

[Bird]

I think the usual answer to your question is two feet.

 

[davkir]

Are you going to use the wall on the short side for storage. Shelves, cabinets, hooks...etc, that will take up space?
I would be thinking about more like 4 ft. (But I'm a little older and sometimes have trouble getting in and out anyway!)
You might set a saw horse next to your car and see what feels comfortable. The garage will probably outlast you current vehicle, if there is a truck in your future with towing mirrors you might add a little space.

 

[Tig]

Bird is probably correct but I left four on either sie of my door. Leaves room for a work bench or bicycle or stuff hanging on the wall.

 

[bigtiller]

A family member had one that was 12 inches but that gets a little tight if you are over 40 or over 200. I went the other way with my current garage at 6 feet. I had one years ago that was 2 feet and I had allways wished I had made it 3 feet.

 

[sperry]

10' wide doors with 32" side wall clearance is a great combo! May not work with your offset door or 28'w dia.

 

[mjncad]

My preference would be 10' door with 3' minimum and 4' preferred distance on each side of the garage door frame. Going this route would make your garage 29' - 32' nominal width.

I echo other comments about 2' being inadequate, especially as one gets older. We have a 16' door for two Honda's, and my 2-door car has 2'+/- distance on the driver's side to the wall. I hate it. Also, the majority of the door dings in my car's right side are from my dear wife opening her 4-door CRV's doors too quickly in the tight space.

As an architect friend of mine says about garages, "Space is cheap." Make it big enough to suit your needs if at all possible.

 

[CurlyDave]

The garage will be a 2-car, 28' wide with a 16' door offset to the left side

I made mine an 18' door, and there is 3' of clearance on either side. This is just parking area. There is an offset for a ramp and storage also.

It feels just about right, so I would recommend 24' of parking width for two cars and an 18' door. These are inside dimensions. Don't forget the width of your walls.

You are starting with a blank piece of paper. You might as well decide to hit a home run instead of building something you will come to regret.

 

[psvines]

Make it much larger than you could ever possibly imagine you will need, and I promise that someday it will barely be enough. It's easy now to enlarge it on paper; afterwards when it is too small it will be difficult to rearrange stuff and move around inside the crowded space. If this sounds like a tip from experience... it is.