Have you ever considered insulating your garage, but wonder if it’s worth the time and the expense, or if there are any building standards in place that would compel you to do so? As to rules and regulations, there are none. Some government agencies do suggest that if your home has an attached garage, any walls that adjoin your house should have a specific R‑value, and that there are also recommended R-values for the ceiling of the garage. As to the remaining walls, and the door, there are no recommendations. And if you have a detached garage, you can essentially do what you please.
It may be a choice that came at you unexpectedly. You were sitting down with your contractor or builder, looking the different issues involved in designing a new home or garage, and they ask whether you want one or two single garage doors. This is actually an issue of importance, but one that many overlook when visualizing a new home or construction project. So, which is the right choice? It all boils down to a few factors, and what is best for your needs.
Here are the few things you’ll want to consider:
Garage Width
It doesn’t matter whether the garage is attached or detached. What matters is the width, and whether you’ll be parking two cars inside. Ideally, the garage should be 18 feet (5.5 m) wide by at least 22 (6.7 m) feet deep for two cars. If you wish to have two single doors (8′ x 7′), the garage has to stand at least 22′ in width. If you want wider doors (roughly nine feet or 2.7 meters wide), the garage then has to be at least 24′ (7.3 meters) wide. If you also want a standard household door on the front of the garage, it only increases the width requirements for the garage.
Also, remember that vehicles are not stock or standard sizes. So, consider your door size choices based on the vehicle or vehicles to enter. Leave adequate space on both sides of the garage for storage and passage. After all, you do need to exit the car from inside!
Air and Moisture
A single, large garage door allows a lot of air and humidity to enter the space when it opens. However, two single doors cut that cold air in half. This can have a big impact on heating costs, even if you only keep it at 45°-50°F (8° to 10° C). The same applies in hot weather, with more air and humidity entering whenever the door is opened.
Malfunctions
This is something many people neglect to consider, but it is important. If you have a single large door – one around 4.9 meters or 16′ wide, and that door opener malfunctions, you may find yourself stuck. For instance, a torsion spring break means the door has to remain closed until repaired. With two smaller doors, you can at least get one vehicle out!
Multiple Vehicles
It is not unusual for a household to have three smaller vehicles that must all be in the garage at once. A single, 16-18′ door (4.9 to 5.5 meter) door is the most practical for such a situation. Two doors would make it nearly impossible to maneuver vehicles around.
In such instances, a triple garage that uses a single wide door alongside a narrower single one may be a great option. This is a common solution used in new builds in the U.S. where a smaller bay is used to park an ATV, boat or bike. Such an answer demands a garage of 900 ft2 (84 m2) at the very least.
Consider Esthetics and Appearance
As you begin to narrow the choices, you may dislike the idea of some solution simply because everyone has different tastes. Though your designer will indicate that a home looks more balanced with two single doors, you can do many things to make the most of your choice – whether single or double.
When looked at from the street, a double-width door can really stand out and even diminish the fluidity of the design. It is why architects will steer clients towards two doors instead of one. However, there are a lot of tricks that can improve the look of the single door. Pergolas, lattice with climbing vines on both sides or large potted plants or trees all soften the look and reduce its overall impact.
If you are someone who really craves a carriage-house style though, you will need to choose the two single doors to work with the overall style of the house. This old-fashioned design only works well with the narrower – eight to nine-foot-wide doors.
Cost Considerations
Of course, many people wonder if it is costlier to make one choice over the other. If looking strictly at the garage door systems and not the total expense for a building, the two single doors or the one double door have similar costs. Yes, there are costs with constructing narrow walls between two doors and other factors, but strictly for doors installed, pricing is close.
The prices only begin to vary as you have to figure in the cost of two, rather than one, electric garage door opener installations. While many assume that the garage door opener for the larger, double door is going to cost more, that is not necessarily true.
What is true is that all doors (regardless of width) require a well balanced installation. This means that the spring system (counterweight) doing the work has to be sized accordingly.
For instance, if a door weights eight to ten pounds 8 to 10 lb (3.5 to 4.5 kg), the system installed has to be able to match what you would do if opening it on your own. Of course, door openers typically handle much greater weights and pull up as well as push down these heavier weights. It is why it is dangerous to get anything trapped beneath the lowering door!
In conclusion…
Ready to begin making your choices? If so, contact us at 508-563-5633. We can begin going over the entire array of doors and door openers available to you. We can steer you towards the right options for your budget and your actual needs. If you want to get a head start, just send us a request for an online quotation.
If you want to explore a few choices ahead of time, simply visit our site to use the visualizer in our design center. It allows you to build your own door and see how it would look installed or to peruse our image gallery to get some design inspiration.
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