Are you building or updating a garage to hold your oversized vehicle—a truck, SUV, or RV, for instance? If you only have experience with standard garage door sizes, here you'll learn that choosing a garage door for one of these larger vehicles is a bit more complicated.
For example, a 9'-wide by 7'-foot high garage door might mean having to squeeze your vehicle into too tight of a space. But there's a solution! We can custom-make garage doors to fit any size vehicle that you want to park in your space. There are just four simple steps to finding your perfect garage door.
This picture comes from Wikimedia Commons.
First thing's first: large pickup trucks and SUVs & overhead doors
1. What size garage door do I need to store my large SUV or truck in my garage?
JD Power says that most average-sized SUVs have a height of between 5'5" and 6'4" high. These will fit into standard-sized garages, but not if you have lifts or other modifications.
Most pickup trucks roll in at 6' to 6'6". If you have a pickup or SUV, your best bet will be a 7-foot-high door. If you want more comfort room to maneuver, though, you should choose a garage door with a height of 7'6" to 8'. Width-wise, most vehicles will slide right into a garage with an 9'door.
Now that you've nailed down the size of your will-be garage door, you can begin the fun choices, such as the model! Our past happy customers have all created doors with varied designs, colours, and window choices. You can check them out in our image gallery.
Is your garage detached from the house or attached to it? Either way, insulation is important. Choosing an insulated garage door means a garage that is warmer in the cold weather and cool when summer gets hot. Both of these situations keep your energy bill low.
R-value determines insulation needs. We have several options that you could choose to insulate your garage. This choice won't make a difference on what your garage door looks like, though, which is good news. The R-16 high-insulation level has fantastic garage door models, such as the old timey North Hatley LP and the chic Vog.
Here you see the Standard+ Vog garage door in the Charcoal colour with left-side Harmony windows. If you have a pickup or an SUV, a 9' x 7' garage door like this will suit you perfectly.
What would you rather have, a double garage door or a second garage door?
How wide should the door be if it's a double?
Start your line of thinking with how comfortable you are with maneuvering two vehicles into a small space. Some drivers might not mind parking two smaller cars in a garage with a 12'-wide door; however, others might struggle to fit the same cars into a space with 12'-wide garage door. Most people request a 16'x8'garage door. Since garage doors are custom-made to the size you need, though, you don't have to settle for what most companies make. Go with the garage dimensions you've got and your personal desires.
Here, you see a 16' x 8' Standard+ North Hatley LP design in Moka Brown paint with four vertical lite Orion windows. If you're a two-car family, this will be no problem.
2. What type of lift should I choose for this type of garage door?
The most chosen type of lift is without a doubt the standard lift. This lift is installed when you have 12+ inches above your garage door. If you think your garage door opener will go on the ceiling, remember that you'll need two extra inches.
Sometimes, garages don't have the necessary 12 inches of space that a standard lift requires. When this is the case—when there are 10 inches or less of space—a low front headroom lift is a great choice.
Do you have a cathedral ceiling in your garage? You can use an inclined track to follow the slope of your roof.
3. What hardware should you choose for this type of garage door?
Garage doors that fit SUVs or pickups are usually less than 8'1" high, so you can use residential hardware. There are two types of this hardware: Dura+ and bolted.
These are the characteristics of the two residential hardware choices:
Dura+ hardware is included in some types of garage door models, and others include bolted hardware. You can replace one type with another—your local garage door expert can tell you how to do this and teach you more about the particular hardware systems.
4. What garage door opener do I need to install for my pickup or SUV?
This one is no problem. Most pickups and SUVs can fit into a garage with a 7' or 8' garage door. Go with whichever electric garage door opener suits you best from the residential line.
Your choice will be easy when you explore the unique features of each one.
- The LiftMaster 87504-267 opener means you can always have one eye on your garage! This residential garage door opener uses a belt-drive system for reduced noise and comes with a two-way microphone and HD camera so that you can see what's happening in your garage at any time.
- The LiftMaster 8500W opener frees up ceiling space since it's a wall-mounted garage door opener. This is a great choice if you have high-lift elevation hardware. Its strong 24V DC motor opens garage doors up to 14 feet high!
- The LiftMaster 87802 garage door opener is a bit louder because of its chain-drive system. It also doesn't come with an integrated camera. It's great for detached garaged, though, because you don't have to worry about waking up people in the house if you leave early or get home late. If you don't need to keep close watch over your RV when you're away, this one will be perfect for you. It also has a battery backup system in case power goes out and you still need to get into your garage.
Great news! Each of these models connects to your phone with the myQ app so you can open and close your garage door from wherever you are!
The LiftMaster 87504-267 model is so quiet! Combine the noise reduction with the battery backup, integrated camera, and more, and this model is one of the best on the line!
Next, let's talk about garage doors for your beautiful RV.
1. How big of a garage door do I need for my RV?
Building a garage for your RV starts with measuring the height of your vehicle. You need to add extra headroom on top of the height of the RV because if you try to squeeze it into too tight a space you'll be frustrated every time!
This 16' x 8' Ice White door is a G-5000. Commercial designs for garage doors are great if you need to fit in a wide motor home.
Is it possible that you'll want to get a bigger, better RV in the future? You should plan to choose a bigger-than-necessary garage door instead of having to start over later.
This Class A RV (from Camper Report's website) is an example of one of the largest types of RVs that have the most conveniences.
Your RV's Class plays a significant role in choosing how big your garage door should be.
The Camper Report website states that RVs can be classified into four separate categories:
- Class A – This class is the largest and roomiest choice. These motorhomes resemble busses—they're one-stop shops.
- Class B – This class contains the smallest RVs. They could possibly fit in the same garage as your regular vehicle.
- Class B+ – This class is an in-between of Class Bs and Class Cs. They're a bit bigger than class Bs.
- Class C – These are similar to Class A RVs, but they are built on top of a truck chassis that is adjusted to carry a motorhome.
Imagine relaxing under the stars in your Class C motorhome. (Pixabay)
Each of these RV classes comes in different height averages, so you'll need to consider carefully before building your garage and deciding on an overhead door.
Jeffsetter Travel details the different heights of each RV category.
- Class A – 12 to 14 feet, on average
- Class B and B+ – 7 to 10 feet, on average
- Class C – 10 to 12 feet, on average
This photo from Unsplash shows a typical Class B RV.
When you're measuring your RV, be sure to include the A/C unit on the roof. Now you have the approximate height of your garage door, but be sure to include some extra space so you don't have to squeeze in and so you can add modifications in the future, such as a roof rack.
Now think about the width. Class A vehicles should have doors at least 10 feet wide. If you're going for ease and comfort, choose a 12-foot-wide garage door. Class B, B+, and Class C RVs will be okay with an 8- or 9-foot-wide garage door.
These 9-feet high garage doors will fit a Class B or B+ RV perfectly. Shown here is the 10' x 9' Standard+ Shaker-Flat XL in Chocolate Walnut with Stockton insert windows.
If you already own your RV, getting these size dimensions will be a cinch. We can make a door that fits your exact desires, down to the inch. We will always recommend one a bit larger than you currently need, though, in case you decide to get a bigger RV later on down the road.
This garage door would easily fit any Class A RV. The one shown here (from Houzz) resembles the Shaker-Flat CC garage door.
2. What types of lifts would work with this garage door?
A garage for your RV is going to be much bigger than one for a standard car. This means that the roof configurations won't work with standard garage door lifts. We have plenty of lift options, though!
In an RV garage, the wall often continues much above the garage door. These cases usually require a full vertical lift track or a high lift track. Either of these will leave plenty of space above your RV.
Sloped roofs do best with inclined tracks that can follow the slope of the roof, which frees up space above the RV. These work great with cathedral ceilings.
If you don't have more than 10 inches of space in between the door opening and the ceiling, a low front headroom lift above the door is a great choice.
3. What type of hardware will support such a large garage door?
You don't have to stress about the hardware holding up your extra-large garage door. Garage doors that are over 8 feet will replace residential hardware with commercial hardware. This ensures the solidity and correct functioning of your garage door.
There are three types of commercial hardware you can use depending on how you use your garage door.
It's best to choose the type of commercial hardware required for your use of the garage door and how heavy it is.
4. You can't do anything without a garage door opener!
All is well—you have the correct garage door for your RV and you can't wait to install it. But first, you need to choose a garage door opener! If you try to open a 14'-high garage door on your own you will not be happy. Instead, choose an industrial-strength LiftMaster garage door opener.
Wall-mounted garage door openers work best, especially if you have a super-tall Class A RV.
The LiftMaster H is top of the line for many reasons.
- Freeing up ceiling space (no extra inches needed for an opener above the RV)
- Wall-mounted openers are easier to access if you ever need to reprogram your system.
- Vibration and noise are lower.
- myQ compatibility
Since the LiftMaster H is compatible with the myQ app, you can open and close your garage door from anywhere you are!
LiftMaster protects your garage no matter where you are so you can concentrate on other things.
Let's say you packed up the family for a weekend getaway. You got off of work late, so you were rushing around to get everything ready so you'd miss traffic. In your hurry to get out of the house, you forgot to check the garage. (Home Alone, anyone?) Now you're worried about the safety of your garage while you're driving along in your RV.
Don't let your well-deserved vacation be ruined by garage stress! Just have a co-pilot check your garage door's status from your phone with the myQ app.
Use the myQ app to check your garage door's status. Monitor your garage door from anywhere!
If you did happen to leave your garage door open and you weren't even thinking about it, the myQ app will send you a notification so you can shut it right away.
If your garage door is left open for longer than normal, the myQ app will alert your phone and you can use the app to close the door!
Don't wait any longer to get started on your new garage door!
Whether you're starting to think about a garage for your RV or a smaller project such as a shed, we have the garage door for you!
We will make you a custom-made garage door at exactly the height and width you need. Just take the measurements for your desired garage door opening and send them to us!
If you think it will be hard to measure your garage door opening, you can learn how here. Contact us and we can help you, too! If you need more personalized assistance, someone from our team can come out and help you measure your door.
This Eastman E-11 16' x 8' Black garage door with four vertical lite Panoramic windows is stunning! Would it look great on your home?
Here's some fabulous news! You can design your future garage door from your phone!
Our interactive Design Centre is free for you to use! You can click away and see how our 35+ designs and 10 colours will look, along with garage door configuration, window treatments, and decorative hardware. Get your creative juices going. This garage door will be on your home for decades!
Simply download this app on your phone and create your own RV garage door while you're actually traveling around!
We will even email you the results with a free quote. All you have to do is use a picture of your house or garage in the app. If it's well-suited, go ahead! If not, re-design again.
Give us a call at 508-563-5633. One of our skilled garage door experts at Caspersen Door Systems. is waiting to answer any questions about the steps to design your perfect garage door, choose the appropriate insulation, and get it installed.
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