Size Garage Door Opening

1 1993 consider upgrading the device to take advantage of safety features.

Size garage door opening.

This post is intended for purposes of clarifying how garage door sizes work and opening preparation. Measuring a residential garage door is more than determining the dimensions of the door but making sure the garage can accommodate a garage door opener and the door in both open and closed positions. Garage door openers typically range from 1 3 to over 1 horsepower. For example if you would like to lift a double garage door one might suggest using a 1 2 horsepower because the door is heavier and larger.

If you are installing a 9 wide door the opening will be 9 3 wide. Begin by using a tape measure to determine the width and height of the door opening in inches. If you need a double garage door the typical measurement is 16 ft. However it is quite rare for anyone to want to do this.

Our partners at clopay offer custom garage doors in a variety of sizes. A heavier single door or a double steel door may need a 1 2 horsepower opener and a wooden double door may need the full 1 horsepower to open. 99 of the residential garage doors that we run across are different than these widths. The horsepower needed for your garage door opener is dependent on whether or not you want a long lasting opener verses replacing it every few cycles or the size of the door.

1 2 or 1 in one direction of the other will won t typically. Choosing a garage door size. Much more often homeowners seek to increase the garage door size to match vehicles that don t easily fit through the existing opening. If you are installing a 9 wide door the opening will be 9 3 wide.

Look for an opener that has the horsepower necessary for your garage door size based on size and weight. If you have an older garage door opener manufactured before jan. However a single garage door at eight to nine feet wide and seven to eight feet high is a common measurement for many homes. If you re unsure of which opener to get it s a good idea to talk to the staff in the hardware store you re buying from or to a garage door repair service.

From a structural standpoint it is fairly easy to reduce the size of the opening in a garage thus creating the need for a smaller garage door. An opener with at least 1 2 horsepower is common for residential use. Modern openers generate electronic beams that extend across the garage door opening to provide entrapment prevention and protection. Frame the rough opening to 3 inches wider than the garage door size you have selected.

Therefore making the width of the garage door rough opening the same size as the door would be fine if you are going to use a thin layer of stucco vinyl siding or 1 by lumber.