Are you building or updating a garage that holds your large-sized vehicle? Standard garage door sizes, such as a 7' x 9' door, make it difficult to store a large vehicle, such as a pickup truck, SUV, or RV, so choosing a door for that situation can be more complicated. There's good news, though! Custom-made garage doors are possible and easy to choose with these four simple steps.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons.
To start, let's discuss RVs and pickup trucks VS overhead doors
1. The first thing to note is that SUVs and trucks are larger than other vehicles, so you might need a bigger garage door to store your SUV or pickup in the garage.
Most SUVs are about 5'5" to 6'4" high, according to JD Power. Most cars, unless modified, fit the same measurements.
Most pickups average 6' to 6'5" in height. Most pickup trucks are about 6' to 6'5" high. A 7-foot-high garage door will fit your pickup or SUV, but if you want to park more comfortably, you'll need to choose one that is 8" to 9' high. Widthwise, most cars will fit nicely with an 9-foot-wide garage door.
You've nailed down the size, that's great! Now you can choose the fun elements, like the model! You'll enjoy browsing through the different designs and colours that other customers have chosen in our image gallery.
Whether or not your garage is attached or detached will help you decide if you need an insulated garage door or not. Insulation keeps in heat during the cold months and keeps it out during the height of summer, which helps keep energy costs down.
Depending on the R-value you need on your garage, you might need different types of insulation, all of which we offer. The good news is that insulation levels don't change the look of the garage. The R-16 category has stunning models such as the modern Vog and the rustic North Hatley LP.
Seen here is the Vog garage door design with Charcoal paint and a left-side Harmony window layout. This 9' x 7' garage door would fit your SUV or pickup perfectly.
Do you want to choose a double garage door or add a second garage door?
If you choose a double garage door, how wide should it be?
The answers to these questions will depend on how comfortable you are with parking two vehicles in a small space. Some people have no trouble fitting two smaller cars with only a 12'-wide garage door, but others struggle to navigate this same task when they have a 16'-wide garage door. Most people who custom make their double garage doors choose a 16' wide by 8' high door. However, that's the beauty of custom-making your door—you don't have to choose the same size that everyone else has. Make your choice based on your needs and the size of your garage dimensions.
The style seen here is the Standard+ North Hatley LP design in Moka brown with four vertical lite windows in a 16' x 8' size. Its width allows it to fit two cars next to each other easily.
2. What type of lift should I choose for this garage door?
The standard lift is the most common type of lift, needing 12+ inches of space above the garage door. If you want to have the opener on your ceiling, you'll need to allow for two extra inches.
Some garages don't allow for the 12 inches you need with a standard lift. When this is the case, like when you have less than 10 inches of space, you can put in a low front headroom lift.
If you have a cathedral ceiling, you can follow the roof slope and use an installed track.
3. What type of hardware do you need for this type of garage door?
Since garage doors for pickups are usually less than 8'1" high, residential hardware is the best choice. You can choose Dura+ and bolted hardware from us.
These are their main characteristics:
Certain models come with bolted hardware, and some come with Dura+. Your garage door expert can tell you how to replace one with the other. Ask your local garage door retailer if you want to learn more about the different hardware systems.
4. If I have an SUV or pickup, what type of garage door opener should I install?
This question has an easy answer. Most SUVs and pickups fit into a 7' or 8' garage door, so you can choose whichever electric garage door opener from the residential line that you prefer.
Learning about the unique features of each opener can help you decide.
- The LiftMaster 87504-267 opener helps you keep close watch over your home! Its belt-drive system is quiet, and the HD camera and two-way microphone can be used easily with your cell phone, so you can always see what's happening in your garage.
- The LiftMaster 8500W opener is a great choice for a wall-mounted garage door opener if you have high-lift elevation hardware or if you want to keep ceiling space free. It's also a great choice because the powerful 24V DC motor can open garage doors up to 14' high.
- The LiftMaster 87802 garage door opener uses a chain-drive system so it's a bit louder and doesn't come with an integrated camera. However, noise isn't that big of a deal if you have a detached garage or when you know that you don't need to keep a close eye on your RV, SUV, or pickup while you're gone. In the case of a power outage, though, it does have a battery backup.
It gets better − you can use your phone to control all these models using the myQ app! Garage door monitoring can be done from anywhere!
Out of the entire line, the LiftMaster 87504-267 model is the quietest. Equipped with an integrated camera, a battery backup, and many other features, you'll never want to go back to another garage door opener!
Next, let's discuss what kind of garage door you need for your large-and-in-charge RV.
1. How big of a garage door do I need for my RV?
If you got an RV and now need to build a new garage in which to park it, you'll need to start by thinking about how high your RV is. You'll need extra headroom above the top or you'll be cringing every time you pull in.
This model 16' x 18' garage door is a G-5000 in Ice White. If you need a wider garage door for your motorhome, commercial designs will serve you well.
You never know if you're going to want a bigger RV in the future, so you should plan to get a bigger garage door instead of needing to start over next time.
The Class A RV is the largest choice but also has the most modern conveniences. This image is from Camper Report’s website.
The type of RV you'll be parking plays a big role in choosing what size garage door you need.
The Camper Report website tells that RVs can be classified into four different categories.
- Class A − Class As are large and roomy. These are the motorhomes that look like big buses.
- Class B − These are the smallest RVs and might even fit in the same size garage as a typical car.
- Class B+ − Think about this as a mix of B and C. They are a bit bigger than B models.
- Class C − Class Cs share a lot of features of Class As, but they are smaller. A Class C is a motorhome on top of a modified pickup chassis.
This picture of a Class C RV comes from Pixabay.
Each class of RVs has a different size range, so you need to think about how big yours is before building your garage and selecting your overhead door.
On Jeffsetter Travel you can find how the heights of each Class of RV stack up against the others.
- Class A − Usually between 12 and 14 feet high
- Class B and B+ − Usually between 7 and 10 feet high
- Class C − Usually between 10 and 12 feet high
The picture of this Class B RV comes from Unsplash.
Don't forget to measure your RV including the air conditioning unit on the top. Then, take the total height and add some extra, especially if you think you'll ever want to install a roof rack.
To measure the appropriate width of your garage, you'll need to think about the type of RV again. Class As are usually about 10 feet wide, so a 12-foot-wide garage will give you comfortable room. All the other classes will be fine with an 8- or 9-foot-wide garage door.
RVs will fit in garage doors like this that are 9' high and 10' wide. The ones shown here are Standard+ Shaker-Flat XL in Chocolate Walnut paint and Stockton insert windows.
If you already have your RV, getting these measurements will be easy! We can get you a custom-made garage door that's exactly the size you need. We always recommend choosing a slightly larger garage door so that you don't have to start again later if you get a bigger vehicle.
Garage doors (like this one from Houzz) will fit a Class A RV with no problem. If you want this model, you'll choose the Shaker-Flat CC garage door.
2. What kind of lift should you choose for this type of garage door?
Since a garage for your RV is almost always going to be bigger than one made for a car, you'll also need a different roof configuration. We offer plenty of lift options.
RV garages often have wall that continues well above the garage door. When this is the case, you should choose a high lift track or a full vertical lift track. This way, you'll have plenty of space above your RV.
An inclined track that follows the roof slope is the best if you have a cathedral ceiling or if you need to free up ceiling space above your RV.
If you don't have enough room between the top of the door and the roof (less than 10 inches of space) then a low front headroom lift is a perfect choice.
3. If you need to support a very large garage door, do you need a specific type of hardware?
Actually, no! If your garage door goes over 8 feet high then it will be made with commercial hardware instead of residential. This keeps it solid and ensures that it functions properly.
You can choose from 3 types of commercial hardware depending on how you use your garage door.
Choose the appropriate type of commercial hardware for your garage door's use and weight.
4. The last step − your garage door opener!
Alright, you've chosen your ideal garage door to house your RV and picked out the proper installation and hardware. The final decision is to choose the garage door opener that fits your needs. Remember that lifting and lowering a 14'-high garage door with your hands is nearly impossible! So, you'll want an industrial-strength LiftMaster garage door opener.
Wall-mounted openers are usually best, especially if you have a Class A.
The LiftMaster H has several advantages, such as:
- Making ceiling space available (no extra room is needed for your garage door opener).
- Ease of access − you don't have to get up to the ceiling to reprogram it.
- Noise and vibration reduction
- MyQ compatibility
The LiftMaster H is compatible with the myQ app, making it easy to control your garage door from anywhere!
Your garage will be protected when you choose a LiftMaster, allowing you peace of mind when you're close to home and away on vacation.
Let's say that you packed up the family and hit the road for a weekend getaway. Your kids didn't help get ready as much as would've liked, so you were late and stressed, forgetting to check if the garage door was closed. Now you're driving your RV in traffic and worried that the garage door isn't closed.
This doesn't have to ruin your weekend! Just turn on your phone and check if it's open or closed using the myQ app.
Monitor your garage door from wherever you are with the myQ app.
Let's say that the status of your garage door wasn't even on your mind. The myQ app will also note if it's been left open for too long and will alert you so that you can close it.
The myQ app will alert your phone if your garage door has been open for an extended period. Then you can close it with the app!
Want to start shopping for your new garage door?
We can help you choose the right garage door, whether your project is building a garage for your RV or a small project like a shed.
All our garage doors can be custom-made to the exact size you need. Just take your measurements and we'll get you started!
If you need to know how to measure your garage door opening, this site will give you instructions, or you can simply contact us. One of our local experts will come out and take the measurements for you so we can get started on planning your garage door project.
Does this 16' x 8' garage door look like it would be perfect for your home? This is the Eastman E-11 in Black with four vertical lite Panoramic windows.
You can even design your next perfect garage door! Doesn't that sound fun?
Our interactive Design Centre app will be your new best friend for designing your perfect garage door. Click away and choose what your next door will look like. We have over 35 designs and 10 different colors. Then, you'll select the configuration, windows, and hardware. Unleash your creativity and design the door of your dreams!
This easy-to-use app means that you can design your garage door for your RV while you're cruising around in it!
We even offer free email quotes. Simply upload a picture of your home or garage with the app and see if your design fits well.
Just call 978-741-1600 and one of our friendly, skilled team members from DSI North Door Systems will happily guide you through the steps to choosing the appropriate garage door design, insulation, and installation.
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