I'd go with 5' on each side of the doors and 3' between - 37' total. For depth I'd say add 6' to the car's length.

We have a "shop" that is 40 x 32. This includes 2, 12 foot door openings (each door is 2 6' swing doors) on the 32' side. This is loads of space to park 2 full size dump trucks with lots of space to move around, so anything bigger for two cars is overkill :)

76' x 124' will give you "room for lots of storage", but it may be larger that you are thinking. Go to an empty parking lot with your two cars and a tape measure. Park the cars the way you want them parked in your garage, then envision where you want the storage and take measurements. That should get you in the ball park.

Is your 12' dimension for the garage doors their height or width? Either way each one will me more than adequate to accommodate a car.

our new garage is roughly 40' ice by 30' deep for 3 cars, including a full size / long bed pickup. The doors are roughly 10' wide, and then 2.5' spacing between them.

Since we don't have any stairs going into the house, nothing encroaches on the rectangle. Keep that in mind if the garage is attached.

I think the right answer depends on what you drive, and what you want to store. The 12' width seems excessive for a garage door since cars travel down 8' lanes. Tons of room BETWEEN cars might not be all that useful, but perimeter space for storage might be better - and that might mean narrower doors.

Agree with the parking lot. Do you want to be able to open both cars' doors at the same time? then spread out the cars "wings" and measure.

Why 12' doors? That's very large you know.

Mark Bischak, Architect,

Thanks for the information. The 12' is the width. Our garage right now has one 16' wide door and it is difficult for us to get 2 vehicles in the garage. The guy that built the house made the ceiling high enough for a boat but you could not get a vehicle in there too. I have seen 10' wide doors and they don't seem wide enough.

just_janni, thanks for the information. Like I said to Mark, I actually parked in front of 10' wide doors and they did not seem wide enough. We have 2 large SUV's and I don't want to take a chance of breaking off a mirror. If they made 11' wide doors that might be okay.

Virgil Carter Fine Art

I don't want to take the chance of breaking off one of the side mirrors.

For a "normal" garage, 24' X 24' is a good starting point for two "normal" vehicles with storage along both sides. If you're not normal, then larger is better! :-)

Keep in mind that the parking stalls at Walmart, Home Depot, etc., range from 8' X 18' to 10' X 20'. Do you knock off rear view mirrors when you go shopping?

I normally call for nine foot wide doors for a residential garage. Eight foot wide is sufficient, but I like to take a little bit of the challenge out of threading the needle. A 12 foot wide door is a waste.

The widest vehicles are about 80 inches wide body and 96 wide including mirrors, so a 10 foot door would still have 1 foot of clearance on each side.

Virgil Carter Fine Art

Thanks. When possible I ALWAYS part away from other vehicles and besides this is what I want.

Mark Bischak, Architect

Thanks. As you have seen from some of my other posts--Most likely there will be a lot of wasted space in my new house.

I am currently stuffing a full size dually into an 8' wide garage door. have less than 2" clearance on either mirror and about 4" on the dually fenders. 10' will be heaven.

You really should be able to get an SUV in 10'.... ;-)

Using a single 16' door is harder / worse than 2 8' doors and probably making you feel more cramped than a single 8' would.

just_janni,

Thanks, I appreciate your information. Another thing is we will be pulling in to the garage from the east and the door into to the house is on the north side so I definitely want enough space to get in the door to the house. I was hoping there would be no steps but I guess there will be one so we will have my husband's workbench on the north wall of the garage so we will have something to hold on to going up into the house.

Thanks again,

Well...if you must have 2 12' wide garage doors, then you should allow at least 3' on either outside edge of each door and at least 3' between doors. If parking isn't your thing, make it all a minimum of 4'.

Hope you have a supportive budget because it won't be budget friendly.

Virgil Carter Fine Art,

Thank You!!!! Nothing about this house is going to be budget friendly. Maybe I can find someone that has 10' wide doors and let me drive into their garage. Thanks again.

What size garage would be good for two 12' garage doors? I want room around both cars and room for lots of storage.

Are 12' wide garage doors a thing? I think they'd have to be custom made.

I have seen 10' wide doors and they don't seem wide enough.

10' wide isn't enough for one car?

Maybe I can find someone that has 10' wide doors and let me drive into their garage.

You say you have a 16' door now? Tape off 10' -- better yet, block off 6' with cardboard or posterboard -- so you can SEE what 10' is. Putting it together will be a project, but it will allow you to move forward with confidence knowing what you're getting into.

If you're that nervous about knocking off mirrors, I think you might spend the money better by designing your garage so it's a "drive through" (meaning you'd never have to back up).

Mrs. Pete, it is even close driving into the garage. Thanks for the suggestions.

I agree with the suggestion of a full sized cardboard mock-up. And not just for this. Your home will move forward with more confidence if you mock-up your kitchen layout and can be useful for bathrooms too. Appliance stores often have large boxes you can cut up.

dan1888

Thanks, even though I have a program to play around with I am not having luck with the room sizes. I know most are way too big but the rooms in our present house are too small and I have to put a great room that is in the walk-out basement in the single level house.

I guess my mockup is using the sizes of the rooms that I have right now.

I am making the ceiling height for the rooms at 10' but I would like to have vaulted ceilings in some of the rooms. The covered porch in the back of the house will have a 10' ceiling but I just realized that might not be high enough to accommodate my husband's swing.

My husband has a 2019 Silverado crew cab with a 6’6” bed and has zero issues with our 10’ wide garage door. Our garage exterior is 30’ by 30’.

Not counting mirrors, a full size truck is 82” or about 7’ wide. Assuming two trucks, and 3’ of space in between and 4’ on the sides, you’d want a 25’’ wide garage. If you still want to go with the 12’ wide doors, I’d say for aesthetics to do 2’ in between the doors and on either side for a total width of 28”.

SashaDog

Thanks, I just found out they make an 11' wide Commercial door. I don't know what the difference is but I bet the price. Also, found out that 12' doors are standard now. I just want as much room going through the door and when I get inside as I can get. Right now if I don't pull just right my door hits my husband's side mirror when I get out of my car.

Mrs. Pete, it is even close driving into the garage. Thanks for the suggestions.

I think you're working with a paranoia here -- an unrational fear.

Thanks, even though I have a program to play around with I am not having luck with the room sizes. I know most are way too big but the rooms in our present house are too small

A computer program won't give you a real look at the sizes /proportions of the spaces. Be sure you're not swinging the pendulum too far in the other direction.

It's like shoes: you don't want the biggest pair you can get; you want the size that fits you.

I just want as much room going through the door and when I get inside as I can get. Right now if I don't pull just right my door hits my husband's side mirror when I get out of my car.

I understand where you're coming from, but you're using a 16' single door as a gauge. If you go with two single 9' doors and a division between, you'll get the extra space you need.

If you go with this mega-supersized garage, do consider placing the doors to the side or back -- they won't do your curb appeal any favors. And be aware that this oversized garage will be tricky in that it'll block natural light from a very large portion of your house. These aren't insurmountable problems, but they will require attention.

Mrs Pete, thanks--I have a feeling I will be going with smaller doors--maybe 10'.

The components of the garage are doors for vehicle entry, space to enter and exit the vehicle with another car already parked and any additional storage needs. So, the door width isn't the only issue. You must plan for the space on each side of a parked vehicle and the space between two or three cars is the total equation. 10' Doors would be fine with additional space designed for each side of the doors and a generous middle space.

The next issue is depth. Garages have gotten deeper as SUV's have gotten larger. You want room to walk in front of both cars when parked. This allows you to proceed to the house entry, if the garage is attached to the house. And, plan room to open the lift gates of your SUV's with the garage doors closed.

The next issue is height. Make certain that there is plenty of height for clearance.

Plan for an additional entry door to the yard. You don't want to go through the house to get to the yard. You may also want to plan for a wall of cabinets. Insulate and drywall the space. It costs more, but will make the spaces more useful and comfortable. Lots of electrical service for tools is always a good idea.

You may want to plan what is known as a 2.5 or 3.5 car garage. It depends on your needs, budget and imagination. Buyers find a generous, well planned garage as a buying feature. People like to store things in garages. Beer fridges, shops, shelving, golf carts, motorcycles, utility vehicles.

Garages have come a long way. No longer are they just boxes for a car, they are lifestyle components. Guys like garages like guys like trucks. If a house has a great garage, the man involved in the purchase will suddenly become enthusiastic. Your garage is only limited by your budget and imagination.

homechef59

Thanks for this information. I think one of the problems with my garage right now--the total width of the garage is 21' and that makes it tight on each side of the garage and in between each car. As we get older I want everything to be comfortable for both of us. This will be the last house we build and I don't get any "Do Overs".

EDIT:

One thing I just thought about is the door into the house. First I thought maybe the door into the house should be on the opposite end but if I have groceries maybe it would be better where I have it. I will put a bank of cabinets next to the door with a landing area for groceries and something to hold on to when we enter the house. I was hoping for no steps but I guess we will have to have one (it will be on crawl space.

Probably would be best for you to engage an architect.

new-beginning

Thanks, I am meeting with our builder next week and he has been doing this for many years. His son is an Architect in Jackson, Wyoming and we will consult with him.

Our new build has one 12’ foot door, but the other two are 9’.

mark1993,

I just saw a house the other day with one large door and a smaller door (she did not know what size they are) but she said if she could do it over she would have made both of them the same size but a little larger than the small side.

wyosue58,

This is going to be our “forever” home. I believe in doing what you prefer for your garage doors. Our current doors are 8’ wide and I am always mindful about pulling in and out. I will probably use the 12’ as I age! LOL!

mark1993

Thanks, that makes me feel better.

How long is your longest vehicle and do you want to put most of your storage at the end opposite the door and/or on both sides?

To me, it would make good sense to go ahead and create a 24' wide garage to minimize the material waste( if the size is divisible by 8 -- standard board length). You'd have nearly 6' on each side of a centered 12' door for storage that wouldn't be in the way of driving into the garage and walking between storage and vehicle: Note a kitchen countertop is usually 2' deep as are many work tables which, with 4" walls on each side, would still leave you over three feet for walk space. A 2' deep cabinet/shelving would hold file sized boxes full of ... whatever you want to put in them.

suezbell

This is sort of what I would like on the side not in front--still not sure about that. I like the fact that there are trash bins--that way we won't have to have a trash can sitting around. This would be next to the door going in to the house.

I can't remember how long my car is--all I know is it gives me just enough room to get around the front of the car.

The builder will know when you discuss what all you think you want or need. Just make a list ahead of time so you don't forget anything. Don't forget a door to the outside.

My current home, I didn't build it, has a door to the back yard, but no door to the front. I have to either open the garage door to go out front or use the front door. It's obviously a compromise design decision because of the size of the lot and setbacks. I would kill to have a door from the garage to the front drive.

I suggest you cheat the two garage doors to the outside wall and install a regular door between the garage door and mud room wall.

I did own a home that had a two car garage with a door in between the two garage doors. It didn't work as well as I might have thought. We had to store the riding mower in the aisle that it created. We were always having to work our way around all the stuff stored in the middle aisle.

Your garage is never too big - not once you actually start using it - if you want two 12 foot doors and can afford that big of a garage - do it - you’ll never regret having a big garage!

Candace

Thank you so much. I just talked to one of our neighbors and he said with their large house the builder really skimped on both garages--one on the street level and the other on the walk-out basement level.

Believe it or not I belonged(not sure if it still exists)to an online group of people that post only about their garages lol. All about storage systems, lifts, flooring and the like. If found it when I did a major redesign of my 22 x22 garage. We routinely drove a Nissan Titan and a Toyota Landcruiser into our garage that has 2 8ft doors. The most I’d want would be 10ft, beyond that it looks like a firehouse to me.

What are you trying to store? Riding mowers, lawn equipment, or smaller things like tools and such? Depending on what you are trying to do, you may be better served by doing two 10ft doors or one 20ft door to one side and leaving the storage all to one side. For fun, here is a shot of my small garage after I did my refresh. I fit in as much as I could with out doing any construction.

I agree with Candace. We wanted a big garage in the house we are building - ours is over 40 feet wide. We have a 3 bay garage currently. We could always use more space for storage. Our new garage will have a dog shower and decked storage above. There are no basements where we live.

mark1993

Thanks for this information. I just want it to be safe for us as we age.

You might also want a "people" door from the garage to the outside,

... perhaps between two 12' doors, so you'd want six feet in between the two 12' doors and another six feet at least one each side.

... perhaps alongside the house between house and car leading to ?back? or ?front? door ... in which case you need to allow walking space for that.

If your garage will have your cars parking with the house to one side, then, budget and lot/landscaping/driveway permitting, of course, something else to consider might be to add a back door to one of your garage slots so you can literally drive all the way thru as if it were an open carport.

On that kind of garage (that could have a drive thru feature, whether or not it does), something else I like (but have seldom seen), is to have a small unheated breezeway between car and house -- a small "room" between garage and house with a window facing the front and a door facing the back -- both with screens -- and a ceiling fan or two.

That breezeway doubles as a space for a door from the garage to both the house and to the exterior without going thru the house or making room for a second "people" door to enter/exit the garage AND it enables you to have a space to catch/remove fumes and smells from the garage before they enter the house. You really don't want either car or lawnmower exhaust in any part of the house, even the mud room. It is also a place to park a bike or two or a leaf blower or snow blower or hooks for heavy wet coats to enable them to air dry before bringing them into the house.

suezbell

A drive-thru feature might be nice but there is a big draw on the west side of the house. We will not have a lawnmower, bikes, or anything like that. We will have Zero landscape. The reason we are building a new one level house is my husband is not able to take care of the landscaping and right now we have many trees and shrubs.