How to choose the right garage door size

If you're choosing a new garage door, you want to be sure the size is correct. Follow this step-by-step guide to be sure you get the dimensions just right.

• Are you framing in an existing garage opening or completely building a new shed which will have a garage door?
• Whatever the case may be, before flipping through the catalogues to decide on a mahogany or cedar, consider what you need to understand about your garage space.
• Knowing how to measure for your garage door is critical and can help you make better decisions and avoid problems along the way.

• Leading manufacturers typically sell doors in widths ranging from 2.4 to 6.1 metres (eight to 20 feet); however, not too many eight-foot-wide doors are currently getting installed in newer homes as new houses are typically built with the bigger vehicle size in mind.
• Standard heights of garage doors are more limited and range between 2.1 to 2.4 metres (seven or eight feet) tall.

The easiest way to determine the size you need for your new garage door is to measure the exiting one.

If you don’t have a door and need to measure the space, follow these steps.

1. Measure width and height of the door opening. This will determine the size of door needed.

2. Measure the clearance (or nearest obstruction) on the left and right of the door opening from the inside.

3. Measure the headroom. This is the distance between the top of the door opening to the garage ceiling, which is an important measurement to consider as different openers and springs require a varying number of headroom space.

4. Measure the backroom or depth of area. This is the distance from the garage door wall opening to the back or rear of the garage or nearest obstruction.

• This is where the hardware or opener will extend.
• Rule of thumb is to add 46 centimetres  (18 inches) to the door height as a backroom requirement.

5. Remember the base. A clean and level garage base is a plus, otherwise you may need to invest more to level the garage prior to installing your garage door.

Once you’ve taken your measurements, speak to a professional to ensure you are on the right track. They may also be able to offer other considerations that are specific to your garage situation.