Advice on garage door layout

I would place it on the 3 door garage portion for just those reasons. Can make the door appear to be single doors if you plan on having it look like one of those listed below. It all depends on how confident you are w/ the Mrs. pulling in. She is going to have to make a left turn pretty much to get to the garage so w/ the double door there it leaves a lot more room for error. For the cars that are going to be parked in the 2 parking spots in my own opinion I think it's more aesthetically pleasing to have them coming out of single doors then one giant door. Jealous of the 5 car btw

-Steve N
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Whatever the standard width is for two-car or three-car garage doors is, I'd go larger. They can be made in any width, actually, so you don't have to be held to 8' or 16' widths.

This approach means that ingress/egress to and from the garage will be much easier. And, perhaps more importantly, it makes opening the car doors inside the garage much easier.

Don't scrimp here...I've enjoyed "larger than standard" doors for many years.

In addition, one large door always trumps two single doors. You have much more flexibility this way.

 

I have 3 10 foot doors and I love it. Plenty of room to back in or out without worrying.

 

Verify height too. I would also make sure there is no beam hanging below the ceiling. Have them put a melal one in the joists or put the beams on sides in case you ever want to add a lift. I have to move one currently so I can add a lift. 5 car garage is great, but you'll fill it up quickly and want more space...

 

You never know, someday you may want to park a boat in the "Toy Department" and will appreciate the extra flexibility in navigating there.

 

5 car sounds perfect Dennis! My .02 would be to make them all singles. Typically 8ft doors are placed at least 12-18" inches apart when installed as singles. This allows at least that extra 12' of buffer between the cars when parked inside. A single 16' door removes that buffer and forces the cars into a tighter position when parked. Opening car doors becomes more difficult and it will lend to a tighter feel in general.

Aesthetically speaking I think all singles looks better as well. Don't forget to do wall mount openers and run high tracks as well for the doors so they don't clutter headroom and also affords you the possibility to install a lift without hassle.

In an ideal world, I would do 9' wide doors also. The extra foot gives you a lot of leeway.

Just my thoughts. A 5 car garage is awesome enough however you configure! Congrats!

 

I agree i would def allow height for a lift and possibly a boat on a trailer (I'm from annapolis). A turntable would be nice too!

 

My earlier comment (and possibly 2Veloce's above) is to also be thinking about future resale value when the time comes for buyers with other "toys." Your proposed garage could certainly accommodate better than the average boat and being designed "boat friendly" would be a definite selling feature given the popularity of boating in the mid-Atlantic region.

 

I believe that the biggest 1 1/2 hp electric door lift in the residential world will only lift a two car garage door if you have the extended tracks that allow a 12 foot height . This accommodates a lift. So no more than a two car sized door if you ever intend to put in a lift. My .02. Jon in Delaware

 

I would put the wide door where the toys will be and the singles for regulars parking. Having single doors will keep the daily drivers in the proper location and force some level of centering and even spacing. That may not be necessary depending on the drivers in you family, but I would certainly go that way.

 

I would also get a little more depth in your garage if possible. I've found that to be very convenient over the years for a variety of reasons.

 

Quick question: What is the 13'-8" square on the driveway? Drainage channel?

 

+1

 

Dennis,

Why are you saying to ignore the idea of two sets of two car doors? If these doors are viewed from the street, symmetry or a reason for why they are configured a specific way is most important. I would use a 2 car door on the "toy garage and also on the main garage closest to the two car garage, leaving a single door at the furthest point of the 3 car garage. Agree with other comments of making sure your interior depth is as deep as you can possibly go, as well as width. I design and build homes for a living, and one of the biggest mistakes homeowners make is not building things large enough in order to save a few dollars, but then spending way more than they thought on decorative things. You can always add or upgrade carpet, lighting fixtures, etc, but you can't easily add that extra two feet on the house, that would have been cheap from the outset and nearly impossible afterwards. If you need another set of eyes or opinions on anything, let me know.

 

+1. Also, regarding boat storage, even an 18 foot bowrider on a trailer will reasonably need 24 feet of depth to store comfortably... Ask me how I know . If you go with a center console, there may also be additional height demands if it has any sort of fixed T-top.

 

OK, so it doesn't seem like it's an option you want to explore, but I'm with Andrew in individual single doors. For me, I don't like opening a bigger door than I have to. In the event of rain, snow, wind, leaves, pollen, grass clippings, salesmen, delivery men, other nosy neighborhood visitors, etc...single doors limit the toys exposure to the elements and visibility.

BTW, if you are thinking of adding a lift at some point definitely keep at least one single door somewhere, but also make sure that there is room inside between the edge of the door opening and the side wall. And if you have the option, you might as well as have them install the tracks so they are raised now rather than have to retrofit them.

Just my $0.02

 

Very cool project and planning.
One small point, having seen other high-end TB homes...its not a bad idea to proactively reinforce the attention to slab detail. Hopefully, they'll get the idea when they see a five car garage, but its especially important if a lift may be in the future. GarageJournal is your friend....

 

Recommend jack shaft openers to give better height clearance if you are putting in a lift. Puts the motor on the side instead of in the middle at the top.
Example;

http://m.bonanza.com/listings/garage-door-opener-car-secure-roller-door-24v-infared-beam-jackshaft-mounts/223317444?goog_pla=1&gpid=68416461421&gpkwd=&goog_pla=1&gclid=CPT6rb_Np8wCFUEfhgoddSwNaw
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