Buying a new garage door can be a bit overwhelming, and it’s easy to get carried away with styles, materials, and colors, not to mention whether you’ll add windows, accents, or custom detail.
But as the vision of your future garage door takes shape, it’s also important to keep the size of your dreams in check. We’re talking about the concrete numbers that will define your new garage door pick.
Don’t Do This at Home! To ensure both proper fit and safety, garage door measurements should always be taken by a professional garage door specialist or technician. The following post explores what Precision Door’s pros zero in on when they measure for a new garage door. It’s meant to serve as an example for homeowners who are curious about the dimensions that go into garage door planning.
Without further ado, here’s what our pros do!
1. Measure the Garage Door Opening
A Precision Door technician will start by measuring the garage door opening width and height. This represents the open area that the garage door will occupy when closed and should be approximately the same size of the door once it’s installed.
2. Determine Side Room Space
Next, they’ll measure for side room, which is the remaining wall area that flanks either side of the garage door opening.
For the door to be properly secured and for the track to have enough space to be installed, there needs to be at least 3 ¾ inches of room on either side. For double door garages, the middle post between openings needs to be at least 10 inches wide.
3. Measure for Headroom
The third key measurement our technicians will evaluate extends from the top of the garage door opening to the point where the ceiling begins and is referred to as headroom.
Typically, with this dimension, 10 inches are needed for extension springs and 12 inches for torsion springs. Installation of an automatic opener will require an additional 3 inches of headroom leeway.
4. Calculate Backroom
The final measurement is the distance from the garage door opening to the opposite garage wall.
For sectional doors and automatic openers, the backroom measurement includes the door height plus 4 feet 2 inches.
The Pros Have It from Here!
Whether you’re making an exact replacement or building a completely new structure, having a better understanding of the amount of space your garage door will need can definitely help to solidify your plans.
The best way to go about this is to partner with a trusted garage door services company when you’re ready to start picking out the different features of your new door. The company should send a door specialist to your home to take official measurements and ensure that, once installed, everything meets and exceeds your expectations.
How Precision Door Can Help
Want to speak with a professional garage door specialist? Schedule your complimentary new door consultation with Precision Door of Delaware and we’ll come out to your home or business to measure for your new door, walk you through your options, and offer our expert opinion.
For more new door resources to get your research off the ground, check out our free garage door design guide for tips from our specialists and a sneak peek at the Precision Door showroom.
