Should I Have One Large Garage Door or Two Smaller Ones?

Should I Have One Large Garage Door or Two Smaller Ones?

No great American home is complete without a garage, and most homes nowadays have garages big enough for at least two cars to fit in.

However, this additional space brings with it an unexpected choice; should you have one big door which opens the whole garage, or have two individual doors which you can open as needed. Roller door motors are electric motors that are used to open and close roller shutter doors.

Garage door experts at Rockstar Garage Door Repair Services of San Diego share their take on the matter, as well as some advantages and disadvantages of both approaches, so you can choose the style which suits your needs better.

The Size of Your Garage

Well, the first thing you need to consider is the actual size of your garage. If you opt for a two-door system, there needs to be some space between the two doors for all the equipment and the mechanism operating your doors.

If your garage is just big enough for two cars, chances are that you are better off with just a single door for the whole garage. Generally accepted measurement among the garage door mechanics is that anything under 22 feet in width is better served with a single door.

What Car or Cars You Have

Another important factor in determining which garage door option to pick is the kind of car you drive. Owners of smaller cars typically have more options to pick, as the size of their car won’t affect much when it comes to picking a garage door.

On the other hand, if you have two fairly large cars, like SUVs, a two-door system becomes a less likely option, since maneuvering a large car is much easier when you have more space. Naturally, your choice should also include your driving skill and the exact size of your garage, but the rule of thumb is that bigger cars are better served with a single large door.

Aesthetic Appeal

So far, we have only dealt with the practical issues. However, a garage door is going to take up a large part of the front of your home, contributing to (or detracting from) your home’s curb appeal.

You should take a close look at your home and figure out what kind of configuration would look better. If you are unsure, you can consult a designer or a decorator, but for the most part, you can figure out by yourself what you would like and what would look good on your own home.

The Repairs

Another practical issue to consider is access to your garage if the opening mechanism breaks. A single door garage would become completely inaccessible from the outside, causing problems until you have your garage door repaired.

Alternatively, if you have a two-door system, even if one door breaks down, you have the second door by which you can access the garage.

However, having a double door on your garage also means having two opening systems or roller door motors, which means that you would have to maintain two separate systems, which means extra work and extra worry.

The Pricing

Finally, the pricing is not a small factor when it comes to choosing your garage door option.

If you are installing a new garage door, the difference in the materials needed to make or buy one large door or two smaller doors is virtually non-existent.

However, if you pick an option with two doors, you need to have two separate opening mechanisms. If you choose automatic door openers, that can cost you a significant sum of money, making a single door unit a cheaper option.

Even though some people assume that you would need a stronger motor to open a larger door, this is not the fact. The counterweight can open any size door, as long as it has been installed properly.