Important Tips on Measuring for New Garage Doors

If you’ve decided it’s time for a new garage door installation in your home or building, there will be several steps involved in making your new door choice. The very first of these steps, even before you think about material, color or other factors? The precise size you require.

At Price’s Guaranteed Doors, we’re happy to help you with every size-related detail when it comes to a new residential or commercial garage door. We have a wide range of door sizes available to fit your every need. Here are a few important factors to consider when measuring your previous door, including a few measurements you have to collect that you may not have initially considered.

Height and Width

The simplest garage door areas to measure will be the basic height and width of the door. You obviously want to be sure you are measuring from the widest and tallest points of the door in all cases, measuring in feet and inches to as precise a number as you can.

From a practical standpoint, this can be a little inconvenient. If you’re using a standard tape measure, you may need a second person to help you hold it up given the length and height of most garage doors. If you have a digital tape measure, on the other hand, you’ll be fine on your own. Just make sure the floor is level while you’re measuring.

Opening to Ends

Beyond the simple height and width, however, there are a few additional measurements you need to take as well. One is the distance between your current garage door opening and the ends of the garage space itself on each side – this space needs to be at least 3.75 inches wide to allow for installation of a vertical track in a single-car garage. For double-car garage door options, a center post of at least 10 inches will be needed.

Top to Ceiling

Another secondary measurement to be sure you collect is the distance from the top of the garage door opening to the ceiling of your garage. You’ll need a ladder or stepladder to get this measurement in most cases. When finding your new door, our pros will ask you about “headroom” – this is the measurement they’re referring to, and it’s vital space that the door needs so it can roll back on its tracks when you need it to open.

Opening to Back

Finally, the distance from the garage door opening to the very back of your garage should be measured. This distance will be termed “backroom,” and refers to space where the door can retract to when it’s open. For sectional doors, you’ll need 15 additional inches on top of the door height available for manual lifts and 18 additional inches for electric opener formats.

For more important tips on measuring for a new garage door, or to learn about any of our garage or entry door services, speak to the staff at Price’s Guaranteed Doors today.