3 Car Garage Dimensions
Brent Wells June 24, 2023
Brent Wells June 24, 2023
I have helped literally hundreds of individuals and families build their new dream homes. On many occasions, the clients have a need or desire for a 3, 4, or even 5 car garage. Some clients have a large family and the kids are either driving or will soon be doing so and those cars need to be stored. Some of our clients like toys, expensive toys. Muscle cars, classic cars, sports cars, lifted trucks or even super cars. Whatever your need a 3+ car garage is relatively easy to find.
A garage is composed of 'bays' or stalls. A stall will hold one car and it can range in size. A production home builder will make the garage bays the absolute minimum size required to fit a car and a custom home builder will typically build oversized bays.
A minimum bay size is around 10-12 feet wide by 20-24 feet deep. Let's establish a nice sized bay at 12 feet x 20 feet. This yields 240 square feet per bay.
Garage layouts come in many shapes and sizes, but the most common is 3 bays side by side. This layout will typically have a single 2 car wide door and 1 single car wide door. You can also have a 'tandem' garage where the width is 2 bays wide, but one side is 2 bays deep.
Width = 36 feet wide x 20 feet deep = 720 square feet
Most garages will have an apron or lip that is a separation area between the garage and the wall of the home. This is also typically has a tire bump stop to alert the driver they have pulled in far enough. This can add 2 feet to as much as 4 feet to the depth of the garage bay. So if we update our calculations we get:
864 Square Feet
This is just a bare minimum, you may find you will add even more space due to architectural designs, storage requirements or just aesthetics.
There are many great options to add to your new garage design, just keep an eye on your budget.
I live in Texas, the home of lifted trucks. I have one, my friends and colleges have them, so you may want to consider a taller garage. A standard height garage door is 8 feet tall. Many trucks or other large vehicles cannot fit through this opening. You can design your new garage to have a 9 foot header on your garage door and most vehicles can now fit through this opening.
You may ask why we would want to raise the height of the garage? This is Texas, home of the hail storm. Hail storms are no joke, they can turn a $100k Ford Raptor into a $500 piece of metal Swiss cheese. Trust me, move your cars into the garage when a hail storm is in the forecast.
A popular trend in DFW is to use cedar planks on your garage door exterior. Keep in mind this will require a much more expensive door frame, a heavier door opener and upkeep to keep the wood stain pretty.
LiftMaster, it's the only choice and you're welcome. Seriously, I have spoken with one of the best guys in the business and a LiftMaster opener is the best in the industry. This recommendation comes from a crew that installs doors, openers and fixes problems all day, every day.
You can now add your garage door openers, garage lighting, and even the HVAC and fans in the garage to your smart home system. Make sure the components your contractor is using is compliant with your home automation system.
Can we all agree that fluorescent lighting needs to go? The new recessed LED lights are amazing, last forever and you can even change the color. It's a much needed upgrade.
One of my favorite upgrades I personally did, was a professional garage floor coating. We had our installer use the same material used by car dealerships in their garages and it was worth every penny.
We are always happy to answer questions about building your dream home or assist you in doing so in the DFW area. Just reach out and let us know how we can help.
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