Measuring Your Garage for a New Door

Whether you’re building a new garage from the ground up or extensively remodeling and existing garage, properly measuring for a new garage door is essential. Functionality and aesthetic value will be determined by the fit of your new door, which can only be determined through careful and accurate measurements.

Concrete, wood, general foundations and even garages can shift, warp and change over time, which can bend the garage door frame. Because of this, when measuring your door it’s important to take a minimum of 3 measurements and 3 different points within the garage. (1) Left, (2) Centre, and (3) Right hand sides when measuring the front frame/opening vertically and also at the (1) Front, (2) Middle and (3) Rear when measuring the floor to ceiling for when the door is fully open and laying flat above head.

The Door Jamb
When you choose a new garage door, your selection will be determined by the sizes available and the measurements of your garage door jamb. The width and height of the garage door opening should be measured in both feet and inches and metres and centimetres. Make sure you measure more than once, and that you record those measurements carefully.

Door Clearance
After you’ve measured the size of your garage door opening, you’ll need to determine the amount of clearance on either side of the door. Measure from the outside edge of the opening to the wall or to the nearest obstruction, which includes man doors and windows.

Head Room
The space between the top of your door opening and the ceiling is called “head room,” and you’ll need to know exactly how large this space is in order for an Overhead Door professional to accurately assist you in the selection of a garage door model that will best meet your needs.

Back Room
When your garage door opens, it will retract into the garage itself. That means that you’ll need to know the depth of your garage from opening to back wall in order to select a model that will fit within that space.

As you measure the space for your new garage door, keep an eye out for uneven or pitted surfaces. To sit properly, your garage door will require a relatively smooth and even surface around the area where it will rest. Your Overhead Door professional associate will help you to select the best model and options for your available space, so contact us today with your measurements and requirements.