What Size Garage Door Do I Need for My Southwest Washington Home?

This is probably the first question I get asked when someone calls me for a quote, and it's a good one because getting the right size is absolutely critical. Most single-car garage doors around here run between eight and ten feet wide, with nine feet being the standard I see most often in neighborhoods throughout Vancouver, Longview, and Camas. For double-car garages, sixteen feet wide is pretty much the standard, though I've worked on plenty of older homes where the openings are a bit narrower or wider. The height is usually seven feet for standard doors, but if you've got a lifted truck or an SUV with a roof rack, we might need to go with an eight-foot tall door. Every home is different, and I've learned over the years that you can't just assume the standard size will work without checking first.



Before I ever order a door, I always come out and take precise measurements of your garage opening myself. I'm looking at the width and height, but I'm also checking the side room, headroom, and backroom to make sure we've got enough space for the tracks and the opener mechanism. I've been on too many jobs where a homeowner measured themselves and missed something important, like an obstruction or inadequate framing. I also inspect the framing around your opening to make sure it's solid and square because even if your door is the right size, it won't operate smoothly if the opening isn't properly framed. Sometimes we need to do a little carpentry work to reinforce or adjust the framing, especially in older homes where things have settled or shifted over the decades.

The bottom line is that proper measuring and installation makes all the difference between a garage door that works flawlessly for twenty years and one that gives you constant headaches. I've seen DIY jobs and work from less experienced installers where the door was technically the right size but still had gaps, binding, or premature wear because the measurements were off by even half an inch. When you work with someone who knows what they're doing, we'll make sure everything is measured correctly, your framing is solid, and your new door fits like it was custom-made for your home. That's the kind of installation that Southwest Washington homeowners deserve, and it's what I take pride in delivering every single time.