Garage Inspiration 101: How To Get the Perfect Measurements

Around 3.5 million homes in Canada have attached garages and many more have stand-alone buildings. These are the perfect place to keep your car safe and secure when it’s not on the road. They also provide great storage space and can add significant value to your property.

If your property doesn’t already have its own garage then it might be time to think about putting one in. So where do you start when it comes to finding garage inspiration and creating the perfect garage for your home? 

Well, first you need to know what you’re working with. This includes measuring up how much land you have and figuring out what you can fit on it. Measuring accurately is essential if you are going to successfully plan your dream garage.

In that case, you’ve come to the right place! Read on to find out everything you need to know about getting the perfect measurements for your garage plans.

Deciding on the Width of Your Garage

The perfect width for your garage will depend on how much land you have and what you want to fit in your garage.

It’s a good idea to start with the width of your car (or cars) and work from there. Single garage doors should fit most standard cars (measuring 1.9m wide.) These doors usually measure between 2.4 meters and 2.7 meters wide. 

Double garage doors usually measure around 4.9 meters wide. If you need a triple garage, you may want to combine a double door with a single door. 

Of course, your garage will be wider than your overall door width. Most contractors recommend leaving 90cm between each vehicle in your garage. If you are planning to install any storage units in your garage, then you will need to factor these in as well.

Finally, you need to factor in the width of your garage walls to calculate the external width of your garage.

Finding the Perfect Height for Your Garage

As well as looking for car garage inspiration, it’s worth noting the height of your car. This will give you the minimum height for your garage doors. 

Adding some height gives you more opportunity to create storage space within your garage. This can be very handy if you’re working with a small lot. For example, tall shelves or even hanging bike racks can be great ideas for garage storage inspiration.

However, it’s important to try and keep your garage in proportion otherwise, it can look a little odd. If your garage is built into the side of your home, then this will create a single-story height restriction.

Common Vehicle Dimensions to Know for Your Garage Inspiration

To help you plan your garage measurements, let’s take a closer look at some of the standard vehicle measurements in Canada. 

A medium-sized car generally measures 4.7 meters long and 1.9 meters wide. Their heights range from 1.4 meters to 1.6 meters.

Vans and SUVs typically measure a maximum of 5.8 meters long and 2.1 meters wide. They are usually 1.8 meters tall. 

Of course, some cars, such as sports cars, are more compact. These are usually 1.8 meters wide, 4.9 meters long, and 1.5 meters high. 

If you have a more compact car, it might be tempting to tailor your garage to these smaller measures to save money.

However, you should think carefully before doing this. A garage that doesn’t fit standard vehicles in it could be harder to sell in the future if you decide to relocate. So you may be better sticking to standard dimensions to give your garage universal appeal.

Figuring Out Your Internal Dimensions 

A well-organized garage can provide a lot of valuable storage space. However, for this to be truly effective, you need to plan carefully.

Built-in storage units make it easy to keep all of your belongings in order. Of course, you need to factor the dimensions of these into your garage measurements. 

It is possible to get custom cabinets designed for your garage. Standard cabinets have similar dimensions to kitchen cabinets. These are approximately 61 centimeters deep.

It’s a good idea to leave 90 cm between your cars and cabinets. This means that you can open all the doors of your cabinets and vehicles easily and without any scrapes!

So adding in cabinets will add to the width or depth of your garage depending on where you position them.

Allowing Driveway Space

The most stunning garage workshop inspiration will show impressive garage buildings in front of sweeping driveways. If you have the space for this, then it can be a great addition to your garage design. 

However, on a more practical note, it is important to provide enough maneuvering room for your cars. They need to be able to reverse into or out of your garage so that they can safely drive onto the road. 

This will affect how deep your garage can be.

To comfortably maneuver into your garage, you should allow at least 7.6 meters of space in front of it. This will make getting in and out of your garage much easier.

Putting in a Bumper 

Some elements of garage conversion inspiration are more practical than others. Putting in a bumper, for example, will stop people from driving into the back wall or storage units of your garage.

You want this to allow enough room for your cars to fit in the garage. Of course, you all need to allow room for the doors to close using Linear access or a similar device. 

This will determine the depth of your curb or bumper. 10 cm is the perfect height for a garage curb as the front, and back bumpers of your car won’t scrape on this. 

Find Brilliant Garage Door Inspiration Today

Creating the garage of your dreams doesn’t isn’t just about finding a style that works for you.

Measuring carefully ensures that your gorgeous new garage can accommodate all of your needs. Keep these measurement tips in mind, and you can’t go wrong!

Ready to start creating a stunning garage? Then check out our amazing lifestyle screen doors for more brilliant garage inspiration.