Garage size

Looking at starting a home build in the spring (terrible timing, I know). For those that park their Tundra in a garage, what size do you have and how do you feel about it? Obviously bigger is better, but there are of course limitations.

Currently the garage doors are drawn as 9' wide and 8' high (though I'm not sure what actual usable height that translates to). According to the manual, the overall height of the truck should be about 6.6', so it seems like I should be ok with that height.

The length inside the garage is currently drawn at about 23'. Manual lists the overall length of the Tundra (CrewMax) at about 19'. So theoretically that should work, but 2' on both ends is probably tighter than it sounds. Unfortunately while I can relatively easily widen the doors, lengthening the interior parking space would at this point be too significant of a design change I think.

 

I wish my garage was bigger, as it's only 20' and some change. I can definitely get it to fit, but it takes a while to make sure I have enough space, front and back. My next home will be at the very least come with a 3 bay garage. Times have changed and it shows in these new tract homes. My current home was built in 2019 and garages definitely take a back seat unless you've got a big budget.

 

Always go larger, more stuff winds up in there than you expect. The previous house I built had a three car garage with a drive through bay, wound up supplementing it with a 30x30 detached garage. I thought I had it hacked at the new house when we built our 36x36 detached shop, room to spare until my wife said "oh, you can fit the flatbed utility trailer in there too...", at which point getting everything in for the winter got a little challenging.

 

When we built, we intentionally put our garage at 10' wide doors (3 separate door and bays to alleviate door dings on each other), 8' tall (this allowed for lift of 6" and 35s easily, but also for putting stuff a little taller in the bed or on the roof rack of a vehicle and being able to still get in or out the garage), and did 24' deep. This gave us room to drive in without issue and to be able to walk in front of and/or behind fairly easily. I kinda wish I had gone about another 2-4' deeper to allow for more room for cabinets along walls, but knew a shop was in our future. Been very happy with our decision on this and recommend it to others as well.

 

If I recall correctly, my father in law's garage is about 248" from the inside front wall to the inside of the door and he has just enough space to park his 2011 F150 and shimmy around the back with the door closed. So I would think 23' deep should be fine. Not sure about width or height but my garage door is a standard height and I can get my stock truck under it (though my truck is too long for my garage).

My wife's grandpa has a garage that's 24' square and his DC long bed 2500 just fits so might have to consider if a bigger truck is in your future too. Even if you go to a third gen Tundra, it's at least 5" longer.

 

Interesting on the 3rd gen, didn't know that.

Unfortunately the way the garage is designed with the house, lengthening the interior parking would be too drastic of a change at this stage. But I can add width and height within reason.

Our garage is going to be attached to the house. It was drawn as a two-car, but we're expanding it out to kind of a two and three quarter garage. Kind of tough to explain without a pic of the layout, but basically we plan to be able to enter two bays from one side with cars, and a third smaller bay that will be accessed from the other side, for a tractor or side-by-side, etc.. Although that third bay may end up just being another full size bay, need to figure that out.

 

At least 1 10x10 door, room for a lift, wall cabinets, work area to move around, place to lounge with beer fridge and big screen. I say as many square feet as the house. It does need to heated and cooled.

 

Garages/shops become toy boxes quickly.

 

Just head on over to the Garage Journal forum/site and all of your questions and more will be answered….just be prepared, as you’ll likely spend hours on the site. The Gallery forum has a bunch of incredible garage builds….a great source for ideas. That was my go-to place when I was planning and building my detached shop/garage…a fully dedicated space for my car restoration projects. As others have stated, try to go as big as you can……and think ahead (e.g., a thicker concrete floor and more ceiling height…with high-lift garage doors if you see a 2 or 4 post lift in your future…..you can never have enough wall outlets and overhead lighting…a dedicated outlet for a welder, etc.).

 

I have a 24x24 with standard height and width doors (7' tall usable x 8' wide I believe). I wish it was 30x30 and had 8' tall doors. Anything longer or taller than my 2019 and I'll need to build a new garage.


My experiences and recommendations:
I wish I had more than 18" between the bay doors as the snowblower sits there all winter and it's tight.

I can fit the wife's Santa Fe long wheel base without issue, even with a workbench in front of it, and still have plenty of space to pull forward enough to get the 30" wide snowblower out to clear snow. The Tundra fits, but barely. I have a Craftsman tool chest behind it, and I can get into it, but that's it. I can't get around to the far side when the truck is parked, making the far wall of the garage unaccessible without going outside and using the side door. It's not great.

We relocated our boiler to the house wall and the garage now stays 45-55 all winter long in new england. Freed up space in the house and keeps maintenance folks outside, plus it's a great looking install and appreciated by anyone interested in garage type things.

Also recommend you plan your attic stair access wisely. 3' further forward would have been amazing, and the standard width pull down stairs don't fit a Yeti cooler.

 

You can never have a big enough garage. More space equals the more toys you can have. In our next house a 3 bay is a must with at minimum, 26' deep and enough width to fully open doors and be able to freely walk around them without being a contortionist.

 

I have a 20'x21' garage with an 80" (6'8") opening. My tundra with a 3.5" lift and 34" tires is at about 6'6" tall and it just barely fits in the garage. I only park it in the garage when there is a threat of hail. At 23' long and with an 8' opening, you should have plenty of room. I think you are good.

 

The garage was a big selling point of this house for me. It’s a typical residential house with a 2 car garage, but this one is a bit bigger. My last house had a normal cookie cutter 20’x20’ garage, this one is 23’x23’, with an 8’ door and a side access door. Even with the water heater and air handler in the garage, the extra few feet gives me the ability to park my truck and Polaris in the garage, and still have my workbench, toolbox, and shelving. It’s a bit like playing Tetris, but short of having a three bay detached garage (which I will have one day), it works for me for now. The key is I park the truck diagonally, which is easy here because the garage is on the side of the house. Not a bad setup for a regular household garage.

You should be able to fit a Tundra and all your stuff in there if you give yourself a couple extra feet.

 

TRUE STORY COMING UP... Son and his family purchased a new home, (their 2nd) and is an unbelievable upgrade from the first.
Here in CA., A closed gate community, one acre plots, beautifully kept up area, you get the picture.
This house goes on the market in our town so he and his wife drive over to it because it's only 4 miles from out place.
This old couple decided to size down and move south.
The owners for some reason fell in love with my son's family.
There were three offers the first day it went on market for 1.4 million.
3500 sq. ft. single story w/ pool and a SIX BAY GARAGE that is insulated dry walled, lit, ad nausuem.
They decided to take my son's offer because they like my son and his wife.
The offer was 150k lower than the asking price. They didn't like the other people who were making offers they said.
So, now my son has a garage for every car, 2; truck, 1 his motorcycles, 3 and a the final bay that has been setup for automotive work with cabinets, shop tools, desks and soon to be portable car lift.
I'm so jealous as this son of mine is the least mechanical of the two by far.
But, at least now I don't have to lay on the ground anymore to do auto work.

 

For what it's worth, I think my Boost tow mirrors -- which are not power fold -- added 3” of width on each side in the recessed state.

Go as big as you can get away with because once you are through engineering, these decisions become very expensive ones to correct. Ask me how I know!

 

Just added another 26x35 area to our existing garage and now have about 1900sqft of total garage space.

Can now get 6 cars inside. Also, nice to not have to open the door to drop the tailgate.

#1 Rule: Go as deep and as wide as you possibly can. Cost will never get cheaper…you will always look back and say, “I should have just done it…”

Other considerations:
- Door sizing: 18ft double door minimum. 10ft single door minimum. 3.0 service door minimum.
- Ceiling height: 12’ 6” min for lifts.
- Floor drain(s) for northern climates
- Drywall and insulate
- Minisplit

Yes, the garage section has tons more info…

 

The attached garage on my house is 28'X34' I couldn't have anything any smaller for me. I also have a 28'X48' detached garage and am thinking of building onto it. A 9' door is going to be tight as a builder I would opt for a 16-ft door over 2 9-ft doors much easier to maneuver in and also cheaper to buy a 16-ft door than two 9-ft doors.

 

You will be so glad you went deep on your garage. Makes it easier to have room to move around and you can have a workbench in front of a vehicle if you desire.

 

50x70 Garage House - FULL TOUR and COST Breakdown - YouTube

 

No one has ever said " I wish I had a smaller garage " except my buddy that is in the process of finishing his himself because he ran out of money.
My garage is 24x24 8 foot wide doors. I would give anything to get an extra 6 feet in each direction. I have a 24 inch snowblower that fits behind the truck, and a tool box that is on the passenger side of the truck. I can only access the driver's side when backed in. I have to pull the truck out for passengers to get in, and wait for them to get out before backing in. Also the mirrors on my 19 just clear the 8 foot wide doors.
If at all cost effective I would go 30x30 to start, and if you want a third bay I would go 45x30. Also go with a wider doors for each bay, or a double door and single if you do 3 bays

 

I have a standard 1 car garage and it sucks. I built a work bench in the back so if I want to park my truck in the garage, I basically have to be touching it and can barely shut the door. There is also hardly any room on the sides. If I want to work on the truck, the door has to be open. Far cry from when I had my little Mazda Speed3 which fit in there perfectly with room to work. Next house will have to have a bigger garage.

 

No such things as too much horsepower or too much garage space.

 

My dad lives in Lake Havasu City, The houses down there have a garage fetish. With summer temps in triple digits everything needs to be inside. When I'm down there the only time anyone is in the house is to sleep, shower or cook.

 

I have a standard 3 bay garage and leave the Tundra outside because it has minimal clearance with nothing in front. Most other vehicles smaller than a full size truck would fit fine. If I was building, I’d absolutely build oversized bays (length AND width)

 

My garage is a 20 x 20 and honestly I feel like it's just an oversized 1 bay garage. with the garage door closed, it's 19'-6" deep and the tundra has under 4 inches of clearance in the front and back. I'm just grateful that I bought when I did. 2020 and 2021 have been kind to me in terms of home equity. Next home will have at the very least a 4 bay tandem with a 14 foot ceiling for a lift.

 

I say why bother building a house? Build a massive garage with a bathroom and kitchenette in it and be happy.

 

Here's your answer: wives. lol

 

I'm onboard with that idea. But the wife unit isn't.

 

If it weren't for women men would still be living in caves, Man Caves. They are the reason we have curtains, indoor bathrooms and paint.

 

Just keep the grinder running and you'll never hear her.
(we need a grinder emoticon)