I am having a new home built and the best they can do is raise the 3rd garage bay to 10 feet. I eventually want to add a lift for both light auto work and possibly to store another car under the one on the lift. For $1800.00 is this worth doing for 10 feet or should I skip the extra height and put the money torward a lift and not store another car under the one on the lift, if I am even able to do so with a 10ft ceiling.
Question: Garage ceiling height
- Thread starter kencobra
- Start date
Isn't a 10' ceiling in a garage pretty standard? Mine is either 9' or 10'. I would never want one any lower than 12' if I was planning a lift, especially when you using an electric garage opener. I'm surprised your builder can only go 10' on the 3rd bay and wants to charge you an additional $1,800. for that height. Why the limit? Does the 3rd bay extend from the house or are all three bays under the house? Do a Google search on garage ceiling heights and you'll see that 12' ceilings are recommended with most lifts. Remember, too, that you really want to be able to stand under the car when it's up on the lift. If you have to lean over all the time your back is going to start hurting.
Here is some good info I found. You maybe already know all this.
The Space Case
Before you start the hunt for a lift, you need to do some measuring. Lifts don’t fit very well in garages that are less than 22 feet deep. Ideally, the ceiling should be at least 11 to 12 feet high (though this author has used one – carefully – with a 9 ½-foot ceiling). Don’t forget about overhead hazards such as garage door openers, door tracks, and the doors themselves. Chances are excellent that you’ll want to open the garage door with the car on the lift at some point, so measure your clearance with the garage door both opened and closed. For garages where the open door may collide with the roof of a lifted car, consider backing the car onto the lift. It requires extra effort and precision, but a car’s lower hoodline may squeak under the open door where a roof or a trunk collides. And the link to this info. http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Car_Care/DIY/Why_You_Need_a_Garage_Lift_Now.aspx
Here is some good info I found. You maybe already know all this.
The Space Case
Before you start the hunt for a lift, you need to do some measuring. Lifts don’t fit very well in garages that are less than 22 feet deep. Ideally, the ceiling should be at least 11 to 12 feet high (though this author has used one – carefully – with a 9 ½-foot ceiling). Don’t forget about overhead hazards such as garage door openers, door tracks, and the doors themselves. Chances are excellent that you’ll want to open the garage door with the car on the lift at some point, so measure your clearance with the garage door both opened and closed. For garages where the open door may collide with the roof of a lifted car, consider backing the car onto the lift. It requires extra effort and precision, but a car’s lower hoodline may squeak under the open door where a roof or a trunk collides. And the link to this info. http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Car_Care/DIY/Why_You_Need_a_Garage_Lift_Now.aspx
I built mine using 2x6x10' studs. This gives me about 10'3" with bottom and top plates. The lowest 2 post lift I found was 10ft. If you use an garage door opener....get one that sits above the door. You will also want to consider a door track that goes right up to the ceiling to give you max room.
CobraBob is correct....12ft would work better and you will want to take lots of measurements before you order a lift and even the doors.
Good luck!
CobraBob is correct....12ft would work better and you will want to take lots of measurements before you order a lift and even the doors.
Good luck!
I have been looking at these recently. You will need the height of the two cars and 9". This will give you 2" of space under the ramps for the bottom car, and 2" of space from the roof of the top car to the ceiling. 10' is about that with two 55" tall cars. 12' would give you some room to work, and some room for error. Then you have to figure how to open the garage door without hitting the top car when driving in the bottom car. I may wind up using a sliding door.
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I have this issue now with my current garage. I only have an 8' ceiling, and I have a drive on lift that I bought last winter that I haven't set up yet because I need to revise the structure so I can raise the ceiling height to 12'. You may be able to get by with 10', but if going through the effort and expense, just do it right the first time, and go for 12', then you can have full versatility out of your lift. I have the lift tracks in the bay now, and park on top of them, and even that much, makes working under the car easier, so I can't wait until it's fully functional!
I have a Bend Pak 4 post lift with a 12 foot and it's great. Nothing I can't do (even the wife's mini-van). I park my cobra on the top and my other car underneath it every day. Goes up/down in about 45 secs. Run 220V as I believe the 120V are slower. It uses compressed air as a safety latch as well. No air, no going down, so might as well plumb that in too. It will also open up an entirely new way to suck money from you on accessories (or plenty of gift options). Trans Jacks, Stands, Oil Storage, Bottle Jacks, Auto jack options, etc etc etc. If you want to park under...10 won't work. 12 minimum. I'd post pictures, but admin has that off for me...:shrug:
On the opener, get a lift that attaches to the Jack Shaft. I have a chamberlain:
http://www.liftmaster.com/ConsumerWeb/pages/productmodeldetail.aspx?modelId=834
On the opener, get a lift that attaches to the Jack Shaft. I have a chamberlain:
http://www.liftmaster.com/ConsumerWeb/pages/productmodeldetail.aspx?modelId=834
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For the garage doors go to Wayne Dalton. They make a new motor that we have that sits directly above the garage door itself. Plus it's super quiet and faster. I forget the name of it but it's definently worth it. Looks so much cleaner than all that arm and chain spanning half your ceiling.
*double post*
When i built my third bay, I stick built the roof, instead of using trusses, then when i put the garage door in, I following the ceiling angle witht he tracks. I also lower the floor 1 foot compared to the other two bays...netting me 16'6" to the peak. My lift posts are 141", but you can get them shorter, lots of lifts to chose from. Here are some pics:
Wayne Dalton motor is not rated for applications when the door must hug the ceiling depending on height and slope.
I'm in the process of putting a lift in my garage this month. My ceiling is just under 11'. I'm having my garage door tracking run up to the ceiling. Be careful what opener you choose, some of the screw style are not getting good reviews.
I went with the backyard buddy for my four post lift. Even with my less than 11' ceiling, I'll still be able to park my TBSS under the Cobra.
I went with the backyard buddy for my four post lift. Even with my less than 11' ceiling, I'll still be able to park my TBSS under the Cobra.
kencobra, is your builder saying he can't make the opening any bigger than 10', or the entire garage cieling? I can understand the opening, but if a 10' cieling in the garage is an upgrade, I think you should get up in his ass. That's standard in most any garage around here.
The opening should not matter. The standar height is high enough. It's the cieling that you want to be at least 12' high.
The opening should not matter. The standar height is high enough. It's the cieling that you want to be at least 12' high.
I have not talked to the builder directly but that is my next step. The ceiling in my current garage is approx 8'5" and I think that is about the standard around here. This will not be a custom built house but the builder who contracts for Meritage Homes ,who we are buying the house thru, will do some extra stuff. I had talked with our sales person who then spoke with the builder and he said 10'. I am going to try and find out if he can make it higher since there will be no second story above the 3rd bay.
I have trusses that run parallel to the car. My ceilings are 10 ft and myfloor goes 300x400 so i am not worried about the garage rails as I can put the car all the way to the back. my question is, can i cut 2-3 trusses and support them a different way so i can raise that part of the ceiling to 12 ft? has anyone tried this?
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