garage ceiling height - lift

[racemor]

Anyone know what the minimum ceiling height is when using a storage lift? I'm getting ready to build a new garage and, while I don't need the lift now, I want to allow for the option in the future.

[mike f]

There are several variables which need to be considered here. I assume that by a storage lift you are talking about a 4 post unit. A "typical" Bend Pak unit is about 8' tall. Lift is about 6' from the ramps, which are about 5" or so off the floor. Is the Porsche the only car you will be putting up on the lift? Obviously if you put a Navigator up there you will need significantly more headroom.. Another thing to consider is if there are going to be any lighting fixtures installed over the lift. Is the garage door going to be an overhead unit or the "barn door" type?

I would say that since this is a new construction, give yourself plenty of room to allow for any possible scenario.

[mb911]

My garage is 9 foot 2 and I had my 914-6 stored above my 911 with a four postlift. However it would have been nice to have another couple of feet I had no issues

[RickM]

I assume you could do the same with a two poster....?

[ruf-porsche]

2 x studs normally come in 8', 10' and 12' length. Check what is available in you area and the cost. If I was to build a garage I would use 10' length studs for the wall.

[dad911]

10'-6" is minimum to put a 911 in top of a 4 post lift and stand underneath.

There are alot of other considerations.... don't center the light over the lift, use high-track garage door tracks.... do a search, this has been discussed numerous times.

[racemor]

Yes Mike, the basic 4 post is what I was thinking.

Sorry for not searching first, I'm passing on direction to the architect today and got in a rush. We have discussed the high track door and I was hoping that 10 feet would be enough. Sounds like it will be, since there would never be anything as tall as an SUV used.

Thanks for the help.

[tom1394racing]

I've got a 2 post lift and 10 1/2' ceilings. In order to park a car underneath of my 911 and get in and out of the parked car, you need at least 10 ft. In order to stand and work underneath the car you need 10 1/2 ft.

Also consider the location of any automatic garage door motor. They tend to be the lowest hanging member and can limit the amount of lift.

I can post some pictures of my installation with the 2 post lift and my daughter's car parked underneath if it helps.

[Fast82930]

The garage I built ended up with just over 10.5' over the center bay and works well with my 4-post lift.

I had to modify the door tracks from 90 degrees to follow slope of the roof to maximize clearance. My lift is slightly off center and the door opener just clears my tail at the rear.

[MikeSid]

Depending on the location of your garage door, I'd suggest using a commercial style roll up door. My garage door faces an alley so I did not need to be overly concerned with appearance. I installed a roll-up door to preserve ceiling height for a storage lift. There are many nice options out there and you can get electronic operators and insulation, etc. just like you would have with a regular garage door.

However...if I had a driveway or if the door was on the front of my house, the commercial roll up style would look a little too industrial.

Or if your door is not on a gable wall, you can run a standard door virtually vertically along the rake of the roof and use only minimal ceiling space. This requires stick framed rafters and is not possible with trusses...maybe with steep scissor trusses.

[makaio]

Lyall, is that 10.5 to the very highest peak in your garage? What is the highest measurement with your 930 on the lift?

[mackskibum]

If you can, go with the 12' ceilings in your garage. Its easy to say that the 911 will be the only thing on the lift, but you can never be sure. A year ago I built a new pole building with 10' eaves and thought it would be plenty. I just installed a 2 post lift, and all the way up I can just barely walk under the 911 (I'm 5'9") An SUV on the lift requires the use if a wheeled seat. Man, the extra 2' would be nice now....

[autobonrun]

I would go 11' as a minimum. My ceiling is 10' 5" and I only have about 3" clearance to my garage door opener. There is 4" clearance between the lower car and the bottom of the lift. Also remember that the hinge that attaches the opener to the garage door extends down below the level of the opener. The garage needs to be deep enought that this hinge does not hit the window of your car when it's raised. See Fast82930's photo with the door raised. If you are going to have a manual door 10' is acceptable. However, if automatic, then take this into account.

Also, the lift needs to rest on one of the mechanical stops on each of the four legs. It should not just be supported by the cables. These stops are placed something like 4" apart so you may not be able to stop it where you like and must instead go to the next higher stop. This will eat into the available space you thought you had. Another point; when you get ready to lower the car, you need to raise it about 2" off the stop for the locks to clear the mechanical stops before you can start lowering it.

Another reason to go 11' or more is it will allow you to use a jack on the lower car and work on it in place, to more easily place a car cover on the lower car, and to get out without cracking your head every time. (Takes about 3 knots to remember to duck)

[greglepore]

Mackskibum is a wise man.

[slotcar]

Autobonrun, how to do raise your garage door...in the photo, it looks like the door (when raised), wouldn't clear the top of the car (the one on the lift). Is is just an illusion from the photo....just curious if you had to play muscial chairs....using go-jaks etc.... BTW the flooring looks great.

[911Velocity]

This is a classic case of Bigger is Better. I have 10 ft and wish that I had 13 ft. A lot of good thoughts have been written here and elsewhere. Do yourself a favor and go as big as possible (even 14 ft. is not unreasonable). Height in a garage is like the garage itself. No matter how big the garage is I (you) will always fill it up and want more. Not dogma JMHO. Good luck.

Best regards,

[MACHINEMON]

My two post Amco is 12' tall. I am building a shed around it with 14' walls...

[s2per]

For those of you with door opener motor clearance issues, consider the new wall-mounted Wayne-Dalton system. Pics and specs at http://www.wayne-dalton.com/DirectDrive.asp. Very cool product and probably going in my new garage even though height won't be an issue.

[Joeaksa]

You guys are making me feel very jealous...

Joe A

[autobonrun]

Originally posted by slotcar
Autobonrun, how to do raise your garage door...in the photo, it looks like the door (when raised), wouldn't clear the top of the car (the one on the lift). Is is just an illusion from the photo....just curious if you had to play muscial chairs....using go-jaks etc.... BTW the flooring looks great.

Just an illusion. Everything clears. The door rides over the top of the tracks which puts it over the top car. However, the hinge that connects the door to the chain pull mechanism stops just behind the targa bar, so the cars have to be forward enough for it not to contact the rear window. Notice I keep the SC a little more forward on the lift for that reason. It misses it by a few inches but this is a case where an inch is good as a foot since it always stops at the same place. The limiting factor in my case is the automatic door opener itself.

As pointed out, an option is the front mounted Dalton unit but you may want to research it. There are several writeups on the unit on the internet. There have been some mechanical issues with the earlier units and I don't whether they've been solved. Some of the local installers have stopped carrying the Dalton for that reason.

I agree that to a degree, the higher the ceiling the better. If building a garage, the most economical height, for a couple reasons is to do the calculations up front and take everything into account and not go any higher. This is both from a construction cost standpoint and also related to heating. I heat my garage in winter and it's a lot easier to heat a smaller volume. I said earler a minimum of 11' but maybe 12' would be better; never know if you might want to slide an M5 under there one day.

Thanks for the comment on the floor. It's been in now about a year. It works out great.