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Should a double garage have one wide door or two?

A double garage can take one wide door across the whole opening or two single doors either side of a central pier, and the right choice depends on the existing opening, your cars and how you use the space. Measure the opening, headroom and side room before asking for quotes.

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One wide door or two singles?

A double garage usually has one of two front layouts.

One wide opening. A single door spans the whole front. It gives the widest clear space for two cars side by side, and it is easier to drive in at an angle. The door itself is big and heavy, and if it fails, both spaces are shut.

Two single openings with a pier between. Each car has its own door. You can open one side while the other stays shut, which keeps heat in and keeps bikes and tools out of sight. The pier in the middle narrows each opening, so parking needs more care.

If you are replacing an existing door, the simplest choice is the same layout you have now. Changing from two openings to one, or the other way, is building work, not just a door swap.

QuoteZila starts in Cheshire, with Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach first, and anyone in the UK can post a garage door job.

Which type of door suits a double garage?

Up-and-over. A single panel that swings up and slides back under the ceiling. Simple and familiar, but it swings out in front of the garage as it opens, so you cannot park right up to it. On a very wide opening the panel is large and heavy.

Roller. Slats that roll up into a box above the opening. It takes no ceiling space and does not swing out. The box needs room above or behind the opening.

Sectional. Horizontal panels that run up and back on tracks under the ceiling. It rises straight up rather than swinging out, so you can park close to it. It needs headroom and a clear ceiling for the tracks.

Side-hinged. Two doors that open like large cupboard doors. Handy if you mostly walk in and out. They need clear space in front to swing open.

The right type depends on what is above and beside the opening inside. Roof trusses, a loft hatch, lights, a boiler or shelves can all get in the way of tracks or a roller box. Measure the headroom and the side room, and send photos with your job.

What about an electric opener?

Sectional and roller doors can be supplied with an electric opener, and some up-and-over doors can have one added. The opener needs a power supply in the garage.

The Planning Portal says that installing a complete new circuit is notifiable work under the building regulations, while most alterations or additions to existing circuits outside special locations are not [S1]. It says it is advisable to use an installer registered with a competent person scheme, who can self-certify that the work complies [S1]. If your garage has no socket near the opening, or no power at all, ask a registered electrician how the supply will be provided. Do not wire an opener into the supply yourself. Electrical Safety First: find a registered electrician; NICEIC; NAPIT. QuoteZila is not affiliated with this organisation. Electrical Safety First explains how to find a registered electrician. Our electricians page covers the trade.

Ask the door installer how the door stops if something is in the way, how it is opened by hand in a power cut, and how many remote controls come with it.

What changes the quote?

  • The opening: standard size, or a door made to measure.
  • The door type and material: steel, aluminium, timber or composite, plain or insulated.
  • The fixings: whether the existing frame is reused, or a new frame is fitted.
  • Building work: any change to the pier, the lintel or the brickwork round the opening.
  • Electrics: the opener, the power supply, and who provides each.
  • Old door: removal and disposal, which a tradesperson should include in their charge [S2].
  • Making good: sealing, trims and finishing round the new frame.

Citizens Advice suggests getting written quotes from at least 3 different traders before you decide on one [S3]. It says some traders charge for quotes, so ask about this first [S3]. Garage door replacement costs goes into each line in more detail.

Who fits a double garage door?

Specialist garage door companies supply and fit most doors. Where the opening changes, a builder handles the structural work first. For timber side-hinged doors, some carpenters make and hang them. An electrician provides any new supply for an opener. If you are thinking of turning part of the garage into a room, converting a garage covers that bigger job.

Jobs you might post

These are examples, not taken from real job posts.

  • "Double garage with one wide up-and-over door that is hard to lift. Please quote for an insulated sectional door with an electric opener. There is a socket inside."
  • "Two single garage doors with a brick pier between. We'd like to keep the layout and replace both with roller doors."
  • "We want to widen our two openings into one. Please quote for the building work, and say whether building control is needed."

QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses [QZ1]. Your job goes to up to five matched local businesses [QZ2].

Honest status: QuoteZila is new. We're starting in Cheshire, beginning with Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach, and growing area by area. Anyone in the UK can still post a job or register a business. How fast you get quotes depends on how many local businesses have joined near you. Businesses can register and receive jobs straight away. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire.

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Questions about double garage doors

Can I take out the middle pier to fit one wide door?

Only with the right building work. The pier between two single doors often helps hold up the wall or roof above. Removing it means a new beam or lintel across the full width, which is structural work. Ask a builder to look before you order a wide door.

What do I measure before asking for quotes?

The width and height of the opening, the headroom between the top of the opening and the ceiling or roof, the side room on each side inside, and the depth of the garage. Photos of the inside and outside help the installer see what fixings and tracks will fit.

Who takes the old garage door away?

Agree it in the quote. GOV.UK's waste code says a tradesperson who works on your property is responsible for the waste they produce, and the cost of its disposal should be included in what they charge.

Does QuoteZila check garage door installers?

No. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire. You can report a quote or a business from your job page.

This page is general information, not professional or legal advice. QuoteZila does not check Gas Safe, WaterSafe, NFRC, NICEIC or other registrations against the register on your behalf: look them up yourself.

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Sources

  1. QZ1: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila home and FAQ copy.
  2. QZ2: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila FAQ How does getting quotes work.
  3. S1: Electrics: Building Regulations general information, Planning Portal. Accessed 2026-11-01. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/electrics/building-regulations-general-information
  4. S2: Waste duty of care: code of practice, GOV.UK (Defra). Accessed 2026-11-01. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/waste-duty-of-care-code-of-practice/waste-duty-of-care-code-of-practice
  5. S3: Before you get building work done, Citizens Advice. Accessed 2026-11-01. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/getting-home-improvements-done/before-you-get-building-work-done/