Reference
1 car garage dimensions
Single-car garages are commonly planned between 12 x 20 and 16 x 24; the extra two to four feet of width is what makes the driver's door usable next to a wall.
- Common range
- 12 × 20 to 16 × 24
- 12 ft width leaves
- 2′ 9″ per side
- 16 ft width leaves
- 4′ 6″ per side, pickup
- Depth for a bench
- 24 ft
Quick reference
Single-car footprints and what they leave
Clearance computed as (interior width − envelope width) ÷ 2
| Footprint | Area | Side clearance, car | Side clearance, pickup | Depth behind a pickup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 × 20 | 240 sq ft | 2′ 9″ | 2′ 6″ | 1′ 0″ |
| 12 × 24 | 288 sq ft | 2′ 9″ | 2′ 6″ | 5′ 0″ |
| 14 × 24 | 336 sq ft | 3′ 9″ | 3′ 6″ | 5′ 0″ |
| 16 × 24 | 384 sq ft | 4′ 9″ | 4′ 6″ | 5′ 0″ |
Side clearance is the space on each side of a centred vehicle. Depth is measured behind a 19′ envelope.
Compact versus comfortable
The door-swing problem is a width problem
A 12 ft wide single garage leaves about 2 ft 9 in on each side of a planning-envelope car. That is enough to walk past, not enough to open a driver's door fully with a wall there. At 14 ft the same envelope leaves 4 ft per side, and at 16 ft a full-size pickup still leaves 4 ft 6 in. This is why single-car buildings are usually ordered wider than the vehicle suggests.
Storage
Depth is where the workshop goes
Adding four feet of depth to a 12 x 20 costs one more foot of side wall on each side and no extra door wall. A 12 x 24 leaves about 5 ft in front of a full-size pickup — a bench and a wall of shelving. A 12 x 20 leaves about 1 ft, which is a walkway and nothing more.
Envelopes used in the arithmetic on these pages
| Honda Civic Sedan LX (2024) | 15.33′ × 5.91′publishedVerified source |
|---|---|
| Planning envelope, car | 16′ × 6.5′stated inputPlanning assumption |
| Planning envelope, full-size pickup or SUV | 19′ × 7′stated inputPlanning assumption |
Substitute your own vehicle's published dimensions; every clearance on this page is the footprint minus the envelope.
Planning
When a single garage stops being the answer
A 16 x 24 single garage is 384 sq ft. A 24 x 24 two-car is 576 sq ft — 50 percent more area for one more door and eight more feet of width. If a second vehicle is even possible later, the second bay is rarely cheaper to add afterwards than to order now.
Evidence
Where these numbers come from
Evidence record
- Platform calculation
Footprint square footage = width x depth
Computed on this page
- Platform calculation
Remaining clearance = interior dimension minus the parked envelope
Computed on this page
- Verified source
2024 Honda Civic Sedan LX: 184.0 in long, 70.9 in wide, 55.7 in high (15.33 ft x 5.91 ft x 4.64 ft)
2024 Honda Civic Sedan Specifications and Features — American Honda Motor Co.
- Planning assumption
The 7 ft x 19 ft parked envelope used in the clearance arithmetic is a stated planning input, not a measured average of the US fleet
Computed on this page
- Planning assumption
Walk-around and door-swing allowances used on these pages are stated planning inputs chosen by the reader, not requirements
Computed on this page
Computed values are recalculated whenever this page renders. Published figures link to the source document. Planning inputs are shown as inputs so you can substitute your own.
Keep planning
Next step
Answers
Common questions
It parks a car. With a 6 ft 6 in planning envelope it leaves about 2 ft 9 in each side, which is a walkway rather than a door swing. Most buyers who plan to use the space as well as park in it order 14 ft or wider.
A 7 ft by 19 ft planning envelope fits inside 16 x 24 with about 4 ft 6 in each side and 5 ft behind. In 12 x 20 the same envelope leaves 2 ft 6 in each side and 1 ft behind. Check your truck's published dimensions before ordering.
Depth is what buys storage. Twenty feet is parking only; 24 ft leaves roughly 5 ft in front of a full-size pickup, which is a bench and shelving.
Continue your research
Related planning topics
Background reading on the questions this page raises. None of these pages sells anything.
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