I’m in the process of drawing plans for a 1000 sq ft living area over garage to build on 5 acres in the mountains. My plan was to build a metal building for RV storage. After talking with my contractor, now maybe I can add a 44’x14’ RV shed off the side of my building. This would be better as I could insulate it and avoid having to winterize the RV as well as having septic and power in the shed. First, is 14’ wide enough with slides open on both sides and what would be the minimum door height needed for the tallest MH?I have a shorter Toy hauler now but want to build for worst case scenario and future resale. It looks like most MH are around 12’6” so I’m thinking a 13’ clear door opening?Any other thoughts or opinions are appreciated.

Six inches would be too close for me even if the drive in was level.

I would build it wider than 14' wide.Are you and the contractor talking the same 14' wide? He's probably talking outside dimensions and your probably talking inside? If outside dimensions, by the time you have 2x6 studs, that only leaves 13' inside by the time you put on the inside sheathing.Your rig is probably 8' 6" wide, subtracting that from 13' leaves you 4' 6" or 2' 3" on both sides of the rig. How far do your slides come out? I don't think you'll have enough room to walk outside down the length of your rig, you may have to go outside the building to get from one end to the other?Go at least two feet wider - that only adds one foot on each side. And a 13' tall door is asking for trouble. Go with a 16' ceiling and a 14' tall door. Even at 16' tall, how are you going to get on top of it if you want to do any work on the roof while inside?You may fit in the dimensions you're thinking about, but are they really going to be usable?Bill

Unless you're going to stay in the RV (or use it as a guest house) while it's in storage, there's no reason to extend the slides.

jplante4 wrote:Unless you're going to stay in the RV (or use it as a guest house) while it's in storage, there's no reason to extend the slides.This might be true if you never enter the unit except when travelling. If it were me, however, I'd want to be able to service it, clean it (inside and out), do repairs, etc... without having to pull it out of the building to do it (and staying in out of the cold and rain when weather doesn't cooperate). I agree with the earlier poster that a few additional feet of width will go a long way, and the OP would likely regret going too small just to save what might be a relatively small amount of money in the scheme of things.

Door height I would do is 14', there are many RVs out there that meet the 13.5' max allowed by US DOT. I used to have a 15' wide storage space (outdoor), there was plenty of space to open slides on both sides.

Minimum door height required for RV storage garage

27 Replies

Dutch_12078
Explorer III
Feb 03, 2018
If the "lay of the land" allows it, you also might want to consider a drive-thru door arrangement. Besides the convenience, being able to open a door at each end allows more access for maintenance, cleaning, etc.
jimx200
Explorer
Feb 03, 2018
We are in Sacramento and it sounds like you must be up in the mountains.
We park out Class C on the side of our house and covered. Have you considered a heavy duty canvas tent or do you need the insulation?

This is what a neighbor uses: https://www.ecanopy.com/shk-14x42x15hsk.html?Choose%20Color=Grey&gclid=CjwKCAiAtdDTBRArEiwAPT4y-z8125CepFP6-yn9JwH4q9-e72CgeNy5kH_YewMfzGjpIFPsXyiJGxoC46IQAvD_BwE&refnum=Feb-721-9756

More: https://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/prod1;ft_canopies_tents-ft_daddy_long_legs_canopies;pgdaddy.html

Another: http://www.rv-shelters.com/?gclid=CjwKCAiAtdDTBRArEiwAPT4y-1LvQrxDRtcT9hXc-2cVnf_wUzM6mYw4EuIoKx-fK-a1edUrgrp62RoCYgQQAvD_BwE
centerline
Explorer
Feb 02, 2018
minimums should be 16 ft wide inside the building with a 12wide x 14tall door....

its preferable to have an inside space that is 10ft longer than the longest unit that will ever be stored in it, and at a minimum, 3 foot longer

a 10ft wide door is a bit tight for the new wide body units and mirrors, and anything less than a 14ft tall door and you may regret it later if you get a bigger/taller RV..

and if the inside parking space is too small, you wont be able to walk around the unit for service work and upgrades when its in the building.... which means it could just as well be stored outside under a wrapper/rv cover(if thats where you have to move it to be able to work on it anyway).... and if you have extra space in the building, a nice toolbox and assorted power tools will take up some of the space....
tropical36
Explorer
Feb 02, 2018
FireGuard wrote:
I’m in the process of drawing plans for a 1000 sq ft living area over garage to build on 5 acres in the mountains.
My plan was to build a metal building for RV storage.
After talking with my contractor, now maybe I can add a 44’x14’ RV shed off the side of my building. This would be better as I could insulate it and avoid having to winterize the RV as well as having septic and power in the shed.
First, is 14’ wide enough with slides open on both sides and what would be the minimum door height needed for the tallest MH?
I have a shorter Toy hauler now but want to build for worst case scenario and future resale.
It looks like most MH are around 12’6” so I’m thinking a 13’ clear door opening?
Any other thoughts or opinions are appreciated.

I'd go with a 14ft high door, if it was me and there can be antenna's and such, along with other variables. The rest sounds good, though.
ncrowley
Explorer II
Feb 02, 2018
As stated, you want a 14' high door and at least 14 feet wide. The garage will be wider than the door. I would make it wide enough to extend the slides. I would make the inside of the garage 22 feet wide. That will give you 4 feet on each side.
moisheh
Explorer
Feb 02, 2018
I went with a 14 high door and 12 wide. 14 wide would be better. I have a 16 ft. celling. I made my 2 bay. 30 ft. wide and 50 long. 44 is too short. If you are building a one bay go 16 wide. Very little cost saving by going too small.

Moisheh
REEFERMAN23
Explorer
Feb 02, 2018
I too am in the planning stage of my rv shed. Many forums offer good advice on dimensions for future up grades. 16wide 16 tall 44 long seems to be a good size for mine. My existing metal building is 40x70. So this will look good next to it. Closed in on 1 side and the rear. The existing building will block sunlight on 1 side. Lee
hoosiermark
Explorer
Jan 13, 2018
You also say you want to build 1,000 square feet over garage. I would caution you to rethink that also. If you have someone who does not do steps well or has other health issues, a second floor living space can be a challenge. Sure you save a little money going up but is it worth it in the long run? Carrying groceries up all the time, up and down for this or that, no thanks.
slickest1
Explorer
Jan 13, 2018
I would go 16 ft ceiling 14ft. door height and 16 ft wide inside. The door width would be 12 wide. You can get away with 10 ft but it is easy to catch a mirror. This will give you enough room to open storage doors and perform other tasks.
Good luck I am envious.
old_guy
Explorer
Jan 13, 2018
I would do a minimum of 14' door and figure most mh's are 8 ft wide and most slide outs are at least 3 ft to 3 1/2 ft so that would be 8ft plus 6 ft and you will want a buffer zone of another 3 to 4 ft so you can walk around the outside of the mh to do any work or maintenance on it. get back to the drawing board