Forum Discussion

kjenckes's avatar
kjenckes
Explorer
May 28, 2015

Camper in Garage- help with height please

Good morning. I have a new garage going up next week. 24x31 with 12 foot sidewalls. One side is for my bassboat. The other side will have my Northstar 850 in the back and in the winter my wife's suburban in front of it. I want to put a 4 foot deep loft across the back for storage and was thinking 8 feet off the ground to give us a 4 foot (at the sidewalls) headspace. My son is a bit more observant than I am and said "What about when you get a bigger truck camper? Will it fit under there?" Damn. Smart kid. That being said I am sure there are some folks here that know the clearance needed for my future TC and truck because you are already using it. If some one has the following set up and knows this height I would appreciate having it passed on.

2wd 3500 or 4500 Chevy/GMC
Hard side TC with a basement ie: Lance 1161 or equivalent with roof AC

I know it will require an extra foot or so to take off and put on.

Thanks,

Kevin- and yes I will post pics once it's up.
Truck Campers
  • kerry4951's avatar
    kerry4951
    Explorer
    May 28, 2015
    I already have a 12' high door in the garage that I owned before I had the TC rig. That door is not high enough. If I was going to build a garage today it would have a 14' high door. Im 12' 4" to the top of the A/C unit.
  • rockhillmanor's avatar
    rockhillmanor
    Explorer
    May 28, 2015
    kjenckes wrote:
    Good morning. I have a new garage going up next week. 24x31 with 12 foot sidewalls. .... If some one has the following set up and knows this height I would appreciate having it passed on.


    I will just add a note to do the math before you build! Just measuring the height 'inside' the garage is not an end all be all that you will be able to get 'in' the garage!

    incline vs height.

    We measured and measured the height of the RV on a flat surface. Made sure the door ordered would accommodate and then some the height.

    They poured a small apron of concrete to the entrance of the garage........the 'very slight incline' PROHIBITED my RV from ever entering the new garage that was built just for the RV.

    So don't just measure an RV on flat ground. Take into consideration even the slightest incline whether it be a concrete pad or just the added height of dirt built up to the foundation to make the building level. It WILL increase the height of the approach thru the door.

    My RV never saw the inside of her new garage because of the very slight incline to the door.:(
  • Fishnmagician's avatar
    Fishnmagician
    Explorer
    May 28, 2015
    Kevin, I went with a 13' sidewall and what is called a scissor truss, this aloud me to have a true 13' garage door height and plenty of room to unload inside. My feeling is with a 12' door, your not going to have room for your future camper. I'm 11'6" to the top of AC, and the lance is a older, non basement model. Here are a few pics.







  • WyoTraveler's avatar
    WyoTraveler
    Explorer
    May 28, 2015
    If you want it to be a fit for most RVs you will need a 14 X 14 ft door. Can't see how you would do that with a 12 ft bldg. Keep in mind no matter what size the door rolls up and over. To get a 14 ft door I had to go 16 ft high on building. Buildings cost money make sure the plan includes the future. I didn't. I have two 12 X 12 doors that aren't high enough. Had to have a huge addition to get a third door 14 X 14.
  • nycsteve's avatar
    nycsteve
    Explorer
    May 28, 2015
    I need 12' clearance for my Lance 981 while on truck. Its a 4x4 so maybe a few inches more than a 2x2
  • F350mule's avatar
    F350mule
    Explorer
    May 28, 2015
    We built a new garage/barn just a month ago. 30x40 feet 14' side walls. a regular 9x7 door and 10x12 for the camper. Plenty high for whatever I put in there. If in doubt, go bigger, lol.
  • bobndot's avatar
    bobndot
    Explorer II
    May 28, 2015
    Being you are in N.H. , why not take a ride to The truck Camper Warehouse in W.Chesterfield and measure one that you think you may buy one day . That way you know exactly what size to build.
  • SugarHillCTD's avatar
    SugarHillCTD
    Explorer
    May 28, 2015
    Adding to Ben's post- two things to consider.

    1- entry height. You probably want a 12' high door opening. 11' would probably do it but if it is in the planning stage, why not 12?

    2- interior height for when you jack the TC up. Definitely 12+' clearance. A larger A/C unit will add a foot to TC height.

    This probably seems too high with your current TC but a hardside TC with a basement is TALL
  • MN_Ben's avatar
    MN_Ben
    Explorer
    May 28, 2015
    I put a level 2x4 across my roof a/c unit and measured down to the ground. Both while it was on the truck as well as when it was raised to be removed. The measurements told me I should install a 14' sidewall garage with a 12' overhead door. Glad I did. It just cleared the overhead lighting when I removed it inside.
    Lance 1010 (hard side with roof a/c) on a 2002 F250.

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