What Size Timber Garage Do You Need

A practical measuring guide for one car, storage and two-car layouts

Concept image of a timber garage with a car outside. It is not a customer installation.

The right garage size starts with what must happen inside it. Measure your vehicle, then allow room to get in and out, open its doors and tailgate, walk around it and store anything that will share the space. Finally, check the clear opening of the garage door and the route from the road. A model’s advertised footprint alone cannot tell you whether your car will fit comfortably.

This guide gives you a repeatable way to compare the Northern Log Cabins garage collection. It covers single-car, car-plus-storage and two-car needs without treating any named model’s external dimensions as usable internal space.

Start with your real vehicle

Write down the dimensions of the vehicle you actually intend to keep in the garage. The manufacturer’s published length, width and height are a starting point, but check the car as it is used: mirrors, roof bars, a roof box, bicycle rack, tow bar or other accessories can change the space you need. If you expect to replace the car, consider the likely next vehicle too.

Next, mark the space that becomes occupied when you use the car. Open the driver’s door as far as you normally need to enter and exit. Do the same for a passenger door if someone will use it inside the garage. Raise the boot or tailgate and note how far it extends behind and above the car. Allow room to walk past without brushing the wall, shelves or another vehicle. These checks are especially important for families carrying children, shopping or equipment.

A simple driveway test is more useful than guessing. Park in an open space and use chalk, tape or movable objects to mark where the proposed internal walls and storage would be. Open doors, remove a bike or push a lawnmower through the route. If the layout feels awkward on the driveway, it will not improve once a wall is built.

Concept plan showing the vehicle, door-opening space, walking route and storage zone. Check actual drawings before ordering.

Measure the usable space, not just the footprint

Product titles often give the overall width and depth of a building. Those figures are useful for comparing ranges and checking the site, but they do not establish the finished space between the walls. Wall construction, internal posts, partitions and the exact door arrangement can all affect the clear area. Ask for the current plan and finished internal dimensions of the specific model and specification you are considering.

The garage collection includes narrower and wider footprints, including Garage A at 3.2 × 5.7 m and Garage Oulu at 5.2 × 5.7 m as labelled on the site. These are useful comparison points, not promises of clear parking space. A wider footprint may help with a second vehicle or storage, but only a scaled layout using internal measurements and openings will show whether it works for your use.

If a side door, windows or a workbench matter, place them on the sketch before you select a model. A side door may provide access without opening the main garage door, while the location of a window may determine where shelves or tools can go. Check the latest specification rather than assuming that an illustrated door or window position can be changed.

Check the garage door and the approach

A car can fit inside a building yet fail at the entrance. Ask for the garage door’s clear opening width and height when fully open, rather than using the overall door frame dimensions. Check whether the door’s tracks, hinges or opening arc take up space that your vehicle or roof accessories need. Where two cars will use a shared opening, think through how each will enter and leave.

Then work backwards to the road. Can the driver line up with the opening? Is there enough room to turn without repeated manoeuvres? Look at gateways, boundary walls, steps, levels, drainage features and any gate that must be open while the car passes. A site plan with the vehicle’s intended path is a good way to catch problems before a base is built.

Height deserves its own check if you use a van, SUV, roof rack or roof box. Compare the vehicle’s actual travelling height with the clear door opening, then check the internal height along the parking route. Do not rely on the roof ridge height shown in a product listing; it describes a different point on the building.

Which layout matches your use?

Three illustrative layouts: one vehicle, a vehicle with storage, and two vehicles. They are concepts, not product plans.

For a single car, prioritise a usable exit route, not the narrowest space that lets the vehicle pass through the door. If the garage will also hold bicycles, bins, garden tools or seasonal items, list them and draw the storage at realistic depth. Doors on bikes and storage cupboards need operating room too. A wider building may be more useful than a longer one if side storage and door opening are the constraint.

For two cars, test the arrangement with both vehicles shown at their real size. A double-width door and a wide footprint are not enough on their own; you must be able to park, leave each car and reach any items stored behind them. Consider whether the cars will be used independently each day. If one car blocks the other or every exit requires moving a vehicle, the layout may not suit your routine.

Plan the base and intended loads early

A garage base must suit the building, its site and the loads it will carry. Do not assume that a standard cabin floor or a base intended for garden-room use is suitable for vehicle parking. Before arranging groundworks, confirm with Northern Log Cabins what foundation and floor specification applies to your chosen garage, and have the contractor design and build the base for the site conditions and intended vehicle loads.

The site’s guide to log cabin base options explains the main base approaches. For a garage, discuss finished level, surface water, the driveway-to-door transition and any threshold with the supplier and contractor. A step or steep change in level can affect low vehicles even when the door is wide enough.

If you plan power, lighting or charging equipment, include the locations in the layout so they do not clash with shelves or parked cars. Electrical work and any vehicle charging installation should be planned and carried out by a suitably qualified professional to the applicable rules. Confirm the garage’s intended use and any planning or building-control requirements with the relevant local authority before committing to work; requirements depend on location, siting and design.

A measuring checklist to take to the supplier

• Vehicle: length, width with mirrors, height with accessories, tailgate reach and door opening space.
• Use: number of vehicles, frequency of access, storage items, workbench or equipment, and future vehicle changes.
• Building: finished internal width, depth and clear height; position of posts, partitions, side door and windows.
• Entrance: clear door width and height, door mechanism, threshold, driveway alignment and turning space.
• Groundworks: base specification, vehicle loads, finished levels, drainage and approach surface.

Send the measurements and a rough site sketch when you contact Northern Log Cabins. Ask for the current drawings and specification of any shortlist model, then compare the clear dimensions with your marked-out test. This avoids buying by a headline footprint and discovering the compromises after installation.