Headroom (or overhead space) is the available space between the top of the garage door and the ceiling of your interior garage. It is important to understand what your overhead space is like because it will determine whether your garage door requires standard or low headroom tracks.
For a standard residential garage door with an electric automatic opener, you will need a minimum of 15 inches of overhead clearance (12 inches for the door and torsion spring system and 3 for the garage door opener equipment).
If you have low headroom measurement in your garage, it is important that you mention this while shopping around for garage door services so that you can receive more accurate price estimates of the job you would like to get done.
Garage Door Headroom (Overhead Space) Illustration
Dual-Track System Garage Door
A low overhead space requires installation of a dual track system to accommodate the lifting of the door. This simply means that a second track is installed above the horizontal section that is attached to the curve from the vertical track section. The dual-track system installation will require more time to set up by a technician and will result in a higher price for the project.
If you need to save a few inches of space where the garage door opener would usually be set up, or if there is a beam on top of your garage door interfering with the needed space, look into a jackshaft garage door opener. This type of opener can be as effective as a standard garage opener – the difference between them is that the jackshaft door opener is installed on the side of the garage door rather than at the top. This eliminates your need for extra headroom and keeps the top/middle of your garage room clean and spacious.
LiftMaster 8500 Side Mount Residential Opener
