Made to Measure Garage Doors: When a Standard Size Won’t Do

Most garage doors come in standard widths — 7ft, 8ft, and occasionally 9ft for a single opening, 14ft or 16ft for a double. For a lot of properties that’s fine. But a significant number of UK garages, particularly older ones and anything that’s been extended or modified, don’t fit neatly into those brackets.

If your opening is an awkward size, you’ve got two options. You can force a standard door to fit — which usually means filling gaps with timber framing or cutting into brickwork — or you can get a door made to measure. The first option is cheaper upfront. It rarely works out cheaper overall.

Why standard doors don’t always fit

Victorian and Edwardian properties are the usual culprits. Garages built in those eras were designed for vehicles that no longer exist, so the openings come in odd widths and heights. A 7ft 3in opening doesn’t take a 7ft door without either leaving a 3-inch gap or taking a grinder to the frame. Neither is a great solution.

Modern new builds can have the same problem, just for different reasons. Integral garages are often designed by architects who’ve prioritised the look of the frontage over the practical width of the door opening. Plenty of people have bought new builds and discovered a standard double door is 2 or 3 inches too wide for the opening.

Heights catch people out too. Low lintels are common in older properties, and a standard door height of 7ft won’t fit under a 6ft 9in lintel. The alternative is a door that stops short of the bottom of the opening and leaves a draught gap at the floor, which isn’t much use.

What made to measure actually means

A made to measure door is manufactured to your specific opening dimensions rather than a catalogue size. Most door types can be made this way — sectional doors, roller doors, and side-hinged doors are all regularly produced to non-standard dimensions. Up-and-over doors can be made to measure too, though the mechanism design limits how far you can deviate from standard proportions before the spring balance starts causing problems.

The manufacturing lead time is the main practical difference from buying off the shelf. A standard door can sometimes be fitted within a week. Made to measure typically runs 3 to 6 weeks depending on the manufacturer and how busy they are, and longer for timber doors with bespoke detailing.

Does made to measure cost a lot more?

It depends on the door type and how far outside standard sizing you are. For a steel sectional or roller door that’s a few inches wider or taller than standard, the price premium is often modest — manufacturers are set up to adjust their production runs relatively easily. You’re looking at perhaps 15–25% more than the equivalent standard size.

Timber is a different matter. A bespoke hardwood side-hinged door made to exact dimensions, with specific ironmongery and a custom finish, can reach £3,000–£5,000 fitted, sometimes more. The craftsmanship involved is genuine and the price reflects it.

Getting the measurements right

This is where most DIY ordering goes wrong. You need to measure the clear opening — the actual gap in the brickwork — not the existing door or frame. Measure the width at the top and bottom of the opening, as openings are rarely perfectly square. Take the smaller figure. Measure the height at both sides. Again, take the smaller figure. If the numbers differ by more than about half an inch, it’s worth getting a professional to look at the brickwork before ordering anything.

For motorised doors, the headroom — the distance between the top of the opening and the ceiling — matters as much as the opening itself. Sectional doors need a minimum of around 100mm of headroom for the mechanism, often more. Check this before specifying the door type.

Is it worth it?

If your garage opening is genuinely non-standard, a made to measure door is the only way to get a proper fit. A door that doesn’t fit is either a security problem, a draught problem, or both. The premium over standard sizing is real but it’s not usually the deciding factor — by the time you’re paying for a quality door and professional installation, the difference between standard and made to measure is a relatively small part of the total.

Get the measurements taken professionally if you have any doubt at all. Most door suppliers will do an initial survey free of charge, and it’s a lot less expensive than ordering the wrong thing.