Can two single garage doors be combined into one double door?

Why people do it, and why it is bigger than it looks

The motivation is almost always the same: the center pier makes parking two modern vehicles a mirror-folding ritual. Crew-cab pickups and three-row SUVs simply outgrew the twin 8-foot openings that were standard on metro homes through the 90s. Removing the pier turns two tight bays into one generous one.

The catch is that the pier is rarely decorative. On most gable-front garages it carries a point load from the roof structure down to the footing. Take it out casually and the header above sags within a season, which shows up as a door that rubs the header in the middle, cracking brick above the opening, and eventually a roofline dip you can see from the curb. So the sequence is strict: engineer sizes the new beam, framer shores the roof and sets the header across the full span, then we hang the door.

The project, step by step

• Engineering letter: the smallest line item, but non-negotiable. It sizes the LVL or steel beam for your span and roof load, and metro permit offices want this on file for a 16-foot-plus opening.
• Demolition and framing: the largest share of the project. Shoring, pier removal, beam installation, new jack studs and jambs, plus brick or siding repair where the pier stood. Brick veneer homes also need a continuous steel lintel.
• The new door: installed cost scales with construction, from a plain pan door to an insulated carriage-style CHI with windows. Wide doors need a proper strut package in our wind zone, which is exactly the topic of the 16-foot strut answer, and the tracks, springs, and hardware all come new with the installation.
• Opener consolidation. Two old openers become one unit rated for the heavier door, ideally a belt drive or wall-mount. One less motor to maintain, one less remote on the visor.

Questions worth settling before you commit

• Resale taste is regional. In most OKC neighborhoods a double door reads as an upgrade. In a few historic districts like Mesta Park, exterior changes need commission review; check before designing.
• Do you lose storage? The pier often hides a stub wall with shelving or the shop-vac outlet. Plan where that goes.
• Could framing money serve you better? If the real problem is one narrow bay, widening a single opening, as covered in the widening answer, costs less than a full combination.

We play the door position on these projects constantly and can coordinate directly with your framer so the opening is never left unsecured overnight. Estimates are free, and financing can wrap the door portion into payments while the framing settles on its own contract.