What is the Best Height for a Car Lift in a Garage?

Can a garage car lift be installed in a residential garage?

If your residential garage has standard garage doors, they are typically designed to accommodate the majority of garage car lifts on the market today. You can choose a 2-post car lift or a 4-post lift,  however, it may require some modifications to be done on the garage doors for the garage car lift to fit easily.

The average height of a 2-post garage car lift is approximately 9 feet tall. This will fit inside a residential garage with a 9’ 6” ceiling height. The downside to this low of a garage car lift is there are often issues when it comes to opening the car doors of cars parked underneath or next to the garage car lift. 

What is the recommended height for a garage car lift?

While you can get a garage car lift installed in a garage with a maximum ceiling height of 9’6”, the recommended height to assure an easy fit and usability is between 11’ and 12’ height. Things that should be considered in the height restrictions when purchasing a garage car lift include any overhead objects like installed lighting, existing storage, and attic access. 

Also, consider the weight of the vehicles you’ll be storing in the garage car lift. Cars are heavy, and if you’re storing two cars, that weight can make a difference on the flooring. Many homes are built with an attached garage on a cement foundation. An engineering inspection may be recommended before purchasing a garage car lift. 

How thick does concrete need to be for a car lift?

Twelve-inch thick concrete slab is ideal, but not required for most garage car lifts for a home garage. A garage with a four-inch thick reinforced concrete is an acceptable standard. 

Are there any disadvantages of a garage car lift? 

There are several factors to consider when choosing a garage car lift. Here, we have listed three different styles with a brief explanation as well as the advantages and disadvantages: 

• A Commercial Grade 2-Post Garage Car Lift: 

The 2 most popular garage car lift in use today because of several benefits that include:

• Excellent usability for almost any vehicle with excellent access to the underbody of most modern and older cars. 
• Excellent reliability for multiple uses a day.

The disadvantages of a 2-post garage car lift include:

• Height and width may not fit a standard-sized residential garage. 
• Concrete slab requirement of no less than 4″ thick of 3,000 PSI concrete. 
• A Commercial Grade 4-Post Garage Car Lift

The advantages of a 4-post garage car lift include:

• Great storage space created by lifting your project car up and can park a second car underneath. 
• Great for a serious project allowing more underneath access. 
• Great low ground clearance required. 
• Safety and stable with the weight of the car supported by 4 posts. 
• Higher weight capacity with a 4 post garage car lift distributing the weight. 

The disadvantages of a 4-post garage car lift are: 

• Height requirement of 12’ or higher. 
• Width of a typical 4-post garage car requires a minimum 10’ of width. 
• Tire and wheel work is more difficult because the 4 wheels are on the 4 posts. 
• Scissor-Style Hydraulic Garage Car Lift 

An entry-level hydraulic garage car lift will typically lift a car between the wheels. The advantages to this type of garage car lift are: 

• Ideal for light maintenance like rotating tires, replacing brakes, or changing the oil. 
• Ideal where the ceiling is the standard low in residential builds. 

The disadvantage of Scissor-Style Hydraulic Garage Car Lift include: 

• The hydraulic system is typically cheap for cost-cutting purposes. 
• Requires a minimal height. 
• Tendency to tip front to back. 
• Uneven raising and lower possibility due to the hydraulics. 
• Underbody access is restricted because this garage car lift works by picking the vehicle by the frame. , they restrict access to the underside of the vehicle.

In Closing

Is it worth having a garage car lift installed in your home garage?  Yes, if you are a car enthusiast, or even the average homeowner who prefers to do your own brake jobs and oil changes, a garage car lift is worthwhile!  

Or perhaps you have a soon-to-be-teen who will be driving, you can get to work on their future vehicle while keeping your garage open for a family vehicle and other activities in the garage. Keep the bicycles handy on one side of the garage and the garage car lift installed on the other side, you can keep that second vehicle at easy access to come and go when you’re not working on the lifted car. Now is the time to call us at 214-494-9068 if you want a garage car lift in Haslet and Fort Worth, TX. We are here to help!