No, it’s not like when you walk into a 1870s home and the ceilings are 6’6” high. Well, maybe a little. Low headroom is low headroom no matter how you slice it.

In the garage door world, low headroom is one measurements important to know before giving you an estimate or scheduling your installation. It also comes in handy on some service calls.

The space between the bottom of the header and ceiling in your garage makes up the headroom measurement. Low headroom would be considered any distance less than approximately 14 inches. From the diagram you would subtract #3 from #1.

Why is this important, you ask?

The top section of your garage door needs room to move. Much like when a dance floor at a wedding reception is too small for all of us boogying the night away, the top section of your door requires room to clear the ceiling on the way up. We can make some minor adjustments to a standard door. When a low headroom situation is identified, we use a “Low Headroom Track.”

Some years ago, an engineer somewhere, way smarter than I am, found a solution to this problem. By creating a double track system on the horizontal track, they found that if the top section had it’s own track to follow, it could essentially “flip” that top section quicker than with a standard track system. It works flawlessly.

The only other way to get a sectional door to effectively roll up with low headroom would be to raise the ceiling joists up. Move the entire roofing section up with it. If there, move the room above the garage. I like the track solution!

Your Overhead Door™ Team