High-Clearance Garage Doors NZ — Caravans, Boats and Motorhomes
Standard garage doors are designed for cars. If you're parking a motorhome, caravan, boat on a trailer, or tall work van, a standard 2200mm or 2400mm door simply won't cut it. You need a door that matches the actual height of your vehicle — with enough clearance to drive through comfortably, not just technically fit.
The good news: high-clearance roller doors are readily available in NZ, and ordering one is no more complicated than a standard door. Here's what you need to know.
What Counts as High Clearance?
In NZ residential construction, a standard single garage door opening is typically 2200mm or 2400mm high. This suits most passenger vehicles and SUVs with room to spare, but it's not enough for:
- Motorhomes and campervans — typical height range 2800mm to 3800mm, depending on the vehicle
- Boats on trailers — height depends on the hull shape and trailer, but canopied trailers can easily reach 2800mm–3200mm
- Caravans — most sit between 2600mm and 3000mm at the highest point
- High-roof vans and utes with canopies — typically 2400mm–2800mm depending on the fit-out
- Tractors, ride-on mowers and farm equipment — varies widely, but ROPS (roll-over protection) frames can be tall
As a rule of thumb: measure your tallest vehicle at its highest point, add 300mm of clearance, and that's the minimum opening height you should be ordering.
What High-Clearance Roller Doors Are Available in NZ?
DoorsNZ supplies Windsor roller doors in two series, and the Series B product is specifically designed for larger openings:
Windsor Series B — The High-Clearance Solution
Windsor Series B roller doors are available for openings up to 4800mm high and 4800mm wide. This covers the vast majority of high-clearance residential and light commercial applications. Whether you're housing a large motorhome or a commercial van fleet, Series B handles it.
Key specs:
- Maximum opening height: 4800mm
- Maximum opening width: 4800mm
- Curtain material: Colorsteel® or Zincalume
- Wind-rated versions available (see below)
- Automatic opener compatible (GDO-12 opener required for doors taller than 3000mm)
Windsor Series A — Standard Range
Windsor Series A covers openings up to 3200mm high x 3200mm wide. If your vehicle fits within this height, Series A is typically more cost-effective. The most common high-clearance sizes for caravans and taller vans fall within this range.
All Windsor doors are manufactured to your exact opening measurements — there are no fixed size increments. If you need a 3150mm high opening, you get a door made for exactly that.
Openers for High-Clearance Doors
Not all automatic openers are rated for tall, heavy doors. This is an important consideration when specifying a high-clearance installation:
- Doors up to 3000mm high: Standard openers like the Windsor RD1000 Pro ($749) or Garador Reflex ($899) are suitable
- Doors over 3000mm high: A heavy-duty opener is required. The B&D GDO-12 ($1,399) is the appropriate choice for tall doors — it has the torque to handle larger curtain weights reliably
If you're unsure which opener suits your door, include your door height when you enquire and we'll confirm the right match.
Wind Ratings for High-Clearance Doors
Taller doors catch more wind load. If your property is in an exposed location — coastal, elevated, or in a high-wind zone under NZS 3604 — a wind-rated door is worth considering regardless of height, and becomes more important as the door gets taller.
Windsor wind-rated (Series B) doors are available for openings up to 4800mm high and wide, covering wind classifications up to Extra High (55m/s). Wind-rated doors use windlock guides (63mm) rather than standard guides (40mm), which slightly affects the side room requirements in your opening.
Not sure if you're in a high-wind zone? Your local council building department can advise, or a builder can confirm the wind classification for your site based on NZS 3604.
Headroom Requirements for Tall Doors
One thing that catches people out with high-clearance doors is headroom — the space between the top of the opening and the ceiling or lowest obstruction above.
The roller drum sits above the opening. On a standard 2200mm door, the drum is relatively small. On a 3600mm or 4000mm door, the drum is significantly larger and needs more headroom to sit comfortably.
As a guide, allow at least 400–500mm of headroom for doors over 3000mm high, more if you're adding an automatic opener. If your ceiling is low or there are beams, pipes, or lights close above the opening, measure the available headroom before ordering and mention it when you place your order — we can advise on whether a standard installation is feasible.
How to Measure for a High-Clearance Door
The process is the same as for any roller door, with a couple of extra checks worth making:
- Measure the opening height — floor to underside of lintel or header. This is your clear opening height.
- Measure the opening width — inside face to inside face of the structural elements either side.
- Measure headroom — top of opening to ceiling or nearest obstruction above. For tall doors, this matters more than for standard sizes.
- Measure side room — edge of opening to nearest obstruction each side. Standard guides need 80mm; windlock guides need 95–100mm.
- Measure your vehicle — height at the highest point (antenna, roof rack, roof vent, or canopy). Add at least 300mm for comfortable clearance.
For a full walkthrough of the measuring process, see our step-by-step measuring guide.
New Build vs Retrofit
If you're building a new garage and know you want to store a large vehicle, the time to specify the opening height is at the design stage — it's easy to frame a 3200mm or 3600mm opening when the wall is going up, and much more work to raise the lintel after the fact.
If you're retrofitting a high-clearance door into an existing garage, check whether the lintel height can accommodate the opening you need. Raising a lintel in a concrete block or brick wall is a significant structural job. In a timber-framed garage, it's more manageable but still worth budgeting for if the existing opening isn't tall enough.
Pricing for High-Clearance Doors
Larger doors cost more than standard domestic sizes, because they use more material and require heavier-duty hardware. Windsor Series B doors for high-clearance openings are priced based on your specific dimensions — use the DoorsNZ online configurator for an instant price based on your opening width and height.
As a reference, standard domestic pricing starts from $1,084.10 for a 2200mm high opening. Doors in the 3000mm–4800mm height range will be priced above this, scaling with size. For a detailed breakdown of costs across different door sizes, see our 2026 roller door price guide.
Order Your High-Clearance Door
High-clearance roller doors for caravans, motorhomes, boats, and tall vehicles are a standard part of the DoorsNZ range — not a special request. If you know your opening dimensions, you can configure and order online today.
Browse and configure your door or contact us if you'd like to talk through your specific requirements before ordering.