Size / 8x7 single
8x7 single garage door install cost in 2026
The 8-foot by 7-foot single was the dominant US single-bay garage door size from the 1950s through the 1980s and is still common in pre-1990 homes and detached garages. Replacement labour in May 2026 runs $200 to $340. Hardware availability is fine across all major brands. Where the cost surprises homeowners is in the small adjustments that older garages need, which we cover in detail below.
Labour by scenario, 8x7 single
| Scenario | Low | High | Time | Crew |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Replacement on existing tracks | $200 | $340 | 3 to 4 hours | 1 person |
| Replacement plus new opener | $300 | $500 | 4 to 5 hours | 1 to 2 people |
| Replacement with new tracks | $320 | $580 | 4 to 5 hours | 1 to 2 people |
| New construction opening | $450 | $1,100 | 1 to 2 days | 2 people plus framer |
2026 US national averages cross-checked against HomeAdvisor. As of May 2026.
Section 02 / Older-home context
Why the 8x7 opening signals a pre-1990 home
American suburban housing built between the postwar boom and the late 1980s overwhelmingly used 8-foot wide single garage doors. The average passenger car width in 1965 was about 75 inches; today it is closer to 78 to 82 inches, and full-size SUVs sit at 80 to 84 inches before mirrors. The standard moved to 9x7 as vehicles got wider. If your garage opening measures exactly 8 feet, you are almost certainly in a pre-1990 home or a detached garage built to the older standard.
That older-home context shapes the install. The framing is rarely perfectly square after 30-plus years of settling. The slab in front of the door may have heaved or sagged. The jamb wood may have soaked moisture from the soffit-line. None of these are deal-breakers, but they all add small chunks of labour. A 30-year-old garage that looks perfectly fine almost always needs 60 to 90 minutes of shimming and adjustment on a fresh door install, where a 5-year-old garage might need 15.
The good news is that 8x7 is still in production at every major brand. Clopay 4050 series, Amarr Heritage 1000, Wayne Dalton 8000 series all ship 8x7 as a standard SKU. Hardware kits ship pre-bagged for 8x7, same as 9x7. You will not pay a custom-size surcharge on the door panels themselves. The hidden cost is the older-garage labour adjustments, not the door.
A specific watch-out: many pre-1985 garages used wood-framed openings with the jamb integral to the framing. If your installer needs to replace the jamb, that is carpentry work, not garage door work, and the labour rate is different. Get a clear sub-line for any jamb work on the quote, do not let it be lumped into the install fee.
Section 03 / Detached garage installs
Detached garages and the 8x7 install premium
Most 8x7 openings sit on detached garages, often a one-car standalone or a workshop building behind the main house. The labour quote tends to be slightly higher on a detached install for two reasons. First, electrical access for a new opener is rarely present; an electrician sub-trade visit adds $150 to $400. Second, the detached structure may have weathered worse than an attached garage, and rot or settling is more common.
If you are doing an opener install at the same time as the door, factor in either a hardwired motor head (cheaper opener, requires the electrical run) or a battery-powered jackshaft opener (more expensive opener at $400 to $600 for the unit, no electrical run needed). The jackshaft route can be a net saving if the electrical run is long or the path requires opening up a ceiling. See our jackshaft opener install page for the full math.
Detached garages without power can also use a manual door (no opener) if the door is used infrequently. Many workshop garages run this way. Manual operation removes the opener install line ($150 to $300) and removes the electrical run, but it does require you to lift the door yourself, which is fine for an 8x7 single because the door weight is solo-liftable on a balanced torsion-spring system.
Section 04 / Hardware kit specifics
What is in the 8x7 install kit
A standard 8x7 install on a modern brand ships with four panels (each 21 inches tall), a torsion-spring assembly (single spring, 0.225 inch wire on a 36-inch tube for a typical insulated steel door), two vertical tracks, two horizontal tracks, two flag brackets, eight roller hinges, two end hinges, four-inch nylon rollers, two safety cables, a perimeter weather seal, and a labelled hardware bag.
The installer follows the brand-specific install diagram (always in the kit) for that exact spring tension and track angle. The installer does not size or wind the spring from scratch; the brand has done that math. This is why even custom-cosmetic doors install in roughly the same time as a basic model, because the structural and torsion engineering is the same.
For more on what the install kit does and does not include, the Door and Access Systems Manufacturers Association publishes installation standards that the major brands follow.