I'm planning to replace the heavy accordion-style garage door on my old home. It's made up of five 32" panels and is a real pain to operate. I'd like to switch it up for two swing-out doors—one that's 96" on the right and another that's 64" on the left. The garage beams only give me 7' of headroom, so a standard garage door won't fit. I can't find much information on how to build such large doors or what type of hardware I'd need. I'd love any advice on materials or design that could help with this project. The opening measures 160" wide by about 84" tall.
2 Answers
Sounds like you're on the right track with those swing-out doors! You could definitely use large hinges for this. Just make sure they’re sturdier since these doors will be heavy. Have you considered putting some kind of caster wheels at the bottom? That might help with the weight and make opening them smoother. But be careful about the slope you mentioned; it could complicate things a bit for wheeling them.
With such large doors, I would recommend looking into sliding doors if that's an option for you. It might be more manageable than trying to swing them open, especially with the space constraints. If you can’t slide due to the clearance issues on the sides, then using a robust hinge system is your best bet. Just keep in mind that you’ll need heavy-duty hardware to support the weight.
Sliding might not work here since there's no room on either side of the opening. I guess I'll have to stick with the swings!
That's a good idea! Although the slope makes it tricky, rolling wheels might help my current setup.