My garage door is knackered and I was debating removing it and fitting a single metal door in the centre and cladding either side.
Due to the location of the garage it's quite hard to get a car too it, let alone in it so no loss there.
I'm thinking if a single door is fitted it allows storage for bikes either side of the door vertically internally.
Has anyone else done this? Looking for inspiration if anyone else has done this, door recommendations, door sizes (mainly what's easy to wheel a bike through).
Thanks!
I am lucky to have a double carriage, or the size of a double carriage, but with a single up-and-over door. I thought about converting it to a straight workshop and fit the door, like you're saying. While I was waiting, I did various projects and discovered how handy it is to have a double-width door. Unless you really need to restrict the opening, I would keep it as an up-and-over.
BIL has a sliding garage door divided into three. Two of the panels have stuff stored behind, and vast majority of the time he only opens the last panel as an 'access door' and it's designed this way with the two panels being locked in place by shoot bolts.
Like this:
But in searching you can find a few options:
It would look a bit odd - may not be important now but may well be when you come to sell.
An alternative option is to fit a pair of doors. Maybe not 50:50 but 70:30 which would still give storage options [behind the big door which you wouldn't use so much] but allow it to still be opened completely.
i made my up an over into a big single opens to one side.
4 x 3ft hinges fitted to door and through concrete panels. 1 x jockey wheel like on a caravan at bottom corner. lock at bottom and top corners . perfect.
This is the back of my garage. 140mm timber stud with 10mm ply inside. Insulated and breather membrane and galvanised steel to outside. Latham steel door (highly recommended). For a more visible location you could timber clad externally.
https://www.lathamssteeldoors.co.uk
1.2m wide and I could get a BMW motorbike through it.
I wish I'd gone for simple 50/50 barn doors rather than the roller shutter we installed when we moved in. Rarely open it for any reason - we've got a separate door entrance on the side - but when I do I'm paranoid about anyone walking/driving by being able to see inside. The ability to open a small bit rather than the whole appeals.
So I'd do what MOAB's suggesting above.
An alternative option is to fit a pair of doors. Maybe not 50:50 but 70:30 which would still give storage options [behind the big door which you wouldn't use so much] but allow it to still be opened completely.
This.
I have always regretted missing a pair of UPVC vertical slated French doors, they were almost the perfect size to replace my roller shutter but I held off hoping the price would fall, and they sold!
I think electric roller/sectional doors are overrated unless you regularly park a car or large motorbike in there, for bikes it’s just a big, slow and insecure door and impractical to keep opening and closing when showers pass over or to stop prying eyes!
We had our up & over garage door removed as part of some extension work we had done just over a year ago. The garage was set back from the house and we filled in the area in front of it, to extend the kitchen.
I suppose it's not a garage anymore but a glorified storage shed. But either way, I still needed access to it.
We removed the window at the back and replaced it with a steel security door (I think some places call them personnel doors).
I got one from doors security. One of these:
https://www.doorsforsecurity.co.uk/standard-duty-steel-security-door
It's not quite wide enough for decent width bars, but not really fussed about that. They do two sizes and I think I went with the narrower one. It was quite cheap compared to other ones; but it feels pretty solid.
They also do double doors.
Hopefully here's a pic just after it was installed. I'm pleased with it although in hindsight probably should have got the wider one.
MOAB, any chance of more information from BIL, those doors look ace.
Came here to reccomend Lathams, glad to see someone already has.
You could fit something like this:
https://www.lathamssteeldoors.co.uk/security-garage-doors/side-hinged-garage-door/
Incredibly customisable and very, very well built and secure. I have a lathams steel side door specifically designed to fit 780mm wide handlebars through!
We replaced an almost brand new up and over as soon as we moved in. I hate them and find they restrict internal options hugely. They are very difficult to insulate and just not practical.
I looked at roller shutter versions but couldnt escape thinking i would get seriously pissed at waiting for it to roll up and down each time. Friends and family have them and they just seemed a PITA for what we needed.
In the end we went for side hinged UPVC doors. No glazing and they are a colour match for our front door. They are perfect. I can work out in my gym in the garage in sub zero temps without any heating. My bedroom above the garage has zero heat loss.
Its just like a slightly bigger door than a front door. The other one only gets opened if we need big access and then we literally could drive a car in if we wanted to.
The thing that concerns me most about just putting a single door in is how restrictive it would be for the sake of it. I cant imagine much of a cost saving all in and for future values or use, double doors (50/50 or 70/30) would be so much better.
Inspired by an old thread on here, I replaced my busted up & over with ⅓ ⅔ side opening doors and it's been fab, so much more convenient. Door King on ebay.
I went through this recently. We were converting the back of the garage into a room leaving a considerably smaller garage. The up and over door means you can't use much of the space in the garage as the door goes into it when opening. I researched the options and found that side opening doors start at about £1800 and go up from there. The reason is that they all have to be custom made to fit between the pillars whereas up and over ones don't apparently.
Anyway, in the end, I made my own from the existing up and over door. I took it out of the frame and cut it in half (more like 40/60). I mounted wooden batons to the brick pillars and mounted my new door using security hinges. The other side was bolted and screwed in place. I used 50mm steel angle to replace the edges where it had been cut. I even managed to incorporate the original lock and make a three point locking system. There's a fair bit more to it than that but you get the idea. I reckon I have spent less than £200 on the whole project with the satisfaction of getting what I want. You do really need an angle grinder for this.
MOAB, any chance of more information from BIL, those doors look ace.
That is just random internet picture.
I'll ask him tomorrow when I see him, fitted by local company in Stirling.
You can get split side opening for under £1000, but they are single skin / uninsulated.
Ryterna and Tekentrup make posh insulated ones.
Lathams are very secure and also insulated. They do side panels or double, and can do in the t&g finish of their front house doors if you want something less industrial looking.
This company makes bifold steel.
https://www.selectgaragedoors.co.uk/bi-fold-garage-doors/
And this company makes bifold insulated steel.
https://www.bgid.co.uk/rowley-range-garage-doors/
This is the BGID bifold in their showroom. I've included it as they do double bifold or even double trifold, giving one of the only side opening style doors that work with a big double garage opening.
Thanks for the replies, after have a look it probably is sensible to go down the uneven split route, lots to look into and measure!
My previous garage was way too small for a car. It had two wooden doors, like barn doors. They could both technically be opened, but one was permanently closed and fixed fairly shut like that, the other was the main entrance. It had a motorised garage door opener so made getting my motorbike and bicycles in and out really easy
they do double bifold or even double trifold, giving one of the only side opening style doors that work with a big double garage opening
They would certainly get over the only downside I've found of the ⅓ ⅔ side opening doors - and that's the wind blowing them when they're open. I've fitted (well, botched) a foot bolt thing to hold mine when it's blowy.
and that's the wind blowing them when they're open
My Carteck doors have a telescopic door stay on the top of the door - it will hold the door open for you but a spring system stops it blowing open too far and damps the 'stop'.
Simple, clever and works very well.
Inspired by an old thread on here, I replaced my busted up & over with ⅓ ⅔ side opening doors and it's been fab, so much more convenient. Door King on ebay.
They look decent value for a DIY door.