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I am preparing to build myself a shop with an office above. The very highest the shop ceiling can be (assuming 8′ ceilings in office above) is about 10′-6″. This is governed by height restrictions and the surrounding grade. I would like to install a 10′ tall by 10′ wide sectional overhead door, and wonder if anyone here knows how little headroom this can be done within. Header is not a problem, it can go up flush with the joists above. Thanks in advance.
Bill
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You might be able to squeeze a 10'x10' standard type garage door in there, but all the garage door openers I have seen increase the height requirement by about by about 4 - 6" which I don't think would fit.
My feeling is that you need to think of another plan... Why do you want such a tall door? Sounds like you're trying to put 10 lbs of $#|t in a 5 lb box. I hate 7' doors but think 8' or 9' are nice - unless you got some kind of camper or something?
Maybe someone else knows of some special type doors/openers that are available.
*Bill-Check with the manufacturer of the door you'd like to use and request spec sheets on any close-clearance track options they can provide. Guessing, seems like you might be able to come close if you're willing to do without an electric opener. Your question will not be unfamiliar to a good manufacturer and some offer track with different radii of the sweep transition from vertical to horizontal to accomodate different door height, ceiling height combinations.
*Bill, it sounds close, but not close enough. I thought that the low headroom hardware needed more than 6". You might have to order a custom door, or become creative.Here's some alternative suggestions to gain a few inches: In the area of the door, use smaller joist. The joist might have to be microlams to make the span.Lower the floor. Provide channels in the ceiling for the track hardware.Just thinking out loud...blue
*Call Overhead Door...You are close to OK...And a 9' door might be the way to go like suggested above.near the stream,aj
*Bill , Rule of thumb is you need 12" of clearance from bottom of header. Otherwise you are looking at a custom door. Do what AJ suggested
*Thank you all. I want to fit my new work van into the door ON OCCASION. It (the van) will be about 9'-6" high. The electric opener is not a must-have item for me. I will call Overhead Door.Blue, I have considered lowering the floor as well as a special section of smaller joists/spans over the back hang of the door tracks. Doing everything all together I am sure there is a way to do this. Since the space is a shop, the higher to the ceiling I can get the tracks, the better for operating in, whether door open or closed. I only need one door this high, but may do both the same for aesthetics and open space in shop. If I ever sell, maybe it will fit the SUV's of 2010!Bill
*Rather than a sectional door, look into the feasibility of a rolling door. No tracks across the ceiling, no door across the ceiling. A long, fat cylinder above the opening. If you run your ceiling joists parallel to the door you will gain that much more space (the depth of those joists) above the header to mount the roll-up. Overhead Door will have several configurations to choose from, including manual or electric operation.
*Any possibility a sliding door would work ?? That would definitely eliminate your clearance problem.
*Now there's a good idea!
*8" - 12" depending on the manufacturer (call as suggested). Look into torsion bar suspension.Jeff
*One more late thought on the roll-up doors. They can be mounted on the exterior. Their housing protects them from the weather and they are secure, too. That would completely remove the headroom concerns.
*Ralph, thank you. That is the sort of idea I had hoped for, totally beyond the limits I was accepting. I remember reading that such rollered doors are installed over windows/doors in Germany for security purposes. Do you have any sources? I am near the sea, so corrosion resistance is more important than in most locales. BTW, I haven't called door companies yet. Too danged busy in daytime hours.Bill
*Overhead Door Company would be a place to check out. This link will give some of the particulars and although I didn't check, I think it also lists their distributors. There should be one in or close to your area.It is a little tough when your distributors don't keep the same late hours you do.Rolling doors are now used as huricane protection as well as barricades for flea market stalls. I've seen them on the ouside of highrises on the beach here in Florida.Hope you find what you need.
*Many industrial warehouses and other buildings have roll up doors, so I would guess that they would be readily available in most areas. They can be either manual or electric. Another alternative would be bi-fold doors. I think they are better than sliding doors. There is an outfit on the Internet that lists plans for $25 if you wanted to make them yourself or they are available ready made for aircraft hangers and similar (I assume that they may not be cheap):http://www.barnplans.com/bifolddoors.htmlhttp://www.schweissbi-folddoors.com/Pages/main.htmlhttp://www.looksmart.com/eus1/eus317829/eus317864/eus265189/eus304776/eus227522/eus973329/r?l&
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I am preparing to build myself a shop with an office above. The very highest the shop ceiling can be (assuming 8' ceilings in office above) is about 10'-6". This is governed by height restrictions and the surrounding grade. I would like to install a 10' tall by 10' wide sectional overhead door, and wonder if anyone here knows how little headroom this can be done within. Header is not a problem, it can go up flush with the joists above. Thanks in advance.
Bill