CUSTOM GARAGE DOOR PLANNING & DESIGN GUIDE
By Bob Moulton of Moulton Custom Door of Vermont
Planning and design tips for making sure that your custom garage door project comes out right:
- Start Early. Do your research to find the budget that you can work with in order to get the door you want. Bring the door artisan into the design process early.
- Make it big. The garage. Probably bigger than you plan to now. I hear it all the time: "I didn't think about that!" Avoid this by thinking about more than just the cars. Remember your hobbies, other vehicles, firewood, a shop space, ceiling space and think about how much time you want to spend there.
- Remember the car doors. They must open, so leave enough side room to open a car door and walk around it, between the car and the shelves you plan to put on the walls or the snow blower that will be stored in the center of the garage between the cars. Decide how much room you need to store the things you want and still make it convenient to get in and out of vehicles.
- Remember the hood. If you like to work on your car inside, remember that the best place for a tool box is up in front of the car where the engine compartment is. Add as much end room as necessary.
- Frame it right. Leave (head) room to install the door!!! They are called "overhead" doors because they operate and store overhead. Be sure to frame at least 16" of ceiling height above the door opening so that we can use standard 15" radius track. This kind of track runs the smoothest and gets the door up and out of the way. Feel free to review our framing diagram to be sure it is done right.
- Wire it right. To anticipate the full requirements of a custom garage door, furnish our wiring diagram to the contractor and electrician.
- Your idea. "If you can draw it", we'll do our best to make it into a door but we need a place to start. My best work comes from a customer that has an idea, especially when some one else has said "you can't do that". A picture from a magazine, book or one you have taken (Mail this kind, they don't fax vary well). Go through our pictures here on the site, go to other sites, have your architect draw up an elevation, or send us prints of the house or pictures of it and we will start something. The point is; it starts with an idea.
Bob Moulton of Moulton Custom Door of VT furnishes planning and design notes for issues that should be considered early in the process to assure a successful, cost effective project.
