Carriage doors present a number of difficulties and at least one advantage.
The advantage is, that when open, they don't block the ceiling and any ceiling mounted lighting.
The disadvantages and difficulties are more numerous.
In snow country, the area outside the door must be kept clear for them to open.
And they traditionally are made as frame and panel construction. This makes insulation difficult, but not impossible.
This type of door construction tends to be heavy, which means the mounting hardware needs to be beefy, and likewise, the frame needs to be as well.
In addition, many people frame this kind of door like a 6 panel door with all rectangular panels. This counts on the joints for triangulation. It is better to have a diagonal member to support the weight, but this makes construction more difficult.
Also, these doors are made of wood so exposing them to weather is a problem. Attention needs to be given to finishes that both protect them and also show off the wood. Extra wide overhangs help with this.
Extra care needs to be taken with sealing and weatherstripping.
And special equipment is needed for automatic opening and closing and locking.
I understand the attraction of their style. I would like doors like that myself. But the difficulties are legion.
They do make an overhead sectional door that looks like a carriage door, but I think that is a hokey solution.
Bill
