Decent 9x9 Garage door options?

[slalomsauce]

Hey everyone. I've been a lurker on this board for a while, and continue to really use it more as a resource as I've started my garage (and house) build.

I'm on the hunt for some good 9x9 garage door options. I am set on using this size for my garage, but I'm struggling to find very many options in that size. I really don't want to settle for 9'x8' given that I have 12' high sides on the garage.

desired specs
- 9'x9' in size
- insulated
- windows in top panel
- steel or fiberglass construction

I am hoping that the knowledge of members on here may be able to point me to some choices outside of the very few I've found online at places like Menards, etc. I've found a company like Clopay online that looks like they have some options that would fit the bill. I'm just hoping to find something more 'standard' and readily available to choose from.

And just for reference, here is the garage I'm in the midst of building right now. I'm planning to start up a build thread eventually, but for now I'm just going to grab pics and worry about that later.

26'x36' detached garage layout

and a rendering I did of what it roughly should look like.

TLDR; Buy Midland garage doors and be happy for years! my thoughts

 

[rcass]

Find a Haas dealer (www.haasdoor.com), excellent quality. Currently have four 2000 series and extremely happy.

 

[Kevin54]

Most garage door places that deal in only garage doors can custom make ******* sizes. But be aware, they will cost considerably more than a standard size door.

If I may ask, why not go with a standard size with something like a 9x10. If you have 12' walls, I don't see why you couldn't go with a 10' door height unless you are already framed in.

 

[gnpenning]

9'x9' isn't a big deal. Midland has a distribution center in Omaha. 402-895-6575

They should be able to put you in contact with local dealers. They can build you what you want including color and deliver in 2-3 weeks. You can also go up or down in 3" increments for height.

Look at the RSP-TS, it is a steel back quality door. If you have any questions let me know.

How much head room do you have?

 

[flan]

I talked with a lady at clopay and she said 9x9 is a standard size, I'll have Windows too.

 

[slalomsauce]

Thanks for the help guys. You've put me more at ease here. I'll try and answer a few of the questions brought up.

1) It is not framed in yet, so that is precisely why I'm trying to sort all this out sooner than later. Just the foundation walls have been poured.
2) I have considered 9x10, I may look at that more seriously. As that could solve most of my initial concerns.
3) for head room, We haven't finalized trusses yet, but they will likely be traditional (not scissor).

Overall once I can sort out my garage door selection, the rest should fall into place w/o issue. If I need to go taller, I can. It's not set in stone right now, but soon enough once they finish framing the house, they'll move over to the garage.

 

[matt_i]

I also purchased a Haas door, 2" thick insulated and installed it myself. Very happy with the result so far. Will see how it does in colder temps but I expect better than my other thinner doors. Ball bearing nylon rollers and extra vertical sheetmetal bands right, left, and center of the sections, under the skin which give more structure.

 

[carotene]

We used MidAmerica out of OK in 9x9. Insulated with lites across the top panel.

http://www.midamericadoor.com/content_pages/residential/csl.aspx

Happy with the quality.

 

[like2wheel]

Don't want to thread jack, but I have a similar issue going on right now.. I have a pole barn being built with 10 foot walls in the front, 2) 9 foot doors (24' wide building) & have to decide on the height of the doors tomorrow.
I need 8’ to clear my Kubota BX Tractor, but is there any advantage to going 9' high?
I'm not a big truck guy, don't need a bigger Tractor, & 9' doesn't look like it would accommodate even a small motorhome.
Am I forgetting something I might need the extra height for?

 

[gnpenning]

Maybe a Toyota motorhome will go in a 9' high but I doubt much else will.

You can also go with a 8'3", 8'6", 8'6", or even a 8'9" door. You have choices. You can get more radius with a shorter door which translates to a better opening door and more opener options. Once you go over 8' you jump to a 10' track for a trolley opener. Not a big deal.

 

[carotene]

I went with 9' tall doors for a few reasons.
1) It didn't cost any more vs 8.X ft
2) I can clear an SUV + rack mounted storage box
3) most importantly I can park my car + mt bike still on the roof rack
4) with 12' walls, 8' doors left a whole lot of siding above. i.e. two 9x9 doors looked more proportional on 12' wall garage.

 

[slalomsauce]

I went with 9' tall doors for a few reasons.
1) It didn't cost any more vs 8.X ft
2) I can clear an SUV + rack mounted storage box
3) most importantly I can park my car + mt bike still on the roof rack
4) with 12' walls, 8' doors left a whole lot of siding above. i.e. two 9x9 doors looked more proportional on 12' wall garage.

A few of these were reasons for my choice as well.
- I can clear an SUV + rack mounted storage box
- 9'x9' doors looked more proportional on 12' wall garage.

For an example of the proportion, see the attached image so you get an idea (before the trusses go up).

 

[slalomsauce]

For anyone who may come across this thread and want to know what the outcome of my search was.

My builder works All Things Garage out of Glennwood, IA. They were great in helping me explore my options and select the right door for me. I ended up selecting 3 matching 9'x9' Midland garage doors. They went on high-rise rails and are perfect!

Matt w/ All Things Garage is top notch and I couldn't be happier. I can't wait to put openers on them and start actually finishing out the inside of the garage on my own next spring.

 

[like2wheel]

Nice looking door..
Insulated?
Cost?

 

[driftpin]

I just got done w/a 2 car garage, a modest attached remodel, bumped out to the front property setback of 25'. It's about 20' x 22' x almost 13' at the ridge beam, gable style roof. It has two 8' w x 7' 9" h Clopay doors which meet the HVHZ (high-velocity hurricane zone) rating needed in south Florida for windstorm protection. They are insulated, double steel w/separate attached reinforcing horizontal ribs. There are few manufacturers which build these doors to this spec. Generally, windows are not allowed for this rating for residential use.

In the course of the build, we were going to keep part of the original garage slab floor, but decided to remove it entirely, but the change in configuration required another 3" of height, which made our door go from 8' height to 7' 9". No big deal, no extra cost for the Clopay doors.

I also got Liftmaster garage door openers which mount to the top bar w/the coil springs on it so the motor drives the bar itself, no in-the-middle opener chain, belt, or other mechanism. I got a high lift track to place the opened door closer to the roof, just below the garage side eaves height. I have a 1/2" thick wall steel box beam for the center ridge beam, about 13' ht. So, it's about 10' at the eaves, and about 13' at the ridge beam.

The ridge beam has plates for the roof rafters, no trusses, so I have a full clear-span beneath the roof rafters. I did this so I could get a loft, it's only 5' ht below the ridge beam, but the platform is nearly 260 sq ft. so I can get a lot of stuff up there. Another steel box beam runs from sidewall to sidewall supporting the front of the loft floor joists, and I have 7' + under the bottom of the loft floor joists. I would have liked to get a full 2nd story height, but we didn't have the $$. This is what I got. I gave my intended use to the architect and he had the structural P.E. do a design that would allow me to store cars up there if they would fit. Motorcycles do fit.

The Clopay doors are great, no issues, and I really like the concentric motor drive for overhead door operation. I even used the space above the open doors for two wedge-shaped storage shelves. I only store bulky, light things up there, like Christmas decorations, empty bins waiting use, etc. It's worked out great.

The entire gable front end of the garage is poured concrete from foundation to the ridge beam. In the event of a hurricane, it's probably the strongest room in the dwelling. The other three walls are masonry.

I have another thread where I posted details of the loft lift I made from an electric winch (2,000 lb) and a 2,000 lb rated cherry picker, which swivels. This gives me ease of placement for what I place in the loft. I primarily use it for motorcycle parts, a few tiles from our house remodel, and home records. Yes, I know, scanning the house records is the way to go, maybe when I retire in a year & a half.

I am pleased w/the Clopay product, the installer made some good suggestions and he cut me a fair deal, not cheap, but done to code, strong in the event of a hurricane, and it passed all municipal inspections easily. I am a plans examiner and Life Safety Code inspector, so I can keep track of what's going on, and avoid issues.

I can recommend the Clopay product, insulated, steel inside & out, reinforced to meet one of the most stringent codes in the country. And the Liftmaster openers work great.

I'll be watching to see how your progress goes.

 

[CNGsaves]

In the GJ tradition of bigger is better, I'd have gone with 10' x 10' . .
I've never liked narrow garage doors, when building would allow bigger.

OP, those are some nice looking doors in any event.

 

[DpSyChO]

In the GJ tradition of bigger is better, I'd have gone with 10' x 10' . .
I've never liked narrow garage doors, when building would allow bigger.

OP, those are some nice looking doors in any event.

I went with 10x10 and have no regrets other than if I had to do it over again I would have went 12' wide.

 

[gnpenning]

For anyone who may come across this thread and want to know what the outcome of my search was.

My builder works All Things Garage out of Glennwood, IA. They were great in helping me explore my options and select the right door for me. I ended up selecting 3 matching 9'x9' Midland garage doors. They went on high-rise rails and are perfect!

Matt w/ All Things Garage is top notch and I couldn't be happier. I can't wait to put openers on them and start actually finishing out the inside of the garage on my own next spring.

Midland while not a nationally known door company they put out a top of the line door for a great price. Several things they do make them a high quality door. They undersell and over delivery with their products. They don't make false claims to R value or gauge of steel which is almost universal in the garage door industry. Glad your happy. Not surprised.

Enjoy your new place.

 

[slalomsauce]

Nice looking door..
Insulated?
Cost?

Insulated? Yes.
Cost? I'd have to dig up the info and get back to you.

Midland while not a nationally known door company they put out a top of the line door for a great price. Several things they do make them a high quality door. They undersell and over delivery with their products. They don't make false claims to R value or gauge of steel which is almost universal in the garage door industry. Glad your happy. Not surprised.

Enjoy your new place.

I agree. Still happy as ever, and now I'm finally getting started on wiring this thing up to finish the inside. So far everything for the garage has worked out great and I don't regret doing it as big as I did either.

 

[slalomsauce]

I just wanted to come back a few years later and share my longer-term experience.

I have been nothing but impressed with the Midland garage doors years later. They continue to work as well as they did from day one. Aside from routine maintenance, I've only had to adjust the tension on one of them. So it would stay open as that one didn't have an opener on it (until today).

Pairing these doors with high-lift rails and shaft drive openers is a match made in heaven! I would highly recommend these doors to anyone!

 

[gnpenning]

No surprise. I've been putting in Midland doors for over 20 years and rarely see any kind of a issue years later that isn't customer related. They put out an outstanding product that is 2nd to none. You should have many more years of service. Hopefully the yellow tag is still with the springs, it has all the spring engineering for the day you need to replace them.

Good to hear you are still happy.