Bifold Garage Door

[Miss the Pontiacs]

I’ll be needing a garage door for the lake. At home I have Clopays with the max insulation R value. These sectional doors are great but with the standard rail hardware make it virtually tough to place a 4 post lift. I had looked up a roller door but felt the insulation value would be minimal compared to a sectional door. Discussing this with my contractor he said what about a Bifold. I thought why the hell would I want a bifold. I’d have to manually dig any snow to get at my blower or Bobcat.

He said no a horizontal fold. Supposedly runs smoother as there is less track or none at all. Folds to the outside so additional interior space above the inside of the building. He also mentioned when opened it would work as a shelter for shade/rain and expand the coverage area for working on something outside of the building. You don’t have any ****, moisture, debris etc falling on your vehicles from an overhead door.

My contractor has worked on very large shops and other buildings that house huge machinery. So these doors are a good option for big shops. I almost feel guilty having him building a small garage. But I’ll get over that. I’ll place a couple of pics and look forward to your reactions. .

 

[kbuhagiar]

I've never seen them before. I'm intrigued.

How do they compare, cost-wise, to conventional doors?

How well do they seal against the opening? I wonder if they rattle much when it's windy outside.

Do they work with conventional jackshaft openers?

 

[kbuhagiar]

Bifold Doors - Lift Straps | Better Hinges, Wedges & Trusses

Schweiss Bifold Lift Strap Doors have less parts, less problems, less maintenance. Schweiss certified installers will install your bifold door.

www.bifold.com

 

[firebirdparts]

Fancy!

Once again, we discover that money is good.

 

[ConCretin]

I installed a small Hi-Fold 8x12 hanger door in a garage because I wanted to eliminate interference that a traditional overhead door would pose for a bridge crane I intended to install. Well, the bridge crane is still sitting on the floor and I recently replaced the hanger door with a plain old overhead door. The install is on Page 5 of my Concrete Underground thread in the link below.

The hangar door was fine although the aesthetics left a little to be desired and they are pricey. Mine came without any exterior cladding, which I installed myself. Another downside is the inability to install a remote control opener. At least with mine, there are manual locking devices that hold the door shut that cannot be operated remotely. In fact, if you forget to unlock the door before pressing the button, it will rip the locks right off the wall........or that's what I've heard.

My hangar door is still sitting on blocks out back. I'd sell it cheap but I doubt shipping it to Canada would make sense. I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have though.

 

[racecougar]

High lift tracks with a sectional door will be far less costly.

 

[charbar]

I see a lot of those doors....almost every decent sized shop in my area has at least one of them. They work great if that is what you want/need. There are at least three guys within a 50 mile radius of me that custom make them for people, one is a welding shop and the other two are farmers who build them in their down time.

Make sure you're sitting down when he gives you the quote......$$$$$$$$$$$

 

[txvwnut]

I have a bifold on my shop and am much happier with it than an overhead door. I actually made it out of an overhead door to see if I would like the concept. Sometime in the future I will build better version of it using raw materials. The one thing I will say about them is you need about taller rough opening to get to an open height you can work with when the door is open. My opening height started out as eight foot high opening but after the install of the bifold I'm down to a seven foot high opening. The reason I went with this design is I have ten foot six ceiling height and twenty six foot deep shop and an overhead door would've interfered with my lift.

 

[kbs2244]

I am a fan of them
(I ended up with a sectional when I built because I could do a "follow the roof" install)
if your contractor knows how to install them, I wold go wit it
the loss of opening height can be avoided by putting the upper hinge line aove the opening on the outside. the door can then be installed with the bottom reaching the header height

 

[AC-WC]

Ditto for what KBS did, follow the roof line. The problem I had was finding the right contractor to do it at a fair price....

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

I've never seen them before. I'm intrigued.

How do they compare, cost-wise, to conventional doors?

How well do they seal against the opening? I wonder if they rattle much when it's windy outside.

Do they work with conventional jackshaft openers?

Bifold Doors - Lift Straps | Better Hinges, Wedges & Trusses

Schweiss Bifold Lift Strap Doors have less parts, less problems, less maintenance. Schweiss certified installers will install your bifold door.

www.bifold.com

They intrigued me as well.
Cost wise I’m unsure, the builder said they COULD be even more reasonable than a conventional door. We aren’t sure at this point. But he did say delivery days could be better. We will see.
The opening system also is supposedly less noisy. I’m going to check out one of his builds to check on some details.

Fancy!

Different for sure, not standard. Don’t know about price as yet. The builder probably will give me his cost and pickup some coin on the install.

I installed a small Hi-Fold 8x12 hanger door in a garage because I wanted to eliminate interference that a traditional overhead door would pose for a bridge crane I intended to install. Well, the bridge crane is still sitting on the floor and I recently replaced the hanger door with a plain old overhead door. The install is on Page 5 of my Concrete Underground thread in the link below.

The hangar door was fine although the aesthetics left a little to be desired and they are pricey. Mine came without any exterior cladding, which I installed myself. Another downside is the inability to install a remote control opener. At least with mine, there are manual locking devices that hold the door shut that cannot be operated remotely. In fact, if you forget to unlock the door before pressing the button, it will rip the locks right off the wall........or that's what I've heard.

My hangar door is still sitting on blocks out back. I'd sell it cheap but I doubt shipping it to Canada would make sense. I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have though.

I haven’t checked out your build thread yet but hope to a little later this evening. Sorry to hear your bifold didn’t work out for you. The builder said the door is operable with a remote or phone. This door will be insulated and cladded. Why would you have to lock it if is motor driven. I don’t lock my conventional door with the opener, always thought they would be pretty well break in proof on its own.

High lift tracks with a sectional door will be far less costly.

Jury is out on that but we will see.

I see a lot of those doors....almost every decent sized shop in my area has at least one of them. They work great if that is what you want/need. There are at least three guys within a 50 mile radius of me that custom make them for people, one is a welding shop and the other two are farmers who build them in their down time.

Make sure you're sitting down when he gives you the quote......$$$$$$$$$$$

I’m getting the manufacturer and will do a quick check on the pricing.

I have a bifold on my shop and am much happier with it than an overhead door. I actually made it out of an overhead door to see if I would like the concept. Sometime in the future I will build better version of it using raw materials. The one thing I will say about them is you need about taller rough opening to get to an open height you can work with when the door is open. My opening height started out as eight foot high opening but after the install of the bifold I'm down to a seven foot high opening. The reason I went with this design is I have ten foot six ceiling height and twenty six foot deep shop and an overhead door would've interfered with my lift.

I’m looking for the space as well, I may put in a lift and don’t want any remodelling after the install. I’ll check on the opening and potential height. I was initially looking for a 10’ high and 12’ wide. We are at slab installed only so will have time to discuss.

I am a fan of them
(I ended up with a sectional when I built because I could do a "follow the roof" install)
if your contractor knows how to install them, I wold go wit it
the loss of opening height can be avoided by putting the upper hinge line aove the opening on the outside. the door can then be installed with the bottom reaching the header height

Thanks I’ll mention the hinge level to the builder. Since his forte is huge shops he maybe already aware of hinge placements. But you never know.

Thanks guys for the input.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

Ditto for what KBS did, follow the roof line. The problem I had was finding the right contractor to do it at a fair price....

My contractor appears to be a square guy. He lives next door to my Daughter and SIL. I’ve known him for a while now. One reason I waited for him is I wanted a smaller version of his shop. He also likes hiring my SIL for side work when he is on his week on/week off. So possibly we will even see more of my SIL if he ends up on the build.

 

[ConCretin]

Why would you have to lock it if is motor driven. I don’t lock my conventional door with the opener, always thought they would be pretty well break in proof on its own.

The locks aren't for security, they just pull the door tight to the building. The design of my door might be an anomaly but when the tension from the lifting cables eases, it hangs slightly open. My door does open completely flat at the top so it doesn't intrude into the door opening or require a higher hinge location.

Here is a link to the company I used;

Custom High-Clearance Hangar Doors | Hi-Fold Door Corporation

Products: Hangar Doors, Hydraulic Hangar Doors, Folding Doors, Bi-Fold Hangar Doors, Overhead Doors, High Clearance Doors, Hi-Fold Doors

www.hi-fold.com

One thing that always made me a little nervous was that the door is suspended by a couple small cables. These things are surprisingly heavy and in the unlikely event the cables failed, it would literally crush someone underneath. In addition, there are no safeties on the door I purchased to stop it if it hits something or someone on the way down.

I'm not trying to bash hanger doors. They obviously have benefits in some applications and maybe my experience isn't typical but I don't see them as a good option for a residential garage.

At the end of the day, I suspect price will be the determining factor anyway. Residential models seem to be scaled down versions of larger doors intended for actual hangars and the motor, controls and structure are much heavier than a typical residential door. As such, you'll probably pay 2 or 3 times more.

Let us know what you decide and if you go with a hangar door, be sure to post some pics.

 

[txvwnut]

In response to the opening height I have seen some that are designed for an existing opening. They have a framework that attaches to the outside of the building and set the pivot points high enough to use the full existing opening. I personally don't care for the aesthetics of that design.


For the safety statement, yes they are only held up by two cables as is an overhead door. Now with an overhead door if a cable breaks when its open its most likely going to stay open. I did have an issue where a cable jumped a wrap on one pulley and caused a bunch of slack and allowed the door to droop on one side which caused a bind and stopped the door from closing, sort of an accidental safety. I have been thinking about making spring loaded catch for when the door is open but haven't put forth the effort. The lazy way would be a stick in the track, which is a strong possibility.

 

[firebirdparts]

Different for sure, not standard. Don’t know about price as yet.

Like I said. Money is good. If you have lots of it, you can buy things like this.

 

[ybnormal]

In response to the opening height I have seen some that are designed for an existing opening. They have a framework that attaches to the outside of the building and set the pivot points high enough to use the full existing opening. I personally don't care for the aesthetics of that design.


For the safety statement, yes they are only held up by two cables as is an overhead door. Now with an overhead door if a cable breaks when its open its most likely going to stay open. I did have an issue where a cable jumped a wrap on one pulley and caused a bunch of slack and allowed the door to droop on one side which caused a bind and stopped the door from closing, sort of an accidental safety. I have been thinking about making spring loaded catch for when the door is open but haven't put forth the effort. The lazy way would be a stick in the track, which is a strong possibility.

a spring-loaded catch that sticks out? kind of like the catch on a 2/4 post car lift?

 

[txvwnut]

a spring-loaded catch that sticks out? kind of like the catch on a 2/4 post car lift?

Pretty much but it would just lock in at full raise.

 

[ybnormal]

Pretty much but it would just lock in at full raise.

can you imagine hearing it everytime you open the garage door? "ka-CLUNK ka-CLUNK ka-CLUNK ka-CLUNK ka-CLUNK"

that'd be annoying as hll

 

[jstroede]

For overhead doors, they they make safety bottom fixtures that help in this regard.

Safety Stopping Bottom Bracket, 2 Inch Track

Buy the Garage Door Safety Stopping Bottom Bracket, 2" Track at North Shore Commercial Door, starting from just $61.85. We offer excellent customer service, fast shipping, and great selection. Can't find what you're looking for? Call us!

www.northshorecommercialdoor.com

That is one example.

There are also spring break safety devices such as this

Residential Garage Door Spring Failure Device Right Hand Wound

Failure device helps to prevent a garage door from failing in the event of spring breakage. Compatible with 2

www.movingupgaragedoors.com

Spring breaks are not usually a huge concern because a large percentage of the time, the door is at or near the floor because that is where maximum load is applied. Cables are more apt to have issues at other points in the doors travel.

Be ready for sticker shock with the bifold doors. They have their place for sure, but they are generally much more expensive than a sectional overhead door.

 

[txvwnut]

can you imagine hearing it everytime you open the garage door? "ka-CLUNK ka-CLUNK ka-CLUNK ka-CLUNK ka-CLUNK"

that'd be annoying as hll

Probably sound like a roller coaster getting to the top of the hill. If I do make a safety device it will only have one detent at full raise.

 

[86turbodsl]

I built my own bifold for my shop. I like it. LOTS of airflow when it's open. You can build it with very good insulation if you want.
The opener is based on a schwiess design, the locking is my own design. It's not for everybody, but i like it.

 

[05snopro440]

Did you ever decide one way or the other?

I'm curious what concerns you have about a standard sectional door with a 4-post lift. I have 10x10 sectional doors on my garage with 12' ceilings and a 4-post lift for my hobby cars. Granted my garage is long, so the lift is about 5' from the door. I haven't run into any clearance issues with the vehicles I put on the lift and the door, but I am very careful. My door tracks are at a standard height, not raised.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

Did you ever decide one way or the other?

I'm curious what concerns you have about a standard sectional door with a 4-post lift. I have 10x10 sectional doors on my garage with 12' ceilings and a 4-post lift for my hobby cars. Granted my garage is long, so the lift is about 5' from the door. I haven't run into any clearance issues with the vehicles I put on the lift and the door, but I am very careful. My door tracks are at a standard height, not raised.

I did go with the bifold. The original company Diamond Doors came back with an I forgot to add this item in the original quote. The contractor was also a little miffed but found another manufacturer. Richards-Wilcox that had them in stock. Only problem was shipping in a timely matter. I’m told they have been shipped and should be installed in the near future. Just in time for the winter snow.
I just wanted to maximize my garage length of 28’, only 20’ Wide. Winter storage for sea doos, Bobcat, trailers etc. No tracking in building was also a plus. A minus is that I understand these doors are slower in operation.
To tell you the truth I just want this building completed.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

I built my own bifold for my shop. I like it. LOTS of airflow when it's open. You can build it with very good insulation if you want.
The opener is based on a schwiess design, the locking is my own design. It's not for everybody, but i like it.

Sounds great, maybe some pics are in order.

 

[Tundra1]

Any updates on the door? Always curious about options to avoid overhead tracks.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

@Tundra1 I kind of forgot about this thread. I did deal with it on my Lake Thread. But this is how it went.
My contractor had told me initially that when he checked the price was not too much more than a standard door. He had just installed 4 maybe as many as 6 of the bifold doors on this monster shop. When it came down that this was not part of that order the supplier was not as interested in a one of in a different colour and a much smaller door. Anyway the price was now considerably higher and I went with a standard 10x12 door. He likely got the I don’t want to retool for a small door when they are pounding out the big doors. I was likely getting the I don’t want to do it price.
I was kind of looking forward to not dealing with the overhead tracks.
Here is a pic.

 

[Tundra1]

Nice looking build! Sorry the bifold didn't work out, but maybe less trouble in the long run though. Thanks!