Glass Garage Door options

[rktinc]

I have been researching aluminum frame, full glass garage doors for my shop restoration project. An 8x9 door is over $4,000. I plan to use this door as a divider between two areas of my garage so no issues with insulation and no need for double pane glass panels.

I have noticed that many folks who have larger doors in their shops have two rows of glass in the upper section of their non-commercial doors as the height allows them the extra sections. I have seen RV doors have two rows of window at the top then the smaller doors use only one. Its a nice look.

A modern aluminum glass door is what I have always planned on but due to the age and style of my building, I thought that it might be unique and a bit less expensive to use a normal metal or composite carriage-style door and just order two or three window sections and a solid bottom section to create a 3/4 glass door and maintain the vintage look of the room.

Any door installers out there? Are the window sections too thin and flimsy to be used two or three stacked? I was thinking an 8 foot tall door would have 4 sections and 3 could be full glass light sections instead of just the top section.

Thanks,

RKTINC.

 

[jstroede]

When you say 8x9, is that 8' wide and 9' high?

Aluminum full view doors are expensive. They are basically hand built. What doors did you have quoted? I might be able to point you toward something a little less. Where are you located exactly?

In residential type doors, you can absolutely use multiple window sections with large amounts of glass. You can even do a steel door with windows all the way down to the bottom section.

Give me some more details, and I can probably give you some more options.

John

 

[rktinc]

When you say 8x9, is that 8' wide and 9' high?

Aluminum full view doors are expensive. They are basically hand built. What doors did you have quoted? I might be able to point you toward something a little less. Where are you located exactly?

In residential type doors, you can absolutely use multiple window sections with large amounts of glass. You can even do a steel door with windows all the way down to the bottom section.

Give me some more details, and I can probably give you some more options.

John

That is great news I am about 100 miles away from KC. I may step up and buy the full glass door if the price point is right but my preliminary searches put those doors about $4k. It is an interior door and being used as a room divider so no insulation or double pane glass is needed. I thought maybe a carriage style door with most of the panels in glass and a painted wood finish might match the building a bit better than an modern aluminum door.

The opening I created is 9'wide x8' tall. It has to look good on both sides. The area with the cabinets is my workshop and the other side will be an open area to store cars, sitting area etc. The door will roll up into the sheet rock ceiling and rest on the attic floor above so the track will need to be slightly higher than a normal door this size.

 

[nolimits76]

Hard to tell for sure in your picture, but how do the lights align in relation to where the garage tracks would get installed? The left looks like they miss by a foot or so. The right looks to be in the exact path, although I think the angle of the picture is giving a false illusion. Either way, just want to make sure you don't end up with them in the same path.



Not sure the cost on these, but these look to have framed sections where the middle is replaced with glass. Similar to what you were talking about I think.

They even have one with a walk-thru door which may be handy for your application although I anticipate that will be super expensive. Still, might be worth the expense if you find value in the functionality.

I've not used these guys nor am I recommending. Just found them doing a Google search trying to learn more as I also like glass garage doors.

Full View Aluminum Glass Overhead Door

Our Full View Overhead doors are ideal for car dealerships, auto garages, and modern work spaces. Blend high visibility, contemporary style, and practicality.

americandoor.com

 

[jstroede]

That is great news I am about 100 miles away from KC. I may step up and buy the full glass door if the price point is right but my preliminary searches put those doors about $4k. It is an interior door and being used as a room divider so no insulation or double pane glass is needed. I thought maybe a carriage style door with most of the panels in glass and a painted wood finish might match the building a bit better than an modern aluminum door.

The opening I created is 9'wide x8' tall. It has to look good on both sides. The area with the cabinets is my workshop and the other side will be an open area to store cars, sitting area etc. The door will roll up into the sheet rock ceiling and rest on the attic floor above so the track will need to be slightly higher than a normal door this size.

9x8 is going to be a pretty basic size. For your application, simple 1/8 annealed glass would be sufficient, though you could move up to tempered for not a huge price.

What direction are you from KC? Have you already talked to installers?

It sounds like the track/springs might be the bigger issue to deal with. That will drive your cost up no matter the door.

If you go with the aluminum door route, there are different colors available as standard than clear anodized aluminum. Bronze, black, and white are all pretty standard stock color offerings in those types of doors.

There are steel door options too.

View All Garage Doors: Architectural Styles, Materials, Colors and Designs

Choose the best garage door to fit your home's style. View our extensive line of styles, materials, and colors to see which garage door pairs best with your home.

www.amarr.com

Something like that might be more in the budget. You can get it in various exterior colors, but interior will always be white.

It looks like a great project nonetheless!

John

 

[rktinc]

Thank you for the information. The track will need to be ordered or extended above the 8 foot ceiling, past the 2x6 ceiling/floor joists then do a 90 degree like a normal garage door. The springs will mount against the upper wall in the attic just like a normal garage door. Are glass doors much more heavy due to the glass?

 

[rktinc]

Hard to tell for sure in your picture, but how do the lights align in relation to where the garage tracks would get installed? The left looks like they miss by a foot or so. The right looks to be in the exact path, although I think the angle of the picture is giving a false illusion. Either way, just want to make sure you don't end up with them in the same path.



Not sure the cost on these, but these look to have framed sections where the middle is replaced with glass. Similar to what you were talking about I think.

They even have one with a walk-thru door which may be handy for your application although I anticipate that will be super expensive. Still, might be worth the expense if you find value in the functionality.

I've not used these guys nor am I recommending. Just found them doing a Google search trying to learn more as I also like glass garage doors.

Full View Aluminum Glass Overhead Door

Our Full View Overhead doors are ideal for car dealerships, auto garages, and modern work spaces. Blend high visibility, contemporary style, and practicality.

americandoor.com

I plan to slit the sheetrock and run the door above the ceiling into the attic space. It is a nice flat floor up there and well built so it should not be an issue as the lighting are flat LEDs with wires running in the under the attic floor. Its a 10,000 sq foot building so i can give up the space in the attic with no issues. Thank you for the info.

 

[nolimits76]

I plan to slit the sheetrock and run the door above the ceiling into the attic space. It is a nice flat floor up there and well built so it should not be an issue as the lighting are flat LEDs with wires running in the under the attic floor. Its a 10,000 sq foot building so i can give up the space in the attic with no issues. Thank you for the info.

This is interesting. I hope you post some pictures when complete. My initial knee jerk reaction is you will encounter more obstacles than wiring by having the door run above the sheetrock.

A few concerns that come to mind is getting the door into the attic space not only do you cut the sheetrock but also the trusses so the door can travel. Although if the trusses are running the opposite direction you may be able to do so without issue. Then I think prebuilt trusses has lots of vertical supports. Even stick built has vertical supports but maybe you will clear those too.

Obviously you didn’t share those details because you weren’t asking for advice or opinion on this portion of the install. I certainly am not trying to derail you, just concerned and interested to see how this gets installed.

One final thought to consider when making that opening for the door to go up. The door is segmented and requires a little more space to travel. Maybe this video shows what I am talking about. Depending how far up the rails go before the curve this may factor into the size of slits you make in the drywall.

 

[rktinc]

This is interesting. I hope you post some pictures when complete. My initial knee jerk reaction is you will encounter more obstacles than wiring by having the door run above the sheetrock.

A few concerns that come to mind is getting the door into the attic space not only do you cut the sheetrock but also the trusses so the door can travel. Although if the trusses are running the opposite direction you may be able to do so without issue. Then I think prebuilt trusses has lots of vertical supports. Even stick built has vertical supports but maybe you will clear those too.

Obviously you didn’t share those details because you weren’t asking for advice or opinion on this portion of the install. I certainly am not trying to derail you, just concerned and interested to see how this gets installed.

One final thought to consider when making that opening for the door to go up. The door is segmented and requires a little more space to travel. Maybe this video shows what I am talking about. Depending how far up the rails go before the curve this may factor into the size of slits you make in the drywall.

Yes, all good points. The attic is completely clear and the joist run left and right in the ceiling. The opening will be as small as possible as I have lots of space above to run the tracks well up the wall into the attic to make the bend after I clear the floor/ceiling. It is all non load bearing structure so I can build a support for the door to rest upon once in the attic. I have already fabricated a support system to level and raise the ceiling due to year of abuse and poor original construction of this sheetrock and 2x6 ceiling so it should be ready to accept additional weight if well distributed. Really seems like the perfect opportunity to put in a disappearing garage door so I just can't resist even if it will cost a bit more.

 

[jstroede]

How much space do you have vertically in total? It would be easiest to use full vertical lift track and not have to mess with breaking it over.
The track system is going to cost roughly the same regardless of whether it is an aluminum full view door or a steel door with windows.

Looks like an awesome project though!

 

[rktinc]

How much space do you have vertically in total? It would be easiest to use full vertical lift track and not have to mess with breaking it over.
The track system is going to cost roughly the same regardless of whether it is an aluminum full view door or a steel door with windows.

Looks like an awesome project though!

 

[rktinc]

The 2x6 joists plus the attic room height is about 6.5 feet. The door opening is 8 ft so I could go up a long way but still have to bend the top section over. I always wonder about doors that go straight up and the pressure that stays on the opener and springs to hold that door up. Seems to me the whole device is at rest once it is mostly horizontally positioned. I can't think of why it would be less expensive to use a vertical only track vs making the bend but maybe I have missed something. That is why I came here to double check my thinking on this custom install.

 

[jstroede]

The 2x6 joists plus the attic room height is about 6.5 feet. The door opening is 8 ft so I could go up a long way but still have to bend the top section over. I always wonder about doors that go straight up and the pressure that stays on the opener and springs to hold that door up. Seems to me the whole device is at rest once it is mostly horizontally positioned. I can't think of why it would be less expensive to use a vertical only track vs making the bend but maybe I have missed something. That is why I came here to double check my thinking on this custom install.

Not necessarily less expensive, but simpler. Rule of thumb is you need twice door height plus a ft for full vertical lift. You don't have that so it isn't an option. Regardless of whether it is high lift or full vertical lift, the springs do the work. A jackshaft opener will do a little bit, but nothing it isn't designed to handle.

What you want can definitely be done I would say, as long as you have the space to pass the door up through between the joists. I have done doors like this before and they have turned out well. You just have to be very accurate with the measurements.

You said that you got a quote for like $4k? Who did you get it from, and what was it for?

 

[Floydstirado]

oh thank you everyone for giving me idea about what is better for my garage..