Help needed between a 8 Ft Sliding barn door or two 4 Ft double doors Will slide

[JOE.G]

Hi, I have a building that is 12 ft wide where I want to put an 8 ft slider, So the slider would need a 16 ft track, Would it be ok with 6 or so ft hanging off the building? Could I brace it and if so how? Should I just use 2 4ft Double doors?


I cant build 2 4 ft sliders because of trees on side of building unless I remove them. Thanks

 

[u2slow]

What sort of header are you attaching the track to? Can you build it to be continuous and extend it off the building too?

You can play with the number of rollers and their position. I just built a 10' wide door for my 20' carport. I 'cheated' a little on the travel by attaching one of the roller sets an extra 6" away from the door edge. That made the door open an extra 6" before the rollers hit the stop. Given the size of my door, I could probably have taken the idea up to 24" or so without any adverse effects.

 

[James-W]

If it were me I would NOT have the door extend out past the side of the building. Too much chance of a wind problem. Also, the track would need to extend out past the building as well, and you would need a bottom track of some sort which would need to extend past the side of the building. I tend to think you would be opening a big can of worms that you would be sorry for later on.

 

[KANSASBOY]

We got set of bi-fold door on one of are barns

 

[kaymccampbell]

Overhead door is out of the question?

 

[JOE.G]

Overhead door would work, but probably be more then I am looking to spend on the door and doesn't really fit the buildings style.
The Bi Folds are Nice and I may look into them on a different building.
I could extend a very stout header out if need be.
I am worried about the wind if the kids leave it open.
I put a clear roof panel in and the smaller section of the barn has three windows, the main part has none.
The building is in the woods adn not easily seen from main part of property.

 

[Docbentley]

Those trees being that close to your building is not good. Get rid of them.

 

[readhead]

Considering your location you should think this through carefully. If you get a lot of snow and it freezes you may not open the door till spring.

 

[jkeyser14]

Why not put in two 4' swinging doors on regular gate hinges?

 

[The Cobbler]

Why not put in two 4' swinging doors on regular gate hinges?

or a hybrid design, a 32" man door on hinges with 2 - 32" panels on tracks

 

[bob15]

How wide is the door opening? If the door opening is 8' wide, you need a door 10-12' wide. You need to have the sliding door overlap each end of the door opening (I like between 1 and 2 feet). That also means you need to make your slide rail longer.

Also, make sure the water/snow/ice mix won't freeze the door shut or open. Freeing up frozen doors is a major PIA!!

Hinged doors **** when the snow piles up in front of the door; especially if the snow removal equipment is inside the building. My barn had hinged doors and were replaced withing a couple years by a sliding door.

 

[Hot Rod Grampa]

Yes you can let it hang over. Easiest way to brace it would be with a diagonal back to the building. A second bottom guide wheel at the outside corner would work to keep the door from flapping but not in high wind. As was suggested, the trolley does not have to be at the very ends of the door. You could inset them 16 to 18" on each end, meaning your track would now be shorter.

 

[JOE.G]

I am leaning towards the easiest route and make standard swing doors, Sliding doors dont always seal well and I see them on the older barns where they become a pain to slide after years. kinda need to make my mind up as I want to do the doors this weekend.

 

[u2slow]

If the door opening is 8' wide, you need a door 10-12' wide. You need to have the sliding door overlap each end of the door opening (I like between 1 and 2 feet). That also means you need to make your slide rail longer.

Overhead door would work, but probably be more then I am looking to spend on the door and doesn't really fit the buildings style.

I have maybe 2" overlap at each end. It works. Impossible for me to have 1-2 feet of lap.

I was quoted between $4-7k for a 9x9' overhead door. I built my 8x10' slider setup for <$300. Used the same T1-11 siding the rest of the carport. From the front street you can't tell its a door... just more or less 'wall' depending if its open or closed.

 

[uscarry45]

whats wrong with two 4ft sliding doors and minimal track hanging past the end of the building?

 

[rburke65]

He said in post #1 that he can’t do 2- 4’ doors.

 

[kbs2244]

check out a horizional hinged bi-fold design

Youtube will show you how

 

[Jackfre]

Can it be done? Sure! Is it a good idea? I don't think so. Consider the torque placed on the structure. I think it would require substantial bracing back into the adjoining walls. How are the footings in this building? Things don't have to move much to create an inoperable door or one that you are fighting like crazy. Could a roll up door be used. How about extending the front of the building to accommodate a roll up?

 

[JOE.G]

Thanks for the help, I think I may stay simple and do 2 swing open doors, This is not an everyday building, Simple atv/dirtbike storage.