Man Door Width?

[pago cruiser]

Seems odd that I could not find a thread on Man Door widths?
So here goes:

In my previous garage (maybe 30 years and a lifetime ago...), had a 48" Man Door just around the corner from the main roll-up. Loved it. Really handy to roll stuff in and not have to go "around the corner", and deal with the 8" elevation difference I had.

After years of issues, we are just framing forms on my new 36x26 (biggest I could fit on my hilltop), and the Contractor is...resistant to anything other than a typical 36" door.
Not sure why, and he could not articulate, other than "have never done that before".

Any cons that I may have missed? Other than the cost and losing 12" of interior wall space, I don't see any downside. Speaking of cost, doors seem to still be crazy. What a **** time to be building. Sigh.

TIA

 

[Firebrick43]

Relatively rare size, maybe more difficult to get, definitely much more expensive than a 36" door, 2 or 3 times from what I have seen.

 

[Jim greengo]

I've never seen a 48" walk in door.

 

[Rusted Nut]

Buying and installing a 42” or 48” door should be no problem. Make sure you get a good jamb and install correctly, as a larger door is heavier and more prone to sagging.

 

[Renegade1LI]

It's considered a commercial door, will be a lot more money, do you need a 48" door? Anything that doesn't fit through a 36" will go through the overhead door.

 

[Zeke]

I've never seen a 48" walk in door.

I have seem some 4' wide single doors in hospitals. Also. I know of several mansion doors that are at least 12' tall and then they might be 4' wide. The point I am making is that double doors are more difficult in many ways. A single hung 4o7o should be a stock item at the hollow metal core door place.

 

[Jlanciani]

I love the 42" door I put in my shop, makes it so much easier to bring things through. Just put your foot down and tell the contractor to figure it out.

 

[NUTTSGT]

It's considered a commercial door, will be a lot more money, do you need a 48" door? Anything that doesn't fit through a 36" will go through the overhead door.

Yeah, I will agree that.

 

[larry_g]

It's considered a commercial door, will be a lot more money, do you need a 48" door? Anything that doesn't fit through a 36" will go through the overhead door.

I have a 48" man door leading into the clean shop area in my shop. Then a 36" door connects to the dirty shop area. Not all doors lead into a open contiguous shop area. I like and use the 46" width at times.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[cretedog]

Seems odd that I could not find a thread on Man Door widths?
So here goes:

In my previous garage (maybe 30 years and a lifetime ago...), had a 48" Man Door just around the corner from the main roll-up. Loved it. Really handy to roll stuff in and not have to go "around the corner", and deal with the 8" elevation difference I had.

After years of issues, we are just framing forms on my new 36x26 (biggest I could fit on my hilltop), and the Contractor is...resistant to anything other than a typical 36" door.
Not sure why, and he could not articulate, other than "have never done that before".

Any cons that I may have missed? Other than the cost and losing 12" of interior wall space, I don't see any downside. Speaking of cost, doors seem to still be crazy. What a **** time to be building. Sigh.

TIA

Put 2 man doors in our shop. Both 42"x 7'. Work well for carrying things in etc. A 48" might get a bit wide if it's being used mainly for just in out traffic. Probably takes an extra step each time following the longer swing. Cost wasn't horribly more than for 36" and have worked out great.

 

[Renegade1LI]

I have a 48" man door leading into the clean shop area in my shop. Then a 36" door connects to the dirty shop area. Not all doors lead into a open contiguous shop area. I like and use the 46" width at times.

lg
no neat sig line

My point is if you don't need it go with a stock size. I'm all for installing something cause you like it or need it. In allot of Industrial buildings we install double doors, which is a nice option also. I agree get what you want and need, don't let the contractor talk you out of something you want.

 

[Uncle murph]

Seems odd that I could not find a thread on Man Door widths?
So here goes:

In my previous garage (maybe 30 years and a lifetime ago...), had a 48" Man Door just around the corner from the main roll-up. Loved it. Really handy to roll stuff in and not have to go "around the corner", and deal with the 8" elevation difference I had.

After years of issues, we are just framing forms on my new 36x26 (biggest I could fit on my hilltop), and the Contractor is...resistant to anything other than a typical 36" door.
Not sure why, and he could not articulate, other than "have never done that before".

Any cons that I may have missed? Other than the cost and losing 12" of interior wall space, I don't see any downside. Speaking of cost, doors seem to still be crazy. What a **** time to be building. Sigh.

TIA

I don’t get the 48” door on the same building with a garage door but since it’s your garage and your money and since the contractor is working for you, I don’t understand why it’s a question.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

Loosing a foot of wall (possibly on each side) wouldn't be too much of a concern to me. Needing an extra foot of swing space should be considered as well.

 

[nadogail]

When ever I hear someone stating they have never seen or heard of something; I immediately call into doubt their education and experience.

I have seen a lot and read about many things but I don’t, and will never, pretend to be an absolute authority on any thing.

 

[PassnThru]

I put a standard 36" door where the cars park - but put a 5' door in the back where the open space was. The garage is 32 feet long so I have a good space in the back to work. I didn't want to move a car to get something back there though so I had them put this door in. It's a Bullock garage and this is a door they use on their sheds - it's a sectional just like a standard garage door. There is a concrete apron down the full length of the side now but you can see the arrangement. The cars enter the garage from the right. It takes up a lot of wall space but I can get my mower and other large things in the garage to work on them without moving a car.
View media item 3919

 

[ATC]

I always told myself if I ever had work done on the house or garage, it's getting a 42-48" door. Screw wrestling in couches, recliners, refrigerators, etc... through a normal door.

A friend of mine lives in a house with a 28" door. He has to take apart furniture and appliances just to get them in his house...

 

[dfiler2]

42" is a standard size and available in most big box stores, I have a 42" steel door in my shop and it is very handy.

 

[Glemon]

I thought about this when I built my garage, but not too hard. Most of the time the man door is for me to walk through, maybe with a tool in my hand. The rare occasion when I need to move something big, other than a car, in and out of the door I open the garage door. Your use and set up may be different. I would rather have the extra 2 feet of wall space (1' for the door, 1' for the swing if I had gone 42" instead of the 32" I put in). Have never thought, Oh, should have put in a bigger door when I had the chance.

Your use or needs may be different.

That said, not sure what the contractor's issue would be with it. Some guys have a very narrow comfort zone.

 

[Jeff C]

I have a 42” front door on the house and love it. It’s much easier carrying stuff in and out vs the normal 36”. However, I see no advantage on a garage/shop when you have access to a 9’ wide roll up door.

Anything big enough to need a door wider than 36” I would much rather just roll in the overhead door than fight with getting up a step to a man door and across the threshold.

But… it’s your garage and if you want an oversized man door I don’t understand why it would be a big deal to the contractor.

 

[pago cruiser]

Great responses all; thanks for the thoughtful comments.
They are supposed to be back on the job tomorrow.
We'll see. It rained about 2 inches today, with 50% chance tomorrow.

 

[ipgenie]

A buddy of mine does commercial doors for a living. A few years ago he replaced some 48" interior doors for a hospital. Many of the doors were still in nearly perfect shape and rather than haul them off he gave them away. I got a couple and used them for interior doors between rooms in my shop. A 48" solid core wood door is heavy but I really like them. I don't see a functional downside. About anything fits through easily so I often roll things through them on the pallet jack. You can even drive a 4-wheeler through it if you want. I still need to paint them gray, and when I do they will look and feel more like a steel door.

I wouldn't hesitate at a 48" door if that's what you want and it fits your space and budget. My buddy told me his biggest regret on his shop was installing residential doors and like was mentioned above, at 48" its likely going to be a better built commercial door.

 

[Bucko]

You could probably get a set of French doors from lowes or home depot in stock for cheaper than a special order 48" door and not have the large in-swing but still have the option to open them both up for large items.

 

[CraigStu]

A 6ft wide double door would also be a common option. That is what we have for a walkout from our basement. 95% of the time we use the 36" regular door on one side. Once in a while it is nice to open both of them to move stuff in and out.

 

[CombatNinja]

I can really see the value of a 42" into the house from an attached garage provided you have the room. Makes getting appliances/furniture/whatever so easy to take in and out. However, I don't see the value of an oversized service door just into and out of a shop that already has massive openings from overhead doors. I wouldn't want to deal with the quirks of hanging it and it catching the wind and slamming hard as hell.

 

[reader2580]

You can order a 42” man door from Menards. It is only available as flat steel door.

 

[Irishgarageguy]

Seems odd that I could not find a thread on Man Door widths?
So here goes:

In my previous garage (maybe 30 years and a lifetime ago...), had a 48" Man Door just around the corner from the main roll-up. Loved it. Really handy to roll stuff in and not have to go "around the corner", and deal with the 8" elevation difference I had.

After years of issues, we are just framing forms on my new 36x26 (biggest I could fit on my hilltop), and the Contractor is...resistant to anything other than a typical 36" door.
Not sure why, and he could not articulate, other than "have never done that before".

Any cons that I may have missed? Other than the cost and losing 12" of interior wall space, I don't see any downside. Speaking of cost, doors seem to still be crazy. What a **** time to be building. Sigh.

TIA

i thought long and hard about a wide door in my new build 37’x32’ I have 2, 9’x8’ overhead doors and beside it this homemade 46in wide 8’ tall overhead door made from Trex decking and pvc frames.
l wanted to be able to take my motorcycle in and out if I had cars or projects in the other bays.
dont need a motor on it, lifts with one hand, will post an outside pic tomorrow.
no worries about sag or swing door taking up room.

 

[Txjack]

You could probably get a set of French doors from lowes or home depot in stock for cheaper than a special order 48" door and not have the large in-swing but still have the option to open them both up for large items.

What would you door with the threshold on a french door? I'd like to get roller tables with 2" casters out the door to work in open air. Also taking an ATV or mower over the threshold would beat it up pretty good.

 

[Bucko]

What would you door with the threshold on a french door? I'd like to get roller tables with 2" casters out the door to work in open air. Also taking an ATV or mower over the threshold would beat it up pretty good.

Typically the mandoor would be in addition to a rollup so larger equipment would just go thru the rollup. If it was the only means of access you could build a simple ramp that would act as a sleeper to cover the threshold for those occasional bulk items.

 

[ITGuy1998]

I did this on my garage. My work garage is a 16x26 single garage. The front has a traditional garage door. The back had, when I built it, a 4 ft roll up door. I came to dislike it though, as I had to deal with a padlock all the time, plus it wasn't air tight. I took it out and replaced it with a commercial insulated steel door. I found one that matches my house trim. One of the best changes I've ever done to the house. It was around $900 5? years ago. I'd pay double that knowing what I know now.

Added: It's actually only 42", but still way better than a standard door.

 

[vavet]

circa 1983....my maternal grandfather build dollhouses for his two granddaughters - my sister and our cousin. These were amazing creations with working lights. He got wallpaper and carpet samples books the stores were throwing away and used those to decorate. Every shingle was handcut.
My sister's dollhouse was too big to fit through our standard 30" interior doors, so it got a place in the living room - straight from the front door. If I'm guessing, it was 34" wide x 72" long.
Circa 1984-85 : my parents had a custom home build for us. The dollhouse was actually a scaled down version of one of the plans they contemplated, but did not ultimately select. The house was sorta of a colonial/cape cod with 2 bed and 2 bath downstairs and 2 bed and 1 bath upstairs - and that included my room and my sister's room. Our bedroom doors were spec-ed with 36" wide doors, which was weird but not crazy. I didn't really need 36" wide door, but because our doors shared the landing and visible from the foyer below, they decided to match them.

Bottom line: get what you want, but be prepared to pay for it.

 

[PoorUB]

Seems odd that I could not find a thread on Man Door widths?
So here goes:

In my previous garage (maybe 30 years and a lifetime ago...), had a 48" Man Door just around the corner from the main roll-up. Loved it. Really handy to roll stuff in and not have to go "around the corner", and deal with the 8" elevation difference I had.

After years of issues, we are just framing forms on my new 36x26 (biggest I could fit on my hilltop), and the Contractor is...resistant to anything other than a typical 36" door.
Not sure why, and he could not articulate, other than "have never done that before".

Any cons that I may have missed? Other than the cost and losing 12" of interior wall space, I don't see any downside. Speaking of cost, doors seem to still be crazy. What a **** time to be building. Sigh.

TIA

Put a 36" in and be done with it. Seriously, how often do you need a wider door? Once a month? A couple times a year. Plus when it comes time to replace the door it isn't special order. Anything larger can go through the overhead door.

I have a 32" door in my shop and never thought of a wider door. I just use the overhead door.

 

[Norcal]

I've never seen a 48" walk in door.

4'-0", or a 3'-10" doors are quite common in healthcare settings. Going to be more expensive and more maintenance then a off the rack pre-hung metal door, but I think if anyone were to do a 4'-0" door they would not regret it.

 

[Sumboodie]

Even 36" is a "wide" door. Lots of older places I've been in only have 32".

Real fun fitting furniture that was designed to barely fit in a 36" door.

 

[PT Doc]

If contractor can’t figure that out, how will he figure out the tough stuff?

 

[Ak Jim]

Just be aware of how far the door swings in. You won’t be able to put anything closer than 4’ from the wall. I have a 36” door along one side of the garage. It requires the car be parked 3’ from the wall. I actually used a marker to mark the swing of the door on the floor. That way I can easily see how close I can get the car to the wall without having to worry about the door hitting the car.

 

[Norcal]

Even 36" is a "wide" door. Lots of older places I've been in only have 32".

Real fun fitting furniture that was designed to barely fit in a 36" door.

My front door is a 2'-8" rather then the normal today of 3'-0", a 2'-8" door ***** as a exterior door, but that is one of the joys of old buildings, (80 years this year).

 

[PZ 1]

I would want to put in a 48 inch door too. The last place I lived had one as a walk-out basement door and it was very good to have. It was made with 2 pieces of 3/4 inch plywood sandwiched together. Heavy, but strong and durable, it was about 50 years old with no problems at all. I saw double doors on a barn once that had been newly made with 1x4 tongue and groove boards run diagonally. That would have been a common thing for a carpenter to do at that time.

 

[Monza Harry]

A wide door is a blessing in the right spot. If your building is long and narrow [like mine is] a wide access door at the opposite end of the overhead door would allow access of motorcycles, bicycles, lawn/construction(?) equipment (~ATV's?) etc. without moving the often stalled projects we involve ourselves with. My garage has a double 4'(+) wide x 7' tall creating an 8' opening at the rear of my building. This allows a great breeze and access through a 48' long building that otherwise wouldn't be possible. Consider your placement and the size of potential pieces that may need to fit. Then insist that it happens to your happiness/planning. P.S. the 32" access door is mostly useless! Harry

 

[dcg9381]

Speaking of cost, doors seem to still be crazy. What a **** time to be building. Sigh.

TIA

Tried pricing a 14' garage panel door? Hold on to your retirement.

I put a 48" man door on the shop. I will never put a smaller door in again (in a shop). Ever. This is a shop with 2 x 14' wide doors up front... 48" man door all day long. My only regret is that I didn't add one in back.

 

[crepr12]

Get the door size you want or get another contractor...thats their go to "I have never done that before"...