Max overhead door height?

[ShedBetter]

Hey Guys,

New guy here trying to change up my "new to me" garage. We recently purchased a house with an approx. 30x40 building. Shop level has 11'5" ceiling height (dry walled in) with a second story over top accessed by a stairwell on the back side of the shop.

The current overhead door is 8' tall x 16' wide. I'd like to maximize the height of the garage door. I want to squeeze every inch out of this thing.

The door is located on the gable end of the building. Curious what I can fit in the space or what I need to know before traveling down this road.

I was under the impression that there was no or very little load on the gable end of the building, so I'm curious on what my header requirements may be.

Anyone done this? Any suggestions? Photos? Anything is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[Hilltopmasonry]

You should be able to comfortably get a 10' high door in there since your ceilings are 11'5

You might be able to get a little bit (couple inches) more if you talk with an overhead door guy.


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[ShedBetter]

Thanks for the reply, Hilltop. I should mention. My goal is 10'5" to get my boat in.

 

[Hilltopmasonry]

Gonna be a squeeze! The header above the door is not too much of an issue however you need a little room for the overhead door to function. You might get lucky, however somebody else that knows for sure should chime in. I know you can get them close but I'm not sure how close to the ceiling


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[Firebrick43]

Moist door manufactures need 9.5-10" if you use a low headroom track with torsion springs.

The question is how your garage is constructed and the header loads.

 

[firebirdparts]

You might be able to custom order a door that is a little taller than 10. I think 11 is possible, but that is getting to the "uncomfortable" level.

As far as the "has any body done this" question, we've all got garage doors. I've done max height a couple of times. The old kickout doors didn't require any headroom above the doorway at all. Sectional doors, I think the best you can do with a low headroom kit is about 6". Sometimes people do homebrew stuff closer than that. Like this one:
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=372198
The tracks on that are about 3" above the door.

If it's a post building you could send that garage door up into the attic, but that is getting also ridiculous for a sectional. Seems reasonable for a rollup, though.

 

[old__man]

Hey Guys,



I was under the impression that there was no or very little load on the gable end of the building, so I'm curious on what my header requirements may be.

Depends what type of truss is on the end. If it is the normal gable truss it just transfers the weight straight down to the supporting wall.

That being said someone already did all the work for you. You just have to move the existing header up.

 

[Paul in MN]

You should determine what the structure of the current header is. You may be able to move it up, but need to determine what are the other structural aspects of that end wall. I have done this mod to my son's pole barn, and have also done similar mods to regular stud framed buildings. I have had custom size o'head doors built by Ideal Door Co in Wisconsin. They often mix panel sections of different heights to create the total height you need. It is quite likely that you can get an opening of 10'6", and maybe 10'8" with careful work. Garage doors come with generic hardware made for many different applications. I have customized some hardware pieces and have achieved a tighter fit than the manufacture's directions say is possible. I am not a garage door installer, just a farmer making our own buildings work better for us. If you do not have a weight bearing floor above the door area ceiling, then it is possible to modify the 1st ceiling truss to raise that area of ceiling another 12". The bottom of the header should be no higher than your 11'5" ceiling. If your trusses are 8' apart, then only the first one back from the endwall needs to be modified. I did this on my son's pole barn. Then the open door "parks" above your 11'5" ceiling, and your end wall opening can be 11'5". Depending on the details of the building construction, this may be relatively easy to do, or may be way out of price and effort range. Another "out of the box" solution is to scrap the 8x16 door, move the bottom of header up to 11'5" and order up a bifold (airplane hangar style) door. No interior modifications needed to trusses or ceiling, all moving parts are outside of the end wall and when the door is open it creates a 6' "roof" or canopy at the door opening. I have installed 3 of this type of door made by HiFold in River Falls Wisc. The one on my shop is 30' x 14' high. My son's is 36' x 14'. Due to your 12' height, you'll need a tractor with loader to hold it up during installation. The installation is easier than similar size multi section doors. Food for thought....

Paul in MN

 

[2level]

I got by with 12" of clearance and could have gotten away with 11". Twelve foot high doors with a 13 foot ceiling height. This is with Genie center mounted Pro-Max openers and low-clearance (double top rail) door tracks.

 

[DCarr2]

Thanks for the reply, Hilltop. I should mention. My goal is 10'5" to get my boat in.

you know what would probably work, if you cant get 10'5"....

Back your boat into the garage with your tractor.... My dad used to do this at our old place, hed back a 27' searay, thruogh a 10' door with 1/2" to spare, using a cub cadet 1650

It would never fit while hooked up to the truck.

 

[On-Wheel]

There's also an adjustable drop hitch that would lower front of boat.Measure trailer hitch then remove truck .Lower trailer 6 " to get a measurement of the high spot of boat.Not knowing your set up ,if lowering trailer tongue doesn't help ,smaller tires if in a pinch.

 

[ShedBetter]

I'm not opposed to flattening the tires a bit to get the boat in or using the skid steer to lower the tongue as needed. This is just for winter storage. I fish quite a bit, so really just December - March storage.

Once I verify what I have behind the drywall I'll post back.

For a 10'6" by 16' door, I'd imagine the spring and lifter requirements may be a little prohibitive. Could I even do low headroom tracks and rear mounted torsion? Or some is there some other variant that allows for max clearance? Side mounted lifter?

 

[ShedBetter]

Paul,

The hanger style door is an interesting twist. How's cost shake out as compared to an OH door this size?

 

[mechanic217]

It may seem crazy but along with letting some air out of the tires ,I have also taken the tires off and used car moving dollies (skates) to gain more clearance. Sometimes its only a few inches or less.

 

[Paul in MN]

Shed Better,
The 3 bifold doors I have installed were cost effective. Due to the size of our farm equipment, I did not want to sacrifice any headroom beneath the trusses. Due to the width of 30ft+, o'head doors become astronomical in price. I looked at many options and decided that the best compromise was the Hi Fold brand. My 1st install was 20 years ago and it is still operated daily. There are many options that affect the final price, including windows, facing material, insulation, latching and locking systems, special top corner diagonals to accommodate gable end roof intrusions of the rectangular building opening. All come with factory installed opener system prewired. Google them up and talk with the factory. I have no idea about current prices and cost of shipping to your location (where are you??). They are good people to work with.

 

[T_R]

10' door and get a second set of trailer wheels. Bolt bare wheels no tires onto trailer to bring in and out once a year. That way you can do it all yourself with easy off the shelf stuff.

 

[Hot Rod Grampa]

Door height can be ordered in 3" increments on standard sectional doors. So a 10'3"' 6", 9"are possible. 9 1/2" minimum headroom for front torsion low headroom track. It is possible to gain extra space by removing the Sheetrock from the cavity between the outside wall and first rafter. This would allow you to "tuck" the springs and drums higher and gain another 3" of clearance inside the building. Remember to add 2" if you plan on using a trolley opener. Hope this helps.

 

[Lelandwelds]

It may seem crazy but along with letting some air out of the tires ,I have also taken the tires off and used car moving dollies (skates) to gain more clearance. Sometimes its only a few inches or less.

10' door and get a second set of trailer wheels. Bolt bare wheels no tires onto trailer to bring in and out once a year. That way you can do it all yourself with easy off the shelf stuff.

Shed Better,
The 3 bifold doors I have installed were cost effective. Due to the size of our farm equipment, I did not want to sacrifice any headroom beneath the trusses. Due to the width of 30ft+, o'head doors become astronomical in price. I looked at many options and decided that the best compromise was the Hi Fold brand. My 1st install was 20 years ago and it is still operated daily. There are many options that affect the final price, including windows, facing material, insulation, latching and locking systems, special top corner diagonals to accommodate gable end roof intrusions of the rectangular building opening. All come with factory installed opener system prewired. Google them up and talk with the factory. I have no idea about current prices and cost of shipping to your location (where are you??). They are good people to work with.

I am a huge fan of innovative solutions. You guys didnt just accept what you see others do. Stuff like this makes time spent on this forum worthwhile.

 

[kbs2244]

Do a you-tube search on "hanger doors"
There are a number of DIY bi-fold doors show for ideas.

For example placement of the upper hinge points re: the door opening top.

Re: your header, you may be lucky and have the header at the top plate and have a "hanging" wall down to the top of your opening.
That would mean no major carpentry.

 

[Mattlt]

Not sure where you are located, but in my area of MN we have two very popular bifold door manufacturers - Schweiss Doors near Hector MN, and Crown Door in Plato MN.

 

[ShedBetter]

I'm in MD.

Still haven't verified my structure. Planning on investigating this weekend. Thanks for all the suggestions so far. Great forum!