Garage-style doors are cost-effective solutions for opening rooms to dream views and fresh air — and they’re more stylish than ever
Headroom. Ceiling height and overall headroom must be evaluated early on, as the door not only needs a place to stack (either horizontally or vertically); it also needs a way to transition between the vertical and horizontal position. Both the individual door section heights as well as the radius come into play here. But fear not — the manufacturers have done the math for you and offer easy-to-follow guidelines for figuring out just how much room you need.
With all of these doors, it’s important to remember that in the closed position, the hardware will feature prominently in the room. Not only the track but the gearbox, the switching, the torsion spring and the chain, so they all deserve consideration and design attention.
- Add a small lip or ledge for the bottom of the door to seal against and provide a location for a capillary and thermal break.
- Pitch the floor away from the doors toward the exterior.
- Provide a continuous drain and grating to capture water before it has a chance to enter the space.
- Use sheltering overhangs to keep water and splash-back away from the door threshold.
- Air sealing. Heavy-duty gaskets at the bottom of the door will seal it to the floor construction (which may be uneven) when it’s closed. Weather stripping and brushes at the track edges are necessary.
- Panel joints. The more closely the panel joints meet, the less they’ll leak air. Shaped, gasketed and interlocking joints are better than butt joints.
- Solid versus glass. Solid doors are obviously more thermally efficient than glass doors. If you want a glazed opening, be sure to use insulated glass.
- Frame construction. On metal doors look for the term “thermally broken.” These are frames that isolate the exterior from the interior and limit heat loss via conduction.
- Detailing and installation. Design the jambs to protect from and prevent opportunities for air infiltration. During installation the door should be carefully fitted to the entire opening following all of the manufacturer’s guidelines.
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