Question for the builders - garage doors

[davidpallister]

I'm going to need a new garage door some time soon, I think the current one is the original door so is 30 yrs old.



Question is, is there any reason why I can't just make and fit my own, or does it have to be done to building regs, certified and fitted by a professional body (FENSA?)?



Ta



Dave

[colnerov]

Hi, What sort of door is it? Metal? Wood? Hinged? Up and over? Standard size or custom? No there's no reason you can't make and fit your own, but sometimes it's easier and cheaper to source ready made.

Colin

[davidpallister]

It's a metal up and over at the minute, but I think its the original 30yr old one. One of the wires only has 2 strands left, and it only has 1 catch at the top, so not the most secure of items.

I want wooden open out barn door type doors as i currently have my VW T3 camper in there whilst I restore it, and there's not much room between the van's roof and the open door. I need to raise the front up on stands to sort out underneath, which means the door is going to get in the way when open.

I'm pretty handy at the old woodwork and reckon I could knock up and fit a pair of barn doors for less than £100. (I'm also half Yorkshire so a tight git!)

[VW]

I made these, wasnt hard. I wish id had a router though, I cut the rebates with a circular saw.

Doors are expensive!

[alecf]

I'm pretty sure building regs don't come into it at all.
My old man's got a pair of wooden doors on his and it's never been an issue

[colnerov]

Hi, Yes Metal up and over doors are not very secure even fresh out of the box so to speak. They do require work to made secure.

Wooden doors, my parents had new doors on their garage done by a carpenter friend and I got press ganged into helping him. We were chatting and I said I wondered why he didn't make them himself and he said that it's easy to get a 'wind' or twist in them on a door that size which you don't get with factory made ones. New doors can be picked up for not much more than your budget but most ones seem to be about £200 or so with all the door furniture which isn't cheap.

Colin

[gazzab1978]

try howdens joinery, there will be one near you as they are quite cheap for doors, they are trade only so you would need to use someones account or blag that you are a carpenter and open a trade account with them

[Wilk]

Twist in timber doors can be caused by several factors
1) timber not seasoned correctly... as it dries out the annual rings try to straighten thus altering the shape of the stock
2) tight tenons within mortices. Again, any movement in the timber will twist the finished door
3) general shoddy construction or incorrect joints... dowels instead of tenons

Seen them all during my career

There's no regs regarding type of door... fensa or building refs as it's not a habitable space within. Obviously lintel required above frame and glass should be safety glass

If I were in the market and had the funds, I'd go for the multi fold insulated door, especially if you need to work in the garage during winter. They're not cheap tho. Wooden doors are ok but you'll still have to contend with swelling and having to paint/treat regularly



As an apprentice I was expected to finish from scratch within the day a pair of FL&B doors including machining stock and setting out

HTH

[MiataMark]

Not the cheapest option but I replaced an up and over door with a roller door, secure, no maintenance and no loss of space inside (or outside).

[Wilk]

Mar 12, 2017 10:19:00 GMT MiataMark said:

Not the cheapest option but I replaced an up and over door with a roller door, secure, no maintenance and no loss of space inside (or outside).

Beware with roller doors that the wider they go the more flex there is at the middle. Seen them where they've been pushed inwards giving enough clearance for the door to clear the side tracks
Local unit owner fitted a t shaped ground anchor just inside the door in mid position.... used to lift it out with the fork lift each day. Sadly the door was ram raided in a forward gear nearly killing the culprits in the process. Karma maybe?

[davidpallister]

Thanks for the responses everyone.

I'm not ready to replace them just yet, I'm aiming for sometime over summer, but as long as I know I don't HAVE to pay someone else to do a job I'm perfectly capable of doing myself I'm happy.

[village]

Just to put my Fire Engineer hat on for a moment [hat on] the only door in a garage that comes under the Building Regulations is the door between the garage and the house, this needs to be a self closing FD30 fire door set i.e. a collections of components (door, frame, hinges, closer latches etc) that has been tested or assessed to meet the relevant requirements. Not just whacking on an intumescent seal and some 1 inch door stops. [hat off].

My house originally had timber doors on the garage (1930s) but now has an up and over of similar vintage to yours. I'd love a roller door so I can get out T4 in there, but I'd have to find a home for all the other cr@p that's in there first......

[nomad]

Have a look at the various websites (Gumtree, Preloved, Eb@y etc) up & over doors are normally standard sizes so you might get lucky. I found a near new door for my conversion a few years ago for about £50.
Modern doors have multi-point locking systems, older door just have 1 catch. Maybe retro-fit modern locks onto your door?

Look at the types of up & over, some come totally into the garage, others are 50/50 inside/outside so they don't need as much clearance inside

Timber doors. I like them but beware if making your own it's easy for them to end up very heavy. Can also be insecure (remove panels and crawl through, or put a hand through and unlock from inside)

A mate moved into a place with a roller shutter, impressive but I guess not a cheap option. The remote opener is a nice touch.

[dodgerover]

Roller shutters aren't mega expensive used but can be damn annoying rattling away all day in the wind..

[slow2learn]

We normally sheet onto a box iron frame( either tin or timber), stops swelling twisting and lighter and quicker.

[MiataMark]

Mar 14, 2017 21:27:36 GMT dodgerover said:

Roller shutters aren't mega expensive used but can be damn annoying rattling away all day in the wind..

Mine don't rattle but wind noise making the top panel resonate is annoying. They were £1,200 fitted, which included removing the old door.

[SmokeEm]

Not sure where you are in the country but ideally, once you have your timber list, get it treated at a local pressure treatment place. It will make it last much longer and be more resistant to woodworm etc. If you are anywhere near me, I can do it for you in my plant.

[davidpallister]

In south Wales, bit far to bring it to you.

Still undecided on how I'm going to make them yet, I've got a few other minor projects to finish off before I get on to these.

As long as I know I'm allowed make them myself and they're not going to cost me a fortune i'm happy.

Don't really want a jobsworth coming round saying 'you can't fit them mate, they don't comply to .... regulation'!!!

[davidpallister]

OK, one last question.

The current up-and-over door is mounted to the inner face of the opening, any reason why my new open-out doors can't be mounted flush with the outer wall (as shown in VW's post up near the top^^^)? Hoping to win an extra 6" or so of extra length (ooh err) of working space.

Dave

[colnerov]

Hi, No none at all, they usually are because then the doors can be opened up to 180 degrees, otherwise it would be 90 degrees and could be restrictive.

Colin