Need some design advice --shed doors.

[cygnusx1]

I cannot consciously leave a Z out there, fully exposed to the elements and rodents.  I have decided to enclose the shed roof.  It will be made rodent tight.  It should be finished and trimmed out by the middle of next week.  I have been working on it all this week.

 

I have some ideas for doors but I will accept any input from you guys. I won't pollute your minds with my door idea so give it a shot if you have an idea.  The issue is that there is a pretty steep grade (10% or so) exiting the shed and the doors would not fully open if they were to swing outwards.  The bottom edges would stub into the hill.  I cannot re-grade the hill or the car will not drive in or out smoothly.  There is also an uphill grade to the left, so a full height sliding door won't work either.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BTW, I began my trapping routine about two weeks ago, and have caught 17 mice so far and my cat has caught 2 additional.  Sorry PETA.

Edited October 29, 2010 by cygnusx1

[loy]

May be corrugated doors or collapsible doors ?

[Tony D]

They make industrial roll ups that contain themselves in an 18X18 box at the top of the door (8foot door) They have their own metal frame, just trim up to the edge of it.

 

Personally, a 20 foot sea container dropped on the ground would work as well!

[cygnusx1]

In order to access this shed, I need to use my neighbors driveway.  They have a beautiful log cabin home about 500 feet from this shed.  They have a full view of my shed and they allow me to use their driveway, so I want something a bit more eye-candyish than a container.  Although a container can be decorated with chili pepper lights too.  I am also afraid of the thermal mass of a metal container resulting in heavy wall condensation.  Not something I want my Z's near.  The temp/humidity daily swings here are pretty wild.  Great door ideas,  need more!  Think cheap and easy to fab.

 

 

[loy]

Another idea could be close off the upper triangular portion, than have the doors open up like a mouth. The upper portion could be gas shock supported and open upwards and the lower portion could be "rampish" when lowered.

[19762802+2]

You could possibly do a door that opens outwards and upwards you could make some kind of curved notched piece of metal or wood and a slot to rest it on to keep it open or use some foldable supports to fold down to prop up the door. If you kept the door light enough it wouldn't be hard too lift. You could do corrogated tin with a small wooden frame and cut out some half circle sections for windows or something fancy for windows to make it look nice.

 

Also whenever you had the door open it would provide some shade outside the garage and shelter from light rain etc.

Edited October 29, 2010 by 19752802+2

[19762802+2]

Another idea could be close off the upper triangular portion, than have the doors open up like a mouth. The upper portion could be gas shock supported and open upwards and the lower portion could be "rampish" when lowered.

 

Dang beat me too it, Even added in Gas shocks for an idea.

[BRAAP]

My hands down favorite shop door, bi-fold aircraft hangar style. Makes for nice awning when open. Or for your shorter height door, hinged at the top sweep out design for more sun/weather cover with the door open. Could install a man door as well, split at the middle if using the bi-fold.

 

 

 

 

[Tony D]

There is an insulation that is sprayable for the container that makes them very liveable inside. But the wall condensation is a non-issue if you aren't opening it up all the time---it said 'winter storage' and a simple airing out on a dry day before closing it up (and taping over the ventilation holes so the container doesn't "breathe") will negate any thought of condensation forming.

 

The 20 footer doesn't need foot prep, and looked like it would hide behind that shed. Though putting a false roof on it would make it look pretty conventional as well with the added security of needing a cutting torch to get inside.

 

All that failing, spray it with insulation and bury it---they won't even have the shed to look at then!

 

I'm unclear, you're putting a door on the lean-to next to the shed, right?

 

A typical barn door hung from the top on a piece of uni-strut with a slight angle to it so it self-closes is something you could use---though when open, it would block access to the shed doors, and could only be used with the shed doors closed. Probably not that practical.

 

The other alternative door is a 'slider' --- 1X4 sections on an upper and lower track that slide like a roll-top desk to the wall and around the corner (more gradual corner, you can use wider panels, but 1X4's would turn pretty tight!) That would likely be more rodent-proof than the sliding barn door, and like the roll up door uses similar 'channel to guide thin barrier' across an opening technology.

 

It's a wood building with a gravel floor....make no illusions, you likely will have friends over the winter. They fit in smaller places than you think, and wood is edible! They will find a way in, they have a taste for underdash wires near the heater, and for heater hoses. Then they crawl up nice and content gorged on glycol and die atop your heater to give the strangest odor when you eventually do fire it up again...

Edited October 29, 2010 by Tony D

[rturbo 930]

How much room do you have to play with in front? I think something like this could work with some imagination, and because of the style of your walls, you could hide the gaps easily and not make it an eyesore.

 

 

Is this space purely for storage? On my grandmother's barn (my storage space), the door simply slides up, like a garage door. Once again, you can make it look like anything you want. It is incredibly simple. There is a small track on the ceiling, and a latch at the front. There is a weight attached to the door by a cable. No hinges in the door, so you can pretty much just make the door yourself. For example, our door is some 2x4, and covered with steel roofing material.

 

I'm not home at the moment, but if you think this would be a good option I can get more details, if need be.

Edited October 29, 2010 by rturbo 930

[cygnusx1]

Awesome ideas.  Tony you are correct that if there was condensation it would only be a problem when outdoor air got inside quickly.  But since I already wrote off the container for local aesthetic reasons, I am focusing on the remaining door design.  The Shed and the new extension on gravel will house both of my Z's full time, including Winter storage.  The cars will continue to be used until we get snow cover, and then will be used as soon as the ground is free of snow and salt.  They never really get put away for good, weather dependant.  The mice have been in the main shed and did do quite a number on the silver turbo car 2 years ago.  Since then, I have methodically sealed off the shed and have had zero rodent damage or evidence inside the shed.  The lower walls of this new extension on the left of the shed are hardie board (silica composite fiber cement) they will be buried into the ground and cemented where needed.  All the corners and joints will be block trimmed and metal screen will blend the inner walls down into the gravel.  Never say never, but I am betting they go pick on an easier target.  Especially since this is essentially, unheated space.

 

I can't do a sliding door, like the old lead-gravity closing fire doors that are on tilted tracks, because the main shed face sits 6" forward of the new door, and there is the roof eave and terrain in the way on the left.

 

 

 

I like the vertical bi-fold idea  for its simplicity, and love the aircraft hangar doors but I am not sure I want to give up the angled head space.  I am going to measure up to see how much swing I could tolerate with dual bifold doors.  My initial idea was to have a 3 section door.  A  one foot "castle gate" hinged on the bottom(or removable), that dropped down to act as a ramp, and then regular left and right hinged doors that swing out above the ramp. Its a 90" wide opening.  

Edited October 29, 2010 by cygnusx1

[ModernS30]

 

 

 

 

This is what I was thinking. Or a garage door style door. I would think one of those roll up metal doors would be the best...

[cygnusx1]

 Roll up metal doors would take up too much headroom.  It's a low ceiling, you can't really tell from the photos.  I measured for the bifolds, and with the S30 in there I would be able to open up double bi-fold doors towards the inside of the shed.  But if I parked a car that was any longer than an S30, the doors would interfere.  However, with minimal excavation and re-grading it looks like I can build double bi-folds to work.  I will need to take out about 5" of dirt on the high side to create a 24' x 90" level apron outside the shed.  Then I will need to taper the hill into the flat area.  It should work ok.  Too bad the OBX LSD goes open when backing up the hill.     I may need to back into the shed instead to gain the helical LSD advantage, when pulling out up the hill.

 

Off to home depot...and a deli.  

 

 

Edited October 29, 2010 by cygnusx1

[aarang]

You could use two regular barn doors and put a small hinged section at the corners that would fold away (think door hinges) when you open it so they don't touch the ground.Use a slide latch on each so they can be secure when the doors are closed. You can trim out the doors in a way that they won't be noticeable from the outside.

[cygnusx1]

Interesting idea.

[rturbo 930]

 Roll up metal doors would take up too much headroom.  It's a low ceiling, you can't really tell from the photos.  I measured for the bifolds, and with the S30 in there I would be able to open up double bi-fold doors towards the inside of the shed.  But if I parked a car that was any longer than an S30, the doors would interfere.  However, with minimal excavation and re-grading it looks like I can build double bi-folds to work.  I will need to take out about 5" of dirt on the high side to create a 24' x 90" level apron outside the shed.  Then I will need to taper the hill into the flat area.  It should work ok.  Too bad the OBX LSD goes open when backing up the hill.     I may need to back into the shed instead to gain the helical LSD advantage, when pulling out up the hill.

 

Off to home depot...and a deli.  

Don't know what you're working with, but our barn has something like a 7' ceiling. It takes up very little room.

 

Sounds like you've got it worked out though.

[cygnusx1]

 It's about 5'4" on the low side.  Right now I am designing around the double bi-fold doors.  Looks like a go. 

Edited October 29, 2010 by cygnusx1

[cygnusx1]

 Took election day off from carpentry but resumed today.  I should be done with the doors tonight or tomorrow. I need to make sure the building doesn't shift, settle, or heave too much or I'll need a chainsaw to get the doors open.  It's furniture precise. 

 

 

Edited November 3, 2010 by cygnusx1

[Tony D]

Neat!

 

By furniture precise, does this mean you are covering them in thick padding and foam with dead-animal topcoat to cover the gaps and unfinished interior components held together with more glue than is necessary?

[cygnusx1]

Lots of glue is there, gaps are tight, mostly covered with dead trees and pigments suspended in a volatile base for now.  If the mice get in, they may be used to skin the shed.  Good idea.