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Not Just for Cars: Garage Doors for the Home
See how the nontraditional use of a garage door could transform your living space
We generally think about garage doors from the outside, but many homeowners have bought a little more space by turning garages into rooms, and a host of creative designers and architects have either transformed existing garages or introduced the garage door aesthetic to traditional rooms. If you're thinking of taking the plunge and investing in a garage door for a nontraditional use, invest in an insulated door. In addition to keeping the cold out, insulated doors can help mitigate noise. There plenty of doors to choose from, but CHI Overhead Doors is a good place to begin your search for styles.
Pros:
Pros:
- Light
- Space-saving without swings
- Increased value (if you're converting a garage, updating the door tastefully can boost your home's value by enhancing curb appeal, for starters. But if you're insulating the garage, you can bet that you're adding equity!)
- Added expense for nontraditional opening
- Added expense to ensure insulation
- Opportunity for bugs, dust, leaves, etc., to fly in
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Single panel up-and-over doors. As the name implies, up-and-over garage doors tilt outward, then lift up. When open, these doors align with the ceiling. While the swing-out feature requires extra space outside for clearance, the panel may provide a little awning above, as in this photo, which is a nice feature for those days when you want sun, but could use a little mitigation.
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by Chris Campbell
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| This image illustrates the opening process of a single panel door. |
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| Another example of a single-panel door, this one lifts straight up, rather than folding up into the interior space. This style is best used in double-height spaces, where having a door roll in overhead would be complicated. |
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| Double-height spaces benefit tremendously from garage doors; traditional windows are often too low to help with cross breeze in high spaces, and clerestory windows don't always open, making open-plan upstairs areas a little stuffy. The large scale of the garage doors, combined with the height they reach, makes them a great solution to keep air flowing through an entire house. |
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| Sectional doors. The most common type of garage door is the sectional, which is constructed of panels that slide up and overhead. Sectional doors have two distinct advantages over more monolithic single-panel doors: they don't require any space outside the garage to open and each panel has its own connection to the door track, increasing sturdiness. |
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by Birdseye Design
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| Dueling sectional garage doors open this space up tremendously and would foster an impressive cross breeze. |
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Carriage house doors / swing hung doors. Hinged to open like traditional dole doors, this style of garage door harkens to the days when people parked horses, rather than cars, inside. As with single-panel doors, these doors require additional space outside for opening, although having two panels makes the swing out narrower.
Some carriage house doors are for appearances only; they are actually single-panel doors made to look as though two doors open outward, which works well for traditional and contemporary homes alike. In either case, using historically appropriate hardware (hinges and handles) is essential for creating an authentic look.
Paint selection is an important part of this process, as well. Carriage House Door Company and Real Carriage Door Company are two good places to start shopping the options, as they offer numerous sizes and styles from which to choose, along with multiple finishes, glasses and hardware options.
Some carriage house doors are for appearances only; they are actually single-panel doors made to look as though two doors open outward, which works well for traditional and contemporary homes alike. In either case, using historically appropriate hardware (hinges and handles) is essential for creating an authentic look.
Paint selection is an important part of this process, as well. Carriage House Door Company and Real Carriage Door Company are two good places to start shopping the options, as they offer numerous sizes and styles from which to choose, along with multiple finishes, glasses and hardware options.
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| Glass doors. Glass garage doors have become much more common in residential applications. Typically, the doors are constructed in a paneled design with a grid pattern separating the panes of glass. The grids can be fabricated from wood or metal, similar to window frames. The glass on these doors is designed to be strong and tamper-resistant, with several opacity options from which to choose, including clear, frosted and tinted colors. There are also solar treatments that encourage thermal heat gain. Glass is the preferred material for those converting garages into rooms or studios, and certainly for those installing garage doors in unconventional spaces because of their clean, modern aesthetic and the fact that they act as an enormous window when closed, bringing in all kinds of natural light. |
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While garage doors are great for looking out from within, don't forget the view from outside looking in! How cozy does this wine country dining room and kitchen look?
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| This Yountville, Calif., architecture home office is sure to inspire almost anyone. |
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I know, there's a car in there and the focus is garage doors in rooms that don't contain cars, but this one's just so well done. The rows and columns of glass panels work beautifully with the tall and narrow opening.
More: A New Look for the Overlooked Garage Door
More inspiration for your windows and doors
More: A New Look for the Overlooked Garage Door
More inspiration for your windows and doors
Ideabook updated on Dec. 16, 2011.
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I hear you, urbanmotifs, and although I think these garage doors are similar in security to fully glazed walls (many of them are highly secure), it's a worthy consideration. Thanks for your input!
That's always my concern whenever I see homes with these large openings and no screens. I have traditional doors and windows in my home and the bugs still find a way in.
Security really isn't that bad with modern doors like these. They are designed to be solid and strong and to withstand an attempt at forced entry.
Insulation is the same as today's windows and depends on the quality of the garage door. R-value (the level of insulation) will depend on the thickness of the glass, the number of panes of glass used, and whether or not gas was contained between the panes. Today's multi-pane windows with gas trapped between the panes can provide a pretty decent R-value.
By the way, as an addition to this article: Garage doors in the living areas of homes aren't simply relegated to an indoor-outdoor divider, either. Garage doors can be used strictly indoors to divide up room space as well. For example, when you want a loft feeling in your home, but want the ability to close off your bedroom when you have guests, you can place a garage door internally between your bedroom and living area that has frosted or tinted glass. This way, when you are guest-free, your entire home can be open (and provide better cross-ventilation), but when the guests arrive, a click of a button will hide your most personal space from prying eyes. This method can also be quite cheap, as you don't have to worry about R-value or attempted forced entry when the door is entirely internal.
-Jason
HAYTHAM SAMIR ARCHITECT-ALEX EGYPT 20-12-2011
If you are concerned about bugs you could always consider using an air curtain. Every year quieter models are being released.