Dutch (Stable) style garage door....

[James Kolodica]

Jim here. 

I'll be moving soon and have the good fortune to have a large outbuilding that will finally allow me to have the shop I've always wanted.

I wish to replace the garage door with a Dutch style that not only swings open but also is divided horizontally.  I can't find any pics or references surfing the net.  Does anyone know if they make such an animal or am I going into the garage door construction business.  Any direction would be greatly appreciated.

The ole' Kreg jig might get another good workout!

[Jens Jensen]

I dont  think a door that rolls open on a track will swing open.In past 17 yrs I have been in pole barn construction and have built literally 100's of dutch doors and I do not see a way your idea will work.Now you can however just swing lower doors open but the top doors will have to stay closed

[J Flanagin]

Jill here.

 

I will join you in the garage door construction business because I can't believe there isn't already a solution such as this readibly available.  I found your post in my search.

 

This seems totally doable.  Our wooden  garage doors are 30-years old but we decided to keep them when our house was gutted following a 4th of July roof fire.  We painted them and bought new tracks and a motor, and everyone thought we got new doors as well - they look great.

 

When I examine the joint plates between each panel, it seems like creating some type of a compressable upper pin on the upper joint plate would release the upper part of the plate from the lower and hence release the lower panels - allowing the upper panels to pull up as normal, but leaving the lower panels (still stable within the tracks) down.

 

I'm wanting to do this so I can work in the garage and have my 10lb dog out with me and not worry he will run out into the street.

 

I'm also thinking it would be fairly easy to design or modify a door so the smaller panels within the famework of each horizontal panel could open in some fashion to allow air flow.

 

Am I wrong?  Jens seems to think there isn't a way to make this happen.

[J Flanagin]

Here's a pic of our garage door hinge.

[Jens Jensen]

How big opening do you have ??? I have a 8x8 opening in my front and built regular barn doors .If you want to keep pooch in I would suggest barn doors and after you hang them take and cut them in half .so you have like 4 doors this way you can open tops for air  and keep bottoms closed for pooch,If this interests you let me no and I will send picture of how I did mine so weather dont get in between the cuts

[Leslee]

 Well, I made a dutch door for my entrance door to my small 10x12 shop. It works great but, I have never made it bigger. Sorry.

[J Flanagin]

I'm actually looking to modify my current garage bay doors and not build a door. I want to be able to use the remote door opener still to open one or more of the horizontal panels. But thank you for the reply!.

[jim b]

sounds like you need four or six latching hinges so you can unlatch to raise the upper section(s) or latch to raise the whole door

[Michael R. Turner]

Separating the door at a hinge point will cause problems with the opener, since the spring force will no longer be correctly counterbalanced by the weight of the door when the sections are separated.

 

Horizontally sliding panels that open to provide ventilation are a possible solution.  

[jim b]

sounds like dog training is the only solution...lol

[Rusty Smith]

Hi, Rusty here.

this could be expensive to do but if you can figure out how to lighten the counter balance springs, you could have double rails, and double openers. One for the top section, one for the lower section. You would need to make some kind of adapter to mate and seal the upper and lower when they are closed.