Secure, weatherproof door options for a shed
#1
05-16-11, 05:00 PM
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: USA
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Secure, weatherproof door options for a shed
Hello,
I'm building a new shed in my backyard to replace a little pre-fab aluminum thing that has taken too many bad winters and is too small anyway. I'm looking for options for a door that will be wide enough to move large things in and out (looking for at least 48" feet wide, ideally 60") but will still allow me to keep critters and wind-driven rain/snow out. Unfortunately, due to the placement on the lot, the door will have to face west, which is going to get the brunt of the weather.
The shed will have 2x4 stud walls and a poured concrete slab for a floor. It will have a concrete foundation that will extend 6-8" above grade. I'd ideally like a door with a threshold so I can seal out the water and mice that currently inhabit my small shed.
Initially, I looked at roll-up doors like you'd find on a mini-storage facility. I like those, but the 60" door was more than $700, which is way too expensive for a shed door IMO.
I've also thought about using double entry doors like you'd find on a home, but I don't know what those cost.
I want to avoid the plywood barn-door like you find on most sheds as that won't really be weather- or critter-proof enough for my yard. We back up to 100+ acres of wheat field and the mice and bunnies will take over any structure that isn't properly hardened.
Are there any other ideas I'm missing? Do they make garage doors that narrow? I could deal with the overhead tracks if the price was under $200 or so.
Thanks,
Chris
I'm building a new shed in my backyard to replace a little pre-fab aluminum thing that has taken too many bad winters and is too small anyway. I'm looking for options for a door that will be wide enough to move large things in and out (looking for at least 48" feet wide, ideally 60") but will still allow me to keep critters and wind-driven rain/snow out. Unfortunately, due to the placement on the lot, the door will have to face west, which is going to get the brunt of the weather.
The shed will have 2x4 stud walls and a poured concrete slab for a floor. It will have a concrete foundation that will extend 6-8" above grade. I'd ideally like a door with a threshold so I can seal out the water and mice that currently inhabit my small shed.
Initially, I looked at roll-up doors like you'd find on a mini-storage facility. I like those, but the 60" door was more than $700, which is way too expensive for a shed door IMO.
I've also thought about using double entry doors like you'd find on a home, but I don't know what those cost.
I want to avoid the plywood barn-door like you find on most sheds as that won't really be weather- or critter-proof enough for my yard. We back up to 100+ acres of wheat field and the mice and bunnies will take over any structure that isn't properly hardened.
Are there any other ideas I'm missing? Do they make garage doors that narrow? I could deal with the overhead tracks if the price was under $200 or so.
Thanks,
Chris
#2
05-16-11, 05:18 PM
At 4' to 5' wide, a PAIR of doors -- think french doors.
Sealing them isn't a problem -- you're only worried about keeping critters out, and most of the water. It's a shed -- sealing it for temp. control isn't an issue. A decent door stop around the edges, a 1X3 attached to the latch side of the stationary door to stop the operative door, and a sweep across the bottom of each door to keep the water out.
Sealing them isn't a problem -- you're only worried about keeping critters out, and most of the water. It's a shed -- sealing it for temp. control isn't an issue. A decent door stop around the edges, a 1X3 attached to the latch side of the stationary door to stop the operative door, and a sweep across the bottom of each door to keep the water out.
#3
05-17-11, 07:47 AM
Join Date: Oct 2007
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Would one of those thresholds they put at the bottom of garage doors help as well? I'd like to do as good of a job as I can to seal it from air penetration as well so my wife can use part of it as a greenhouse to start seeds in the early spring.
#4
05-17-11, 01:31 PM
Garage doors -- they just put a vinyl seal across the width of the bottom of the door. If you do a pair of doors (build your own!), install a sweep across the bottom of each. Let the sweep on the staionary door extend an in or so past the latch side, so that the sweep on the opening door meets it.
To build your own doors, build the frame out of 2X4's layed flat. Side the exterior side with whatever you side the shed with. On the interior side, simply attach 1/4" or 3/8" plywood, or even 7/16's OSB to the 2X4 frame for rigidity. You can install them in a jamb if you choose, or simply frame the opening and let the doors go to that. If you do the latter, simply use 1X2 on the inside for your door stops. You're only concerned about keeping critters out. It's not like it has to seal to keep conditioned air in and the elements out.
To build your own doors, build the frame out of 2X4's layed flat. Side the exterior side with whatever you side the shed with. On the interior side, simply attach 1/4" or 3/8" plywood, or even 7/16's OSB to the 2X4 frame for rigidity. You can install them in a jamb if you choose, or simply frame the opening and let the doors go to that. If you do the latter, simply use 1X2 on the inside for your door stops. You're only concerned about keeping critters out. It's not like it has to seal to keep conditioned air in and the elements out.
