I'm in the planning stages for a new workshop and am starting to look at door options.
The shop roof will be supported by steel trusses that are about 20" deep. These trusses would reduce the room available for a traditional garage door. But since the end gable walls (where the doors will go) can be made to be load bearing walls, I can nix the trusses on the ends, giving me more clearance for a roll-up door that will fit between the gable wall and the first truss rafter. This will give me another 15" or so of height to my shop doors with the same roof height.
So I'm thinking of going with roll-up doors. But I don't have any experience with them.
Any downside? Do they hold up well? Does the finish get worn off over time as the dooris rolled up on itself?
I've only had one roll up door and that was on my shop building. I was told the building was about 5 years old when I bought it and I had it 8 years with no problems. It was opened and closed almost every day at least once and sometimes several times a day.
I'm not sure where you're located, but the roll-up doors I've used have all been uninsulated. They can also be pretty expensive compared to a standard size garage door.
No doubt go with the roll-up doors. It's the best option I've found. I've done them all. The sliding doors, the garage type doors and without a doubt those roll-up doors are the icing on the cake. They are also ten times as easy to install as a garage door or a sliding door. The cost is the same or less. The last time I bought some they were actually cheaper than the garage type doors. You can get them insulated or un-insulated.
If you just do a search on Google.com for "roll up overhead doors" you'll probably find more than you want to read. Of course Overhead Door is just one of many.
I have had a 10x12 insulated door with remote (Delden brand) on the garage I had built for my F350 crewcab and slide-in camper since 1997. Zero problems, zero service calls for adjustments. Works 100% of the time, unlike my 16' standard garage door. We just signed a contract for a horse barn to be set up this spring, and we are putting two 12x12 doors on it. The local Overhead Door guy came in with the best bid on this installation. Wide range of choices from non-insulated to insulated with vinyl or metal backed to choose from. Check with your local garage door installers, and they can easily provide estimate, door rough-in size and clearance required for motor, rails, etc.
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