On 13 Oct 2005 20:31:10 -0700, "Todd" wrote:

I'm curious if there is a garage door available that has a service door
built into it. Or a design that I can build.

I"m sure you can design it yourself. Practice on the garage door you
have now. Unless you were going to reuse it.

How many sections of the bending door would your 7' door span? Lets
say 4. Get 8 strap hinges (or maybe whatever the garage door has now
if you can find the exact thing, but when I had a garage, it used
pretty common hinges.) and attach them on the left and right side of
where the door is going to be. Try lifting the door to make sure it
still moves easily up and down.

Get two sets of door hinges and mark where they should go. Drill the
holes. Also mark the line of the door. Cut on the line where the
hinges are going to be, and as you cut each section, screw in the
hinge. When you get to the floor, or even earlier also, try lifting
the door to make sure it still moves easily up and down.

Mark and drill the holes for a place for the latch and lock on the
open side.Cut the open side and the top. Attach the latch and lock.
Find some method to make sure the door is always shut when you try to
lift it Or maybe you just won't be able to lift it when it is open.
But still, find out how other doors handle this. Try lifting the
door to make sure it still moves easily up and down. Then you're
done.

If you wanted, you could use this door to trace lines on to a heavier
wood door. Then mark the hinges, drill the holes, cut the door one
hinge worth at a time, and transfer the hinges one at a time.

With a litte extra effort you could make Dutch doors, or triple Dutch
doors for short people.

Your idea sounds great to me. If they can do it you can.

I have a brick garage with no service door, so the only way into the
garage is by opening the 9' x 7' garage door. I'm about to replace my
garage door. That way I can walk thru the service door instead of
opening the garage door. Especially nice when the garage is heated in
the winter. I understand the structual complexity of this request, but
perhaps somebody has figure it out. (My '69 Dodge wagon had a tailgate
that could swing down or open like a door. If they can do that....)

I assumed that that was done by demons.

I currently have the typical modern residential panel door that rolls
up. I'm willing to consider other designs to get this feature.

I've seen service doors in airplane hangar doors, but those are very
large bi-fold doors. Those door hang on the outside of the building
and require exterior headroom which I do not have.

Any ideas?


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