We generally think about garage doors from the outside, but many homeowners have bought a bit more distance by turning garages into rooms, and a slew of creative architects and designers 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 usage, invest in an insulated door. In addition to keeping out the cold, insulated doors might help mitigate noise. There lots of doors to choose from, but CHI Overhead Doors is a fantastic place to start your search for styles.
Pros:
LightSpace-saving without swingsIncreased worth (if you’re turning a garage, upgrading the door tastefully can improve your home’s value by enhancing curb appeal, for starters. But if you’re insulating the garage, then you can bet that you’re adding equity!) Cons:
Added expense for nontraditional openingAdded cost to ensure insulationOpportunity for bugs, dust, leaves, etc., to fly in
Single panel up-and-over doors. As the name implies, up-and-over garage doors lean outward, then lift up. When available, these doorways align with the ceiling. While the swing-out feature requires additional space outside for clearance, the panel may provide a little awning above, as in this photograph, which can be a nice feature for those days when you need sunlight, but could use a little mitigation.
This image illustrates the opening procedure of a single panel door.
Another illustration of a single-panel door, this one lifts straight up, rather than gearing up to the inside area. This design is best utilized in double-height spaces, in which having a door roll in overhead would be complicated.
Double-height spaces benefit tremendously from garage doorways; traditional windows tend to be too low to assist with cross breeze in high spaces, and clerestory windows don’t always receptive, making open-plan upstairs areas a little stuffy. The huge scale of these garage doors, together with the height that they reach, makes them a great solution to keep air flowing through an entire house.
Jeannette Architects
Entry doors. The most common type of garage door would be the sectional, which can be constructed of panels that slide up and overhead. Sectional doors have two distinct benefits over more monolithic single-panel doorways: they don’t need any room beyond the garage to open and each panel has its own link to the door track, increasing sturdiness.
Birdseye Design
Dueling sectional garage doors open up this space tremendously and would boost an impressive cross breeze.
Evergreen Carriage Doors
Evergreen Carriage Door
Carriage home doors / swing hung doors. Hinged to open like traditional entrance doors, this style of garage door harkens to the days when folks parked horses, rather than automobiles, inside. Much like single-panel doorways, these doors need additional space outside for opening, although having two panels makes the swing outside thinner.
Some carriage house doors are for appearances only; they are in reality single-panel doors made to look like two doors open out, which works nicely for traditional and contemporary houses alike. In either scenario, using historically suitable hardware (hinges and handles) is vital for creating an authentic look.
Paint selection is an significant part the procedure, too. Carriage House Door Company and Real Carriage Door Company are two good places to begin shopping the choices, as they offer many different sizes and styles from which to choose, together with numerous finishes, eyeglasses and hardware choices.
Glass doorways. Glass garage doors have become much more common in residential uses. Normally, the doors are constructed at a paneled design with a grid pattern dividing the panes of glass. The grids can be manufactured out of wood or metal, similar to window frames. The glass on these doors is made to be strong and tamper-resistant, with several opacity choices from which to select, including clear, frosted and tinted colors. Additionally, there are solar treatments that encourage thermal heat gain.
Glass is the favored material for those converting garages in to studios or rooms, and surely for those installing garage doors in unconventional spaces due to their clean, contemporary aesthetic and the simple fact that they act as an enormous window when shut, bringing in all sorts of natural light.
While garage doors are excellent for looking out from inside, don’t forget the view from outside looking in! How comfy does this wine country dining room and kitchen look?
Poor House Interior Design
This Yountville, Calif., architecture home office is guaranteed to inspire almost anyone.
Ian Moore Architects
I know, there is a car in there and the attention is garage doors in rooms that don’t contain automobiles, but this one’s just so well done. The columns and rows of glass panels work superbly with all the tall and narrow opening.
More: A New Style for your Overlooked Garage Door
More inspiration for your windows and doors