Side hinged garage doors

A pair of side hinged garage doors are the oldest and most traditional means by which to enter, exit and secure a garage.

But before you dismiss these "old style" garage doors as "dated", it is worth reading on to find out why this style of garage door has been, and continues to be, so popular.

There are several very good reasons why this is the case and they explain why side hinged doors are seeing a resurgence in popularity. One of the reasons can be put down to the arrival of new materials, superior and longer lasting wood treatments, and both innovative and classic styling.

However, it is the practicality and functionality of the side hinged door that ensures its continuing popularity as a new and replacement garage door option.

What makes a side hinged door so practical

The side hinged door offers a huge degree of versatility and choice and this starts with the wide range of materials, finishes and styles that these doors are available in. Wood, metal and plastic finishes can all be found with prices starting at the "very affordable" and extending to the "built to order" custom doors.

But the practical aspect of side hinged doors is just as persuasive. A side hinged door is the easiest style of door to open for human access and, given the fact that garages act as general store areas every bit as much as they act as car garages, this make getting in and out of them easy.

A pair of side hinged doors can also be split in different and "owner" practical ways. The most obvious two door solution is to have a half and half split, but a division of two thirds to one third produces a pair of doors where the small unit is proportioned to a standard house door in size. This is ideal if the garage is frequently entered by a person rather than a vehicle.

Side hinged doors also score top marks when it comes to space utilisation. They do not have a support frame, or a structure that sits in (and reduces the width of) the door opening. Nor do they retract into the garage making it impossible to use the side wall areas for fear of a retracting door snagging on shelving, or items leant up against the walls. They also leave the all important garage roof space free for racking and the storage of long items. This means that the internal area of a garage in not impacted upon by side hinged doors in the way that it is with roller, retractable, up-and-over, sliding or sectional garage doors.

Side hinged garage doors use no space within the garage, require no counterbalancing of their weight to ease opening and closing, and lock using the same kind of "conventional" locking mechanism that you find on a house door.

In short they rely on a tried and tested methodology, they are user friendly and they offer the widest range of styles and "looks" with panelling, windows and attractive ironmongery as options.

A side hinged door will offer an excellent space utilisation solution for any garage that is a tight fit for a car. This may be true of integral garages and garages in the UK built before 1980 when car sizes were smaller.

Automation and remote control

Side hinged doors can be automated without too much difficulty, but they do require a "swing arm" adaptation kit to work in conjunction with a boom style controller and a more powerful motor than their equivalent retracting door types. The reason for the increased motor output is the wind forces to which a side hinged door can be subjected to during opening and closing.

There is no direct alternative to a side hinged door set in terms of operation or internal garage space maximisation.

For more information about side hinged doors go to hinged door - page 2.